Image formation apparatus
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022192475
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-11-30
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-04
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
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] In order to read an image on a document, the reading sensor must be moved, and this movement is usually performed by a stepping motor. On the other hand, the cutting of the sheet by the cutter is also performed by a motor.
[0005] However, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not disclose what type of motor is used to cut the sheet.
[0006] An object of the present application is to provide a technique that makes it possible to simplify the drive control of a motor used for cutting a sheet. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present application has a reading sensor for reading an image on a document in a main scanning direction, a first motor for outputting a driving force for moving either the reading sensor or the document in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, a first motor driver for controlling the driving of the first motor, a heating rotor, a heater for heating the heating rotor, and a pressure rotor for forming a nip between the heating rotor and the pressure rotor, and is equipped with a fuser for fixing an image formed on a sheet and read by the reading sensor to the sheet, a cutter located at a cutter position downstream of the fuser in the sheet conveying direction and capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction intersecting the conveying direction, a second motor of a different type from the first motor and transmitting a driving force for the cutter to cut the sheet, a second motor driver for controlling the driving of the second motor, and a control unit for controlling the first motor driver and the second motor driver, and is characterized in that the number of control signals used by the control unit to control the second motor driver is less than the number of control signals used by the control unit to control the first motor driver.
[0008] Thus, in the image forming apparatus of the present application, when the image of the document is read using the reading sensor, the control unit needs to perform detailed transport control via the first motor driver for the first motor that moves the document relative to the reading sensor. On the other hand, when the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit and is transported is cut using a cutter, the control unit drives the cutter via the second motor driver, which requires simpler control than the transport control performed by the first motor. This allows the control unit to easily perform drive control of the second motor via the second motor driver.
[0009] The cutter also has a blade that cuts the sheet by moving from an initial position in the cutting direction, and when the control unit receives a command to cut the sheet, it uses the driving force of the second motor to move the blade from the initial position in the cutting direction to cut the sheet.
[0010] The cutter has a blade and is simply controlled to move the blade from an initial position in an orthogonal direction by the driving force of the second motor, so no complex control is required from the control unit and fewer control signals can be required than those used to control the first motor driver.
[0011] Another feature of the present invention is that at least a portion of the control signals used by the control unit to control the first motor driver and at least a portion of the control signals used by the control unit to control the second motor driver are common.
[0012] This allows at least a part of the control signal for the first motor driver and at least a part of the control signal for the second motor driver to be common, which can eliminate the port shortage in the control unit. This allows one control unit to read an image on a document, form an image on a sheet, and cut the sheet with a cutter, which can reduce manufacturing costs.
[0013] The first motor is a stepping motor, and the first and second terminals of the control unit are connected to two terminals of a first motor driver for indicating the rotation direction and excitation phase of the stepping motor, and are also connected to two terminals of a second motor driver for indicating the rotation direction of the second motor.
[0014] This makes it possible to alleviate the shortage of ports in the control unit.
[0015] The third terminal of the control unit is connected to a terminal of a first motor driver that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the first motor, and the fourth terminal of the control unit is connected to a terminal of a second motor driver that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the second motor, and the control unit exclusively controls the first motor and the second motor using a control signal of the third terminal and a control signal of the fourth terminal.
[0016] As a result, even if at least a portion of the control signals for the first motor driver and at least a portion of the control signals for the second motor driver are made common, the first motor and the second motor can be switched and appropriately driven.
[0017] The second motor is a DC motor, the second motor driver controls the driving of the second motor by a control signal input to three terminals, and the first motor driver controls the driving of the first motor by a control signal input to three or more terminals including the three terminals.
[0018] In this way, the second motor can be more easily controlled with fewer control signals via the second motor driver than the first motor.
[0019] The second motor also has an encoder for detecting rotation information of the second motor, and the fifth terminal of the control unit is connected to an input terminal that inputs a current value of the first motor driver and is also connected to an output terminal of the encoder, and when driving the reading sensor, the control unit enables the function of the fifth terminal to output to the input terminal, and when cutting the sheet, enables the function of the fifth terminal to accept the encoder output from the output terminal.
[0020] In this way, by switching the function of the single fifth terminal, it can be used as both an input terminal and an output terminal, making it easier to realize common use of the terminal.
[0021] The first motor is an FB motor, and the control unit controls the first motor driver to drive the FB motor and move the reading sensor, thereby performing FB reading to read an image on a document placed on the platen glass.
[0022] This makes it possible to exclusively drive the FB motor and the second motor, which are unlikely to be driven simultaneously.
[0023] The first motor is an ADF motor, and the control unit drives the ADF motor by controlling the first motor driver while the reading sensor is fixed, and performs ADF reading, which transports the document to the reading sensor and reads the image on the document.
