Media discharge control device and program

Abstract

To avoid inconvenience caused by unlimitedly discharging to the same discharge destination while restricting the shortage of the discharge destinations.SOLUTION: The medium discharge control device includes a processor, and the processor controls for an untroubled medium of multiple media subject to discharge to be discharged to the first discharge destination and for a troubled medium of the multiple media subject to discharge to be discharged to a different discharge destination from the first discharge destination. Until the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount after the troubled media are discharged to the different discharge destination from the first discharge destination, untroubled media of the multiple media are controlled to be discharged to the first discharge destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium ejection control device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a sheet processing device that includes a first paper discharge means that can sort and discharge printout sheets that are determined to have been printed correctly into multiple output trays, a second paper discharge means that discharges printout sheets that are determined to need to be reprinted to a paper discharge section that is located upstream of the first paper discharge means, and a first control means that discharges the paper to the paper discharge section each time it is determined to need to be reprinted, and switches the discharge destination for subsequent pages that are determined to have been printed correctly after the page that was determined to need to be reprinted to an output tray different from the output tray of the first paper discharge means that discharged printout sheets that were determined to have been printed correctly before the page that was determined to need to be reprinted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-114246 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the destination is changed each time a defective medium is found among the multiple media to be ejected, there is a risk that there will not be enough destinations for the media. On the other hand, if non-defective media continue to be ejected to the same destination indefinitely even after a defective medium is found, it will be inconvenient to use the non-defective media. For example, when non-defective media are supplied from a supply unit, it is possible that the amount of media that can be accommodated in the supply unit will exceed the capacity of the supply unit.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to prevent a shortage of discharge destinations while avoiding the inconvenience of continuing to discharge to the same discharge destination indefinitely. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention of claim 1 includes a processor, the processor controls to discharge non-defective media of a plurality of media to be discharged to a first discharge destination, controls to discharge defective media of the plurality of media to be discharged to a destination different from the first discharge destination, controls to discharge non-defective media of the plurality of media to the first discharge destination until the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination after the defective media has been discharged to the destination different from the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount less than or equal to the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination, and when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount after a defective medium appears among the plurality of media, controls to discharge non-defective media of the plurality of media to the first discharge destination. and the different discharge destinations This media discharge control device is characterized by selecting a second discharge destination from multiple discharge destinations other than the first one based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the multiple discharge destinations, and controlling the discharge of media from the multiple media that are not defective to the second discharge destination. The invention described in claim 2 is a media discharge control device described in claim 1, characterized in that the processor selects the second discharge destination on the condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is the smallest among the amounts of media that each of the multiple discharge destinations can accommodate. The invention described in claim 3 is a media discharge control device described in claim 2, characterized in that the processor selects the second discharge destination with the additional condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is greater than or equal to the amount of media that has not yet been discharged among the multiple media. The invention described in claim 4 is a media discharge control device comprising a processor, the processor controls to discharge media from a plurality of media to be discharged that are not defective to a first destination, controls to discharge media from a plurality of media to be discharged that have developed a defect to a destination other than the first destination, controls to discharge media from the plurality of media that are not defective to the first destination until the amount of media discharged to the first destination after the defective media have been discharged to the destination other than the first destination reaches a specific amount that is less than or equal to the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies media that are not defective discharged to the first destination, controls to discharge media from the plurality of media that are not defective to the first destination until the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches a specific amount that is less than or equal to the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies media that are not defective to the first destination, controls to discharge media from the plurality of media that are not defective to a second destination after a defective media appears among the plurality of media and controls to discharge media from the plurality of media that are not defective to the first destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches the specific amount if no defective media appear among the plurality of media. The invention of claim 5 further includes a processor, wherein the processor controls the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of media to be ejected to a first ejection destination, controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount that is less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies media that have not experienced a defect discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium appears among the plurality of media, the first discharge destination and the different discharge destinations This media discharge control device is characterized by selecting a second discharge destination from multiple discharge destinations other than the first one based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the multiple discharge destinations, and controlling the discharge of media from the multiple media that are not defective to the second discharge destination. The invention of claim 6 further includes a processor, wherein the processor controls the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of media to be ejected to a first ejection destination, controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination;This media discharge control device