Medium conveyance module, medium conveyance device using the same, and medium processing system

Abstract

To properly draw a plurality of media in a protruding state into a module housing without interference even if there are a plurality of media present in the module housing if the media stop while protruding from the module housing.SOLUTION: A medium conveyance module comprises: a module housing 2 which can be drawn out to open a part of a conveyance path 11; drawing-in means 3 which is provided closely to the entrance to the conveyance path 11, and draws a medium S in; sending-out means 4 which is provided closely to the exit from the conveyance path 11, and rotates and reverses to send the medium S out; one or multiple conveyance means 5 which convey the medium S; and control means 6 which calculates the length of the medium S protruding from the entrance to or the exit from the module housing 2 if the medium S stops while protruding from the module housing 2, and keeps the conveyance means 5 in the stop state and then drives the drawing-in means 3 and sending-out means 4 to draw the whole or part of protruding part of the medium S to the side of the module housing 2 in a loop shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a media transport module, a media transport device using the same, and a media processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional medium transport device, for example, the device described in Patent Document 1 is already known. Patent document 1 discloses an image forming device that, when a jammed sheet is present straddling a drawer unit and an upstream sheet conveying path, if the relationship between the distance L between the upstream sheet conveying path and the downstream sheet conveying path and the length Ls of the jammed sheet in the sheet conveying direction is Ls≦L, then the jammed sheet is conveyed downstream until its trailing end passes the downstream end of the upstream sheet conveying path, and if Ls>L, then the jammed sheet is conveyed upstream until its trailing end passes the upstream end of the upstream sheet conveying path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-178494 A (Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, Figure 4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technical problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a media transport module that is retractable and that, when a medium stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, can properly retract multiple protruding media into the module housing without interfering with the multiple protruding media, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing, as well as a media transport device and media processing system that use the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module comprising: a module housing that is provided midway along a media transport path and that can be pulled out to open a portion of the transport path; a retraction means that is provided within the module housing near the entrance of the transport path and that retracts the media; a reversible feed means that is provided within the module housing near the exit of the transport path and that feeds out the media; one or more transport means that are provided on the transport path between the retraction means and the feed means within the module housing and that transport the media; and a control means that, when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, determines the length of the media that protrudes from the entrance or exit of the module housing, keeps the transport means stopped, and forcibly drives the retraction means and the feed means so as to retract all or part of the protruding portion of the media into the module housing in a loop shape.

[0006] A second technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the first technical feature, characterized in that the control means has a detection means for detecting position information of the media when the media stops passing through the module housing, and a calculation means for calculating an overhang amount Lout corresponding to the length of the portion of the media that overhangs the module housing based on the detection result of the detection means. A third technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the second technical feature, characterized in that the detection means has an upstream detection means arranged upstream of the retraction means in the conveying path within the module housing in the conveying direction of the medium, which detects when the leading edge of the medium passes through a first reference position P1, and a downstream detection means arranged downstream of the delivery means in the conveying direction of the medium, which detects when the leading edge of the medium passes through a second reference position P2. A fourth technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the third technical feature, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the length L1out or L2out of the protruding portion of the media from the following formulas (I) and (II), where Lp1 (mm) is the distance between the first reference position P1 where the upstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Lp2 (mm) is the distance between the second reference position P2 where the downstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Ls (mm) is the length of the media in the conveying direction, vs (mm / sec.) is the conveying speed of the media within the module housing, and ta (sec.) is the time from when the leading edge of the media passes the detection means to when the media stops. Amount of media overflowing from the inlet side L1out=Ls-(vs×ta)-Lp1 (I) Media overflow amount at outlet side L2out=(vs×ta)-Lp2 (II)

[0007] A fifth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module having the first technical feature, characterized in that when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the control means performs a media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means so as to retract all of the media protruding into the module housing when the relationship between the amount of media protruding from the module housing Lout and the retractable amount Lin, which corresponds to the length that can be retracted by the retraction process of the media by the retraction means or the delivery means, is Lout≦Lin. A sixth technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the fifth technical feature, characterized in that the control means has a search means in which the retractable amount Lin is defined for each type of media, determines the retractable amount Lin suitable for the media to be used based on the search results of the search means, and performs media retraction processing using the retracting means or the sending means. A seventh technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the sixth technical feature, characterized in that the search means defines the retractable amount for each piece of information regarding at least the thickness of the media.

[0008] An eighth technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying module having the first technical feature, characterized in that, when the media is stopped in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the control means performs a media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means so as to retract as much of the media protruding into the module housing as possible when the relationship between the protrusion amount Lout, which corresponds to the length of the protruding portion of the media from the module housing, and the retractable amount Lin, which corresponds to the length that can be retracted by the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means, is Lout > Lin. A ninth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module having the eighth technical feature, characterized in that, after the retraction process of the media by the retraction means or the delivery means has been performed, when part of the media is still protruding from the module housing, the control means is capable of restarting the retraction process of the media by the retraction means or the delivery means by manually operating a switch means.

[0009] A tenth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module having the first technical feature, characterized in that the control means has a display means for displaying whether the protruding portion of the media has been completely retracted into the module housing when the media stops in a protruding state from the module housing. An eleventh technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module having the tenth technical feature, characterized in that the display means is provided around the operating means for pulling out the module housing. A twelfth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport module having the tenth technical feature, characterized in that the display means is a lighting means that lights up when the media is stopped in a state where it protrudes from the module housing and goes out when the protruding portion of the media is completely retracted into the module housing.