[0024] This makes it possible to exclusively drive the ADF motor and the second motor, which are unlikely to be driven simultaneously. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0025] [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] 5 is a diagram showing an example in which input / output signals of each terminal of the ASIC in FIG. 4 correspond to each operation of each motor. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 shows a cutting position of a sheet ((a)) and a sheet cut at the cutting position ((b)). [Figure 7] 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a print / copy process executed by an ASIC, particularly a CPU, of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing the detailed steps of a reading process included in the printing and copying process of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart showing detailed procedures of a forward rotation drive process ((a)) of an FB motor and a reverse rotation drive process ((b)) of an FB motor included in the reading process of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 8 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a sheet printing and cutting process included in the printing and copying process of FIG. 7. [Figure 11]11 is a flowchart showing detailed procedures of a cutting motor forward rotation driving process ((a)) and a cutting motor stop process ((b)) included in the sheet printing and cutting process of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a cutting motor reverse drive process included in the sheet printing and cutting process of FIG. 10. [Figure 13] 13 is a block diagram showing details of an upper control configuration included in the control configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0027] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multi-function peripheral (MFP) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present application. The multi-function peripheral 1 is an example of an image forming device, and has a print function, a copy function, a scan function, etc. Note that a multi-function peripheral may also have a fax function in addition to these functions. For ease of explanation, the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the multi-function peripheral 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.
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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.
[0030] 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 instruct the multifunction device 1 to perform cut printing and cut copying by operating the operation panel PA. Here, "cut printing" refers to a job in which an image is printed on a sheet S by the image forming unit 2, and then the sheet S is cut. "Cut copying" refers to a job in which an image of an original is read by the image reading unit 9, the read image is printed on a sheet S by the image forming unit 2, and then the sheet S is cut. Note that normal printing and copying that do not include cutting can also be instructed to the multifunction device 1 by operating the operation panel PA. However, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, normal printing is instructed by a print job accepted from outside the multifunction device 1, and the case where it is accepted from the operation panel PA is not considered (see FIG. 7).
[0031] 6 shows the cutting position of sheet S ((a)) and the sheet cut at the cutting position ((b)). When the user selects cut printing or cut copying and instructs cutting of sheet S, multifunction device 1 cuts sheet S at cutting position CP in the center of sheet length L in the conveying direction while conveying sheet S. As a result, two equal pieces of sheet S are discharged from multifunction device 1.
[0032] The image forming section 2 includes a main body 20, a conveying section 3, a process section 4, a fixing unit 6, and a cutter 10.
[0033] The main 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 main body 20 in an openable and closable state. The supply tray 31 is attached to the lower part of the main body 20 in a detachable state. A sheet S is placed on the supply tray 31. The sheet S is a standard size sheet such as 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 main body 20, and the sheet S on which an image is formed is placed on the discharge tray 22.
[0034] The transport path 201 is a path for transporting the sheet S placed on the supply tray 31 toward the discharge tray 22 via the process unit 4. The transport path 201 branches into a first discharge path 201A and a second discharge path 201B from a first branch position D1. Therefore, the sheet S transported via the process unit 4 is either discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the first discharge path 201A or discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the second discharge path 201B.
[0035] 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.
[0036] The conveying section 3 has a pickup roller 33, a separation roller 34, a registration roller 35, a conveying roller 36, a first discharge roller 85, a second discharge roller 86, a third discharge roller 87, a flapper 88, re-conveying rollers 38, 39, a main motor 108 (see Figure 3) and a discharge motor 109 (see Figure 4).
[0037] 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.
[0038] 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 conveying 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.
[0039] 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.
[0040] 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 the left-right direction of the main body 20 as an axis.
[0041] 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 main body 20.
[0042] 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.
[0043] The process unit 4 forms an image on the sheet S and is housed in the main body 20. The process unit 4 has a drum cartridge 5 and a laser unit 7. The drum cartridge 5 has a photosensitive drum 51, a toner storage unit 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 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.
[0044] 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.
[0045] 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.
[0046] The main body 20 has a laser unit 7 at an upper portion inside the 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.
[0047] 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.
[0048] 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.
[0049] 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.
[0050] 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).
[0051] The fixing device 6 heats the sheet S with the heating roller 61 and rotates the pressure roller 62, thereby transporting the sheet S while applying pressure to it with the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, thereby fixing the image formed on the sheet S by the process unit 4 to the sheet S.
[0052] Although the fixing unit 6 has a configuration including the heating roller 61, the pressure roller 62, and the heater 63, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fixing unit 6 may have a configuration including 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.
[0053] 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.
[0054] 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 multifunction device 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 multifunction device 1 uses the cutter 10 to cut the sheet S at the cutter position B.
[0055] 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.
[0056] 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.
[0057] 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 outside the main body 20 when the sheet S after image formation is not cut.
[0058] 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.
[0059] 3 and 4, the multifunction device 1 further includes an ASIC 105, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an NVRAM 104, a post-registration sensor SE2, a discharge sensor SE3, a sheet detection sensor SE4, a communication interface (I / F) 130, and motor drivers MD1 to MD6. The ASIC 105, ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, and motor drivers MD1 to MD6 are mounted on a main board 100.
