Conveyor

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device capable of surely discharging remaining paper when there is the paper remaining on a drum surface.SOLUTION: The conveyance device comprises: a carrier rotor that conveys a medium; an inlet rotor that receives the medium at a first position and delivers it to the carrier rotor; an outlet rotor that receives the medium from the carrier rotor and delivers it at a second position; a first drive part that rotates the carrier rotor or the like; a downstream conveyance part that receives the medium from the outlet rotor at the second position and conveys it to a downstream side; a second drive part that conveys and drives the downstream conveyance part; and a medium detection part that detects the medium conveyed by the downstream conveyance part. The first drive part starts a rotation operation after the second drive part starts conveying and driving, and rotates the carrier rotor or the like for a period equal to or longer than a time required for conveying the medium from the first position to the second position. The second drive part continues conveying and driving of the downstream conveyance part for a period equal to or longer than a time required for conveying the medium from stoppage of the rotation operation by the first drive part to detection by the medium detection part from the second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus, which is an example of a conveying apparatus, an operation is widely known in which the presence of remaining paper in the apparatus is detected during an initialization process before printing and the user is prompted to remove the paper. As an image forming apparatus, there is an apparatus that, when transferring ink to a sheet material (printing medium), grips the leading edge of the sheet material with a gripping means called a gripper, and prints while conveying the paper in close contact with a cylindrical drum. In such an image forming apparatus, the grippers convey the leading edge of the sheet material, which is an image forming unit, including an entrance rotating body (entrance drum), an image conveying drum, and an exit rotating body (exit drum). Then, when the gripper of the exit drum releases the leading edge of the sheet material at the delivery position, the sheet material is conveyed to a fixing unit downstream where it is dried.

[0003] Also, as a method for detecting and removing remaining paper in the initialization process, a technique such as moving a drive system in the image forming device for a certain period of time is already known. When there is remaining paper on the drum surface of the image forming device, the remaining paper on the drum cannot be detected by simply attaching a reflective photosensor or a transmissive photosensor. This is because it is not possible to determine whether the light emitted from the photosensor is blocked by the drum surface or by the remaining paper. Also, it is not possible to attach a photosensor by drilling a hole in the drum surface. This is because the drum surface sucks and attaches the sheet material to keep the gap between the sheet material and the liquid ejection unit constant, so if a hole is drilled in the drum surface for the sensor, the sheet material cannot be sucked well above the hole.

[0004] In addition, when the imaging unit and the fixing unit are controlled independently, the initialization process and the like are also performed independently. In this case, depending on the timing of each initialization process, the drive source of the fixing unit may stop before the remaining paper on the drum surface of the imaging unit is completely conveyed to the fixing unit, which may cause the remaining paper not to be detected.

[0005] As such an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus that includes a conveying means for conveying a print medium, an ink fixing means, a means for detecting a conveying failure, and a control means in order to shorten the recovery time from a conveying failure has been disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1). Also, an image forming apparatus that includes a main body, an optional paper discharge unit, a control unit, and a control means in order to discharge remaining sheets remaining inside the apparatus while suppressing peak power consumption when the power is turned on has been disclosed (for example, Patent Document 2). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the conventional technology has a problem in that it is not possible to reliably eject remaining paper on the drum surface during initialization processing or the like.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide a conveying device that can reliably discharge remaining paper when there is remaining paper on the drum surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a carrier rotor that rotates while carrying a medium to transport it, an inlet rotor that receives the medium transported from upstream at a first position and passes it to the carrier rotor while rotating and transporting it, an outlet rotor that receives the medium transported by the rotation of the carrier rotor and passes it to a second position on the downstream side while rotating and transporting it, a first drive unit that rotates the carrier rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor, a downstream transport unit that receives the medium transported by the rotation of the outlet rotor at the second position and transports it downstream, a second drive unit that drives the downstream transport unit to transport it, and a control unit for controlling the downstream transport unit to transport the medium. and a media detection unit that detects the medium in the transport path where the medium is transported, and as a process for removing the medium remaining on the carrying rotor, the entrance rotor or the exit rotor, the first drive unit starts a rotation operation after the second drive unit starts the transport drive, and rotates the carrying rotor, the entrance rotor and the exit rotor for a time period equal to or longer than the time required to transport the medium from the first position to the second position, and the second drive unit continues the transport drive of the downstream transport unit for a time period equal to or longer than the time required to transport the medium from the second position until it is detected by the media detection unit after the rotation operation by the first drive unit stops. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when paper remains on the drum surface, the remaining paper can be reliably discharged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which there is remaining paper in the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a remaining sheet is transported from an image forming unit toward a fixing unit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of transport drive of the image forming unit and the fixing unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the transport drive of the image forming unit and the fixing unit when the remaining paper is discharged in the minimum time in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the transport drive of the image forming unit and the fixing unit when a remaining sheet is detected in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the remaining paper discharge process of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a remaining paper discharge process of an image forming apparatus according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a conveying device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and the components in the following embodiment include those that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalent. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the following embodiment.