[0010] A thirteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying device for conveying a medium, characterized in that a media conveying module having any of the first to twelfth technical features is used along the conveying path of the medium. A fourteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system comprising a media conveying device having the thirteenth technical feature and a processing means for performing a predetermined process on a medium conveyed by the media conveying device. A fifteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system having the fourteenth technical feature, characterized in that the processing means is incorporated into the media transport module that constitutes part of the media transport device and also serves as the transport means. A sixteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system having the fourteenth technical feature, characterized in that the processing means has a transfer means for transferring an unfixed image held in an image holding means to the medium, and a fixing means for fixing the unfixed image transferred to the medium to the medium, and performs a process to form an image on the medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to a first technical feature of the present invention, when a medium is stopped in a retractable media transport module with the medium protruding from the module housing, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing, the protruding media can be properly retracted into the module housing without interfering with each other. According to the second technical feature of the present invention, when a medium stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the protruding portion of the medium can be properly identified, and the medium can be easily retracted. According to the third technical feature of the present invention, the amount of media protruding from the entrance or exit of the module housing can be calculated more accurately than when there is a single detection means for detecting the position information of the media. According to a fourth technical feature of the present invention, the amount of medium spilling out from the entrance or exit of the module housing can be easily calculated using a formula. According to a fifth technical feature of the present invention, by comparing the amount of media protruding from the module housing with the amount that can be retracted in the media retraction process, it is possible to easily retract all of the media protruding into the module housing. According to the sixth technical feature of the present invention, even if the amount of media that can be drawn varies depending on the type of medium, it is possible to easily achieve a medium drawing process that is suitable for the type of medium. According to the seventh technical feature of the present invention, the retractable amount of the medium can be defined more accurately than when information on the thickness is not used as the medium type. According to an eighth technical feature of the present invention, by comparing the amount of media protruding from the module housing with the amount that can be retracted in the media retraction process, even if it is not possible to retract all of the media protruding into the module housing, it is possible to retract as much as possible. According to the ninth technical feature of the present invention, even if it is not possible to retract all of the media that has protruded from the module housing, it is possible to retract as much of it as possible into the module housing, compared to when the method of resuming the media retraction process is not adopted. According to the tenth technical feature of the present invention, if the medium stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the user can be prompted not to forcibly pull out the medium transport module. According to the 11th technical feature of the present invention, it is easier to determine whether or not media is protruding from the media conveying module when pulling out the media conveying module, compared to when a display means is provided in a location away from the operating means. According to the twelfth technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to easily construct a display means that is easily visible to the user. According to the 13th technical feature of the present invention, a media transport device can be constructed that, when a retractable media transport module stops with media protruding from the module housing, can properly retract the protruding media into the module housing without interfering with the media, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing. According to the fourteenth technical feature of the present invention, a media processing system can be provided that includes a media transport device that, when a medium is stopped in a retractable media transport module while protruding from the module housing, can properly retract the protruding media into the module housing without interfering with the media, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing. According to a fifteenth technical feature of the present invention, there can be provided a media processing system including a media transport module incorporating a processing means. According to a sixteenth technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to provide a media processing system comprising an image forming system including a media transport module incorporating a transfer means and a fixing means as processing means. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an embodiment of a media conveying device including a media conveying module to which the present invention is applied, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the basic behavior of the media conveying module shown in (a) when a media jam occurs. [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a medium processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration around a drawer unit of the image forming apparatus in the media processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a forced retraction table for a medium retraction unit, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a forced retraction table for a medium delivery unit. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a medium drawing process when a medium jam occurs in the drawer unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a process for pulling in a medium when a medium jam occurs in the drawer unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for checking a medium pull-in operation in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 8A is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an example of the drawer configuration of a drawer unit that can be drawn out, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing the timing of an ON signal of an open / close switch that serves as a trigger when the medium drawing process shown in FIG. 7 is resumed. [Figure 9] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a media pull-in process performed under the condition of L1out>L1in or L2out>L2in, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the restart operation of the media pull-in process, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the state when the restart operation of the media pull-in process has been completed. [Figure 10] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration around the drawer unit in comparative form 1, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the medium retraction process when a medium jams under the condition Ls≦L, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the medium retraction process when a medium jams under the condition Ls>L. [Figure 11] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of a malfunction in the media retraction process when a media jam occurs across the drawer unit in comparative form 1, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a malfunction in the media retraction process when the same media jam occurs. [Figure 12] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a malfunction example 3 of the media retraction process when a media jam occurs across the drawer unit in comparative form 1, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a malfunction example 4 of the media retraction process when the same media jam occurs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Overview of the implementation form FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of a medium conveying device including a medium conveying module to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, a medium transport device 10 uses a medium transport module 1 in the middle of a transport path 11 for a medium S. In this example, the media conveying module 1 comprises a module housing 2 that is arranged midway along the conveying path 11 of the medium S and can be pulled out to open part of the conveying path 11; a retraction means 3 that is arranged near the entrance of the conveying path 11 within the module housing 2 and draws in the medium S; a forward / reverse rotatable delivery means 4 that is arranged near the exit of the conveying path 11 within the module housing 2 and delivers the medium S; one or more conveying means 5 (5a to 5c in this example) that are arranged on the conveying path 11 between the retraction means 3 and the delivery means 4 within the module housing 2 and convey the medium S; and a control means 6 that, when the medium S stops in a protruding state from the module housing 2, determines the length of the medium S that protrudes from the entrance or exit of the module housing 2, keeps the conveying means 5 (5a to 5c) stopped, and forcibly drives the retraction means 3 and the delivery means 4 so that all or part of the protruding portion of the medium S is drawn in a loop toward the module housing 2. 1(a) shows a state in which multiple (two in this example) media S (specifically, Sf and Sr) are stopped during transport inside the module housing 2. Also, in FIG. 1(a), reference numeral 12 denotes a transport means provided on the transport path 11 other than the media transport module 1.

[0014] In such technical means, the medium transport module 1 refers to a collection of multiple elements required for transporting the medium S, which are integrated into a part with a cohesive function. Furthermore, the module housing 2 refers to a housing that houses a plurality of elements to be integrated, and in this embodiment, it is assumed that one or a plurality of media S are present inside the module housing 2. Furthermore, the pull-in means 3 is provided near the entrance of the transport path 11 in the module housing 2 (at or near the entrance), and is composed of, for example, a pair of pull-in rolls located at the most upstream position in the transport path 11 in the transport direction of the medium S. Furthermore, the delivery means 4 is provided near the exit of the transport path 11 in the module housing 2 (at or near the exit), and is composed of, for example, a pair of delivery rolls located at the most downstream side of the transport path 11 in the transport direction of the medium S.

[0015] Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least one conveying means 5 is provided inside the module housing 2. Furthermore, the conveying means 5 inside the module housing 2 is only required to have a basic conveying function, and may also have other processing functions (for example, a function to transfer an image from a transfer target to the medium S, a function to fix an unfixed image on the medium S, etc.). Furthermore, when the medium S stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing 2, the control means 6 may determine the length of the portion that protrudes from the entrance or exit of the module housing 2, and drive the retraction means 3 and the delivery means 4 only to retract all or part of the protruding portion of the medium S into the module housing 2. At this time, the transporting means 5 (5a to 5c) other than the retracting means 3 and the sending means 4 in the module housing 2 are stopped, so when the retracting process of the medium S is performed by the retracting means 3 and the sending means 4, when the medium S that is protruding from the module housing 2 is retracted, all or part of the protruding portion is retracted in a loop shape. Furthermore, the control means 6 may be provided in the module housing 2, or may be provided elsewhere than the module housing 2. For example, it is of course possible to adopt a system in which the control means 6 is provided in the media conveying device 10 into which the media conveying module 1 is incorporated, or in the media processing system that uses this media conveying device 10.

[0016] Next, a representative or preferred embodiment of the medium transport module according to the present embodiment will be described. First, a typical embodiment of the control means 6 is one that has a detection means 7 that detects the position information of the medium S when the medium S stops while passing through the module housing 2, and a calculation means (not shown) that calculates the protrusion amount Lout (L1out, L2out) corresponding to the length of the portion of the medium S that protrudes from the module housing 2 based on the detection result of the detection means 7. Here, L1out means the length of the portion of the medium S that protrudes from the entrance of the transport path 11 inside the module housing 2. Also, L2out means the length of the portion of the medium S that protrudes from the exit of the transport path 11 inside the module housing 2. A preferred embodiment of the detection means 7 is one having an upstream detection means 7a that is arranged upstream of the retraction means 3 in the conveying direction of the medium S on the conveying path 11 within the module housing 2 and detects when the leading edge of the medium S passes through the first reference position P1, and a downstream detection means 7b that is arranged downstream of the delivery means 4 in the conveying direction of the medium S and detects when the leading edge of the medium S passes through the second reference position P2.

[0017] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the calculation means is one in which the length Lout (L1out, L2out) of the protruding portion of the medium S is calculated from the following equations (I) and (II), where Lp1 (mm) is the distance between the first reference position P (P1) where the upstream detection means 7a is provided and the entrance of the module housing 2, Lp2 (mm) is the distance between the second reference position P2 where the downstream detection means 7b is provided and the entrance of the module housing 2, Ls (mm) is the length of the medium S in the transport direction, vs (mm / sec.) is the transport speed of the medium S within the module housing 2, and ta (sec.) is the time from when the leading edge of the medium S passes the detection means 7 (e.g., 7a) until the medium S stops. Amount of media overflowing from the inlet side L1out=Ls-(vs×ta)-Lp1 (I) Media overflow amount at outlet side L2out=(vs×ta)-Lp2 (II)

[0018] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the control means 6 is that when the medium S stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing 2, and the relationship between the amount of protrusion Lout (L1out, L2out) of the medium S from the module housing 2 and the amount of retraction Lin (L1in, L2in) corresponding to the length that can be retracted by the retraction process of the medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4 is Lout≦Lin, the control means 6 performs the retraction process of the medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4 so as to retract all of the protruding medium S into the module housing 2. In this embodiment, the control means 6 has a search means (not shown) that specifies the retractable amount Lin for each type of medium S, and determines the retractable amount Lin suitable for the medium S to be used based on the search results of the search means, and performs the retraction process of the medium S using the retraction means 3 or the sending means 4. In this case, it is preferable to use a search means that defines the retractable amount Lin for each piece of information about at least the thickness of the medium S (an example other than thickness would be basis weight, etc.).

