Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique that can simplify control of a cutter and conveyance of a sheet around the cutter.SOLUTION: A multifunctional printer 1 comprises: an apparatus body 20 that has a conveyance path 201 of a sheet S; a fuser 6 that fixes an image formed on the sheet S to the sheet S; conveyance rollers 35, 36, 38, 39, 85-87 having a registration roller 35 located on the upstream side in a conveyance direction of the fuser 6 and ejection rollers 85-87 located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the fuser 6; a cutter 10 that is located at a cutter position B located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the fuser 6 and can cut the sheet S in a cut direction intersecting the conveyance direction; an ASIC 105; and a microcomputer 115. The ASIC 105 controls the drive of the fuser 6 and the drive of the registration roller 35, and the microcomputer 115 controls the drive of the ejection rollers 85-87 and the drive of the cutter 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to an image forming apparatus that cuts a sheet on which an image is formed with a cutter. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an image forming device that conveys a sheet sent out from an image forming unit to a cutter position and cuts the sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction at the center of the sheet in the conveying direction. This image forming device includes a sheet detection unit, and controls a branch guide in response to the sheet detection unit detecting the sheet, so that the cut sheet is discharged separately to a first discharge tray and a second discharge tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-186448 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if a single control unit is to control the cutter and sheet transport around the cutter, which includes not only the transport control for transporting the sheet from the image forming unit via the fixing unit to the cutter position, but also the control of the cutter and sheet transport around the cutter, which includes stopping the sheet at the cutter position, cutting the stopped sheet with the cutter, and discharging the cut sheet outside the device, there is a risk that the control of the cutter and sheet transport around the cutter will become complicated.

[0005] An object of the present application is to provide a technique that makes it possible to simplify the control of the cutter and sheet transport around the cutter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the image forming apparatus of the present application comprises an apparatus main body having a sheet transport path, a heating rotor, and a pressure rotor that forms a nip between the heating rotor and the image formed on the sheet, a fuser that fuses an image formed on the sheet to the sheet, transport rollers that transport the sheet in a transport direction along the transport path, the transport rollers having an upstream transport roller located upstream of the fuser in the transport direction and an exhaust roller located downstream of the fuser in the transport direction, a cutter located at a cutter position downstream of the fuser in the transport direction and capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction that intersects the transport direction, a first control unit, and a second control unit, wherein the first control unit controls the drive of the fuser and the upstream transport roller, and the second control unit controls the drive of the exhaust roller and the cutter.

[0007] According to the image forming device of the present application, the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller are driven and controlled by a first control unit, and the cutter and the discharge roller are driven and controlled by a second control unit. Since the control of the cutter and sheet conveying around the cutter is performed by the second control unit separate from the first control unit, it is possible to simplify the control of the cutter and sheet conveying around the cutter.

[0008] The discharge rollers include a first discharge roller located downstream of the fixing unit in the transport direction and configured to transport the sheet, and a second discharge roller located downstream of the first discharge roller in the transport direction and configured to discharge the sheet transported by the first discharge roller to the outside of the device body, and the cutter position is a position between the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller in the transport direction. The sheet conveying device further includes a first sensor that detects whether a sheet is present at a first detection position between the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller in the conveying direction, and the second control unit controls the drive of the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller based on the detection result by the first sensor to convey the sheet until the cutting position of the sheet reaches the cutter position, and then to stop conveying the sheet.

[0009] In this way, the first sensor is positioned close to the cutter position, and based on the detection result by the first sensor, the sheet is transported until the cutting position of the sheet reaches the cutter position, and then the transport of the sheet is stopped, so that the cutting position of the sheet can accurately reach the cutter position.

[0010] The sheet conveying device further includes a second sensor that detects whether a sheet is present at a second detection position between the discharge roller and the fixing unit in the conveying direction, and the detection result of the second sensor is input to each of the first control unit and the second control unit, and the first control unit controls the driving of the fixing unit and the driving of the upstream conveying roller based on the detection result of the second sensor, and the second control unit controls the driving of the discharge roller based on the detection result of the second sensor.

[0011] As a result, both the first control unit and the second control unit control the drive of the fixing unit and the drive of the upstream conveying rollers based on the detection results of the same second sensor, with the first control unit controlling the drive of the discharge rollers, and the second control unit controlling the drive of the discharge rollers, making it possible to appropriately adjust controls performed by different control entities.

[0012] The device body also has a first discharge path that is part of the conveying path and is for discharging the sheet to the outside of the device body via the cutter position, and a second discharge path that is part of the conveying path and is a path different from the first discharge path and is for discharging the sheet to the outside of the device body, the discharge rollers include a third discharge roller that is located downstream of the fixing unit in the conveying direction and discharges the sheet to the outside of the device body through the second discharge path, and further includes a flapper that guides the sheet to either the first discharge path or the second discharge path, and the second control unit controls the first discharge roller, the second discharge roller, the third discharge roller, and the flapper.

[0013] As a result, the second control unit controls a flapper that switches between the first discharge path and the second discharge path, and controls the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller, which require drive control when cutting the sheet with the cutter, so that control can be appropriately divided between the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0014] The printing apparatus further includes an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet, and the first control unit receives a print job including an image to be formed by the image forming unit and information that the sheet needs to be cut by a cutter, and forms an image on the sheet by controlling the upstream conveying rollers, the image forming unit, and the fixing unit, respectively. When the second control unit receives information from the first control unit, the second control unit moves the position of the flapper to guide the sheet to the first discharge path, conveys the sheet until the cutting position of the sheet reaches the cutter position, and then controls the driving of the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller to stop conveying the sheet, controls the driving of the cutter to cut the stopped sheet in the cutting direction, drives the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller to discharge the cut sheet to the outside of the device body, and when the second control unit does not receive information from the first control unit, moves the position of the flapper to guide the sheet to the second discharge path, drives the third discharge roller, and controls the driving of the third discharge roller to discharge the sheet to the outside of the device body.

[0015] This allows a decision to be made on whether or not to cut the sheet based on the received print job, and Based on the result of the judgment in step 1, after the sheet is cut, control is performed as to whether or not the cut sheet is to be discharged outside the main body of the apparatus, which is convenient.

[0016] The printer further includes a main motor that drives and rotates either one of the heating rotor and the pressure rotor included in the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller, a main motor driver for driving the main motor, a discharge motor that drives and rotates the discharge roller, a sub-motor driver for driving the discharge motor, a main board on which the main motor driver and a first control unit are mounted, and a sub-board on which the sub-motor driver and a second control unit are mounted, wherein the first control unit controls the main motor via the main motor driver, thereby controlling the drive of the fixing unit and the drive of the upstream conveying roller, and the second control unit controls the drive of the discharge roller and the cutter, by controlling the discharge motor via the sub-motor driver.

[0017] As a result, the drive of the fixation unit and the upstream conveying roller is controlled by the first control unit, and the drive of the cutter and the discharge roller is controlled by the second control unit. Since the control of the cutter and sheet conveying around the cutter is performed by the second control unit separate from the first control unit, it is possible to simplify the control of the cutter and sheet conveying around the cutter.

[0018] The sub-board is also arranged so that the distance between the installation position of the sub-board and the installation position of the cutter is shorter than the distance between the installation position of the main board and the installation position of the cutter.