[0012] (Overall configuration of image forming apparatus) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example of a conveying device that discharges a sheet material after an image is formed on the sheet material by an inkjet method using a line head. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an input unit 10, a printing unit 20, and an output unit 90.

[0014] The carry-in section 10 is a unit that carries in a sheet material P as a sheet-like printing medium (one example of a medium). As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in section 10 includes a lower carry-in tray 11a and an upper carry-in tray 11b that store a plurality of sheet materials P, a feeding device 12a that separates and sends out the sheet materials P one by one from the lower carry-in tray 11a, and a feeding device 12b that separates and sends out the sheet materials P one by one from the upper carry-in tray 11b. The carry-in section 10 supplies the sheet material P sent out by the feeding devices 12a and 12b to the image forming section 30. Note that a pretreatment section that applies a coating liquid such as a pretreatment liquid to the sheet material P may be disposed between the carry-in section 10 and the printing section 20.

[0015] The printing unit 20 is a unit that forms an image by ejecting ink by an inkjet method using a line head onto the sheet material P supplied from the carry-in unit 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing unit 20 has an image creating unit 30, a fixing unit 40, a double-sided mechanism unit 50, a control unit 70, and a display unit 80 (an example of a notification unit).

[0016] The image creating unit 30 is a mechanism that forms an image on the sheet material P, which is supplied from the carry-in unit 10 and transported on a carry-in path 301 by a transport roller pair 302, by causing a liquid ejection unit to eject ink onto the sheet material P. As shown in FIG. 2, the image creating unit 30 has a drum 31 (carrier rotor), a liquid ejection unit 32, an entrance rotor 34, and an exit rotor 35.

[0017] The drum 31 is a rotating member provided with a gripper 311 as a gripping means, and the gripper 311 grips the leading end of the sheet material P sent from the inlet rotor 34, and conveys the sheet material P by rotating. The drum 31 also has a plurality of suction holes formed in a dispersed manner on its surface, and the sheet material P is adsorbed and supported on the peripheral surface by generating a suction airflow inward from the suction holes by the suction means.

[0018] The liquid ejection unit 32 is a unit that ejects ink onto the sheet material P that has been conveyed by the rotation of the drum 31 to form an image. The liquid ejection unit 32 includes a liquid ejection unit 32C that ejects cyan (C) ink, a liquid ejection unit 32M that ejects magenta (M) ink, a liquid ejection unit 32Y that ejects yellow (Y) ink, and a liquid ejection unit 32K that ejects black (K) ink. Note that the ink is not limited to CMYK, and may include a liquid ejection unit that ejects special liquid such as white, gold, silver, or fluorescent color.

[0019] The liquid ejection units 32 each have an ejection operation controlled by a drive signal corresponding to the printing information. When the sheet material P supported on the drum 31 passes through a peripheral area of ​​the drum 31 facing the liquid ejection units 32, ink of each color is ejected from the liquid ejection units 32, and an image corresponding to the printing information is formed (printed). The sheet material P on which the image has been formed is delivered from the drum 31 to an outlet rotor 35.

[0020] The entrance rotor 34 is a rotor that receives the sheet material P sent from the upstream side at a receiving position A (first position) and transfers the sheet material P between the entrance rotor 34 and the drum 31. The entrance rotor 34 is provided with a gripping means, a gripper 341, on its outer periphery, and the gripper 341 grips the sheet material P that has been transported on the carry-in path 301 by the transport roller pair 302 at the receiving position A and transports the sheet material P to the drum 31 by a rotating operation. The sheet material P whose leading edge is gripped by the gripper 341 is transported with the rotation of the entrance rotor 34 and is transferred to the drum 31 at a position where the entrance rotor 34 and the drum 31 face each other.

[0021] The exit rotator 35 is a rotator that receives the sheet material P conveyed by the rotation of the drum 31 and delivers it to the fixing section 40 at a delivery position B (second position). The exit rotator 35 is provided with a gripper 351 as a gripping means on its outer periphery, and the gripper 351 grips the sheet material P conveyed by the rotation of the drum 31, and conveys the sheet material P to the conveyor belt 41 of the fixing section 40 by rotating. The gripper 351 can deliver the leading end of the sheet material P by moving around in a timed manner to match the position of the gripper 311 of the drum 31. The exit rotator 35 may be connected to the entrance rotator 34 via a gear and rotate in conjunction with it.

[0022] The fixing unit 40 is a mechanism for drying and fixing the ink on the sheet material P on which the image is formed by the imaging unit 30. This causes liquid components such as water in the ink on the sheet material P to evaporate, the colorant contained in the ink to be fixed on the sheet material P, and further suppresses curling of the sheet material P. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 40 has a conveyor belt 41 (downstream conveying unit), a heating unit 42, a sheet detection sensor 43 (medium detection unit), and a suction unit 44.