[0019] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the control means 6 is such that, when medium S stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing 2, if the relationship between the protrusion amount Lout (L1out, L2out), which corresponds to the length of the protruding portion of medium S from the module housing 2, and the retractable amount Lin (L1in, L2in), which corresponds to the length that can be retracted in the retraction process of medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4, is Lout > Lin, the control means 6 performs the retraction process of medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4 so as to retract as much of medium S protruding into the module housing 2 as possible. In this case, if L1out > L1in, the retraction means 3 retracts medium S by the retractable amount L1in. Furthermore, if L2out > L2in, the delivery means 4 retracts medium S by the retractable amount L2in. This example is effective in shortening the time required for manually clearing jams.

[0020] Furthermore, in this example, after the retraction process of the medium S is performed by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4, if a portion of the medium S still protrudes from the module housing 2, the control means 6 preferably manually operates a switch means (not shown) to enable the retraction process of the medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4 to be resumed. According to this example, even if a portion of the medium S still protrudes from the module housing 2, it is possible to resume the retraction process of the medium S by the retraction means 3 or the delivery means 4 while visually checking the retraction state of the medium S, and to complete the retraction process of the medium S.

[0021] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the control means 6 is one having a display means (not shown) that displays whether the protruding portion of the medium S has been completely retracted into the module housing 2 when the medium S stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing 2. In this case, the display means may be installed at any location, but from the standpoint of not interfering with the operation of pulling out the media conveying module 1, it is preferable that it be installed near the operating means (not shown) for pulling out the module housing 2. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ease of confirmation, the display means is preferably a lighting means that lights up when the medium S stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing 2, and goes out when the protruding portion of the medium S is completely retracted into the module housing 2.

[0022] The medium conveying module 1 according to this embodiment is used as part of the medium conveying device 10 as described above. Furthermore, this type of media conveying device 10 (including the media conveying module 1) can be easily configured as a media processing system by being equipped with a processing means (not shown) that performs predetermined processing on the media S conveyed by the media conveying device 10. In such a media processing system, the processing means may be incorporated into a media conveying module 1 that constitutes part of the media conveying device 10 and may also serve as the conveying means 5. Furthermore, the processing means may be selected as appropriate, but may include, for example, as shown in Figure 1(a), a means for transferring an unfixed image held in the image holding means 14 onto the medium S (also serving as the conveying means 5b) and a means for fixing the unfixed image transferred onto the medium S (also serving as the conveying means 5c), which performs processing to form an image on the medium S.

[0023] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1 - Overall configuration of the media processing system - FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the media processing system according to the first embodiment. In the same figure, the media processing system 20 comprises an image forming device 21 that forms an image on a medium, a media supply device 22 that is arranged in parallel to the image forming device 21 and supplies a medium to the image forming device 21, and a post-processing device 23 that is arranged in parallel to the image forming device 21 and performs post-processing on the image-formed medium that is discharged from the image forming device 21. In this example, the media processing system 20 is configured with three device units arranged in parallel, but this is not limited to this and broadly includes a configuration with one or more device units.

[0024] -Configuration example of image forming device- In the same figure, the basic configuration of the image forming device 21 is that an image creation engine 30 for creating, for example, multiple color component images is mounted inside the device housing 25, and below this image creation engine 30 there is a media transport system 80 for transporting a medium (paper or film) to the image creation engine 30, and a fixing device 70 for fixing the image created by the image creation engine 30 to the medium. In this example, the image creation engine 30 includes image forming units 31 (specifically, 31a to 31d) that form images of multiple color components (yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in this embodiment), a belt-shaped intermediate transfer body 40 that sequentially transfers (primary transfer) and holds each color component image formed in each image forming unit 31, and a secondary transfer device (bulk transfer device) 50 that secondarily transfers (bulk transfers) each color component image transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 40 to a medium.

[0025] <Image forming section> In this embodiment, each image forming unit 31 (31a to 31d) has a drum-shaped photosensitive body 32, and around each photosensitive body 32 there are arranged a charger 33 such as a corotron or transfer roll that charges the photosensitive body 32, an exposure device 34 such as a laser scanner that writes an electrostatic latent image on the charged photosensitive body 32, a developing device 35 that develops the electrostatic latent image written on the photosensitive body 32 with toner of each color component of YMCK, and a photosensitive body cleaner 36 that removes residual toner from the photosensitive body 32. The intermediate transfer body 40 is stretched over a plurality of (three in this embodiment) tension rolls 41 to 43. In this example, for example, the tension roll 41 is used as a drive roll driven by a drive motor (not shown), and the intermediate transfer body 40 is circulated by the drive roll. On the back side of the intermediate transfer body 40, facing each photoconductor 32 of each image forming unit 31, a primary transfer device 44 such as a transfer roll that transfers the toner image on the photoconductor 32 to the intermediate transfer body 40 is disposed. Furthermore, an intermediate transfer body cleaner 45 is provided between the tension rolls 41 and 43 to remove residual toner, paper dust, etc. from the intermediate transfer body 40 after secondary transfer.

[0026] <Secondary transfer unit (collective transfer unit)> Furthermore, the secondary transfer device (bulk transfer device) 50 has, for example, a transfer roll 51 positioned opposite the tension roll 43 of the intermediate transfer body 40, and the tension roll 43 of the intermediate transfer body 40 serving as an opposing roll 52 that serves as the opposing electrode of the transfer roll 51. Here, in this example, the transfer roll 51 is configured by covering the periphery of a metal shaft with an elastic layer made of foamed urethane rubber or EPDM blended with carbon black, etc. A transfer voltage is applied to the opposing roll 52 (which also serves as the tension roll 43 in this example) from a transfer power source (not shown) via a conductive power supply roll (not shown). Meanwhile, the transfer roll 51 is grounded. As a result, a predetermined transfer electric field is formed between the transfer roll 51 and the opposing roll 52, and the nip region of the intermediate transfer body 40 sandwiched between the transfer roll 51 and the opposing roll 52 functions as a secondary transfer region (bulk transfer region) TR. Although the secondary transfer device 50 uses a transfer roll 51, this is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to use a transfer belt module in which a transfer belt is stretched over the transfer roll 51 as one of the tension rolls.

[0027] <Fuser> The fixing device 70 has a heat fixing roll 71 that is arranged in contact with the image bearing surface of the medium and can be driven to rotate, and a pressure fixing roll 72 that is arranged opposite and in pressure contact with the heat fixing roll 71 and rotates following the heat fixing roll 71. The fixing device 70 passes the image held on the medium through a fixing zone FR between the two fixing rolls 71, 72, and heats and pressurizes the image to fix it. Here, the heat fixing roll 71 is configured to heat the roll body by, for example, incorporating a heater within the roll body, or by bringing an external heater into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the roll body. It goes without saying that a heater may be added to the pressure fixing roll 72 as needed. While this example shows an example of a roll pair configuration, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heat fixing roll 71 may be configured as an appropriate heat fixing belt, for example, by using an electromagnetic induction heating method.