is characterized by being controlled so that when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount that is less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective media has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media from the plurality of media is discharged to a second discharge destination, and if no defective media has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media from the plurality of media is discharged to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount. The invention of claim 7 provides a computer function for controlling a computer to discharge non-defective media from a plurality of media to be discharged to a first discharge destination; a function for controlling a non-defective medium from a plurality of media to be discharged to a discharge destination different from the first discharge destination; a function for controlling a computer to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to the first discharge destination until the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination after a defective medium appears among the plurality of media; and a function for controlling a computer to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to the first discharge destination when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount. and the different discharge destinations The program realizes the function of selecting a second destination from among a plurality of destinations other than the first one based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of destinations, and controlling the discharge of media that are not defective from the plurality of destinations to the second destination. The invention described in claim 8 is a program for causing a computer to realize the following functions: control a computer to discharge non-defective media from a plurality of media to be discharged to a first destination; control a computer to discharge defective media from a plurality of media to be discharged to a destination other than the first destination; control a computer to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to the first destination until the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches a specific amount that is less than or equal to the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first destination after the defective media have been discharged to the destination other than the first destination; and control a computer to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to a second destination when the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches the specific amount when no defective media have been detected among the plurality of media, even if the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches the specific amount. The invention described in claim 9 includes a function of controlling a computer to eject media that are free of defects from among a plurality of media to be ejected to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount that is less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies media that have not experienced a defect discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium appears among the plurality of media, the first discharge destination and the different discharge destinations The program realizes the function of selecting a second destination from among a plurality of destinations other than the first one based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of destinations, and controlling the discharge of media that are not defective from the plurality of destinations to the second destination. The invention described in claim 10 includes a function of controlling a computer to eject a medium that is not defective among a plurality of media to be ejected to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination;When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount that is less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media from the plurality of media is discharged to a second discharge destination, and if no defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media from the plurality of media is discharged to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] Claim 1 According to the invention, the destination to continue discharging media can be selected taking into consideration the amount of media that can be accommodated in each destination. Claim 2 According to the invention, it is possible to select a destination to continue discharging media so that a destination to which media has not been discharged is secured. Claim 3 According to the invention, it is possible to select a destination to continue discharging media so as to increase the likelihood that all of the media to be discharged will be discharged. Claim 4 According to the invention, it is possible to avoid using the discharge destination unnecessarily when no defective medium has appeared. Claim 5 According to the invention, The destination to continue discharging media can be selected by taking into account the amount of media that can be accommodated in each destination. . According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to avoid using a discharge destination unnecessarily when no defective medium has appeared. Claim 7 According to the invention, The destination to continue discharging media can be selected by taking into account the amount of media that can be accommodated in each destination. . According to the invention of claim 8, it is possible to avoid using the discharge destination unnecessarily when no defective medium has appeared. Claim 9 According to the invention, The destination to continue discharging media can be selected by taking into account the amount of media that can be accommodated in each destination. . According to the invention of claim 10, it is possible to avoid using the discharge destination unnecessarily when no defective medium has appeared. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a specific example of the operation of a typical paper transport device at the time of first printing. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a specific example of the operation of a general paper transport device during reprinting. [Figure 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing a specific example of the operation of the paper transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a specific example of the operation of the paper transport device when switching the discharge destination. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a paper transport control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a paper transport control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operating condition setting screen displayed in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the paper transport control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a switching destination selection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Outline of this embodiment] This embodiment provides a media discharge control device that controls media that are not defective among a plurality of media to be discharged to a first discharge destination, controls media that have developed a defect among a plurality of media to be discharged to a discharge destination other than the first discharge destination, and, after the defective media have been discharged to a discharge destination other than the first discharge destination, controls media that are not defective among the plurality of media to be discharged to the first discharge destination until the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount.