[0023] The conveyor belt 41 is an endless belt stretched between a driving roller 401 and a driven roller 402, which conveys the sheet material P delivered from the exit rotor 35. When the conveyor belt 41 is performing a conveying operation of the sheet material P, the conveyor belt 41 conveys the sheet material P downstream so that the sheet material P passes through the heating unit 42 at a predetermined conveying speed. The conveying speed of the sheet material P conveyed by the conveyor belt 41 is set by the rotation speed of the driving roller 401. The rotation speed of the driving roller 401 is controlled by the control unit 70. When the leading end of the sheet material P leaves the exit rotor 35 and is handed over to the conveyor belt 41, the rotation speed of the driving roller 401 is adjusted so that the conveyor belt 41 operates at a predetermined conveying speed. In addition, a plurality of suction holes are formed in a dispersed manner on the surface of the conveyor belt 41, and the sheet material P is adsorbed and supported by the conveyor belt 41 by the suction airflow by the suction unit 44.

[0024] The heating section 42 is a device that heats the sheet material P that is being transported by the transport belt 41. The heating section 42 heats the sheet material P to dry and fix the ink on the sheet material P.

[0025] The sheet detection sensor 43 is a sensor that detects the sheet material P that has been transferred from the exit rotor 35 to the transfer position B onto the conveyor belt 41 and conveyed into the fixing unit 40 .

[0026] The suction unit 44 is a device that generates a suction airflow into a plurality of suction holes formed on the surface of the conveyor belt 41 by a suction operation, and causes the sheet material P to adhere to the conveyor belt 41.

[0027] The sheet material P that has passed through the fixing unit 40 is conveyed along a conveying path 601 by the rotation of a pair of conveying rollers 602 , and is sent to the duplex mechanism unit 50 or the conveying unit 90 .

[0028] The double-sided mechanism unit 50 is a mechanism that, when printing on both sides of the sheet material P, reverses the sheet material P that has passed through the fixing unit 40 and feeds it again to the upstream side of the imaging unit 30, i.e., to the carry-in path 301. The double-sided mechanism unit 50 has a reversing path 51 and a double-sided path 52, as shown in FIG.

[0029] The inversion path 51 is a path that receives the sheet material P that has passed through the fixing unit 40 and inverts it by the rotation of a pair of conveying rollers 502.

[0030] The double-sided path 52 is a path for transporting the sheet material P reversed by the reversing path 51 to the upstream side of the image forming unit 30 by the rotation of a pair of transport rollers 501 and feeding it again to the carry-in path 301 .

[0031] The control unit 70 is a controller that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 70 controls, for example, the image forming operation in the image forming unit 30, the drying operation in the fixing unit 40, and the transport operation of various transport paths. Note that the carry-in unit 10 or the carry-out unit 90 may be controlled by a control unit different from the control unit 70.

[0032] The display unit 80 is a display device that displays various information such as the operation state, print setting information, and job status of the image forming apparatus 1. Note that the display unit 80 may have not only a display function but also a touch panel that realizes, for example, a touch input function.

[0033] The discharge section 90 is a unit for accumulating the sheet material P discharged from the printing section 20. The discharge section 90 is equipped with a discharge tray 91 on which a plurality of sheet materials P are stacked. The sheet materials P conveyed from the printing section 20 are sequentially stacked and held on the discharge tray 91.

[0034] (Hardware configuration of the control unit of the image forming apparatus) 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, the hardware configuration of the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, an external I / F 204, a head drive control circuit 211, a rotation drive circuit 212 (first drive unit), a conveyance drive circuit 213 (second drive unit), a heating drive circuit 214, a suction drive circuit 215, a sensor I / F 216, and a conveyance drive circuit 217, which are capable of data communication with each other via a bus line.

[0036] The CPU 201 is a computing device that loads various programs stored in a ROM 202 into a RAM 203 that is used as a work area, and realizes various functions.

[0037] The external I / F 204 is an interface for communicating with a host 250, which is an external device connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) constructed by a data transmission path such as a wired or wireless one. The host 250 is, for example, an information processing device such as a DFE (Digital Front End).

[0038] The head drive control circuit 211 is a drive circuit that drives and controls the ejection operation of the liquid ejection units 32 of the printing section 20 based on image data in accordance with commands from the CPU 201 .

[0039] The rotation drive circuit 212 is a drive circuit that drives and controls the rotational operations of the drum 31, the entrance rotator 34, and the exit rotator 35 of the imaging unit 30 in accordance with commands from the CPU 201. The entrance rotator 34 and the exit rotator 35 may be connected so as to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the drum 31. In that case, the rotation drive circuit 212 may drive and control the rotational operation of the drum 31.

[0040] The conveyor drive circuit 213 is a drive circuit that drives and controls the rotational operation of the drive roller 401 of the fixing unit 40 in accordance with a command from the CPU 201, and conveys the sheet material P by the conveyor belt 41.

[0041] The heating drive circuit 214 is a drive circuit that drives and controls the heating operation by the heating unit 42 of the fixing unit 40 in accordance with a command from the CPU 201.