[0028] <Media transport system> Furthermore, the medium transport system 80 has multiple stages (two stages in this example) of medium supply containers 81, 82. This medium transport system 80 transports the medium supplied from either of the medium supply containers 81, 82 from a vertical transport path 83 extending in a substantially vertical direction to a horizontal transport path 84 extending in a substantially horizontal direction to a secondary transfer area TR, and then transports the medium carrying the transferred image to a fixing area FR by the fixing device 70 via a transport belt 85, and discharges the medium from a discharge port 86 provided on the side of the device housing 25 to the post-processing device 23 side. Furthermore, the medium transport system 80 has a reversible branch transport path 87 that branches downward from a portion of the horizontal transport path 84 that is located downstream of the fixer 70 in the medium transport direction. The medium that has been reversed on this branch transport path 87 passes through a return transport path 88 and is returned again from the vertical transport path 83 to the horizontal transport path 84. The returned medium has an image transferred to its back surface in the secondary transfer area TR, passes through the fixer 70, and is discharged from an outlet 86 to the post-processing device 23 side. Note that a branch return transport path 89 is provided on the branch transport path 87 that branches off midway and transports the reversed medium toward the outlet 86 side.

[0029] In this example, an alignment roll 90 serving as a transport means is provided upstream of the secondary transfer zone TR on the horizontal transport path 84. This alignment roll 90 aligns the leading edge position of the medium and supplies the medium to the secondary transfer zone TR. An appropriate number of transport rolls 91 serving as a transport means are provided on each of the transport paths 83, 84, 87, 88, and 89. Furthermore, on the opposite side of the discharge outlet 86 of the device housing 25, an entrance 92 is provided through which the media supplied from the media supply device 22 enters, and a connecting conveying path 93 is provided from this entrance 92 toward the horizontal conveying path 84.

[0030] -Example of media supply device configuration- In this embodiment, medium supply device 22 has large-capacity medium supply containers 101 and 102 inside device housing 26. These medium supply containers 101 and 102 store media made of plain paper of different sizes, as well as special media with high bending rigidity, such as coated paper and cardboard. Furthermore, a manual medium feeder 103 is provided on the top of the device housing 26 . Also, within the device housing 26, a converging conveying path 105 is provided which leads to the entrance 92 of the device housing 25 of the image forming device 21. Then, individual conveying paths 106 to 108 are provided which extend from the medium supply containers 101, 102 and the manual medium supply device 103 towards the converging conveying path 105. An appropriate number of conveying rolls 109 are provided on the converging conveying path 105 and the individual conveying paths 106 to 108 as conveying means.

[0031] -Example of post-processing device configuration- In this embodiment, post-processing device 23 has an entrance opening 111 on the image forming device 21 side of device housing 27, corresponding to discharge outlet 86 of image forming device 21. An exit opening 112 is provided on the side of device housing 27 opposite to entrance opening 111 at a position above entrance opening 111, and a medium discharge receiver 113 is provided on the outside of device housing 27 facing exit opening 112. Furthermore, an inclined conveying path 114 extending obliquely is provided between the entrance opening 111 and the exit opening 112 within the device housing 27. This inclined conveying path 114 branches into two along the way, and curl correctors 115 and 116 for correcting upcurls and downcurls are provided on each branch conveying path as processing sections. An appropriate number of conveying rolls 117 are also provided on the inclined conveying path 114 as conveying means. In this example, curl correction devices 115 and 116 are provided as post-processing devices, but this is not limited to these, and any suitable device may be selected, such as a hole puncher that punches holes in the medium, a folder that folds the medium in half or in a Z-fold, or a sorter that sorts the medium.

[0032] -Drawer module- <Basic configuration example of a drawer module> In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a medium conveying module, a drawer module 120, is provided at a location facing the horizontal conveyance path 84 of the image forming apparatus 21. The drawer module 120 integrates multiple elements required for conveying the medium S into a module housing 121 as a cohesive functional component. In this example, the multiple elements required for conveying the medium S include elements from the upstream region of the secondary transfer zone TR to the downstream region of the fixing zone FR. Specifically, from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the medium S, the elements include conveyance rolls 91a and 91b, an alignment roll 90, a secondary transfer device 50, a conveyance belt 85, a fixing device 70, and a conveyance roll 91c. The drawer module 120 is provided so as to be able to be drawn out from the apparatus housing 25 toward the front side. Note that the conveyance belt 85 is not shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] When a medium jams (blocks) in the transport path 122 inside the drawer module 120, the opening / closing door 25a (see FIG. 8(a)) located on the front side of the device housing 25 is opened, and then the drawer module 120 is configured to release the restraint on the device housing 25 by operating the drawer lever 125, and pull the medium out toward the front side of the device housing 25 along a guide rail not shown. Therefore, in this example, if the medium S jams in the conveying path 122 (corresponding to part of the horizontal conveying path 84) in the drawer module 120, the jam can be cleared with good visibility and accessibility by pulling out the drawer module 120.

[0034] -Example of a characteristic configuration of the drawer module- <Points to note when pulling out the module> In this example, when medium S jams in the transport path 122 within the drawer module 120, there are two cases where the jammed medium S is contained within the drawer module 120, and when part of the jammed medium S protrudes from the entrance or exit of the drawer module 120. In this case, in the former case, the jammed medium S is contained within the drawer module 120, so even if the drawer module 120 is pulled out, there is no concern that the medium S remaining within the drawer module 120 will be damaged. In contrast, in the latter case, if part of the jammed medium S protrudes from the entrance or exit of the pull-out module 120 and the protruding part of the medium S is nipped (held) by the transport roll 91 of the horizontal transport path 84 other than the pull-out module 120, there is a concern that the protruding medium S from the pull-out module 120 may be damaged when the pull-out module 120 is pulled out.

[0035] <Innovative features of the drawer module> (1) Conveyor Rolls 91a and 91c In this embodiment, the transport roll 91a is provided near the entrance of the transport path 122 inside the module housing 121 of the draw-out module 120. Therefore, the transport roll 91a is located at the most upstream side of the transport path 122 in the transport direction of the medium S, and functions as a draw-in roll 131 that draws the medium S into the draw-out module 120. This draw-in roll 131 is made up of a drive roll and a driven roll that follows the drive roll, and is driven in a forward rotation direction to draw in the medium S by applying driving force from a drive motor 135 to the drive roll. On the other hand, the transport roll 91c is provided near the exit of the transport path 122 inside the module housing 121 of the draw-out module 120. Therefore, the transport roll 91c is located at the most downstream side of the transport path 122 in the transport direction of the medium S, and functions as a reversible feed roll 132 that feeds the medium S from inside the draw-out module 120 and draws jammed medium S into the draw-out module 120. This feed roll 132 is made up of a drive roll and a driven roll that follows the drive roll, and is driven in the forward rotation direction to feed the medium S or the reverse rotation direction to draw in the medium S by applying driving force from a reversible drive motor 136 to the drive roll.

[0036] (2) Media jam detection in the drawer module In this embodiment, an entrance position sensor 141 serving as an upstream detection means is provided at the entrance of the transport path 122 in the pull-out module 120. This entrance position sensor 141 is provided upstream of the pull-in roll 131 in the transport direction of the medium S. On the other hand, at the exit of the transport path 122 in the pull-out module 120, an exit position sensor 142 is provided as downstream side detection means. Here, the installation position of the entrance position sensor 141 is defined as a first reference position P1, and the installation position of the exit position sensor 142 is defined as a second reference position P2. In this example, medium S (Sr in FIG. 3) entering conveyance path 122 in pull-out module 120 passes through an entrance position sensor 141 of conveyance path 122. After this, medium S passes through pull-in roll 131 (conveyance roll 91a), conveyance roll 91b, and alignment roll 90 to reach the secondary transfer area TR of secondary transfer device 50, and further through conveyance belt 85 to reach the fixing area FR of fixing device 70, and is then sent out of pull-out module 120 via send-out roll 132. At this time, medium S passes through an exit position sensor 142 of conveyance path 122.