[0019] This makes it possible to narrow the distance between the sub-board and the cutting motor and discharge motor that it controls, thereby making it possible to shorten the wiring connecting the sub-board to the cutting motor and discharge motor.

[0020] The sub-substrate is also characterized in that it is disposed parallel to one of the side walls that constitute the device body.

[0021] This makes it possible to simplify the wiring between the sub-board and the object to be controlled.

[0022] The main board is also characterized in that it is disposed on the side wall on which the sub-board is disposed.

[0023] This allows the wiring connecting the main board and the sub-board to be concentrated on one side wall, making it possible to shorten the wiring.

[0024] The cutter also has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor for moving the blade in the cutting direction, and the cutting motor and the discharge motor are arranged close to one of the side walls.

[0025] This makes it possible to simplify the wiring from the cutting motor and the ejection motor.

[0026] The fixing device further includes a main motor that drives and rotates either one of the heating rotor and the pressure rotor included in the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller, a main motor driver for driving the main motor, a discharge motor that drives and rotates the discharge roller, a sub-motor driver for driving the discharge motor, and a main board on which the main motor driver, the sub-motor driver, the first control unit, and the second control unit are mounted.

[0027] As a result, since the main motor and the discharge motor are both controlled by the main motor driver and the sub motor driver, respectively, the first control unit and the second control unit can easily execute motor control.

[0028] The main board is also characterized in that it is disposed parallel to one of the side walls that constitute the device body.

[0029] This makes it possible to simplify the wiring between the main board 100 and the objects to be controlled.

[0030] The cutter also has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor for moving the blade in the cutting direction, and the cutting motor and the discharge motor are arranged close to one of the side walls on which the main board is arranged.

[0031] This allows the wiring connecting the main board to the cutting motor and the discharge motor to run directly from the main board to the cutting motor and the discharge motor without having to make a detour, thereby shortening the wiring and improving the ease of assembly when connecting the wiring.

[0032] The cutter also has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor that moves the blade in the cutting direction, the cutting motor being a DC motor with an encoder, and the second control unit receives an encoder signal output from the cutting motor and obtains the rotation speed of the cutting motor based on the received encoder signal.

[0033] This enables the second control unit to detect the position of the blade by obtaining the number of rotations of the cutting motor based on the encoder signal output from the cutting motor.

[0034] The image reading device further includes an ADF motor and an FB motor, and is configured to be able to switch between ADF reading, in which the ADF motor is driven while an image reading unit that reads an image on a document is fixed, to transport the document to the image reading unit and read the image on the document, and FB reading, in which the image on a document placed on a platen glass is read by driving the FB motor to move the image reading unit, and the first control unit controls the driving of the ADF motor when ADF reading is performed using the image reading device, and controls the driving of the FB motor when FB reading is performed using the image reading device.

[0035] This enables the first control unit to switch between ADF reading and FB reading to read the image on the document. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cutter included in the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of an upper control configuration included in the control configuration of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 shows a cutting position of a sheet ((a)) and a sheet cut at the cutting position ((b)). [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a print process executed by an ASIC, particularly a CPU, of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a sheet printing and cutting process included in the printing process of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a control process executed by a microcomputer in the multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a block diagram showing details of an upper control configuration included in the control configuration of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0038] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multi-function peripheral (MFP) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present application. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the multifunction device 1. The multifunction device 1 is an example of an image forming device, and has a print function, a copy function, a scan function, etc. Note that a multifunction device may have a fax function in addition to these functions. For ease of explanation, the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the multifunction device 1 are defined below as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1. In addition, the side of the paper is defined as the left, and the other side of the paper is defined as the right.

[0039] The multifunction machine 1 includes an image forming unit 2 and an image reading unit 9. The image forming unit 2 has a print function of forming an image on a sheet S. The image reading unit 9 has a scan function of reading an image of an original document and generating image data of the read image.

[0040] The printing method of the image forming unit 2 is, for example, an electrophotographic method. The image forming unit 2 is capable of printing only monochrome images, but is not limited thereto, and may be capable of printing color images and monochrome images. The image reading unit 9 may be capable of reading color images and monochrome images, or may be capable of reading only monochrome images.

[0041] The multifunction device 1 has an operation panel PA on the front side. The operation panel PA has, for example, a touch panel in which a touch pad and a display are integrally formed, and a key button section. The operation panel PA accepts user operations and outputs the accepted information to the ASIC 105 (see FIG. 3). For example, the user can set whether or not to cut the sheet S by operating the operation panel PA. FIG. 5 shows the cutting position ((a)) of the sheet S and the sheet ((b)) cut at the cutting position. When the user instructs to cut the sheet S, the multifunction device 1 cuts the sheet S at the cutting position CP in the center of the sheet length L in the conveying direction while conveying the sheet S. As a result, the two equal pieces of the sheet S are discharged from the multifunction device 1.

[0042] The image forming section 2 includes an apparatus main body 20, a conveying section 3, a process section 4, a fixing unit 6, and a cutter 10.

[0043] The device body 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a front cover 21, a supply tray 31, a discharge tray 22, a transport path 201, and a re-transport path 202. The front cover 21 is attached to the front of the device body 20 in an openable and closable state. The supply tray 31 is attached to the lower part of the device body 20 in a detachable state. A sheet S is placed on the supply tray 31. The sheet S is a standard sheet such as an A4 size. The sheet S is, for example, a paper medium such as plain paper or thick paper, but is not limited thereto and may be an OHP film. The discharge tray 22 is provided on the upper part of the device body 20, and the sheet S on which an image is formed is placed on the discharge tray 22.

[0044] The conveying path 201 is a path for conveying the sheet S placed on the supply tray 31 toward the discharge tray 22 via the process unit 4. The conveying path 201 branches into a first discharge path 201A and a second discharge path 201B at a first branch position D1. Of the sheets S conveyed via the section 4, some are discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the first discharge path 201A, and the other are discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the second discharge path 201B.

[0045] The re-conveying path 202 is a path for conveying the sheet S, on one side of which an image has been formed, in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, again toward the process unit 4. The re-conveying path 202 branches off from the conveying path 201 at a second branching position D2, and merges with the conveying path 201 at a junction position J upstream of the pre-registration sensor SE1 in the conveying direction.

[0046] The conveying section 3 includes a pickup roller 33, a separation roller 34, a registration roller 35, a roller 36, a first discharge roller 85, a second discharge roller 86, a third discharge roller 87, a flapper 88, re-conveyance rollers 38 and 39, a main motor 108 (see FIG. 3), and a discharge motor 109 (see FIG. 4). The multiple conveying rollers include the pickup roller 33, the separation roller 34, the registration roller 35, a roller 36, the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87. The multifunction device 1 conveys the sheet S along the conveying path 201 using the multiple conveying rollers.

[0047] The pickup roller 33 picks up the sheets S in the supply tray 31 that have been pushed upward by the sheet pressing plate 32, and transports the sheets S toward the transport path 201. The separation roller 34 separates the sheets S picked up by the pickup roller 33 one by one.

[0048] The registration rollers 35 are disposed upstream of the process unit 4 on the conveying path 201. The registration rollers 35 align the direction of the leading edge of the sheet S, and then convey the sheet S toward the process unit 4. The rollers 36 convey the sheet S after passing through the fixing unit 6 toward the first discharge rollers 85 or the third discharge rollers 87.