[0060] The ASIC 105 is equipped with a CPU 101. The CPU 101 performs overall control of each part of the multifunction device 1. The ASIC 105 is an example of a control unit, and is electrically connected to ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, motor drivers MD1 to MD6, electromagnetic clutch 107, pre-registration sensor SE1, post-registration sensor SE2, discharge sensor SE3, operation panel PA, communication I / F 130, drum cartridge 5, fixing unit 6, laser unit 7, sheet detection sensor SE4, and flapper solenoid 89.
[0061] The ROM 102 stores various control programs and various settings for controlling the multifunction device 1. Note that the print / copy process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 7, is included in the control program.
[0062] 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.
[0063] 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 .
[0064] 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 conveying roller 36, the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39, the pressure roller 62, and the drum cartridge 5. 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 conveying 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 conveying 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.
[0065] Specifically, the conveying 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.
[0066] On the other hand, even if the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the reverse direction via the motor driver MD2, no driving force is transmitted to the conveying roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the drum cartridge 5, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35.
[0067] 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.
[0068] The motor driver MD3 controls the driving of the discharge motor 109 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. 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 ASIC 105 drives the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction via the motor driver MD3, the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87 are rotated in the counterclockwise direction. 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 ASIC 105 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 in the clockwise direction. As a result, the sheet S being conveyed on the second discharge path 201B is conveyed in the opposite direction to the conveying direction.
[0069] The motor driver MD4 controls the driving of the cutting motor 106 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The cutting motor 106 is, for example, a DC motor with an encoder 113. When the ASIC 105 drives the cutting motor 106 in the forward direction 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 ASIC 105 receives the signal output from the encoder 113, and obtains the rotation direction, rotation position, and rotation speed of the cutting motor 106 based on the received signal. This allows the ASIC 105 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.
[0070] The motor driver MD5 is connected to a flatbed (FB) motor 110 included in the image reading unit 9. The motor driver MD6 is connected to an automatic document feeder (ADF) motor 111 included in the image reading unit 9. The image reading unit 9 is configured to read an image on a document by switching between FB reading, which reads an image on a document placed on a platen glass 91 (see FIG. 1) by driving a drive pulley (not shown) by the FB motor 110 and moving a contact image sensor (CIS) unit 112 in the sub-scanning direction, and ADF reading, which reads an image on the document by driving a conveying roller (not shown) by the ADF motor 111 with the CIS unit 112 fixed. When FB reading is selected, the motor driver MD5 controls the driving of the FB motor 110 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105, and when ADF reading is selected, the motor driver MD6 controls the driving of the ADF motor 111 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105.
[0071] As described above, the eject motor 109, the FB motor 110, and the ADF motor 111 are stepping motors, and the motor drivers MD3, MD5, and MD6 that control them are stepping motor drivers. The motor drivers MD3, MD5, and MD6 are each controlled by seven control signals, and are connected to seven terminals of the ASIC 105. However, one terminal SLEEP is shared by the motor drivers MD3, MD5, and MD6. Below, the six terminals of the ASIC 105, excluding the terminal SLEEP, will be described, but since the functions of the terminals connected to the motor drivers MD3, MD5, and MD6 are the same, the six terminals of the ASIC 105 connected to the motor driver MD5 will be described as a representative.
[0072] The terminal DIR outputs a control signal of either H or L to instruct the motor driver MD5 on the direction of rotation of the stepping motor. As shown in Figure 5, when H is output from the terminal DIR, the motor driver MD5 rotates the stepping motor forward. On the other hand, when L is output from the terminal DIR, the motor driver MD5 rotates the stepping motor in the reverse direction.
[0073] Terminals USM0 and USM1 also output either a H or L control signal, and instruct motor driver MD5 on the excitation phase of the stepping motor. Typical excitation phases include 1-phase excitation, 2-phase excitation, and 1-2-phase excitation, but in this embodiment, 2-phase excitation (full-step mode) and 2W1-2-phase excitation (1 / 8-step mode) are used. As shown in FIG. 5, when terminals USM0 and USM1 each output L, motor driver MD5 drives the stepping motor with 2-phase excitation. On the other hand, when terminals USM0 and USM1 each output H, motor driver MD5 drives the stepping motor with 2W1-2-phase excitation.
[0074] The terminal VREF1 / ENC1 is a terminal that can switch between the output terminal VREF1 and the input terminal ENC1 with one terminal. The output terminal VREF1 outputs a reference voltage to the motor driver MD5.
[0075] The terminal ENB1 outputs a control signal of either H or L to instruct the motor driver MD5 to enable or disable the stepping motor. As shown in Figure 5, when H is output from the terminal ENB1, the motor driver MD5 enables the stepping motor.
[0076] The terminal STEP outputs an operation pulse. The motor driver MD5 controls the driving of the stepping motor in accordance with this operation pulse.