[0042] The suction driving circuit 215 is a driving circuit that drives and controls the suction operation of the suction unit 44 of the fixing unit 40 in accordance with a command from the CPU 201 .

[0043] The sensor I / F 216 is an interface that receives detection information detected by various sensors such as the sheet detection sensor 43 disposed in the image forming apparatus 1 .

[0044] The transport drive circuit 217 is a drive circuit that drives and controls the rotational operations of various rollers such as the transport roller pair 302 , the transport roller pair 602 , the transport roller pair 501 , and the transport roller pair 502 in accordance with instructions from the CPU 201 .

[0045] The hardware configuration of the control unit 70 shown in Fig. 3 is an example, and other components may be included. For example, the control unit 70 may have a non-volatile memory such as an NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that performs image processing, or a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) that performs input / output signal processing, in addition to the components shown in Fig. 3.

[0046] (Configuration and operation of functional blocks of the control unit of the image forming apparatus) 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of functional blocks of a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The configuration and operation of the functional blocks of the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a first drive control unit 101, a second drive control unit 102, a detection unit 103, a suction control unit 104, and a display control unit 105.

[0048] The first drive control unit 101 is a functional unit that conveys the sheet material P by controlling the rotational operations of the drum 31, the inlet rotor 34, and the outlet rotor 35 of the imaging unit 30 via the rotation drive circuit 212. The first drive control unit 101 is realized by a program being executed by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

[0049] The second drive control unit 102 is a functional unit that controls the rotational operation of the drive roller 401 via the conveyor drive circuit 213 to convey the sheet material P by the conveyor belt 41. The second drive control unit 102 is realized by the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0050] The detection unit 103 is a functional unit that detects the sheet material P based on a detection signal received by the sensor I / F 216 from a sheet detection sensor 43 for detecting the sheet material P that has been handed over from the exit rotator 35 to the conveyor belt 41 and conveyed into the fixing unit 40. The detection unit 103 is realized by a program being executed by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

[0051] The suction control unit 104 is a functional unit that controls the suction operation of the suction unit 44 via the suction drive circuit 215 to adsorb the sheet material P to the conveyor belt 41. The suction control unit 104 can also control the suction force of the suction unit 44 in a plurality of stages. The suction control unit 104 is realized by a program being executed by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

[0052] The display control unit 105 is a functional unit that controls the display operation of the display unit 80. The display control unit 105 is realized by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

[0053] In addition, some or all of the first drive control unit 101, the second drive control unit 102, the detection unit 103, the suction control unit 104 and the display control unit 105 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or ASIC rather than a software program.

[0054] Moreover, each functional unit of the control unit 70 shown in Fig. 4 is shown conceptually, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the control unit 70 shown in Fig. 4 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the control unit 70 shown in Fig. 4 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0055] (Process for removing remaining paper from the imaging unit) Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a state where there is a remaining sheet in the imaging unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a state where the remaining sheet is conveyed from the imaging unit to the fixing unit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. With reference to Figs. 5 and 6, an overview of a process for removing the remaining sheet present in the imaging unit 30 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0056] When the printing process in the image forming apparatus 1 is finished or an emergency stop is performed due to a malfunction or the like, the sheet material P may remain as a remaining sheet in the imaging unit 30 as shown in Fig. 5. Note that, as a case where the sheet material P remains as a remaining sheet in the imaging unit 30, Fig. 5 shows a state where the sheet material P is gripped by the gripper 311, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, a state where the sheet material P is gripped by the gripper 341 of the entrance rotor 34 or the gripper 351 of the exit rotor 35 is also conceivable.

[0057] In this way, when sheet material P remains in image creating unit 30, it is necessary to remove sheet material P remaining in image creating unit 30 as an initialization process in order for printing unit 20 to execute printing process next. Here, initialization process refers to a predetermined process performed before printing unit 20 executes printing process in order to execute the printing process normally, and includes, for example, the process for remaining paper in image creating unit 30 described above.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 5, when sheet material P remains in imaging unit 30, the first drive control unit 101 rotates drum 31, entrance rotator 34, and exit rotator 35, and the second drive control unit 102 conveys conveyor belt 41 in a coordinated manner to convey sheet material P as the remaining sheet, until it is detected by sheet detection sensor 43 of fixing unit 40, as shown in Fig. 6. The coordinated operations of first drive control unit 101 and second drive control unit 102 are described below in detail.

[0059] (Timing chart for conveyance drive of the imaging unit and the fixing unit) Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the transport drive of the imaging unit and the fixing unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the transport drive of the imaging unit and the fixing unit when the remaining paper is discharged in the minimum time of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the transport drive of the imaging unit and the fixing unit when the remaining paper is detected in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The timing chart of the transport drive of the remaining paper in the imaging unit 30 and the fixing unit 40 in the initialization process of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9.

[0060] 7, at time T0, the second drive control unit 102 of the control unit 70 drives the conveyor belt 41 by controlling the rotation operation of the drive roller 401 via the conveyor drive circuit 213. Hereinafter, the driving of the conveyor belt 41 by the second drive control unit 102 controlling the rotation operation of the drive roller 401 via the conveyor drive circuit 213 may be simply referred to as driving the fixing unit 40.

