KR100472434B1 - Stacking Paper Identification Device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically identifying the size of paper loaded in a paper cassette.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a printing apparatus having a paper cassette capable of loading different preset paper sizes: a plurality of paper sensing means installed at an arbitrary position in the paper cassette according to the size of paper to be detected. and; And a paper discriminating unit for discriminating and notifying the size of the paper loaded in the paper cassette according to the combination of the detection signals generated by the paper detecting means due to the paper being loaded in the paper cassette; At this time, the paper detection means, respectively installed in the portion where the paper of the corresponding size to be detected; Each paper detecting means other than the paper detecting means for detecting the smallest sized paper is characterized in that it is installed in the remaining portion except for the portion where the small size paper is stacked closest to the paper of the corresponding size.

The present invention automatically identifies the size of the paper loaded in the paper cassette according to the combination of the detection signals generated by the plurality of paper detecting means, and enables the printing apparatus to correctly perform the printing.

Description

Stacking Paper Identification Device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stacking paper identification device, and more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically identifying the size of paper loaded in a paper cassette in a printing device such as a printer or a copying machine.

In general, a printing apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine includes a paper cassette as a paper loading means for loading paper for use in printing, as shown in FIG.

The paper cassette 10 is capable of loading paper of various sizes that can be used for printing, and in the accompanying drawings, a paper cassette capable of loading paper of B5, A4, B4, and A3 sizes is shown. In addition, the paper cassette 10 has a structure in which B5 and A4 size paper can be loaded in a wide (W) direction or a narrow (Narrow) N direction.

In the case of a printing apparatus using a paper cassette in which different sizes of paper are loaded in various directions, the size and direction of the paper loaded in the paper cassette must match the size and orientation of the paper set by the user when printing. In order to transfer the information to the printing apparatus, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, when the indicator 11 mounted at one end of the paper cassette is switched to indicate the size of the loaded paper. The central processing unit (not shown) of the printing apparatus 100 determines the size (and stacking direction) of the loaded paper through the detection signal generated by the switch 12 (or the optical sensor) according to the position of the indicator 100. Recognition is used.

Alternatively, depending on the product, a method of determining the size and orientation of the paper used for printing on the operation panel of the printing apparatus or the driver of the computer is used.

The above-described method is inconvenient because the user has to switch the indicator installed in the paper cassette arbitrarily so that the printing apparatus can recognize the loaded paper size and orientation. If not switched, the printing apparatus had a problem that the printed matter was not output correctly because the size or orientation of the loaded paper was incorrectly recognized.

The method of determining the size and orientation of the paper to be used for printing on the operation panel or the driver of the computer also had the same problem as described above.

Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention automatically identifies the size of the paper loaded in the paper cassette, but combines the result of detecting the paper loaded by a plurality of paper sensing means installed at an arbitrary position in the paper cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper sheet identification device for identifying its size.

In addition, it is another object of the present invention to provide a stacking paper identification device capable of identifying not only the size of the stacked paper but also its direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printing apparatus having a paper cassette capable of loading different preset paper sizes: installed at any position in the paper cassette according to the size of the paper to be detected. A plurality of sheet sensing means; And a paper discriminating unit for determining and notifying the size of the paper loaded in the paper cassette according to the combination of the detection signals generated by the paper detecting means due to the paper being loaded in the paper cassette.

Wherein the paper detection means, respectively installed in the portion where the paper of the corresponding size to be detected is loaded. However, each paper detecting means except for the paper detecting means for detecting the smallest size of paper is installed in the remaining portion except for the portion where the small size paper is loaded closest to the paper of the corresponding size.

Here, the paper discriminating unit, if a detection signal is generated from the paper sensing means for sensing the paper of the minimum size of the paper sensing means to the paper sensing means for sensing the paper of any size, the size of the loaded paper is the It determines that it is arbitrary size.

Optionally, the apparatus may further include a separate sheet sensing means for sensing a direction of the stacked sheet, wherein the sheet discriminating unit is a combination of a sensing signal generated by the sheet sensing means and the separate sheet sensing means. Determine the size and direction of the loaded paper according to.

Here, the separate sheet detecting means is installed in the overlapping portion when the paper to be loaded in the other direction to detect the loading direction.