[0077] Since the cutting motor 106 is a DC motor with an encoder 113, its motor driver MD4 is a DC motor driver. The DC motor driver is controlled by three control signals. Specifically, the DC motor driver controls the rotation direction of the DC motor, specifically, forward / reverse / stop, by a control signal of either H or L input to the input terminals IN1 and IN2, respectively. Also, the DC motor driver enables / disables the DC motor by a control signal indicating a reference voltage from the terminal VREF2 of the ASIC 105. Specifically, when the reference voltage indicates 0V, the DC motor driver disables the DC motor, and otherwise the DC motor driver enables the DC motor.
[0078] As shown in FIG. 5, when H, H are input to the input terminals IN1, IN2, the DC motor driver drives the DC motor in the forward direction. When H, L are input to the input terminals IN1, IN2, the DC motor driver drives the DC motor in the reverse direction. When L, L are input to the input terminals IN1, IN2, the DC motor driver stops the DC motor. This input terminal IN1 is connected to the above terminal USM0, and the input terminal IN2 is connected to the above terminal DIR. In other words, the terminals DIR and USM0 are shared by the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4. On the other hand, the terminal VREF2 is independent only for the DC motor driver MD4.
[0079] The encoder 113 outputs two signals. The ASIC 105 obtains the rotation direction, rotation position, and rotation speed of the DC motor, that is, the cutting motor 106, based on these two output signals. Of these two output signals, one output signal is supplied to the terminal VREF1 / ENC1, and the other output signal is supplied to the terminal ENC2 of the ASIC 105. That is, the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 is shared by the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4. In contrast, the terminal ENC2 is independent only for the DC motor driver MD4. Therefore, when the cutting motor 106 is driven, the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 needs to function as the input terminal ENC1, so the ASIC 105 switches the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 to the input terminal ENC1 (see S102 in FIG. 10).
[0080] In this way, when some of the terminals are shared by the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4, the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4 cannot be operated simultaneously, and therefore the FB motor 110 and the cutting motor 106 must be driven exclusively. When the FB motor 110 is driven, the FB reading is being performed as described above. On the other hand, when the cutting motor 106 is driven, the sheet S is being cut as described above. Therefore, since it is unlikely that the FB motor 110 and the cutting motor 106 are driven simultaneously, some of the terminals can be shared by the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4. This can eliminate the terminal shortage of the ASIC 105.
[0081] The flapper 88 is controlled by the ASIC 105 via a flapper solenoid 89. The ASIC 105 can switch the position of the flapper 88 between a first position (position 88A shown by a dashed 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 sheet S conveyed by the conveying rollers 36 is guided to the first discharge path 201A, and the second position 88B is a position where the sheet S conveyed by the conveying rollers 36 is guided to the second discharge path 201B. 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.
[0082] 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.
[0083] 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.
[0084] 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.
[0085] The discharge sensor SE3 is disposed between the fixing unit 6 and the conveying roller 36 on the conveying path 201, and detects the passage of the sheet S. The discharge sensor SE3 has a similar configuration to the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal by the discharge sensor SE3 is output to the ASIC 105 and the microcomputer 115.
[0086] 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.
[0087] 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.
[0088] Hereinafter, the control process executed by the multifunction device 1 configured as above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0089] 7 shows the procedure of the print / copy process executed by the ASIC 105, particularly the CPU 101. This print / copy 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".
[0090] In FIG. 7, first, CPU 101 waits until it receives a print job via communication I / F 130 or until it accepts the cut and print command or the cut and copy command via operation panel PA (S10, S12, and S14: NO). If it receives a print job (S10: YES), CPU 101 proceeds to S16. If it accepts a cut and print command (S12: YES), CPU 101 proceeds to S30. If it accepts a cut and copy command, CPU 101 proceeds to S20.
[0091] In S20, the CPU 101 moves the flapper 88 to the first position 88A. As described above, the first position 88A is a position where the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 is guided to the first discharge path 201A. Next, the CPU 101 executes a reading process (S22).
[0092] Fig. 8 shows the detailed procedure of the reading process. In Fig. 8, CPU 101 judges whether or not FB reading is instructed by the cut copy command (S50). In this judgment, if ADF reading is instructed (S50: NO), CPU 101 outputs a control signal to motor driver MD6 to drive ADF motor 111, executes ADF reading (S70), and then ends the reading process. On the other hand, in the judgment of S50, if FB reading is instructed (S50: YES), CPU 101 executes FB motor forward rotation drive processing (S52).