[0061] Next, at time T1 (≧T0), the first drive control section 101 of the control section 70 drives the drum 31, entrance rotator 34, and exit rotator 35 of the imaging section 30 for transport by controlling the rotational operations of these components via the rotation drive circuit 212. Hereinafter, the control of the rotational operations of the drum 31, entrance rotator 34, and exit rotator 35 of the imaging section 30 by the first drive control section 101 via the rotation drive circuit 212 for transport may be simply referred to as "driving the imaging section 30 for transport."

[0062] In this way, after time T1, the second drive control unit 102 drives the fixing unit 40 to transport, and the first drive control unit 101 drives the image creating unit 30 to transport, so that the sheet material P remaining as remaining paper in the image creating unit 30 can be transported from the image creating unit 30 to the fixing unit 40.

[0063] Next, at time T2 (>T1), the first drive control unit 101 stops the transport driving of the imaging unit 30. Furthermore, the second drive control unit 102 stops the transport driving of the fixing unit 40 at time T3 (>T2).

[0064] As described above, the transport drive by the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102 is executed so as to satisfy the conditions of the following expressions (1) to (3) with respect to times T0 to T3.

[0065] T0≦T1 (1) (Time required for conveying the sheet material P from the receiving position A of the entrance rotor 34 to the delivery position B of the exit rotor 35)≦T2−T1 (2) (Time required for the sheet material P to be transported from the delivery position B of the exit rotor 35 to the sheet detection sensor 43 of the fixing unit 40)≦T3−T2 (3)

[0066] By satisfying the above formula (1), the imaging unit 30 is driven to be transported before the fixing unit 40, and it is possible to avoid a state in which the remaining paper is jammed at the transfer position B due to the conveyor belt 41 not being driven to be transported. Furthermore, by satisfying the above formula (2), even if the remaining paper exists near the receiving position A of the entrance rotor 34, it can be reliably conveyed to the transfer position B of the exit rotor 35. Furthermore, by satisfying the above formula (3), it is possible to reliably convey the remaining paper to the sheet detection sensor 43 after it is handed over from the exit rotor 35 to the conveyor belt 41 at the transfer position B. As a result, when the sheet material P exists as the remaining paper in the imaging unit 30, the sheet material P can be reliably conveyed to the sheet detection sensor 43.

[0067] Furthermore, by executing the conveying drive by the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102 for times T0 to T3 so as to satisfy the conditions of the following equations (4) to (6) in which the inequality signs in the above equations (1) to (3) are replaced with equal signs, the sheet material P can be conveyed to the sheet detection sensor 43 in the minimum time required in accordance with the timing chart shown in Figure 8, and the time required for the initialization process can be reduced.

[0068] T0 = ​​T1 (4) (Time required for the sheet material P to be transported from the receiving position A of the entrance rotator 34 to the delivery position B of the exit rotator 35)=T2-T1 (5) (Time required for the sheet material P to be transported from the delivery position B of the exit rotor 35 to the sheet detection sensor 43 of the fixing unit 40)=T3-T2 (6)

[0069] In this case, for example, if there is a remaining sheet at receiving position A of entrance rotor 34, at time T0 (T1), the first drive control unit 101 starts driving the imaging unit 30 to convey and the second drive control unit 102 starts driving the fixing unit 40 to convey, and the remaining sheet P reaches delivery position B just at time T2. Then, the sheet P reaches a position detected by sheet detection sensor 43 just at time T3.

[0070] In addition, the timing at which the detection unit 103 detects the remaining paper varies depending on the position of the remaining paper in the imaging unit 30. Therefore, when the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102 perform the transport drive according to the timing chart of FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the detection unit 103 may detect the remaining paper, i.e., the sheet material P, before time T3 is reached. When the remaining paper, i.e., the sheet material P, is detected by the detection unit 103, there is no need to continue the transport drive by the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the remaining paper is detected by the detection unit 103, the transport drive of the imaging unit 30 by the first drive control unit 101 and the transport drive of the fixing unit 40 by the second drive control unit 102 may be stopped. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the suction operation of the suction unit 44 via the suction drive circuit 215 by the suction control unit 104 is turned on / off in accordance with the on / off of the transport drive of the fixing unit 40 by the second drive control unit 102. As a result, while the fixing unit 40 is in transport operation, the sheet material P is sucked in with a suction force H that can securely hold it, and when the transport operation of the fixing unit 40 is stopped, the suction force L (weak suction force or no suction force) can be set to a level that can remove the sheet material P from the transport belt 41.When the sheet material P is detected, the suction force of the transport belt 41 is weakened, making it easier for the user to remove any remaining paper on the transport belt 41.

[0071] (Flow of remaining paper ejection process during initialization process) Fig. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the remaining paper discharge process of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The flow of the remaining paper discharge process in the initialization process of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Note that in Fig. 10, the transport drive by the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102 will be described as being performed according to the operation of the timing chart shown in Fig. 7.