It is preferable that the sheet sensing means is constituted by a push switch intermittently contacted with the loaded paper, but may alternatively be configured using an optical sensor.

The stacking paper identification apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration automatically identifies the stack according to a combination of detection signals generated from a plurality of sheet sensing means even if the user does not decide the size or direction of the stack of paper. Let the processor know it.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing a configuration of a stacking paper identification device according to the present invention. As shown therein, the stacking paper identification device of the present invention includes a paper including a plurality of switches SW1A, SW2A, and SW1 to SW4. And a sheet discriminating unit 30 which determines the size and direction of the stacked sheet by combining the sensing unit 20 and the sensing signals generated by the interruption of the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4.

Here, each of the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 of the paper detector 20 is installed in the paper cassette 10 as shown in FIG. 3, and the paper cassette shown in the accompanying drawings is A3 to A3. The paper cassettes can be loaded in size and B5 and A4 size paper can be loaded in a wide or narrow direction, so that each size can be detected to detect all stackable paper sizes and orientations. Two switches SW1 to SW4 and two switches SW1A and SW2A are used to detect the direction of each of sheets of size B5 and A4.

Here, the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 use a miniature push switch that is in contact with the loaded paper and is interrupted by the load, wherein the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 are optical sensors. It is possible to use alternatives.

Looking at the installation position of the switch in the paper cassette through Figure 3, each switch (SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4) are respectively installed in the portion where the paper of the corresponding size to be detected, the minimum size of paper, that is, B5 size Each switch SW2 to SW4 except for the switch SW1 for detecting the sheet of paper is installed in the remaining portions except for the portion where the small size paper is stacked closest to the paper of the corresponding size.

For example, the switch SW2 for detecting A4 size paper is installed in the remaining portion except for the portion where the A4 size paper is loaded and the smaller size of the B5 size paper is loaded. The switch SW3 for sensing is installed in the remaining portions except for the portion where the A4 size paper is loaded, which is a smaller size than the portion where the B4 size paper is loaded.

The switches SW1A and SW2A for detecting the direction of the paper are also installed in the same manner. In this case, however, when the paper to be loaded is loaded in another direction, the paper overlaps when the paper is loaded in the other direction, such as when the A4 size paper is loaded in the wide direction and when the paper is stacked in the narrow direction. That is, a switch SW2A for detecting the loading direction of A4 size paper is provided.

In this way, the switches installed in the paper cassette 10 transmit a detection signal to the main body of the printing apparatus 100 through the connection part 13 formed at one end of the paper cassette 10.

2 again looking at the configuration of the stacking paper identification device of the present invention, the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 constituting the paper detection unit 20 as described above, one end of the printing apparatus 100 Commonly connected to the power supply for the logic circuit (Vcc), the other terminal is grounded through pull-down resistors (R1 to R6), respectively.

The input terminals of the plurality of logic elements constituting the paper discrimination unit 30 are connected to the connection points of the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 and the resistors R1 to R6 in a predetermined manner, whereby the switches are intermittent. The size and direction of the paper are determined according to the combination of signal voltages generated by the signal voltages, and the output signal is generated only at any one of the six output stages.

As such, the output signal generated by the paper discrimination unit 30 is input to a central processing unit (not shown) of the printing apparatus 100, and the central processing unit recognizes the size and direction of the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10 through this. Done.

For reference, Table 1 is for explaining the design method of the logic circuit constituting the paper discrimination unit 30, each switch (SW1A, according to the size (B5, A4, B4, A3) and the direction of the paper to be loaded SW2A, SW1 to SW4) are intermittent or not.

TABLE 1

Here, the letters added together with the paper size in the first row indicate the stacking direction of the paper, W means a wide direction, and N means a narrow direction.

The above-described paper discrimination unit 30 is designed using six AND gates AND1 to AND6 and five inverters NOT1 to NOT5 based on Table 1 described above.

In the stacking paper identification device of the present invention having such a configuration, when paper of any size is loaded into the paper cassette 10, the paper stacking device of the stacking paper identification unit 20 switches among the switches SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4 of the paper sensing unit 20 by the paper. At least one switch is interrupted to generate a detection signal.