[0093] Fig. 9(a) shows a detailed procedure of the FB motor forward rotation drive process. In Fig. 9(a), the CPU 101 outputs the following control signals to the motor driver MD5 (S80): (common) terminal SLEEP=LOW; (common) terminal DIR=HIGH; (common) terminal USM0=HIGH; (independent) terminal USM1=HIGH; (independent) terminal VREF1=output; (independent) terminal STEP=output; (independent) terminal ENB1=HIGH; (independent) terminal VREF2=not output; (independent) terminal ENC2=not input), and then ends the FB motor forward rotation drive process. As a result, the FB motor 110 starts forward rotation drive with 2W1-2 phase excitation as shown in Fig. 5, so that the CIS unit 112 starts moving in the sub-scanning direction, and the image on the document can be read at, for example, 600 dpi.
[0094] 8, the CPU 101 starts reading an image on the document (S54) and waits until the CIS unit 112 moves a predetermined distance (S56: NO). Then, when the CIS unit 112 moves the predetermined distance (S56: YES), the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD5 to stop the FB motor 110 (S58), and then executes the FB motor reverse drive process (S60).
[0095] Fig. 9(b) shows a detailed procedure of the FB motor reverse drive process. In Fig. 9(b), the CPU 101 outputs the following control signals to the motor driver MD5 (S90): (common) terminal SLEEP=LOW; (common) terminal DIR=LOW; (common) terminal USM0=LOW; (independent) terminal USM1=LOW; (independent) terminal VREF1=output; (independent) terminal STEP=output; (independent) terminal ENB1=HIGH; (independent) terminal VREF2=not output; (independent) terminal ENC2=not input), and then ends the FB motor forward drive process. As a result, the FB motor 110 starts reverse drive as shown in Fig. 5, and the CIS unit 112, which has moved a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction, starts moving in the opposite direction to the sub-scanning direction and starts returning to the initial position.
[0096] Returning to FIG. 8, the CPU 101 waits until the CIS unit 112 has moved a predetermined distance, that is, until movement to the initial position is completed (S62: NO). When the CIS unit 112 has moved the predetermined distance (S62: YES), the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD5 to stop the FB motor 110 (S64), and then ends the reading process.
[0097] Returning to FIG. 7, next, the CPU 101 executes the sheet printing and cutting process (S24), and then ends the printing and copying process. FIG. 10 shows the detailed procedure of the sheet printing and cutting process. In FIG. 10, first, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal for driving the main motor 108 in the forward direction to the motor driver MD2 (S100). At this time, the CPU 101 also turns on the heater 63. Then, the CPU 101 switches the function of the terminal VREF1 to the terminal ENC1 (S102).
[0098] Next, the CPU 101 executes a pickup command (S104). 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.
[0099] Next, the CPU 101 executes image formation on the sheet S (S106), and outputs a control signal for driving the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction to the motor driver MD3 (S108). Then, when the CPU 101 detects the leading edge of the sheet S based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor SE4, for example, the CPU 101 waits until the cutting position of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B (S110: NO).
[0100] As shown in FIG. 6A, 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 conveying 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 conveying 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 conveying amount is determined. Therefore, in the above S110, the CPU 101 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.
[0101] Then, when the cutting position of the sheet S reaches the cutter position B (S110: YES), the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to stop the discharge motor 109 (S112).
[0102] Next, the CPU 101 executes the cutting motor forward rotation drive process (S114). FIG. 11(a) shows a detailed procedure of the cutting motor forward rotation drive process. In FIG. 11(a), the CPU 101 outputs each of the control signals of (common) terminal SLEEP=not input; (common) terminal DIR=HIGH; (common) terminal USM0=HIGH; (independent) terminal USM1=not input; (independent) terminal ENC1=input; (independent) terminal STEP=not input; (independent) terminal ENB1=not input; (independent) terminal VREF2=output; (independent) terminal ENC2=input to the motor driver MD3 (S140), and then ends the cutting motor forward rotation drive process. As a result, the cutting motor 106 starts forward rotation drive as shown in FIG. 5, and the moving blade 15 starts moving from the initial position toward the cutting completion position.
[0103] Then, the CPU 101 waits until the moving blade 15 reaches the cutting completion position based on the output signal from the encoder 113 (S112: NO), and when the moving blade 15 reaches the cutting completion position (S112: YES), the CPU 101 executes the cutting motor drive stop processing (S114). FIG. 11(b) shows a detailed procedure of the cutting motor drive stop processing. In FIG. 11(b), the CPU 101 outputs each of the control signals of (common) terminal SLEEP=not input; (common) terminal DIR=LOW; (common) terminal USM0=LOW; (independent) terminal USM1=not input; (independent) terminal ENC1=input; (independent) terminal STEP=not input; (independent) terminal ENB1=not input; (independent) terminal VREF2=output; (independent) terminal ENC2=input to the motor driver MD3 (S150), and then ends the cutting motor normal rotation drive processing. As a result, the cutting motor 106 stops as shown in FIG. 5, and the moving blade 15 also stops at the cutting completion position.