[0049] The first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 are disposed on the first discharge path 201A. The first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 are a roller pair consisting of a drive roller and a driven roller. The first discharge roller 85 is disposed at a position upstream of the cutter position B where the cutter 10 is disposed, and the second discharge roller 86 is disposed at a position downstream of the cutter position B.

[0050] The first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 rotate in the forward direction to discharge the sheet S onto the discharge tray 22. The forward rotation is a rotation that conveys the sheet S in the conveying direction, and corresponds to a counterclockwise rotation about an axis in the left-right direction of the device body 20.

[0051] On the other hand, the third discharge roller 87 is disposed on the second discharge path 201B. The third discharge roller 87 is also a roller pair consisting of a drive roller and a driven roller. The third discharge roller 87 discharges the sheet S onto the discharge tray 22 by rotating in the normal direction. The third discharge roller 87 also conveys the sheet S to the re-conveyance path 202 by reversing, which is a rotation opposite to the normal rotation. Reversing is a rotation that conveys the sheet S in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, and corresponds to a clockwise rotation about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the device body 20.

[0052] Re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 are disposed on the re-conveying path 202. The re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 convey the sheet S conveyed to the re-conveying path 202 toward the process unit 4. The re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 re-convey the sheet S, one side of which has been subjected to image formation, toward the process unit 4 via the re-conveying path 202, thereby making it possible to form images on both sides of the sheet S.

[0053] The process unit 4 forms an image on a sheet S and is housed in the device body 20. The process section 4 has a drum cartridge 5 and a laser unit 7. The drum cartridge 5 has a photosensitive drum 51, a toner storage section 57, a supply roller 56, a developing roller 55, a charger 52, a transfer roller 53, and a pinch roller 54. The drum cartridge 5 can be removed from the apparatus main body 20 by opening the front cover 21. The pinch roller 54 of the drum cartridge 5 faces the registration roller 35. The pinch roller 54 rotates following the rotation of the registration roller 35, and transports the sheet S together with the registration roller 35.

[0054] The photosensitive drum 51 rotates clockwise by a driving force output from a main motor 108 (see FIG. 3), thereby transporting the sheet S in the transport direction. In the photosensitive drum 51, the forward rotation that transports the sheet S in the transport direction is the clockwise direction. Toner is stored in the toner storage section 57. The supply roller 56 supplies the toner in the toner storage section 57 to the developing roller 55. The charger 52 is a scorotron type charger, and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 51. The charger 52 may be a charging roller.

[0055] A transfer roller 53 is disposed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 51. The transfer roller 53 forms a transfer nip TN between itself and the photosensitive drum 51 on the transport path 201. Note that a transfer belt may be used instead of the transfer roller 53.

[0056] The apparatus main body 20 has a laser unit 7 at an upper portion inside the apparatus main body 20. The laser unit 7 has a polygon mirror 131 (see FIG. 3), a laser emission unit 132 (see FIG. 3), a polygon motor 133 (see FIG. 3), a lens and a reflecting mirror, etc. (not shown). The laser unit 7 exposes the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 by scanning the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 at high speed with a laser beam (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) based on image data emitted from the laser emission unit 132.

[0057] An electrostatic latent image based on image data is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 by exposing the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 to light by the laser unit 7. The developing roller 55 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 51, thereby forming a toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 51.

[0058] A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 53 by a voltage application unit (not shown). The transfer roller 53 transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 to the sheet S passing through the transfer nip TN by transporting the sheet S between the transfer roller 53 and the photosensitive drum 51. In this manner, an image is formed on the sheet S.

[0059] The fixing unit 6 is disposed downstream of the process unit 4 on the conveying path 201. The fixing unit 6 has a heating roller 61, a pressure roller 62, a heater 63 (see FIG. 3), and a temperature sensor 64 (see FIG. 3). The heating roller 61 is an example of a heating rotator, and heats the sheet S. The pressure roller 62 is an example of a pressure rotator, and forms a nip N between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, and presses the sheet S. The pressure roller 62 rotates in a counterclockwise direction by the driving force of the main motor 108. In the pressure roller 62, the forward rotation, which is the rotation that conveys the sheet S in the conveying direction, is the counterclockwise direction.

[0060] The heater 63 is, for example, a halogen heater, and heats the heating roller 61. The temperature sensor 64 is provided near the heating roller 61 and detects the temperature of the heating roller 61. The temperature sensor 64 outputs a signal corresponding to the detected temperature to the ASIC 105 (see FIG. 3).

[0061] The fixing unit 6 heats the sheet S with the heating roller 61 and rotates the pressure roller 62 to convey the sheet S while applying pressure to the sheet S with the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62. As a result, the image formed on the sheet S by the process unit 4 is fixed onto the sheet S.

[0062] In the embodiment, the fixing device 6 has a configuration including the heating roller 61 as an example of a heating rotator, the pressure roller 62 as an example of a pressure rotator, and the heater 63, but is not limited thereto. For example, the fixing device 6 may have a heater, a nip plate that receives radiant heat from the heater, a heating belt that rotates around the nip plate, and a pressure roller.

[0063] The fixing device 6 may have a substrate on which a heat generating pattern is formed, a belt that rotates around the substrate, and a pressure roller, and may be configured so that the substrate and the belt are in contact with each other. The fixing device 6 may have a heating roller, a heater, and a pressure belt.

[0064] A cutter 10 is disposed at cutter position B between the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 in the first discharge path 201A. The MFP 1 stops the rotation of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so that the cutting position on the sheet S reaches the cutter position B. In a state in which the rotation of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 is stopped, the MFP 1 uses the cutter 10 to cut the sheet S at the cutter position B.

[0065] FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the cutter 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutter 10 has a cutter frame 11, a slide rail 12, a fixed blade 13, a sheet passing portion 14, a moving blade 15, a slide holder 16, and a cutting motor 106. The cutter frame 11 extends in the axial direction. The slide rail 12 is a rail formed on the cutter frame 11 and extending in the axial direction. The fixed blade 13 is a flat blade fixed to the cutter frame 11 and extending in the axial direction. The sheet passing portion 14 is a space formed on the cutter frame 11 through which the sheet S passes. In this embodiment, the sheet passing portion 14 is formed between the slide rail 12 and the fixed blade 13. The moving blade 15 is a disk-shaped blade and is rotatably fixed to the slide holder 16.

[0066] The slide holder 16 engages with the slide rail 12 and is attached to the cutter frame 11 so as to be slidable along the slide rail 12. When the cutting motor 106 is rotated forward, the slide holder 16 slides from one side to the other side in the axial direction, and when the cutting motor 106 is rotated in the reverse direction, the slide holder 16 slides from the other side to one side in the axial direction. The slide holder 16 can move from an initial position shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 to a cutting completion position shown by a broken line. When the sheet S is at the cutter position B, when the slide holder 16 moves along the slide rail 12 to the cutting completion position, one sheet S is sandwiched between the fixed blade 13 and the moving blade 15 and cut into two sheets. After discharging the cut sheet S to the discharge tray 22, the slide holder 16 is returned from the cutting completion position to the initial position before starting cutting of the next sheet S. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the slide holder 16 may be configured to return the sheet S from the cutting completion position to the initial position after cutting the sheet S and before starting to transport the sheet S toward the discharge tray 22. After cutting the sheet S, the multifunction device 1 rotates the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 for a predetermined time, thereby discharging the sheet S cut into two pieces onto the discharge tray 22.