[0072] <Step S11> At time T0, the second drive control unit 102 drives the fixing unit 40 to transport, and the suction control unit 104 controls the suction unit 44 via the suction drive circuit 215 to perform a suction operation with a suction force H. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0073] <Step S12> At time T1, the first drive control unit 101 drives the image forming unit 30 to convey the sheet P remaining in the image forming unit 30. This causes the sheet P to be conveyed from the image forming unit 30 toward the fixing unit 40. Then, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0074] <Step S13> If the detection unit 103 does not detect the remaining sheet material P based on the detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 43 even at time T2 (step S13: no remaining paper), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the detection unit 103 detects the remaining sheet material P based on the detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 43 before time T2 (step S13: remaining paper), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0075] <Step S14> At time T2, the first drive control unit 101 stops the transport drive of the image forming unit 30. Then, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0076] <Step S15> Then, at time T3, the second drive control unit 102 stops the transport drive of the fixing unit 40.

[0077] <Step S16> When the sheet material P is detected by the detection unit 103, the first drive control unit 101 stops the transport drive of the image forming unit 30, the second drive control unit 102 stops the transport drive of the fixing unit 40, and the suction control unit 104 switches the suction force of the suction unit 44 from suction force H to suction force L via the suction drive circuit 215. Then, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0078] <Step S17> Then, the display control unit 105 notifies (displays) on the display unit 80 that the remaining sheet material P has been detected by the detection unit 103. This allows the user to recognize the remaining paper and to take appropriate measures, such as removing the remaining paper.

[0079] Through the above steps S11 to S17, the remaining paper discharge process in the initialization process of the image forming apparatus 1 is executed.

[0080] As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes the drum 31 which rotates while supporting the sheet material P to transport it, the entrance rotor 34 which receives the sheet material P transported from upstream at a receiving position A and rotates to transport it while transferring it to the drum 31, the exit rotor 35 which receives the sheet material P transported by the rotation of the drum 31 and rotates to transport it while transferring it to a downstream transfer position B, the rotation drive circuit 212 which rotates the drum 31, the entrance rotor 34 and the exit rotor 35, the conveyor belt 41 which receives the print medium transported by the rotation of the exit rotor 35 at a second position and transfers it downstream, the conveyor drive circuit 213 which drives the conveyor belt 41 for conveyance, and the conveyor 214 which conveys the sheet material P by the conveyor belt 41. and a sheet detection sensor 43 that detects the sheet material P on the path, and as a process (initialization process) for removing the sheet material P remaining on the drum 31, the entrance rotor 34 or the exit rotor 35, the rotation drive circuit 212 starts a rotation operation after the start of the transport drive by the transport drive circuit 213, and rotates the drum 31, the entrance rotor 34 and the exit rotor 35 for a time period longer than the time required to transport the sheet material P from the receiving position A to the delivery position B, and the transport drive circuit 213 continues the transport drive of the transport belt 41 for a time period longer than the time required to transport the sheet material P from the delivery position B until it is detected by the sheet detection sensor 43 after the rotation operation by the rotation drive circuit 212 stops. This makes it possible to reliably discharge the remaining paper when there is any remaining paper on the drum surface of the imaging unit 30.

[0081] (Modification) Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus 1 as an example of a conveying apparatus according to a modified example will be described, focusing on differences from the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment.

[0082] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a modified example, with reference to which the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this modified example will be described.

[0083] In this modification, the printing section 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 has an image creating section 30, a fixing section 40, a double-sided mechanism section 50a, a control section 70, and a display section 80, as shown in FIG.

[0084] The double-sided mechanism unit 50a is a mechanism that, when printing on both sides of the sheet material P, reverses the sheet material P that has passed through the fixing unit 40 and feeds it again to the upstream side of the imaging unit 30, i.e., to the carry-in path 301. As shown in FIG. 11, the double-sided mechanism unit 50 has a reversing path 51, a double-sided path 52, a purge tray 53, and a purge tray sensor 54.

[0085] The purge tray 53 is a tray for accumulating remaining sheets present in the imaging unit 30 via the discharge path 601 and the reversal path 51 as a result of an initialization process.

[0086] The purge tray sensor 54 is, for example, a sensor that detects whether or not the remaining sheets accumulated in the purge tray 53 are full.

[0087] Other configurations of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 11 are similar to those of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment.

[0088] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a modified example, and the configuration and operation of the functional block of a control unit 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this modified example will be described with reference to FIG.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 has a first drive control unit 101, a second drive control unit 102, a detection unit 103, a suction control unit 104, a display control unit 105, a purge determination unit 106, and a purge transport control unit 107.