[0104] Returning to FIG. 10, next, the CPU 101 executes the cutting motor reverse drive process (S116). FIG. 12 shows a detailed procedure of the cutting motor reverse drive process. In FIG. 12, the CPU 101 outputs each of the control signals of (common) terminal SLEEP=not input; (common) terminal DIR=LOW; (common) terminal USM0=HIGH; (independent) terminal USM1=not input; (independent) terminal ENC1=input; (independent) terminal STEP=not input; (independent) terminal ENB1=not input; (independent) terminal VREF2=output; (independent) terminal ENC2=input to the motor driver MD3 (S140), and then ends the cutting motor normal rotation drive process. As a result, the cutting motor 106 starts reverse drive as shown in FIG. 5, and the moving blade 15 starts moving from the cutting position toward the initial position.
[0105] Then, the CPU 101 waits until the moving blade 15 reaches the initial position based on the output signal from the encoder 113 (S118: NO), and when the moving blade 15 reaches the initial position (S118: YES), the CPU 101 executes the same cutting motor drive stop processing as in S114 above (S120). The cutting motor drive stop processing has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 11(b), and will not be repeated here.
[0106] Between S114 and S116 or after S120, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to drive the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction. As a result, as shown in Fig. 6B, the sheet S divided into two equal parts at the cutting position CP starts to be conveyed from the first discharge path 201A to the discharge tray 22. Then, after the time has elapsed until the sheet on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the two equal parts of the sheet S is discharged from the first discharge path 201A to the discharge tray 22, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD3 to stop the discharge motor 109.
[0107] Next, CPU 101 determines whether the job being executed includes printing of the next sheet (S124). If it is determined that there is a next sheet to be printed (S124: YES), CPU 101 returns the process to S104 and continues the process from S104 onwards. On the other hand, if there is no next sheet to be printed (S124: NO), CPU 101 outputs a control signal to motor driver MD2 to stop main motor 108 (S128), and then ends the sheet printing and cutting process.
[0108] Returning to FIG. 7, in S16 above, 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 included in the print job indicating whether or not to cut sheet S. That is, if the user sets a mode that specifies cutting of sheet S when setting up the print job, information that cuts sheet S is included in the print job. If this determination indicates that cutting of sheet S is necessary (S16: YES), CPU 101 advances the process to S30. On the other hand, if cutting of sheet S is not necessary (S16: NO), CPU 101 advances the process to S40.
[0109] In S30, the CPU 101 moves the flapper 88 to the first position 88A in the same manner as in S20 described above. In the following S32, the CPU 101 executes the sheet printing and cutting process in the same manner as in S24 described above, and then ends the printing and copying process.
[0110] Meanwhile, in S40, the CPU 101 moves the flapper 88 to the second position 88B. As described above, the second position 88B is a position where the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 is guided to the second discharge path 201B. Next, the CPU 101 performs normal printing (S42) and then ends the printing / copying process. In this embodiment, normal printing means that after an image is printed on the sheet S based on a print job, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 22 without being cut.
[0111] As described above, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment has a CIS unit 112 for reading an image on a document in the main scanning direction, an FB motor 110 for relatively moving between the CIS unit 112 and the document in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, a stepping motor driver MD5 for controlling the driving of the FB motor 110, a heating roller 61, a heater for heating the heating roller 61, and a pressure roller 62 for forming a nip N between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, and a fuser 6 for fixing an image formed on the sheet S and read by the CIS unit 112 to the sheet S, and a cutter position located downstream of the fuser 6 in the conveying direction of the sheet S. The cutting motor 106 is a motor of a different type from the FB motor 110 and transmits a driving force to the cutter 10 for cutting the sheet S, a DC motor driver MD4 that controls the driving of the cutting motor 106, and an ASIC 105 that controls the stepping motor driver MD5 and the DC motor driver MD4, and is characterized in that the number of control signals used by the ASIC 105 to control the DC motor driver MD4 is smaller than the number of control signals used by the ASIC 105 to control the stepping motor driver MD5.
[0112] Thus, in the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment, when reading an image of an original using the CIS unit 112, the ASIC 105 needs to perform detailed transport control via the stepping motor driver MD5 for the FB motor 110 that moves the CIS unit 112 and the original relatively. On the other hand, when cutting the sheet S that has passed through the fixing unit 6 and is transported using the cutter 10, the ASIC 105 drives the cutter 10 via the DC motor driver MD4, and therefore requires simpler control than the transport control performed by the FB motor 110. This allows the ASIC 105 to easily perform drive control of the cutting motor 106 via the DC motor driver MD4.
[0113] Incidentally, in this embodiment, the multifunction device 1 is an example of an "image forming device." The CIS unit 112 is an example of a "reading sensor." The FB motor 110 is an example of a "first motor." The stepping motor driver MD5 is an example of a "first motor driver." The heating roller 61 is an example of a "heating rotor." The pressure roller 62 is an example of a "pressure rotor." The cutting motor 106 is an example of a "second motor." The DC motor driver MD4 is an example of a "second motor driver." The ASIC 105 is an example of a "control unit."