[0067] The length of the second discharge path 201B is designed to be shorter than the length of the first discharge path 201A. This is to quickly discharge the sheet S to the outside of the apparatus body 20 when the sheet S after image formation is not cut.

[0068] Next, the control configuration of the multifunction device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. For the sake of convenience, Figure 4 shows only the controlled objects located at the top of the multifunction device 1.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the multifunction device 1 includes an ASIC 105, a ROM 102, and a RAM 103. The main board 100 further includes an ASIC 105, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a post-registration sensor SE2, a discharge sensor SE3, a sheet detection sensor SE4, a communication interface (I / F) 130, motor drivers MD1 to MD5, and a microcomputer 115. The main board 100 is mounted with the ASIC 105, the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the NVRAM 104, the microcomputer 115, and the motor drivers MD1 to MD5.

[0070] ASIC 105 is equipped with CPU 101. CPU 101 performs overall control of each part of multifunction device 1. ASIC 105 is an example of a first control unit, and is electrically connected to ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, motor drivers MD1 to MD5, electromagnetic clutch 107, pre-registration sensor SE1, post-registration sensor SE2, sheet detection sensor SE4, operation panel PA, communication I / F 130, drum cartridge 5, fixing unit 6, laser unit 7, discharge sensor SE3, sheet detection sensor SE4, and microcomputer 115. In the present embodiment, ASIC 105 is given as an example of the first control unit, but it may be a general-purpose SoC (system on chip).

[0071] The ROM 102 stores various control programs and various settings for controlling the multifunction device 1. The control programs include a print process, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0072] The RAM 103 is used as a working area from which various control programs are read, and as a storage area for temporarily storing image data included in a job. The CPU 101 controls each part of the multifunction device 1 while storing the processing results in the RAM 103 or the NVRAM 104 in accordance with the control programs read from the ROM 102 and the signals output from the various sensors.

[0073] The motor driver MD 1 is connected to a polygon motor 133 that rotates a polygon mirror 131 of the laser unit 7 , and controls the driving of the polygon motor 133 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105 .

[0074] The motor driver MD2 is connected to the main motor 108 and controls the driving of the main motor 108 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The main motor 108 outputs a driving force to the pickup roller 33, the registration roller 35, the roller 36, the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39, the pressure roller 62, and the drum cartridge 5. The pickup roller 33 and the registration roller 35, which are located upstream of the fixing unit 6, are upstream-side conveying rollers. When the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the forward direction via the motor driver MD2, the driving force is transmitted to the roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the photosensitive drum 51, the developing roller 55, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35 by the output of the main motor 108. Then, the roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the photosensitive drum 51, the developing roller 55, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35 rotate in a direction to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction.

[0075] Specifically, the roller 36 and the pressure roller 62 rotate in the counterclockwise direction. The photoconductor drum 51 rotates in the clockwise direction. The developing roller 55 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. The pickup roller 33 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. The registration roller 35 rotates in the counterclockwise direction.

[0076] On the other hand, even if the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the reverse direction via the motor driver MD2, the driving force is not transmitted to the roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the drum cartridge 5, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35.

[0077] Moreover, the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the forward direction to transmit a driving force to the re-conveyance rollers 38 and 39, causing them to rotate in a clockwise direction. On the other hand, the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the reverse direction to transmit a driving force to the re-conveyance rollers 38 and 39, causing them to rotate in a clockwise direction.

[0078] The motor driver MD5 drives a flatbed (FB) motor 110 and The image reading unit 9 is connected to an ADF (automatic document feeder) motor 111. The motor driver MD5 is configured to be able to switch between FB reading, in which an image on a document placed on a platen glass 91 (see FIG. 1) is read by driving a drive pulley (not shown) by the FB motor 110 to move a CIS (contact image sensor) unit 112 in the sub-scanning direction, and ADF reading, in which a transport roller (not shown) is driven by the ADF motor 111 with the CIS unit 112 fixed, transports the document to the CIS unit 112, and reads the image on the document, thereby reading the image on the document. When FB reading is selected, the motor driver MD5 controls the drive of the FB motor 110 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105, and when ADF reading is selected, the motor driver MD5 controls the drive of the ADF motor 111 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105.

[0079] The microcomputer 115 is an example of a second control unit, and is connected to the motor drivers MD3 and MD4, the discharge sensor SE3, the sheet detection sensor SE4, the flapper solenoid 89, and the encoder 113. The motor driver MD3 is connected to the discharge motor 109, and the motor driver MD4 is connected to the cutting motor 106. In the present embodiment, the microcomputer 115 is given as an example of the second control unit, but it may be a general-purpose SoC (system on chip).

[0080] The motor driver MD3 controls the driving of the discharge motor 109 in response to a control signal from the microcomputer 115. The discharge motor 109 is, for example, a stepping motor, and transmits a driving force to the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87. When the microcomputer 115 drives the discharge motor 109 to rotate forward via the motor driver MD3, the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87 are rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the first discharge path 201A or the second discharge path 201B. On the other hand, the microcomputer 115 drives the discharge motor 109 in the reverse direction to rotate the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87 clockwise. As a result, the sheet S being conveyed along the second discharge path 201B is conveyed in the opposite direction to the conveying direction.

[0081] The motor driver MD4 controls the driving of the cutting motor 106 in response to a control signal from the microcomputer 115. The cutting motor 106 is, for example, a DC motor with an encoder 113. When the microcomputer 115 drives the cutting motor 106 to rotate forward via the motor driver MD4, the slide holder 16 moves the moving blade 15 in the width direction of the sheet S to cut the sheet S. The encoder 113 is attached to the rotating shaft of the cutting motor 106 and outputs a signal according to the rotation of the cutting motor 106. The microcomputer 115 receives the signal output from the encoder 113 and obtains the number of rotations of the cutting motor 106 based on the received signal. This allows the microcomputer 115 to know where the slide holder 16 is located on the slide rail 12, that is, where the moving blade 15 is located in the axial direction.

[0082] The microcomputer 115 controls the flapper 88 and the flapper solenoid 89. The microcomputer 115 can switch the position of the flapper 88 between a first position (position 88A shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) and a second position (position 88B shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) by turning on / off the flapper solenoid 89. The first position 88A is a position where the flapper 88 is conveyed by the rollers 36. At the first position 88B, the sheet S conveyed by the rollers 36 is guided to the first discharge path 201A, and at the second position 88B, the sheet S conveyed by the rollers 36 is guided to the second discharge path 201B. In addition, the second position 88B is also a position where the sheet S on the second discharge path 201B is guided to the re-conveyance path 202.

[0083] 3, the electromagnetic clutch 107 is controlled by the ASIC 105. The ASIC 105 turns on the electromagnetic clutch 107 to bring about a state in which the driving force of the main motor 108 is transmitted to the pickup roller 33, and turns off the electromagnetic clutch 107 to bring about a state in which the driving force of the main motor 108 is not transmitted to the pickup roller 33.

[0084] The pre-registration sensor SE1 is disposed upstream of the registration rollers 35 on the conveying path 201, and is a sensor that detects the passage of the sheet S. As the pre-registration sensor SE1, a sensor having an actuator that oscillates when the sheet S comes into contact with it, an optical sensor, or the like can be used. The pre-registration sensor SE1 outputs an ON signal when the sheet S is passing, and outputs an OFF signal when the sheet S is not passing. A detection signal by the pre-registration sensor SE1 is output to the ASIC 105.