[0090] The purge determination unit 106 is a functional unit that determines whether the remaining sheets accumulated in the purge tray 53 are full, i.e., whether the remaining sheets can be conveyed to the purge tray 53, based on a detection signal received from the purge tray sensor 54 by the sensor I / F 216. The purge determination unit 106 is realized by a program being executed by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

[0091] The purge conveyance control unit 107 is a functional unit that controls the rotational operation of the conveyance roller pair 602 and the conveyance roller pair 502 via the conveyance drive circuit 217 to convey the remaining sheet material P conveyed along the discharge path 601 to the purge tray 53. The purge conveyance control unit 107 is realized by the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0092] The operations of the other functional parts of the control unit 70a are similar to those of the control unit 70 in the above-described embodiment.

[0093] In addition, some or all of the first drive control unit 101, the second drive control unit 102, the detection unit 103, the suction control unit 104, the display control unit 105, the purge determination unit 106 and the purge transport control unit 107 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or ASIC rather than a software program.

[0094] Moreover, each functional unit of the control unit 70a shown in Fig. 12 is shown conceptually, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the control unit 70a shown in Fig. 12 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the control unit 70a shown in Fig. 12 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0095] Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the remaining paper discharge process of the image forming apparatus according to the modified example. The flow of the remaining paper discharge process in the initialization process of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Note that in Fig. 13, the operation timing of the transport drive by the first drive control unit 101 and the second drive control unit 102 will be described as following the operation of the timing chart shown in Fig. 7.

[0096] <Step S21> The purge conveyance control unit 107 starts driving the rotational operation of the conveyance roller pair 602 and the conveyance roller pair 502 via the conveyance drive circuit 217. Then, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0097] <Step S22> After that, at time T0, the second drive control unit 102 drives the fixing unit 40 to transport the sheet, and then the process proceeds to step S23.

[0098] <Step S23> At time T1, the first drive control unit 101 drives the image forming unit 30 to convey the sheet P remaining in the image forming unit 30, so that the sheet P is conveyed from the image forming unit 30 toward the fixing unit 40. Then, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0099] <Step S24> If the detection unit 103 does not detect the remaining sheet material P based on the detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 43 even at time T2 (step S24: no remaining paper), the process proceeds to step S25. On the other hand, if the detection unit 103 detects the remaining sheet material P based on the detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 43 before time T2 (step S24: remaining paper), the process proceeds to step S28.

[0100] <Step S25> The purge conveyance control unit 107 stops the driving of the rotational operations of the conveyance roller pairs 602 and 502 via the conveyance drive circuit 217. Then, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0101] <Step S26> After that, at time T2, the first drive control unit 101 stops the transport drive of the image forming unit 30. Then, the process proceeds to step S27.

[0102] <Step S27> Then, at time T3, the second drive control unit 102 stops the transport drive of the fixing unit 40.

[0103] <Step S28> The purge determination unit 106 determines whether the remaining papers accumulated in the purge tray 53 are full, i.e., whether the remaining papers can be transported to the purge tray 53, based on a detection signal from the purge tray sensor 54. If the remaining papers can be transported to the purge tray 53 (step S28: Yes), the process proceeds to step S29, and if the remaining papers cannot be transported (step S28: No), the process proceeds to step S30.

[0104] <Step S29> When the purge determination unit 106 determines that the sheet P can be conveyed to the purge tray 53, the purge conveyance control unit 107 continues to drive the rotational operation of the conveyance roller pair 602 and the conveyance roller pair 502 for a predetermined time via the conveyance drive circuit 217. As a result, the sheet P detected by the detection unit 103 is accumulated on the purge tray 53 via the discharge path 601 and the reversal path 51. Then, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0105] <Step S30> The purge conveyance control unit 107 stops driving the rotational operation of the conveyance roller pair 602 and the conveyance roller pair 502 via the conveyance drive circuit 217. Furthermore, the first drive control unit 101 stops the conveyance drive of the image forming unit 30, and the second drive control unit 102 stops the conveyance drive of the fixing unit 40. Then, the process proceeds to step S31.

[0106] <Step S31> Then, the display control unit 105 causes the display unit 80 to notify (display) the fact that the remaining sheet material P has been detected.

[0107] Through the above steps S21 to S31, the remaining paper discharge process is executed in the initialization process of the image forming apparatus 1. Note that, similarly to the operation shown in FIG. 11, the suction operation by the suction unit 44 may be combined with the transport drive of the fixing unit 40.

[0108] As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this modification further includes a purge tray 53 for accumulating sheet material P downstream of the conveyor belt 41, and when the sheet material P is detected by the sheet detection sensor 43 and when the sheet material P can be accumulated on the purge tray 53, the rotation drive circuit 212 continues the rotation of the drum 31, the entrance rotor 34, and the exit rotor 35 for a predetermined time, and the conveyance drive circuit 213 continues the conveyance drive by the conveyor belt 41 for a predetermined time. This allows the remaining paper to be accumulated on the purge tray 53, making it easier for the user to collect the remaining paper.