[0114] The cutter 10 also has a moving blade 15 that cuts the sheet S by moving from an initial position in a cutting direction, and when the ASIC 105 receives a command to cut the sheet S, it moves the moving blade 15 from the initial position in the cutting direction by the driving force of the cutting motor 106 to cut the sheet S. Incidentally, the moving blade 15 is an example of a "blade."
[0115] The cutter 10 has a movable blade 15, and is simply controlled to move the movable blade 15 from an initial position in an orthogonal direction by the driving force of the cutting motor 106, so that no complex control is required from the ASIC 105, and fewer control signals can be used than those used to control the stepping motor driver MD5.
[0116] Another feature of this embodiment is that at least a portion of the control signals used by ASIC 105 to control stepping motor driver MD5 and at least a portion of the control signals used by ASIC 105 to control DC motor driver MD4 are made common.
[0117] This allows at least a part of the control signals of the stepping motor driver MD5 and at least a part of the control signals of the DC motor driver MD4 to be shared, thereby eliminating the port shortage of the ASIC 105. This allows a single ASIC 105 to read an image on the document, form an image on the sheet S, and cut the sheet S with the cutter 10, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
[0118] The FB motor 110 is a stepping motor, and the terminals DIR and USM0 of the ASIC 105 are connected to two terminals of a stepping motor driver MD5 for indicating the rotation direction and excitation phase of the stepping motor, and are also connected to two terminals of a DC motor driver MD4 for indicating the rotation direction of the cutting motor 106. Incidentally, the terminal DIR is an example of a "first terminal." The terminal USM0 is an example of a "second terminal."
[0119] This makes it possible to alleviate the shortage of ports in the ASIC 105.
[0120] Also, the terminal ENB1 of the ASIC 105 is connected to a terminal of a stepping motor driver MD5 that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the FB motor 110, and the terminal VREF2 of the ASIC 105 is connected to a terminal of a DC motor driver MD4 that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the cutting motor 106, and the ASIC 105 exclusively controls the FB motor 110 and the cutting motor 106 using the control signal of the terminal ENB1 and the control signal of the terminal VREF2. Incidentally, the terminal ENB1 is an example of a "third terminal." The terminal VREF2 is an example of a "fourth terminal."
[0121] As a result, even if at least a part of the control signals of the stepping motor driver MD5 and at least a part of the control signals of the DC motor driver MD4 are made common, the FB motor 110 and the cutting motor 106 can be switched and appropriately driven.
[0122] The cutting motor 106 is a DC motor, the DC motor driver MD4 controls the driving of the cutting motor 106 by control signals input to three terminals, and the stepping motor driver MD5 controls the driving of the FB motor 110 by control signals input to three or more terminals including the three terminals.
[0123] In this manner, the cutoff motor 106 can be more easily controlled with fewer control signals than the FB motor 110 via the DC motor driver MD4.
[0124] The cutting motor 106 also has an encoder 113 for detecting rotation information of the cutting motor 106, a terminal VREF1 / ENC1 of the ASIC 105 is connected to an input terminal that inputs a current value of the stepping motor driver MD5 and is also connected to an output terminal of the encoder 113, and when driving the CIS unit 112, the ASIC 105 enables the function of the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 that outputs to the input terminal, and when cutting the sheet S, enables the function of the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 that receives the output of the encoder 113 from the output terminal. Incidentally, the terminal VREF1 / ENC1 is an example of a "fifth terminal".
[0125] In this way, by switching the function of one terminal VREF1 / ENC1, it can be used as both an input terminal and an output terminal, making it easier to share the terminal.
[0126] In addition, the ASIC 105 performs FB reading to read an image on a document placed on the platen glass 91 by controlling a stepping motor driver MD5 to drive an FB motor 110 and move a CIS unit 112.
[0127] This allows the FB motor 110 and the cutting motor 106, which are unlikely to be driven simultaneously, to be driven exclusively.
[0128] 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.
[0129] Fig. 13 is a diagram in which the controlled objects located at the upper part of the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment of the present application are extracted and put into one figure, and corresponds to Fig. 4 in the above-mentioned first embodiment. As can be seen by comparing Fig. 13 with Fig. 4, the difference is that in Fig. 4, part of the control signals of the stepping motor driver MD5 that controls the FB motor 110 and part of the control signals of the DC motor driver MD4 are common, whereas in Fig. 13, part of the control signals of the stepping motor driver MD6 that controls the ADF motor 111 and part of the control signals of the DC motor driver MD4 are common.
[0130] The common terminal is the same in Fig. 13 and Fig. 4. Therefore, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment can be easily realized by applying the control method described in the first embodiment, so further description will be omitted.
[0131] In this manner, the ASIC 105 of the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that, with the CIS unit 112 fixed, the ADF motor 111 is driven by controlling the stepping motor driver MD6, and the document is transported to the CIS unit 112 to perform ADF reading to read the image on the document.