[0085] The post-registration sensor SE2 is disposed upstream of the fixing unit 6 on the conveying path 201, specifically, between the registration roller 35 and the transfer roller 53, and is a sensor that detects the passage of the sheet S. The post-registration sensor SE2 has the same configuration as the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal by the post-registration sensor SE2 is output to the ASIC 105.

[0086] The discharge sensor SE3 is disposed between the fixing unit 6 and the roller 36 on the conveying path 201, and detects the passage of the sheet S. The discharge sensor SE3 has a configuration similar to that of the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal by the discharge sensor SE3 is output to the ASIC 105 and the microcomputer 115.

[0087] The sheet detection sensor SE4 is disposed between the cutter position B and the second discharge roller 86, and detects the passage of the sheet S. The sheet detection sensor SE4 has a configuration similar to that of the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal by the sheet detection sensor SE4 is output to the ASIC 105 and the microcomputer 115.

[0088] The communication I / F 130 is connected to a network such as a LAN, and enables connection to an external device such as a PC incorporating a driver for the multifunction device 1. The CPU 101 is capable of receiving a print job via the communication I / F 130. The print job includes various information required to form an image on the sheet S, such as image data for forming an image, the size and type of the sheet S used for image formation, and information on whether or not to cut the sheet S.

[0089] The main board 100 is disposed parallel to the side wall, for example, the left side wall among the four side walls constituting the device body 20. Furthermore, the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 are also disposed in a state of being disposed close to the side wall. This allows the wiring connecting the main board 100 to the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 to run directly from the main board 100 to the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 without detouring, thereby shortening the wiring. Furthermore, the ease of assembly when connecting the wiring can be improved.

[0090] Hereinafter, the control process executed by the multifunction device 1 configured as above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0091] 6 shows the procedure of the print process executed by the ASIC 105, particularly the CPU 101. This print process is started when the multifunction device 1 is ready to receive a print job or a print command, for example, when the multifunction device 1 is turned on or when the multifunction device 1 is in standby mode. In the following explanation of each process, steps are represented as "S".

[0092] In FIG. 6, first, CPU 101 waits until it receives a print job via communication I / F 130 or until it accepts a print command via operation panel PA (NO in both S10 and S12), and when it receives a print job or accepts a print command (YES in either S10 or S12), CPU 101 proceeds to S14.

[0093] In S14, CPU 101 determines whether or not cutting of sheet S to be printed is necessary. In this embodiment, this determination is made based on information on whether or not to cut sheet S, which is included in the print job or print command. That is, if the user sets a mode that specifies cutting of sheet S when setting a print job, or sets a mode that specifies cutting of sheet S when setting a print command via operation panel PA, information that the sheet S will be cut is included in the print job or print command. If this determination indicates that cutting of sheet S is necessary (S14: YES), CPU 101 advances the process to S16. On the other hand, if cutting of sheet S is not necessary (S14: NO), CPU 101 advances the process to S20.

[0094] In S16, the CPU 101 instructs the microcomputer 115 to start a control operation. As a result, the start instruction is transmitted from the ASIC 105 to the microcomputer 115. Next, the CPU 101 executes a sheet printing and cutting process (S18), and then ends the printing process.

[0095] On the other hand, in S20, the CPU 101 performs normal printing. In this embodiment, normal printing means that after an image is printed on the sheet S based on a print job or a print command, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 22 without being cut. When the normal printing is completed, the CPU 101 ends the print process.

[0096] Fig. 7 shows a detailed procedure of the sheet printing and cutting process in S18. In Fig. 7, first, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal for driving the main motor 108 in the forward direction to the motor driver MD2 (S30). At this time, the CPU 101 also turns on the heater 63.

[0097] Next, the CPU 101 executes a pickup command (S32). As a result, the CPU 101 turns on the electromagnetic clutch 107. When the electromagnetic clutch 107 is turned on, as described above, the driving force of the main motor 108 is transmitted to the pickup roller 33, so that the sheet S in the supply tray 31 is picked up and conveyed toward the conveying path 201.

[0098] Next, CPU 101 waits until the post-registration sensor SE2 switches from off to on (S34: NO). As described above, the post-registration sensor SE2 is disposed between the registration roller 35 and the transfer roller 53 on the conveying path 201, and outputs an on signal when the sheet S is passing, and outputs an off signal when the sheet S is not passing. Therefore, in S34, CPU 101 waits until the post-registration sensor SE2 detects the leading edge of the sheet S. Then, when the post-registration sensor SE2 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S34: YES), CPU 101 starts image formation on the sheet S (S36).

[0099] Next, the CPU 101 waits until the discharge sensor SE3 is switched from off to on (S38: NO). 6 and roller 36, and outputs an ON signal when sheet S is passing, and outputs an OFF signal when sheet S is not passing. Therefore, in S38, CPU 101 waits until discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of sheet S. Then, when discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of sheet S (S38: YES), CPU 101 waits until discharge sensor SE3 switches from ON to OFF (S40: NO). That is, in S40, CPU 101 waits until discharge sensor SE3 detects the trailing edge of sheet S. In this way, in S38 and S40, the conveying state of sheet S on conveying path 201 is determined.

[0100] Then, when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the rear end of the sheet S (S40: YES), the CPU 101 waits until a predetermined time has elapsed (S42: NO). Specifically, the predetermined time is the time from when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the rear end of the sheet S until the cutting of the sheet S is completed and the cut sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 22. When this predetermined time has elapsed (S42: YES), the CPU 101 judges whether or not the next sheet is to be printed in the job being executed (S46). If it is judged that the next sheet is to be printed (S46: YES), the CPU 101 returns the process to the above S32 and continues the process from S32 onwards. On the other hand, if the next sheet is not to be printed (S46: NO), the CPU 101 stops the main motor 108 (S48), instructs the microcomputer 115 to end (S50), and then ends the sheet printing and cutting process.

[0101] 8 shows the procedure of the control process executed by the microcomputer 115. Like the printing process, this control process is also started when the power supply of the multifunction device 1 is turned on or when the multifunction device 1 is in the standby state.

[0102] In FIG. 8, first, the microcontroller 115 waits until it receives a start command from the ASIC 105 (S100: NO), and when it receives a start command from the ASIC 105 (S100: YES), the microcontroller 115 turns on the flapper solenoid 89 to move the flapper 88 to the first position 88A (see FIG. 1) (S102).

[0103] Next, the microcomputer 115 waits until the discharge sensor SE3 switches from off to on, that is, until the discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S104: NO). Then, when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S104: YES), the microcomputer 115 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to drive the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction (S106).

[0104] Next, the microcomputer 115 waits until the discharge sensor SE3 switches from on to off, that is, until the discharge sensor SE3 detects the rear end of the sheet S (S108: NO). Then, when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the rear end of the sheet S (S108: YES), the microcomputer 115 waits until the sheet detection sensor SE4 switches from off to on, that is, until the sheet detection sensor SE4 detects the front end of the sheet S (S110: NO). Then, when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the front end of the sheet S (S110: YES), the microcomputer 115 waits until the cutting position of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B (S112: NO).