[0037] In this transport process of medium S, the timing at which medium S passes the exit position sensor 142 should be when a predetermined specified time has elapsed since the leading edge of medium S passed the entrance position sensor 141, taking into account the transport speed vs of medium S and the stop time of medium S at the alignment roll 90. However, if medium S jams inside the drawing module 120, medium S will not pass the exit position sensor 142 even if the specified time has elapsed. Therefore, by checking the output status of the entrance position sensor 141 and the exit position sensor 142, it is possible to determine the transport status of medium S inside the drawing module 120 (whether or not there is a jam). If the medium S jams in the drawer module 120, the image creation operation by the image creation engine 30 is temporarily stopped. In this example, jam detection of the medium S is performed using the entrance position sensor 141 and the exit position sensor 142, but it goes without saying that a separate sensor for jam detection may also be provided along the conveying path 122.

[0038] (3) Calculating the amount of media protruding from the drawer module As shown in Figure 3, if the distance between the first reference position P (P1) and the entrance of the module housing 121 is Lp1 (mm), the distance between the second reference position P (P2) and the entrance of the module housing 121 is Lp2 (mm), the length of the medium S in the transport direction is Ls (mm), the transport speed of the medium S within the module housing 121 is vs (mm / sec.), and the time from when the leading edge of the medium S passes the entrance position sensor 141 until the medium S stops is ta (sec.), the length Lout (L1out, L2out) of the protruding portion of the medium S is calculated using the following equations (I) and (II). Amount of media overflowing from the inlet side L1out=Ls-(vs×ta)-Lp1 (I) Media overflow amount at outlet side L2out=(vs×ta)-Lp2 (II)

[0039] (4) Determining the amount of media that can be drawn into the drawer module First, it is assumed that when the medium S jams and stops in the drawing module 120, the medium S protrudes from the entrance of the drawing module 120 by L1out (mm). In this example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a forced retraction table 151 is created as a search means for the retractable amount L1 in (mm) by the medium retraction section (retraction roll 131). This forced retraction table 151 was obtained by taking into consideration the fact that bending rigidity differs depending on the thickness of the medium type and the retraction space of the medium S between the retraction roll 131 and the transport roll 91b, and by demonstrating through experiments, etc., the appropriate retraction amount L1in (mm) for each medium type. Furthermore, it is assumed that when the medium S jams and stops inside the drawing module 120, the medium S protrudes from the outlet of the drawing module 120 by L2out (mm). In this example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a forced retraction table 152 is created as a search means for the retractable amount L2 in (mm) by the medium delivery section (delivery roll 132). This forced retraction table 152 was obtained by taking into consideration the fact that bending rigidity differs depending on the thickness of the medium type and the retraction space for the medium S between the delivery roll 132 and the fixing unit 70, and by demonstrating through experiments, etc., the appropriate retraction amount L2in (mm) for each medium type.

[0040] (5) Method for verifying media pull-in operation 3, a confirmation lamp 160 serving as illumination means is provided in the device housing 25 near the drawer module 120. This confirmation lamp 160 is used to check whether or not a portion of the jammed medium S in the drawer module 120 is protruding from the entrance or exit of the drawer module 120. Specifically, when the operation to retract the portion of the medium S protruding from the drawer module 120 has been completed, the confirmation lamp 160 is turned off, and when the operation to retract the medium S has not been completed, the confirmation lamp 160 remains lit. The confirmation lamp 160 may be selected as appropriate, but in this example, an LED is used. In this example, whether or not the operation of drawing in the medium S has been completed is determined based on the output states of the entrance position sensor 141 and the exit position sensor 142 to determine whether or not the medium S is present.

[0041] -Extraction module control system- In this example, the control system of the drawer module 120 has a control device 170 configured with a microcomputer including various processors, as shown in Fig. 3. The term "processor" here refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). An operation panel 171 of the image forming device 21 is connected to this control device 170. This operation panel 171 is provided with a start switch 172 for starting the image formation process on the medium S, a mode switch 173 for specifying an image formation mode such as single-sided printing, double-sided printing, or high-resolution printing, a medium type designation section 174 for designating the type of medium to be used, and the like. Although the medium type indication unit 174 is configured to be indicated by the user, it is not limited to this and may be selected as appropriate, such as by detecting the thickness of the medium S to indicate the medium type.

[0042] Furthermore, a program related to jam handling in the drawer module 120 (for example, a basic media jam handling program in the drawer module shown in FIG. 5 and a media pull-in operation confirmation processing program shown in FIG. 7) is pre-installed in the ROM serving as a storage device of the control device 170. Also, various detectors such as an entrance position sensor 141 and an exit position sensor 142 are connected to the control device 170. Furthermore, various control targets (drive motors 135, 136, confirmation lamp 160, etc.) are also connected to the control device 170. The processor of the control device 170 receives instruction signals from an operation panel 171 and detection signals from various detectors, executes the above-mentioned program, and sends appropriate control signals to each controlled object.

[0043] -Basic jam handling for media in the drawer module- FIG. 5 shows a flow chart for basic jam handling of media in the drawer module 120. As shown in Figure 3, when multiple media S (specifically, two in this example) are being transported in the drawer module 120 (specifically, Sf, Sr), assume that, for example, the preceding media Sf (S) or the following media Sr (S) jams and stops. In such a case, the control device 170 first determines whether the medium Sr has stopped straddling the medium supply device 22 and the drawer module 120, as shown in FIGS. At this time, the control device 170 calculates the length L1out of the portion of the medium Sr that protrudes from the pull-out module 120 on the medium pull-in section (pull-in roll 131) side (see paragraph

[0038] ).

[0044] Next, the control device 170 searches the forced retraction table 151 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the medium retraction unit for the retractable length (retractable amount) L1in based on the type and thickness of the medium Sr (see paragraph

[0039] ). Thereafter, the control device 170 determines whether or not L1out≦L1in (Equation (I)) is satisfied. If Equation (I) is satisfied, the control device 170 drives only the most upstream pull-in roll 131 of the pull-out module 120 to rotate forward, as shown in FIG. 6, to pull in the leading end of the medium Sr by the distance L1out. In this state, the portion of the medium Sr that protrudes from the entrance of the drawing module 120 is drawn into the drawing module 120. If the condition (I) is not satisfied, the above-described process of drawing the medium Sr is skipped.

[0045] After this, or if the following media Sr(S) did not originally protrude from the entrance of the draw-out module 120, the control device 170 determines whether the preceding media Sf(S) has stopped straddling the post-processing device 23 and the draw-out module 120. At this time, the control device 170 calculates the length L2out of the portion of the medium Sf that protrudes from the drawing module 120 on the medium delivery section (delivery roll 132) side (see paragraph

[0038] ).

[0046] Next, the control device 170 searches the forced retraction table 152 (see FIG. 4(b)) of the medium delivery unit for the retractable length (retractable amount) L2in based on the type and thickness of the medium Sf (see paragraph

[0039] ). Thereafter, the control device 170 determines whether or not the formula (II) L2out≦L2in is satisfied. If the formula (II) is satisfied, the control device 170 reversely rotates only the most downstream delivery roll 132 of the drawing module 120, as shown in FIG. 6, to draw in the leading end of the medium Sf by the amount of L2out. In this state, the portion of the medium Sf that protrudes from the outlet of the drawing module 120 is drawn into the drawing module 120. If the condition (II) is not satisfied, the above-described process of drawing in the medium Sf is skipped.