[0109] In the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example, an example of removing remaining paper in the imaging unit 30 has been described, but the main body that transports the print medium by a drum-shaped rotating body such as the drum 31, the entrance rotating body 34, and the exit rotating body 35 is not limited to the imaging unit. For example, a configuration is also assumed in which the transport path in the fixing unit 40 is configured by a drum-shaped rotating body, and the print medium is heated while being transported by the rotating body. In this case, the operations of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example can be applied to the removal process of remaining paper in the fixing unit 40. Furthermore, the removal operation of remaining paper in this embodiment can be applied not only to the image forming device 1, but also to a general transport device in which a medium is transported by a drum-shaped rotating body.

[0110] In the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples, when at least one of the functional units of the control units 70 and 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like. The programs executed by the control units 70 and 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), or a DVD in the form of an installable or executable file. The programs executed by the control units 70 and 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. The programs executed by the control units 70 and 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. In addition, the programs executed by the control units 70, 70a of the image forming apparatus 1 in the above-mentioned embodiments and modified examples have a modular structure including at least any one of the functional units described above, and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU reads out the program from the above-mentioned storage device and executes it, thereby loading and generating each of the above-mentioned functional units onto the main storage device.

[0111] Each function in the above-mentioned embodiment can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, and a device such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a conventional circuit module designed to execute each of the above-mentioned functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1. Image forming device 10 Loading section 11a Lower loading tray 11b Upper loading tray 12a, 12b Feeding device 20 Printing Department 30 Imaging section 31 Drums 32, 32C, 32K, 32M, 32Y Liquid Dispensing Unit 34 Inlet Rotor 35 Exit Rotor 40 Fixing section 41 Conveyor belt 42 Heating section 43 Sheet detection sensor 44 Suction part 50, 50a Double-sided mechanism 51 Reverse Route 52 Two-sided route 53 Purge Tray 54 Part tray sensor 70, 70a Control section 80 Display section 90 Unloading section 91 Output Tray 101 First drive control unit 102 Second drive control section 103 Detection unit 104 Suction control unit 105 Display control unit 106 Purge Judgment Section 107 Purge transport control section 201 CPU 202 ROM 203 RAM 204 External I / F 211 Head drive control circuit 212 Rotational drive circuit 213 Carrier drive circuit 214 Heating drive circuit 215 Suction drive circuit 216 Sensor I / F 217 Carrier drive circuit 250 hosts 301 Delivery route 302 Conveyor roller pair 311 Gripper 341 Gripper 351 Gripper 401 Drive roller 402 Driven roller 501 Transport roller pair 502 Conveyor roller pair 601 Carry-out route 602 Conveyor roller pair A Pick-up location B Delivery position P, P1~P3 Sheet material [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0113] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-188861 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-161589 A

Claims

1. a carrier rotor that carries and rotates the medium; an inlet rotor that receives the medium transported from upstream at a first position and transfers the medium to the carrier rotor while rotating and transporting the medium; an outlet rotor that receives the medium transported by the rotation of the carrier rotor and delivers the medium at a second position downstream while rotating and transporting the medium; A first drive unit that rotates the support rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor; a downstream transport section that receives the medium transported by rotation of the outlet rotor at the second position and transports the medium downstream; A second drive unit that drives the downstream conveying unit for conveyance; a medium detection unit that detects a medium in a transport path along which the medium is transported by the downstream transport unit; Equipped with As a process for removing a medium remaining on the carrier rotor, the inlet rotor, or the outlet rotor, The first driving unit is A rotation operation is started after the second driving unit starts to drive the conveying member, rotating the carrier rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor for a time period equal to or greater than the time required to transport the medium from the first position to the second position; A transport device in which the second drive unit continues to drive the transport of the downstream transport unit for a time period greater than the time it takes to transport the medium from the second position until it is detected by the media detection unit after the rotational operation by the first drive unit has stopped.

2. The first driving unit is At the same time as the second driving unit starts driving the conveyor, the rotation operation is started. rotating the carrier rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor for a time required to transport the medium from the first position to the second position; The transport device of claim 1 , wherein the second drive unit continues to drive the downstream transport unit for the time it takes for the medium to be transported from the second position until it is detected by the media detection unit after the rotation operation by the first drive unit has stopped.

3. When the medium is detected by the medium detection unit, The first drive unit stops the rotation of the support rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor, The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the second drive unit stops the transport drive by the downstream transport unit.

4. A purge tray is provided downstream of the downstream transport section to collect media. When a medium is detected by the medium detection unit and when the medium can be accumulated in the purge tray, The first drive unit continues to rotate the support rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor for a predetermined time, The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the second drive section causes the downstream transport section to continue the transport drive for a predetermined period of time.

5. When a medium is detected by the medium detection unit and when the medium cannot be accumulated in the purge tray, The first drive unit stops the rotation of the support rotor, the inlet rotor, and the outlet rotor, The transport device according to claim 4 , wherein the second drive unit stops the transport drive by the downstream transport unit.

6. a suction unit that sucks the medium being transported by the downstream transport unit to cause the medium to be attracted to the downstream transport unit; The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the suction section performs suction on the medium while the medium is being driven for transport by the second drive section.

7. 7. The transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user that a medium has been detected when the medium detection unit detects the medium.

Images