[0105] As shown in FIG. 5(a), if the cutting position CP of the sheet S is the center position in the conveying direction of the sheet S, then if the sheet length L in the conveying direction of the sheet S is known, then the conveyance amount of the sheet S from when the sheet detection sensor SE4 detects the leading edge of the sheet S until the cutting position CP of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B can be known. This is because the length on the conveying path 201 between the detection position of the sheet detection sensor SE4 and the cutter position B is a known fixed value. Since the discharge motor 109 is a stepping motor as described above, if the conveyance amount of the sheet S is known, then the number of steps required for the discharge motor 109 to convey the sheet S by that conveyance amount can be known. Therefore, in S112, the microcomputer 115 counts the number of steps of the discharge motor 109 when the sheet detection sensor SE4 detects the leading edge of the sheet S, and waits until the count value reaches the determined number of steps.

[0106] Then, when the cutting position of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B (S112: YES), the microcomputer 115 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to stop the discharge motor 109 (S114).

[0107] Next, the microcomputer 115 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD4 to drive the cutting motor 106 in the forward direction (S116). Then, when the microcomputer 115 detects that the moving blade 15 has reached the cutting completion position based on the output signal from the encoder 113, it outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to drive the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction (S118). As a result, the sheet S bisected at the cutting position CP starts to be conveyed from the first discharge path 201A toward the discharge tray 22 as shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0108] Then, after the time has elapsed until the sheet on the upstream side in the transport direction of the two divided sheets S is discharged from the first discharge path 201A to the discharge tray 22, the microcomputer 115 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to stop the discharge motor 109 (S120), and then transmits a drive stop command to the ASIC 105 (S122). Note that in S42 (FIG. 7) above, the CPU 101 may wait until the drive stop command is transmitted from the microcomputer 115, and when the drive stop command is transmitted, the process may proceed to the next step S46.

[0109] Next, the microcomputer 115 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD4 to drive the cutting motor 106 in the reverse direction (S124). As a result, the moving blade 15 starts moving from the cutting completion position toward the initial position. Then, when the microcomputer 115 detects that the moving blade 15 has reached the initial position based on the output signal from the encoder 113, it determines whether or not it has received an end instruction from the ASIC 105 (S126). In this determination, if it has not received an end instruction from the ASIC 105 (S126: NO), the microcomputer 115 returns the process to the above S104 and continues the processes from S104 onwards.

[0110] On the other hand, when it is determined in S126 that an end instruction has been received from the ASIC 105 (S126: YES), the microcomputer 115 turns off the flapper solenoid 89 to move the flapper 88 to the second position 88B (see FIG. 1) (S128), and then ends the control process.

[0111] As described above, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with: an apparatus main body 20 having a transport path 201 for sheet S; a fuser 6 having a heating roller 61 and a pressure roller 62 that forms a nip N between the heating roller 61 and fixes an image formed on the sheet S to the sheet S; transport rollers 35, 36, 38, 39, 85-87 that transport the sheet S in a transport direction along the transport path 201, the transport rollers including a registration roller 35 located upstream of the fuser 6 in the transport direction and discharge rollers 85-87 located downstream of the fuser 6 in the transport direction; a cutter 10 located at cutter position B located downstream of the fuser 6 in the transport direction and capable of cutting the sheet S in a cutting direction intersecting the transport direction; an ASIC 105; and a microcomputer 115.

[0112] The ASIC 105 controls the driving of the fixing unit 6 and the driving of the registration rollers 35, and the microcomputer 115 controls the driving of the discharge rollers 85 to 87 and the driving of the cutter 10.

[0113] In this manner, in the multifunction device 1 of the present embodiment, the fixing unit 6 and the registration roller 35 are driven and controlled by the ASIC 105, and the cutter 10 and the discharge rollers 85 to 87 are driven and controlled by the ASIC 105. Regarding the above, the drive control is performed by the microcomputer 115, and the control of the cutter 10 and the transport of the sheet S around the cutter 10 is performed by a microcomputer 115 separate from the ASIC 105, so that it is possible to simplify the control of the cutter 10 and the transport of the sheet S around the cutter 10.

[0114] The discharge rollers 85 to 87 include a first discharge roller 85 located downstream of the fixing unit 6 in the transport direction and for transporting the sheet S, and a second discharge roller 86 located downstream of the first discharge roller 85 in the transport direction and for discharging the sheet S transported by the first discharge roller 85 to the outside of the device body 20. The cutter position B is a position between the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 in the transport direction, and the multifunction device 1 further includes a sheet detection sensor SE4 for detecting whether the sheet S is present at a first detection position between the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 in the transport direction, and the microcomputer 115 controls the driving of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so as to stop the transport of the sheet S after transporting the sheet S until the cutting position CP of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B based on the detection result by the sheet detection sensor SE4. Incidentally, the sheet detection sensor SE4 is an example of the "first sensor".

[0115] In this way, the sheet detection sensor SE4 is positioned close to the cutter position B, and based on the detection result by the sheet detection sensor SE4, the sheet S is transported until the cutting position CP of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B, and then the transport of the sheet S is stopped, so that the cutting position CP of the sheet S can accurately reach the cutter position B.

[0116] The multifunction device 1 further includes a discharge sensor SE3 for detecting whether or not a sheet S is present at a second detection position between the discharge rollers 85-87 and the fixing unit 6 in the transport direction, and the detection result of the discharge sensor SE3 is input to each of the ASIC 105 and the microcomputer 115, and the ASIC 105 controls the driving of the fixing unit 6 and the driving of the registration rollers 35 based on the detection result of the discharge sensor SE3, and the microcomputer 115 controls the driving of the discharge rollers 85-87 based on the detection result of the discharge sensor SE3. Incidentally, the discharge sensor SE3 is an example of a "second sensor."

[0117] As a result, both ASIC 105 and microcomputer 115 control the driving of fixing unit 6 and registration roller 35 based on the detection results of the same discharge sensor SE3, while ASIC 105 controls the driving of discharge rollers 85 to 87, making it possible to appropriately adjust controls performed by different control entities.

[0118] The device body 20 also has a first discharge path 201A, which is a part of the conveying path 201, for discharging the sheet S to the outside of the device body 20 via the cutter position B, and a second discharge path 201B, which is a part of the conveying path 201, which is a path different from the first discharge path 201A, for discharging the sheet S to the outside of the device body 20, the discharge rollers 85 to 87 include a third discharge roller 87, which is located downstream of the fixing unit 6 in the conveying direction and discharges the sheet S to the outside of the device body 20 through the second discharge path 201B, the multifunction device 1 further includes a flapper 88 that guides the sheet S to either the first discharge path 201A or the second discharge path 201B, and the microcomputer 115 controls the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, the third discharge roller 87, and the flapper 88.

[0119] As a result, the microcontroller 115 controls the flapper 88 that switches between the first discharge path 201A and the second discharge path 201B, and controls the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86, which require drive control when cutting the sheet S with the cutter 10, so that control can be appropriately divided between the ASIC 105 and the microcontroller 115.

[0120] The multifunction device 1 further includes a process unit 4 that forms an image on a sheet S. The ASIC 105 receives a print job including an image to be formed by the process unit 4 and information regarding whether or not cutting of the sheet by the cutter 10 is necessary, and forms an image on the sheet S by controlling the registration roller 35, the process unit 4, and the fixing unit 6, respectively. When the microcomputer 115 receives information from the ASIC 105, the microcomputer 115 moves the position of the flapper 88 so as to guide the sheet S to the first discharge path 201A, and transports the sheet S until the cutting position of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B, and then stops transporting the sheet S. the control unit 10 controls the driving of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so as to cut the stopped sheet S in the cutting direction, the control unit 10 controls the driving of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so as to drive the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 to discharge the cut sheet S to the outside of the device body 20, and when no information is received from the ASIC 105, the control unit 10 controls the driving of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so as to move the position of the flapper 88 to guide the sheet S to the second discharge path 201B, and the control unit 10 drives the third discharge roller 87 to discharge the sheet S to the outside of the device body 20.