[0011] Here, a medium is an object used to transmit some kind of information, and can be transported to a destination and then discharged. Examples of media include paper and plastic sheets, but the following explanation will use paper as an example.

[0012] The quantity of media is an attribute of media that has a size that can be expressed as a combination of a number and a measurement reference. Examples of the quantity of media include the number of sheets and weight, but the following explanation will use the number of sheets as an example.

[0013] A defect occurring in a medium refers to a state in which the medium is not in good condition. Defects occurring in a medium include, for example, a state in which the medium is not printed well or a state in which the medium is not transported well. Here, a state in which the medium is not printed well means, for example, that the image formed on the medium is dirty, and a state in which the medium is not transported well means, for example, that the medium is damaged during transport. As such, there are various possible defects that can occur in a medium, but the following explanation will be given using a state in which the medium is not printed well as an example.

[0014] [Overall configuration of image formation system] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system 1 to which the present embodiment is applied. As shown in the figure, this image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 10 and a paper transporting apparatus 20.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 10 is an apparatus that forms an image on paper. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 10 uses, for example, an electrophotographic method to form a toner image on paper according to image data. Note that the image forming apparatus 10 may also form an image using other methods, such as an inkjet head method.

[0016] The paper transport device 20 is a device that transports paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming device 10. The configuration of the paper transport device 20 will be described later.

[0017] [Configuration of the paper transport device] 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of paper transport device 20. Paper transport device 20 includes a transport unit 30, a first stacker unit 40, a second stacker unit 50, a discharge unit 60, and a paper transport control device 70. Note that, although the figure shows first stacker unit 40 and second stacker unit 50 as stacker units, three or more stacker units may be provided.

[0018] The transport unit 30 is connected to the downstream side in the paper transport direction from the image forming device 10, and is provided with a first transport path R1 along which paper transported from the image forming device 10 is transported toward the first stacker unit 40.

[0019] An interposer 31 is provided above the transport unit 30 to feed paper into the transport unit 30. The transport unit 30 is provided with a junction path r11 that runs from the interposer 31 toward the first transport path R1 and merges with the first transport path R1. Paper fed from the interposer 31 passes through the junction path r11 and is supplied to the first transport path R1.

[0020] The transport unit 30 is also provided with an inspection device 32 that inspects sheets passing through the first transport path R1. The inspection device 32 has an image reading unit 321 that reads images on sheets passing through the inspection device 32, and a determination unit 322, and inspects each sheet passing through the inspection device 32. Here, the image reading unit 321 is configured, for example, by a so-called scanner device equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD. The determination unit 322 is configured by a computer device equipped with a CPU as an example of a processor.

[0021] Furthermore, the transport unit 30 is provided with a plurality of transport rolls that transport the paper along the first transport path R1 and the junction path r11.

[0022] The first stacker unit 40 is provided with a second transport path R2 that is connected to the downstream side of the transport direction of the first transport path R1 of the transport unit 30 and along which paper transported along the first transport path R1 is transported toward the second stacker unit 50.

[0023] The first stacker unit 40 includes a first discharge section 41 onto which sheets are discharged and stacked via a branch path r21 branching off from the second transport path R2. The first stacker unit 40 also includes a first stacker 42 connected to a branch path r22 branching off from the second transport path R2, into which sheets transported via the branch path r22 are discharged and stored. The first stacker unit 40 also includes a plurality of transport rolls that transport sheets along the second transport path R2 and the branch paths r21 and r22.

[0024] The second stacker unit 50 is provided with a third transport path R3 that is connected to the downstream side of the transport direction of the second transport path R2 of the first stacker unit 40 and along which paper transported along the second transport path R2 is transported toward the discharge unit 60.

[0025] The second stacker unit 50 is provided with a second discharge section 51 onto which sheets are discharged and stacked via a branch path r31 branching off from the third transport path R3. The second stacker unit 50 is also provided with a second stacker 52 connected to a branch path r32 branching off from the third transport path R3, into which sheets transported via this branch path r32 are discharged and stored. Furthermore, the second stacker unit 50 is provided with a plurality of transport rolls that transport sheets along the third transport path R3 and the branch paths r31 and r32.

[0026] The discharge unit 60 is provided with a fourth transport path R4 that is connected to the downstream side of the third transport path R3 of the second stacker unit 50 in the transport direction and along which the paper transported on the third transport path R3 is transported.

[0027] The discharge unit 60 is provided downstream of the fourth transport path R4 in the transport direction and includes a third discharge section 61 where the paper transported along the fourth transport path R4 is discharged and stacked. The discharge unit 60 also includes a plurality of transport rolls that transport the paper along the fourth transport path R4.

[0028] The paper transport control device 70 controls each unit of the paper transport device 20. For example, the paper transport control device 70 determines a destination to which to discharge the paper from among multiple destinations, namely, the first discharge section 41, the first stacker 42, the second discharge section 51, the second stacker 52, and the third discharge section 61. The paper transport control device 70 then drives a switching member (not shown) provided at the branch point between the transport paths R2 and R3 and the branch paths r21, r22, r31, and r32, and controls the paper so that it is discharged to the determined destination. The operation of this paper transport control device 70 will be described in more detail later.

[0029] [Example of operation of paper transport device] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing a specific example of the operation of a general paper transport device 20. In this embodiment, paper that is inspected by the inspection device 32 as being normal is discharged to a predetermined normal paper discharge destination. In the figures, the first discharge section 41, the first stacker 42, the second discharge section 51, and the second stacker 52 are set as normal paper discharge destinations. In addition, paper that is inspected by the inspection device 32 as being abnormal is discharged to a predetermined abnormal paper discharge destination. In the figures, the third discharge section 61 is set as the abnormal paper discharge destination.