[0047] In this way, under the condition that the length Lout (L1out, L2out) of the portion protruding from the entrance or exit of the pull-out module 120 is less than the retractable amount Lin (L1in, L2in), the retraction operation by the most upstream pull-in roll 131 and the most downstream feed roll 132 eliminates the protrusion of the medium S (Sf, Sr) from the pull-out module 120. However, in Figure 5, when Lout (L1out, L2out) exceeds the retractable amount Lin (L1in, L2in), the retraction process of medium S (Sf, Sr) is skipped, and the protrusion of medium S (Sf, Sr) from the retraction module 120 is not eliminated.

[0048] -Confirmation process for media pull-in operation- In this embodiment, a process for checking the medium pull-in operation is carried out as shown in FIG. In this example, even under conditions where Lout (L1out, L2out) exceeds the retractable amount Lin (L1in, L2in), by adopting the retraction process for medium S (Sf, Sr) shown below, it is possible to eliminate the protrusion of medium S from the pull-out module 120 while visually confirming the retraction operation of medium S (Sf, Sr). In FIG. 7, the control device 170 turns on the confirmation lamp 160 when a jam occurs. In this state, the user knows that a jam of the medium S has occurred in the drawer module 120.

[0049] Here, the control device 170 determines whether the length Lout (L1out, L2out) of the portion of the medium S protruding from the entrance or exit of the drawing module 120 is 0. In other words, it determines whether or not the medium S is protruding from the entrance or exit of the drawing module 120. 5, under the condition that Lout (L1out, L2out) is equal to or less than the retractable amount Lin (L1in, L2in), the retraction process of the medium S shown in FIG. 5 is performed, and the protrusion of the medium S is eliminated by the retraction operation of the medium S. Therefore, Lout (L1out, L2out) = 0 is satisfied, and the control device 170 turns off the confirmation lamp 160 to notify that the protrusion of the medium S from the retraction module 120 has been eliminated.

[0050] Next, the control device 170 determines whether or not the condition L1out>L1in is satisfied with respect to the protrusion condition of the medium Sr on the medium retraction section (retraction roll 131) side. If this condition is met, the control device 170 drives only the most upstream pull-in roll 131 of the pull-out module 120 to rotate forward, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), to pull in the leading end of the medium Sr by L1in. Thereafter, the control device 170 determines whether L1out=0 is satisfied. At this time, in the retraction process of the medium Sr described above, the medium Sr is retracted by the retractable amount L1in, but since the original protrusion amount L1out of the medium Sr exceeded the retractable amount L1in, L1out should be greater than 0.

[0051] In this example, the user manually operates a switch to restart the drawing process of the medium Sr on the medium drawing section (the most upstream drawing roll 131) side. In this example, "manual switch operation" means that, for example, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), when the opening / closing door 25a of the device housing 25 is opened once and then immediately closed, the opening / closing SW (switch) 180, which is linked to the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door 25a, turns ON when the opening / closing door 25a is closed. In this example, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the control device 170 uses an ON signal from the open / close switch 180 as a trigger to drive only the most upstream retraction roll 131 in forward rotation, thereby further retracting the leading edge of the medium Sr by as much as possible. The "possible amount" here refers to a retraction amount in an area that exceeds the retractable amount L1in, and is therefore small. However, if the retraction process of the medium Sr is restarted and repeated several times, the length L1out of the protruding portion of the medium Sr gradually approaches '0', and eventually L1out = 0 is satisfied.

[0052] Thereafter, the control device 170 determines whether or not the condition L2out>L2in is satisfied with respect to the protrusion condition of the medium Sf on the medium delivery section (delivery roll 132) side. If this condition is met, the control device 170 reversely rotates only the most downstream delivery roll 132 of the drawing module 120, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), to draw in the leading end of the medium Sf by L2in. Thereafter, the control device 170 determines whether or not L2out=0 is satisfied. At this time, in the retraction process of the medium Sf described above, the retraction amount of the medium Sf is the retractable amount L2in, but since the original protrusion amount L2out of the medium Sf exceeded the retractable amount L2in, L2out should be > 0.

[0053] In this example, the user manually operates a switch to restart the drawing process of the medium Sf on the medium drawing section (the most upstream drawing roll 131) side. In this example, the control device 170 uses the ON signal of the open / close switch 180 as a trigger to reversely rotate only the most downstream delivery roll 132, further drawing in the leading edge of the medium Sf by as much as possible. The "possible amount" here means a small amount. However, if the drawing process of the medium Sf is restarted and repeated several times, the length L2out of the protruding portion of the medium Sf gradually approaches '0', and eventually the condition L1out = 0 is satisfied. In this state, the confirmation lamp 160 is turned off. When the user sees that the confirmation lamp 160 has turned off, he or she knows that the medium Sf no longer protrudes from the drawer module 120. 3 and 8(a), the user opens the opening / closing door 25a and then operates the drawer lever 125 to draw the drawer module 120 toward the front of the device housing 25. After that, the user manually removes the jammed media S (Sr, Sf) that have been drawn into the drawer module 120 from the drawn-out drawer module 120.

[0054] Comparison form 1 10(a) shows a drawer module 220 according to Comparative Example 1. Comparative Example 1 is an application of the configuration used in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1. In the same figure, the pull-out module 220 is an integrated unit that, in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium S within the image forming device 21, includes a transport roll 221, an alignment roll (transport roll) 222, a secondary transfer device 223, a transport belt 225, a fixing device 226, and a transport roll 227. In this example, the transport roll 221 and the alignment roll (transport roll) 222 are driven to be rotatable forward and reverse. A medium pull-in section A1 that leads to a medium supply device (not shown) is provided on the entrance side of the draw-out module 220, and a medium delivery section A2 that delivers the medium S to the outside of the image forming apparatus 21 is provided on the downstream side of the draw-out module 220, including the fixing device 226. In this example, the distance between the medium inlet section A1 and the medium outlet section A2 is L, and the length of the medium S in the transport direction is Ls.

[0055] -Basic jam handling of the drawer module according to the first comparative example- When a jam is detected, the position of the trailing end of the jammed medium S is calculated, and if the trailing end of the jammed medium S is in the medium retraction section A1 and Ls≦L, the jammed medium S is transported downstream until the trailing end passes the downstream end of the medium retraction section A1, as shown in FIG. 10(b). In other words, the jammed medium S is transported forward so that it fits into the draw-out module 220. 10(c), the jammed medium S can be transported upstream until its trailing edge passes the downstream end of the medium retraction section A1. In other words, since the jammed medium S cannot be accommodated within the pull-out module 220, it can be transported in the opposite direction to make it easier to pull out from the medium supply device side.

[0056] Furthermore, in the pull-out module 220 of comparative form 1, under conditions where the length of the medium S in the transport direction is such that its rear end is located in the medium pull-in section A1 and its front end is located in the medium feed section A2, and the stiffness is lower than a predetermined stiffness, the alignment roll (conveying roll) 222 located downstream of the two conveying rolls 221, 222 is driven to rotate in reverse, and the conveying roll 221 located upstream is driven to rotate in forward, thereby causing buckling deformation of the medium S that has jammed in the gap between the two conveying rolls 221, 222, and thereby allowing the jammed medium S that has protruded from the pull-out module 220 to be pulled into the pull-out module 220.

[0057] - Jam clearance problem in the drawer module according to the first comparative example - The pull-out module 220 shown in Figures 10(a) to (c) is designed to accommodate a single medium S being transported into the pull-out module 220, and is not suitable for handling jams when multiple media S are being transported into the pull-out module 220. <Inappropriate Example 1> FIG. 11(a) shows an example in which a plurality of media S (Sf, Sr) are transported onto the extraction module 220. In FIG. In the figure, if the preceding medium Sf jams before the medium delivery section A2 and the trailing end of the following medium Sr is located within the medium lead-in section A1, the relationship Ls≦L holds, so a method is adopted in which the following medium Sr is transported downstream, as shown in Figure 10(b). At this time, there is a possibility that the following medium Sr will collide with the preceding medium Sf that has stopped due to the jam.