[0121] This makes it possible to determine whether or not to cut the sheet S based on the received print job, and based on the result of the determination, control is performed as to whether or not to discharge the cut sheet S outside the device main body 20 after cutting the sheet S, which is convenient.

[0122] The multifunction device 1 is also characterized by further including a main motor 108 which drives and rotates either one of the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62 included in the fixing unit 6 and the registration roller 35, a motor driver MD2 for driving the main motor 108, a discharge motor 109 which drives and rotates the discharge rollers 85 to 87, a sub-motor driver for driving the discharge motor 109, and a main board 100 on which the main motor 108 driver, the motor driver MD3, the ASIC 105, and the microcomputer 115 are mounted. Incidentally, the motor driver MD2 is an example of a "main motor driver". The motor driver MD3 is an example of a "sub-motor driver".

[0123] As a result, both the main motor 108 and the discharge motor 109 are controlled by the motor drivers MD2 and MD3, so that both the ASIC 105 and the microcomputer 115 can easily execute motor control.

[0124] Also, the main board 100 is characterized in that it is disposed parallel to one of the multiple side walls that constitute the device body 20.

[0125] This makes it possible to simplify the wiring between the main board 100 and each controlled object.

[0126] The cutter 10 has a movable blade 15 for cutting the sheet S, and a cutting motor 106 for moving the movable blade 15 in the cutting direction, and is characterized in that the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 are disposed close to one of the side walls on which the main board 100 is disposed. Incidentally, the movable blade 15 is an example of a "blade."

[0127] This allows the wiring connecting the main board 100 to the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 to run directly from the main board 100 to the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109 without detouring, thereby shortening the wiring. Also, the ease of assembly when connecting the wiring can be improved.

[0128] The cutter 10 also has a moving blade 15 for cutting the sheet S, and a cutting motor 106 for moving the moving blade 15 in the cutting direction. The cutting motor 106 is a DC motor with an encoder. The microcomputer 115 receives an encoder signal output from the cutting motor 106. The rotation speed of the cutting motor 106 is obtained based on the received encoder signal.

[0129] This enables the microcomputer 115 to detect the position of the moving blade 15 by obtaining the number of rotations of the cutting motor 106 based on the encoder signal output from the cutting motor 106 .

[0130] The multifunction machine 1 further includes an image reading unit 9 having an ADF motor 111 and an FB motor 110, and configured to be able to switch between ADF reading, in which the ADF motor 111 is driven with a CIS unit 112 for reading an image on a document fixed, to transport the document to the CIS unit 112 and read the image on the document, and FB reading, in which the FB motor 110 is driven to move the CIS unit 112 to read the image on the document placed on the platen glass 91, and the ASIC 105 controls the driving of the ADF motor 111 when the ADF reading is performed using the image reading unit 9, and controls the driving of the FB motor 110 when the FB reading is performed using the image reading unit 9. Incidentally, the CIS unit 112 is an example of an "image reading unit." The image reading unit 9 is an example of an "image reading device."

[0131] This enables the ASIC 105 to switch between ADF reading and FB reading to read an image on the document.

[0132] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since this embodiment is configured by modifying a part of the control configuration (see FIG. 4) of the control target located on the upper part of the multifunction device 1 described in the first embodiment, the description will focus on the modified part and omit the description of the other parts as appropriate.

[0133] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction device 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction device 1A of this embodiment differs from the multifunction device 1 of the first embodiment only in that a sub-board 120 is added.

[0134] Fig. 10 is a diagram of the controlled objects located at the top of the multifunction device 1A, and corresponds to Fig. 4 in the first embodiment. As can be seen by comparing Fig. 10 with Fig. 4, a sub-substrate 120 is added to the main substrate 100A, and a microcomputer 115 and motor drivers MD3 and MD4 are mounted on the sub-substrate 120. The main substrate 100A has the same configuration as Fig. 3. Similarly, motor driver MD2 (main motor driver) is installed.

[0135] The sub-board 120 is installed near the objects to be controlled, i.e., the cutting motor 106 and the discharge motor 109, and, like the main board 100A, is positioned parallel to the side wall, for example the left side wall, of the four side walls that make up the device body 20.

[0136] Thus, the multifunction device 1A of this embodiment further includes a main motor 108 that rotates either one of the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62 included in the fixing unit 6 and the registration roller 35, a motor driver MD2 for driving the main motor 108, a discharge motor 109 that rotates the discharge rollers 85 to 87, a motor driver MD3 for driving the discharge motor 109, a main board 100A on which the ASIC 105 is mounted, and a sub-board 120 on which the motor driver MD3 and a microcomputer 115 are mounted, and is characterized in that the ASIC 105 controls the main motor 108 via the motor driver MD2, thereby controlling the drive of the fixing unit 6 and the drive of the registration roller 35, and the microcomputer 115 controls the drive of the discharge rollers 85 to 87 and the drive of the cutter 10 by controlling the discharge motor 109 via the motor driver MD3.

[0137] As a result, the fixing unit 6 and the registration roller 35 are driven and controlled by the ASIC 105, and the cutter 10 and the discharge rollers 85 to 87 are driven and controlled by the microcomputer 115. Since the control of the cutter 10 and the sheet transport around the cutter 10 is performed by a microcomputer 115 separate from the ASIC 105, it is possible to simplify the control of the cutter 10 and the sheet transport around the cutter 10.

[0138] Another feature is that the sub-substrate 120 is arranged so that the distance between the installation position of the sub-substrate 120 and the installation position of the cutter is shorter than the distance between the installation position of the main substrate 100A and the installation position of the cutter 10.

[0139] This allows the distance between the sub-board 120 and the cutting motor 106 and discharge motor 109 that it controls to be narrowed, and therefore the wiring connecting the sub-board 120 to the cutting motor 106 and discharge motor 109 can be shortened.

[0140] Also, the sub-substrate 120 is characterized in that it is disposed in parallel with one of the multiple side walls that constitute the device body 20.

[0141] This makes it possible to simplify the wiring between the sub-board 120 and the object to be controlled.

[0142] Also, the main board 100A is characterized in that it is arranged on the side wall on which the sub-board 120 is arranged.

[0143] This allows the wiring connecting main board 100A and sub-board 120 to be concentrated on one side wall, thereby making it possible to shorten the wiring.

[0144] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0145] (1) In each of the above embodiments, the detection positions at which the pre-registration sensor SE1, the post-registration sensor SE2, the discharge sensor SE3, and the sheet detection sensor SE4 detect the passage of the sheet S approximately coincide with the installation positions of the respective sensors, but this is not limited thereto, and sensors may be used in which the installation position of the sensor is separated from the detection position of the sheet S.

[0146] (2) In each of the above embodiments, the sheet detection sensor SE4 is disposed between the cutter position B and the second discharge roller 86. However, this is not limited to the above, and the sheet detection sensor SE4 may be disposed between the first discharge roller 85 and the cutter position B.

[0147] (3) In each of the above embodiments, the sheet P is cut into two equal parts. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The sheet P may be cut into, for example, three equal parts.