In this way, the detection signal generated by the paper detection unit 20 is input to the paper determination unit 30. The logic elements of the paper determination unit 30 determine one output terminal for determining the size of the paper according to the combination of the detection signals. Select to generate an output signal.

The central processing unit of the printing apparatus 100 receives the output signal generated by the paper discrimination unit 30, recognizes the size and direction of the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10, and the paper size and direction set by the user during printing. And print according to the result.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of identifying a stack of paper in the printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and illustrates a stacking paper identification method when the function of the sheet discriminating unit is implemented through the central processing unit of the printing apparatus.

In this case, the central processing unit of the printing apparatus directly receives the detection signal generated by the paper detection unit 20 and directly determines the size and direction of the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10. The six switches SW1A, SW2A, and SW1 are used. To SW4) sequentially check whether the detection signal is generated (S10 to S60), and if the detection signal is generated up to a switch for detecting a paper of any size, the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10 is It is determined that the paper is any size (S80 to S130).

For example, by sequentially checking whether a detection signal is generated in each of the switches SW1A, SW2A, and SW1 to SW4, a switch SW3 for detecting a paper of B4 size to a switch SW3 for detecting a paper of B4 size When the detection signal is generated up to (S10 to S60), it is determined that the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10 is a paper of B4 size (S120).

In addition, in the case of B5 and A4 size paper, the loading direction is also determined in the same manner.

When the paper loaded in the paper cassette 10 is determined as described above, the size and direction of the paper set by the user at the time of printing are compared with the size and direction of the determined paper (S140). If it does not match (S150), an error message is displayed (S160).

At this time, if no detection signal is generated in any of the switches, it is determined that there is no paper loaded and displays a message (S70).

As described above, as an embodiment of the present invention, a paper cassette capable of loading four kinds of paper sizes has been described as an example, but the present invention may be modified according to the type of paper cassette that can be loaded. .

As described in detail above, the stacking paper identification apparatus of the present invention automatically identifies the stacking paper according to a combination of detection signals generated from a plurality of sheet sensing means without the user arbitrarily determining the size or direction of the stacking paper. The printing apparatus has an effect of performing printing correctly based on this.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a paper cassette structure of a general printing apparatus.

Figure 2 is a block circuit diagram showing the configuration of the paper sheet identification apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a plan view schematically showing a paper cassette structure of the printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

4 is a flowchart showing a method of identifying a stack of paper in the printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawing>

10: paper cassette 13: connection

20: paper detection unit 30: paper determination unit

100: printing device

SW1A, SW2A, SW1 to SW4: Switch

AND1 to AND6: AND gates

NOT1 to NOT5: inverter

R1 to R6: resistance

Claims (6)

In a printing apparatus having a paper cassette for loading different preset sizes of paper: A plurality of paper detecting means installed at an arbitrary position in the paper cassette according to the size of the paper to be detected; And And a paper discriminating unit for determining and notifying the size of the paper loaded in the paper cassette according to the combination of the detection signals generated by the paper detecting means due to the paper being loaded in the paper cassette. The paper sensing means are respectively installed in the portion where the paper of the corresponding size to be detected is loaded, except for the paper sensing means for detecting the minimum size of each paper sensing means, the smallest close to the paper of the corresponding size Stacking paper identification device, characterized in that installed in the remaining portion except the portion of the paper size. The method of claim 1, wherein the paper determination unit, If a detection signal is generated from the paper sensing means for sensing the paper of the minimum size among the paper sensing means to the paper sensing means for sensing the paper of any size, the size of the loaded paper is determined to be the arbitrary size. Loading paper identification device to determine. The method of claim 1, A further paper detecting means for detecting a direction of the loaded paper; And the paper discriminating unit determines a size and a direction of the loaded paper according to a combination of the sensing signals generated by the paper detecting means and the separate paper detecting means. The method of claim 3, wherein the separate sheet detecting means, Stacking paper identification device to be installed in the overlapping portion when the paper to be loaded in the other direction to detect the loading direction. The paper sheet detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet detecting means comprises: A stacking paper identification device comprising a push switch intermittently contacted with the loaded paper. The paper sheet detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet detecting means comprises: Loading paper identification device consisting of an optical sensor.

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