[0058] <Inappropriate Example 2> FIG. 11B shows another example in which a plurality of media S (Sf, Sr) are transported onto the extraction module 220. In FIG. In the figure, the rear end of the following medium Sr is located at the medium lead-in section A1, and the front end of the preceding medium Sf is located at the medium delivery section A2. The plurality of media Sf and Sr have a gap in the space between the transport roll 221 and the alignment roll 222, for example. In this state, if an attempt is made to draw the preceding medium Sf and the following medium Sr into the draw-out module 220, the following medium Sr in the medium draw-in section A1 and the preceding medium Sf in the medium feed-out section A2 are different media, so the media Sf and Sr cannot be drawn in to form a loop, and there is a concern that the preceding medium Sf and the following medium Sr will collide, causing another jam that will result in buckling deformation in the aforementioned space.

[0059] <Inappropriate Example 3> FIG. 12(a) shows another example in which a plurality of media S (Sf, Sr) are transported onto the drawer module 220. In FIG. In this example, it is assumed that the preceding medium Sf and the succeeding medium Sr are mixed and transported with different types, basis weights (thicknesses), sizes, and the like. At this time, it is assumed that multiple media Sf, Sr are arranged in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 11(b), and the preceding media Sf has a stiffness higher than a predetermined value and is therefore not a medium to be drawn into the drawing module 220, while the succeeding media Sr has a stiffness lower than the predetermined value and is a medium to be drawn into. In this state, the pull-out module 220 attempts to bend and pull the succeeding medium Sr into place, but the preceding medium Sf collides with the succeeding medium Sr. In this case, if the preceding medium Sf is a stiff medium such as cardboard, the collision with the succeeding medium Sr may cause the rear end of the preceding medium Sf to bounce upward in the conveyance path, as shown by the phantom line in Figure 12(a). Therefore, when the pull-out module 220 is pulled out, there is a concern that the bounced portion of the preceding medium Sf may get caught on the image forming unit located above.

[0060] <Inappropriate Example 4> FIG. 12(b) shows a case where a long medium S is jammed in the drawer module 220. At this time, the long medium S has a stiffness lower than a predetermined value, and the rear end of the medium S is located at the medium retraction section A1, and the front end of the medium S is located at the medium delivery section A2. For this reason, in this example, the transport roll 221 is driven to rotate forward and the alignment roll 222 is driven to rotate backward, thereby performing a process of drawing in the protruding portion of the medium S into the drawing module 220. In this state, if a portion Sa of the medium S is pulled into the pull-out module 220 while being bent, the medium S that has not yet reached the fixing device 226 will be rewound in the opposite direction by the alignment roll 222, which may cause the unfixed image G on the medium S to soil the alignment roll 222, etc.

[0061] In this way, when the drawer module 220 according to the first comparative example is used, improper examples 1 to 4 may occur, but when the drawer module 120 according to the first embodiment is used, the improper examples 1 to 4 described above are effectively avoided. Therefore, it can be seen that the drawer module 120 according to the first embodiment has superior jam handling performance compared to the drawer module 220 according to the first comparative example.

[0062] (Addendum) (((1))) a module housing that is provided midway along a medium transport path and that can be pulled out to open a portion of the transport path; a draw-in means provided in the module housing near an entrance of the transport path for drawing in the medium; a forward / reverse rotatable delivery means provided in the module housing near the outlet of the transport path for delivering the medium; one or more conveying means provided on the conveying path between the retracting means and the outputting means in the module housing, for conveying the medium; a control means for, when the medium stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, determining the length of the medium protruding from the entrance or exit of the module housing, keeping the transport means in a stopped state, and forcibly driving the retracting means and the sending means so as to retract all or part of the protruding portion of the medium into the module housing in a loop shape; A media transport module comprising: (((2))) In the medium transport module described in (((1))), The control means is a media conveying module characterized by having a detection means for detecting the position information of the media when the media stops while passing through the module housing, and a calculation means for calculating an overhang amount Lout corresponding to the length of the portion of the media that overhangs the module housing based on the detection result of the detection means. (((3))) In the medium transport module described in (((2))), The medium conveying module is characterized in that the detection means has an upstream detection means arranged on the conveying path within the module housing upstream of the retraction means in the medium conveying direction, which detects when the leading edge of the medium passes a first reference position P1, and a downstream detection means arranged downstream of the delivery means in the medium conveying direction, which detects when the leading edge of the medium passes a second reference position P2. (((4))) In the medium transport module described in (((3))), The calculation means calculates the length L1out or L2out of the protruding portion of the medium from the following formulas (I) and (II), where Lp1 (mm) is the distance between the first reference position P1 where the upstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Lp2 (mm) is the distance between the second reference position P2 where the downstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Ls (mm) is the length of the medium in the transport direction, vs (mm / sec.) is the transport speed of the medium within the module housing, and ta (sec.) is the time from when the leading edge of the medium passes the detection means until the medium stops. Amount of media overflowing from the inlet side L1out=Ls-(vs×ta)-Lp1 (I) Media overflow amount at outlet side L2out=(vs×ta)-Lp2 (II) (((5))) In the medium transport module according to any one of (((1))) to (((4))), A media transport module characterized in that, when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the control means performs a media retraction process using the retraction means or the delivery means so as to retract all of the media that protrudes into the module housing when the relationship between the amount of media protruding from the module housing Lout and the retractable amount Lin, which corresponds to the length that can be retracted by the retraction process of the media by the retraction means or the delivery means, is Lout≦Lin. (((6))) In the medium transport module described in (((5))), The control means has a search means in which the retractable amount Lin is defined for each type of media, and determines the retractable amount Lin appropriate for the media to be used based on the search results of the search means, and performs media retraction processing using the retract means or the delivery means. (((7))) In the medium transport module according to (((6))), The medium transport module is characterized in that the search means defines the retractable amount for each piece of information relating to at least the thickness of the medium. (((8))) In the medium transport module according to any one of (((1))) to (((7))), A media conveying module characterized in that, when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, when the relationship between the protrusion amount Lout, which corresponds to the length of the protruding portion of the media from the module housing, and the retractable amount Lin, which corresponds to the length that can be retracted by the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means, is Lout > Lin, the control means performs a media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means so as to retract as much of the media protruding into the module housing as possible. (((9))) In the medium transport module described in (((8))), A media transport module characterized in that the control means allows the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means to be resumed by manually operating a switch means when part of the media still protrudes from the module housing after the retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means has been performed. (((10))) In the medium transport module according to any one of (((1))) to (((9))), The control means is characterized in that it has a display means for displaying whether the protruding portion of the medium has been completely retracted into the module housing when the medium stops in a protruding state from the module housing. (((11))) In the medium transport module according to (((10))), The medium transport module is characterized in that the display means is provided around an operating means for pulling out the module housing. (((12))) In the media transport module according to (((10))) or (((11))), A media conveying module characterized in that the display means is a lighting means that lights up when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing and turns off when the protruding portion of the media is completely retracted into the module housing. (((13))) A medium transport device that transports a medium, A medium transport device using a medium transport module according to any one of (((1))) to (((12))) in the middle of the transport path of the medium. (((14))) A medium transport device according to (((13))), a processing means for performing a predetermined process on the medium transported by the medium transport device; A media processing system comprising: (((15))) In the media processing system described in (((14))), The media processing system is characterized in that the processing means is incorporated in the media transport module that constitutes a part of the media transport device and also serves as the transport means. (((16))) In the media processing system according to (((14))) or (((15))), The processing means includes a transfer means for transferring an unfixed image held by an image holding means onto the medium, and a fixing means for fixing the unfixed image transferred onto the medium onto the medium, and is characterized in that the media processing system performs processing to form an image on the medium.