[0148] (5) In each of the above embodiments, when a print job is received from outside the multifunction device 1, it is received via the communication I / F 130. However, this is not limited to the above, and the print job may be received, for example, via a USB interface.

[0149] (6) In the above embodiments, the cutter 10 is configured with the moving blade 15 and the fixed blade 13, but the shape and type of the cutter can be any as long as it can cut the sheet S. For example, the cutter may be configured to cut the sheet by dropping a blade that is long in the cutting direction onto the sheet S, or may be a pair of scissors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 1...printer, 2...image forming section, 4...processing section, 6...fuser, 9...image reading section, 10...cutter, 20...apparatus main body, 61...heating roller, 62...pressure roller, 85...first discharge roller, 86...second discharge roller, 87...third discharge roller, 88...flapper, 89...flapper solenoid, 91...platen glass, 101...CPU, 102...ROM, 103...RAM, 104...NVRAM, 105...ASIC, 108...main motor, 109...discharge motor, 201...conveyance path, 201A...first discharge path, 201B...second discharge path, B...cutter position, MD1 to MD5...motor drivers, SE1...pre-registration sensor, SE2...post-registration sensor, SE3...discharge sensor, SE4...sheet detection sensor.

Claims

1. an apparatus body having a sheet transport path; a fixing device including a heating rotor and a pressure rotor that forms a nip between the heating rotor and the pressure rotor, and that fixes the image formed on the sheet to the sheet; a plurality of conveying rollers that convey the sheet in a conveying direction along the conveying path, the conveying rollers including an upstream conveying roller located upstream of the fixing unit in the conveying direction, and a discharge roller located downstream of the fixing unit in the conveying direction; a cutter located at a cutter position downstream of the fixing device in the conveying direction, the cutter being capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction intersecting the conveying direction; A first control unit; A second control unit; Equipped with The first control unit controlling the drive of the fixing unit and the drive of the upstream conveying roller; The second control unit is controlling the driving of the discharge roller and the driving of the cutter; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The discharge roller is a first discharge roller positioned downstream of the fixing unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet; a second discharge roller positioned downstream of the first discharge roller in the conveying direction and configured to discharge the sheet conveyed by the first discharge roller to the outside of the apparatus body; and the cutter position is a position between the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller in the transport direction, a first sensor that detects whether the sheet is present at a first detection position between the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller in the conveying direction; Furthermore, The second control unit is based on a detection result by the first sensor, the sheet is conveyed until a cutting position of the sheet reaches the cutter position, and then driving of the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller is controlled so as to stop conveying the sheet.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. a second sensor that detects whether the sheet is present at a second detection position between the discharge roller and the fixing unit in the conveying direction; Furthermore, a detection result of the second sensor is input to each of the first control unit and the second control unit; The first control unit controlling the drive of the fixing unit and the drive of the upstream conveying roller based on the detection result of the second sensor; The second control unit is controlling the driving of the discharge roller based on the detection result of the second sensor; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. The device body includes: a first discharge path that is a part of the conveyance path and that discharges the sheet to the outside of the apparatus body via the cutter position; a second discharge path that is a part of the conveyance path and is different from the first discharge path, and that is used to discharge the sheet to the outside of the apparatus body; and The discharge roller is a third discharge roller located downstream of the fixing unit in the conveying direction and configured to discharge the sheet through the second discharge path to the outside of the apparatus main body; and The sheet is guided to one of the first discharge path and the second discharge path. Flapper, Furthermore, The second control unit is controlling the first discharge roller, the second discharge roller, the third discharge roller, and the flapper; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; Furthermore, The first control unit receiving a print job including an image to be formed by the image forming unit and information indicating that the sheet needs to be cut by the cutter, and forming the image on the sheet by controlling the upstream conveying roller, the image forming unit, and the fixing unit, respectively; The second control unit is when the information is received from the first control unit, moves the position of the flapper so as to guide the sheet to the first discharge path, transports the sheet until the cutting position of the sheet reaches the cutter position, and then controls the driving of the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller so as to stop the transport of the sheet, controls the driving of the cutter so as to cut the stopped sheet in the cutting direction, drives the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller, and controls the driving of the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller so as to discharge the cut sheet to the outside of the device main body, when the information is not received from the first control unit, the position of the flapper is moved so as to guide the sheet to the second discharge path, and the third discharge rollers are driven, and the driving of the third discharge rollers is controlled so as to discharge the sheet to the outside of the device main body.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. a main motor that rotates either one of the heating rotor and the pressure rotor included in the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller; a main motor driver for driving the main motor; a discharge motor that rotates and drives the discharge roller; a sub-motor driver for driving the discharge motor; a main board on which the main motor driver and the first control unit are mounted; a sub-board on which the sub-motor driver and the second control unit are mounted; Furthermore, The first control unit controlling the main motor via the main motor driver to control driving of the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller; The second control unit is The discharge motor is controlled via the sub-motor driver, thereby controlling the driving of the discharge roller and the driving of the cutter.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. the sub-board is arranged so that the distance between the installation position of the sub-board and the installation position of the cutter is shorter than the distance between the installation position of the main board and the installation position of the cutter; 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. The sub-substrate is The device body is arranged in parallel with one of the side walls.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

9. The main board is The sub-substrate is disposed on the side wall on which the sub-substrate is disposed.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. the cutter has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor for moving the blade in the cutting direction; The cutting motor and the discharge motor are arranged close to one of the side walls.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

11. a main motor that rotates either one of the heating rotor and the pressure rotor included in the fixing unit and the upstream conveying roller; a main motor driver for driving the main motor; a discharge motor that rotates and drives the discharge roller; a sub-motor driver for driving the discharge motor; a main board on which the main motor driver, the sub motor driver, the first control unit, and the second control unit are mounted; Further provided with 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

12. The main board is The device body is arranged in parallel with one of the side walls.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11.

13. the cutter has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor for moving the blade in the cutting direction; The cutting motor and the discharge motor are arranged close to one side wall on which the main board is arranged.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12.

14. the cutter has a blade for cutting the sheet and a cutting motor for moving the blade in the cutting direction; the cutting motor is a DC motor with an encoder; The second control unit is receiving an encoder signal output from the cutting motor, and acquiring the number of rotations of the cutting motor based on the received encoder signal; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

15. an image reading device having an ADF motor and an FB motor, and configured to be switchable between ADF reading, in which the ADF motor is driven while an image reading unit that reads an image on a document is fixed, to transport the document to the image reading unit and read the image on the document, and FB reading, in which the FB motor is driven to move the image reading unit and read the image on the document placed on a platen glass; Furthermore, The first control unit When the ADF reading is performed using the image reading device, the drive of the ADF motor is controlled; When the FB reading is performed using the image reading device, the drive of the FB motor is controlled.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

16. An apparatus body having a sheet transport path; an image forming unit; a plurality of conveying rollers that convey the sheet in a conveying direction along the conveying path, the conveying rollers including an upstream conveying roller located upstream of the image forming unit in the conveying direction, and a discharge roller located downstream of the image forming unit in the conveying direction; a cutter located at a cutter position downstream of the image forming unit in the conveying direction, the cutter being capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction intersecting with the conveying direction; A first control unit; A second control unit; Equipped with The first control unit controlling the driving of the image forming unit and the upstream conveying roller; The second control unit is controlling the driving of the discharge roller and the driving of the cutter; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images