[0132] This allows ADF motor 111 and cutting motor 106, which are unlikely to be driven simultaneously, to be driven exclusively.
[0133] Another feature of this embodiment is that at least a portion of the control signals used by ASIC 105 to control stepping motor driver MD6 and at least a portion of the control signals used by ASIC 105 to control DC motor driver MD4 are made common.
[0134] This makes it possible to solve the problem of a shortage of terminals in the ASIC 105.
[0135] 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.
[0136] (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.
[0137] (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.
[0138] (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.
[0139] (4) 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 this, and the print job may be received, for example, via a USB interface.
[0140] (5) In each of 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 shape 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]
[0141] 1...multifunction device, 2...image forming section, 3...conveying section, 4...processing section, 6...fuser, 9...image reading section, 10...cutter, 15...moving blade, 20...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, 110...FB motor, 111...ADF motor, 112...CIS unit, 201...conveying path, 201A...first discharge path, 201B...second discharge path, B...cutter position, MD1 to MD6...motor driver, SE1...pre-registration sensor, SE2...post-registration sensor, SE3...discharge sensor, SE4...sheet detection sensor.
Claims
1. a reading sensor for reading an image on a document in a main scanning direction; a first motor that outputs a driving force for moving either the reading sensor or the document in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a first motor driver that controls driving of the first motor; a fixing device including a heating rotor, a heater for heating the heating rotor, and a pressure rotor that forms a nip between the heating rotor and the pressure rotor, and that fixes an image formed on a sheet and read by the reading sensor onto the sheet; a cutter located downstream of the fixing device in a conveyance direction of the sheet, the cutter being capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction intersecting the conveyance direction; a second motor that is a motor of a different type from the first motor and that transmits a driving force to the cutter for the cutter to cut the sheet; a second motor driver that controls driving of the second motor; a control unit that controls the first motor driver and the second motor driver; Equipped with the number of control signals used by the control unit to control the second motor driver is less than the number of control signals used by the control unit to control the first motor driver; An image forming apparatus characterized by:
2. The cutter is a blade that cuts the sheet by moving in the cutting direction from an initial position; and The control unit When a command to cut the sheet is received, the blade is moved from the initial position in the cutting direction by the driving force of the second motor to cut the sheet.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.
3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the control signals used by the control unit to control the first motor driver and at least a portion of the control signals used by the control unit to control the second motor driver are common.
4. the first motor is a stepping motor, a first terminal and a second terminal of the control unit are connected to two terminals of the first motor driver for instructing the rotation direction and excitation phase of the stepping motor, and are also connected to two terminals of the second motor driver for instructing the rotation direction of the second motor; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.
5. a third terminal of the control unit is connected to a terminal of the first motor driver that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the first motor; a fourth terminal of the control unit is connected to a terminal of the second motor driver that switches between enabling and disabling drive control of the second motor; The control unit the first motor and the second motor are exclusively controlled using the control signal from the third terminal and the control signal from the fourth terminal; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
6. the second motor is a DC motor, the second motor driver controls driving of the second motor by the control signals input to the three terminals; the first motor driver controls driving of the first motor by the control signal input to three or more terminals including three of the terminals; 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,
7. the second motor has an encoder for detecting rotation information of the second motor, a fifth terminal of the control unit is connected to an input terminal that inputs a current value of the first motor driver and is also connected to an output terminal of the encoder; the control unit enables a function of the fifth terminal that outputs to the input terminal when driving the reading sensor, and enables a function of the fifth terminal that receives the encoder output from the output terminal when cutting the sheet.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,
8. the first motor is an FB motor, The control unit controlling the first motor driver to drive the FB motor and move the reading sensor, thereby performing FB reading to read the image on the document placed on the platen glass; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.
9. the first motor is an ADF motor, The control unit With the reading sensor fixed, the ADF motor is driven by controlling the first motor driver, and the document is transported to the reading sensor to read the image on the document. Execute ADF reading, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.
10. A reading sensor for reading an image on a document in a main scanning direction; a first motor that outputs a driving force for moving either the reading sensor or the document in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a first motor driver that controls driving of the first motor; an image forming unit; a cutter located downstream of the image forming unit in a sheet conveyance direction, the cutter being capable of cutting the sheet in a cutting direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction; a second motor that is a motor of a different type from the first motor and that transmits a driving force to the cutter for the cutter to cut the sheet; a second motor driver that controls driving of the second motor; a control unit that controls the first motor driver and the second motor driver; Equipped with At least a part of the control signal used by the control unit to control the first motor driver and at least a part of the control signal used by the control unit to control the second motor driver are made common. An image forming apparatus characterized by:
11. The first motor is a stepping motor, the first motor driver is a stepping motor driver, the second motor is a DC motor, the second motor driver is a DC motor driver; 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.
12. The number of control signals used by the control unit to control the second motor driver is less than the number of control signals used by the control unit to control the first motor driver.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 or 11.