[0063] According to the media transport module of (((1))), when a medium is stopped in a state where it protrudes from the module housing in a removable media transport module, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing, the multiple protruding media can be properly pulled into the module housing without interfering with each other. According to the media transport module of (((2))), when the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the protruding part of the media can be properly grasped, and the media retraction process can be easily performed. According to the media transport module of (((3))), the amount of media protruding from the entrance or exit of the module housing can be calculated more accurately than when there is a single detection means for detecting the position information of the media. According to the medium transport module of (((4))), the amount of the medium protruding from the entrance or exit of the module housing can be easily calculated using a formula. According to the media transport module of (((5))), by comparing the amount of media protruding from the module housing with the amount that can be retracted in the media retraction process, it is possible to easily retract all of the media protruding into the module housing. According to the medium transport module of (((6))), even if the amount of medium that can be drawn varies depending on the medium type, it is possible to easily realize a medium drawing process that is suitable for the medium type. According to the medium transport module of (((7))), the amount of medium that can be drawn in can be determined more accurately than when information about thickness is not used as the medium type. According to the media transport module of (((8))), by comparing the amount of media protruding from the module housing with the amount that can be retracted in the media retraction process, even if it is not possible to retract all of the media protruding into the module housing, it is possible to retract as much as possible. According to the media transport module of (((9))), even if it is not possible to retract all of the media that has protruded from the module housing, it is possible to retract as much of the media as possible into the module housing, compared to when the method of resuming the media retraction process is not adopted. According to the media conveying module of (((10))), if the media stops in a state where it protrudes from the module housing, the user can be prompted not to forcibly pull out the media conveying module. According to the media conveying module of (((11))), it is easier to determine whether the media is protruding from the media conveying module when pulling out the media conveying module, compared to when a display means is provided in a location away from the operating means. According to the medium conveying module of (((12))), it is possible to easily construct a display means that is easily visible to the user. According to the media transport device of (((13))), when a medium is stopped in a state where it protrudes from the module housing in a removable media transport module, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing, it is possible to construct a media transport device that can properly pull the multiple protruding media into the module housing without interfering with each other. According to the media processing system of (((14))), it is possible to provide a media processing system including a media transport device that is capable of properly pulling in multiple protruding media into the module housing without interfering with the media in a removable media transport module when the media stops in a state where the media protrudes from the module housing, even if there are multiple media inside the module housing. According to the media processing system of (((15))), it is possible to provide a media processing system including a media transport module incorporating a processing means. According to the media processing system of (((16))), it is possible to provide a media processing system that is an image forming system including a media transport module incorporating a transfer means and a fixing means as processing means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...medium conveying module, 2...module housing, 3...retraction means, 4...sending means, 5 (5a to 5c)...conveying means, 6...control means, 7 (7a, 7b)...detection means, 10...medium conveying device, 11...conveying path, 12...conveying means, 14...image holding means, S (Sf, Sr)...medium

Claims

1. a module housing that is provided in the middle of a medium transport path and that can be pulled out to open a portion of the transport path; a draw-in unit provided in the module housing near an entrance of the transport path for drawing in the medium; a forward / reverse rotatable delivery means for delivering the medium, the delivery means being provided in the module housing near an outlet of the transport path; one or more conveying means provided on the conveying path between the retracting means and the outputting means in the module housing, for conveying the medium; a control means for determining the length of the medium protruding from the inlet or outlet of the module housing when the medium is stopped in a protruding state from the module housing, and forcibly driving the retracting means and the sending means to keep the transporting means in a stopped state and to retract all or a part of the protruding portion of the medium into the module housing in a loop shape; A media transport module comprising:

2. 2. The media transport module of claim 1, The control means is a media transport module characterized in that it has a detection means for detecting position information of the media when the media stops passing through the module housing, and a calculation means for calculating an overhang amount Lout corresponding to the length of the portion of the media that overhangs the module housing based on the detection result of the detection means.

3. 3. The media transport module of claim 2, The media transport module is characterized in that the detection means includes an upstream detection means arranged on the transport path within the module housing upstream of the retraction means in the media transport direction, which detects when the leading edge of the media passes a first reference position P1, and a downstream detection means arranged downstream of the delivery means in the media transport direction, which detects when the leading edge of the media passes a second reference position P2.

4. 4. The media transport module of claim 3, a calculation means for calculating a length L1out or L2out of the protruding portion of the medium from the following formulas (I) and (II), where Lp1 (mm) is the distance between the first reference position P1 where the upstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Lp2 (mm) is the distance between the second reference position P2 where the downstream detection means is provided and the entrance of the module housing, Ls (mm) is the length of the medium in the transport direction, vs (mm / sec.) is the transport speed of the medium within the module housing, and ta (sec.) is the time from when the leading edge of the medium passes the detection means to when the medium stops. Media overflow amount at inlet L1out=Ls-(vs×ta)-Lp1 (I) Media overflow amount at outlet L2out=(vs×ta)−Lp2 (II)

5. 2. The media transport module of claim 1, The control means performs a medium retraction process by the retraction means or the sending means so as to retract all of the medium protruding into the module housing when the medium is stopped in a protruding state from the module housing and the relationship between the amount of medium protruding from the module housing Lout and the retractable amount Lin corresponding to the length that can be retracted by the retraction process of the medium by the retraction means or the sending means is Lout≦Lin.

6. 6. The media transport module of claim 5, The control means has a search means in which the retractable amount Lin is defined for each type of media, and determines the retractable amount Lin suitable for the media to be used based on the search results of the search means, and performs retraction processing of the media using the retraction means or the sending means.

7. 7. The media transport module of claim 6, The medium transport module according to claim 1, wherein the search means defines the retractable amount for each piece of information relating to at least a thickness of the medium.

8. 2. The media transport module of claim 1, A media transport module characterized in that, when the media is stopped in a protruding state from the module housing, when the relationship between the overhang amount Lout, which corresponds to the length of the protruding part of the media from the module housing, and the retractable amount Lin, which corresponds to the length that can be retracted by the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means, is Lout > Lin, the control means performs a media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means so as to retract as much of the media protruding into the module housing as possible.

9. 9. The media transport module of claim 8, A media transport module characterized in that, after the control means has performed the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means, when a portion of the media still protrudes from the module housing, the control means can resume the media retraction process by the retraction means or the delivery means by manually operating a switch means.

10. 2. The media transport module of claim 1, The control means is characterized in that it has a display means for displaying the status of whether the protruding portion of the medium has been completely retracted into the module housing when the medium stops in a protruding state from the module housing.

11. 11. The media transport module of claim 10, The medium conveying module according to the present invention, wherein the display means is provided around an operating means for pulling out the module housing.

12. 11. The media transport module of claim 10, A media conveying module characterized in that the display means is a lighting means that lights up when the media is stopped in a state protruding from the module housing and turns off when the protruding portion of the media is completely retracted into the module housing.

13. A medium conveying device that conveys a medium, 13. A medium transport device comprising the medium transport module according to claim 1 in a transport path of the medium.

14. A medium transport device according to claim 13; a processing means for performing a predetermined process on the medium transported by the medium transport device; A media processing system comprising:

15. 15. The media processing system of claim 14, A media processing system, wherein the processing means is incorporated in the media transport module that constitutes a part of the media transport device, and also serves as the transport means.

16. 15. The media processing system of claim 14, The processing means includes a transfer means for transferring an unfixed image held by an image holding means to the medium, and a fixing means for fixing the unfixed image transferred to the medium to the medium, and is characterized in that the processing means performs a process of forming an image on the medium.

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