[0030] First, Fig. 3 shows a specific example of the operation of paper transport device 20 during the first printing. The figure shows a case where image forming apparatus 10 forms images on six sheets of paper and sends them to paper transport device 20. As shown in the figure, paper transport device 20 ejects the first, second, fourth, and fifth sheets of paper to first stacker 42, which is one of the normal paper ejection destinations, because the inspection results of inspection device 32 were normal. On the other hand, paper transport device 20 ejects the third and sixth sheets of paper to third ejection section 61, which is the abnormal paper ejection destination, because the inspection device 32 detected dirt on the third and sixth sheets of paper and the inspection results were abnormal.

[0031] 4 shows a specific example of the operation of paper transport device 20 during reprinting. As shown in the figure, the first, second, fourth, and fifth sheets of paper that were inspected normally during the initial printing are reused and fed from interposer 31. On the other hand, for the third and sixth sheets of paper that were inspected abnormally during the initial printing, image forming device 10 reprints on new paper. If the inspection device 32 inspects the reprinted third and sixth sheets to be normal, paper transport device 20 merges them with the first, second, fourth, and fifth sheets of paper that were fed from interposer 31, and ejects the first to sixth sheets of paper in that order to first stacker 42.

[0032] However, if the number of sheets of paper that have passed inspection by the inspection device 32 exceeds the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31, such reprinting cannot be performed.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, when an abnormality is detected in the inspection result of inspection device 32 for each normal paper discharge destination, paper transport device 20 discharges up to the number of sheets that can be loaded on interposer 31 or a specified number of sheets that is less than this number of sheets (hereinafter, this loadable number or specified number will be referred to as the "specified number"). Then, when the number of sheets discharged to that normal paper discharge destination reaches the specified number, paper transport device 20 switches to the next normal paper discharge destination. This allows the user to feed the paper that was discharged to that normal paper discharge destination from interposer 31 and reprint up to the paper that was discharged immediately before switching to the next normal paper discharge destination.

[0034] 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of the operation of paper transport device 20 in this embodiment. Here, it is assumed that when 1000 sheets of paper are discharged, the inspection results of inspection device 32 for sheets 201 to 210 and sheets 501 to 510 are abnormal. In addition, the above-mentioned specified number of sheets is 300 sheets.

[0035] As shown in the figure, sheet transport device 20 first discharges the first through 200th sheets of paper that were inspected normally by inspection device 32 to first stacker 42. Next, sheet transport device 20 discharges the 201st through 210th sheets of paper that were inspected abnormally by inspection device 32 to third discharge section 61. Next, sheet transport device 20 discharges the 211th and subsequent sheets that were inspected normally by inspection device 32 to first stacker 42. Thereafter, when the 310th sheet of paper is discharged to first stacker 42, the number of sheets discharged to first stacker 42 reaches the specified number of 300 sheets, so sheet transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to second stacker 52.

[0036] Next, paper transport device 20 discharges the 311th to 500th sheets of paper, which have been inspected normally by inspection device 32, to second stacker 52. Next, paper transport device 20 discharges the 501st to 510th sheets, which have been inspected normally by inspection device 32, to third discharge section 61. Next, paper transport device 20 discharges the 511th and subsequent sheets, which have been inspected normally by inspection device 32, to second stacker 52. Thereafter, when the 620th sheet of paper is discharged to second stacker 52, the number of sheets discharged to second stacker 52 reaches the specified number of 300 sheets, so paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to second discharge section 51.

[0037] Next, the paper transport device 20 discharges the 621st to 1000th sheets of paper, which have been inspected by the inspection device 32 as being normal, to the second discharge section 51.

[0038] This allows the user to reprint the 201st to 210th sheets of paper for which the inspection result was abnormal, while feeding the 300 sheets of paper discharged to the first stacker 42 from the interposer 31. Also, while feeding the 300 sheets of paper discharged to the second stacker 52 from the interposer 31, it becomes possible to reprint the 501st to 510th sheets of paper for which the inspection result was abnormal.

[0039] The above describes the case where the inspection device 32 finds an abnormality in the inspection result for paper discharged to a normal paper discharge destination. However, there are cases where the inspection device 32 finds no abnormality in the inspection result for paper discharged to a normal paper discharge destination. In this case, there is no need to consider feeding paper that has passed the inspection result from the interposer 31. Therefore, after starting to discharge paper to a normal paper discharge destination, the paper transport device 20 should continue to discharge paper to that normal paper discharge destination as long as no abnormality in the inspection result has occurred.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, when the paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to the next normal paper discharge destination while discharging to a normal paper discharge destination, it selects a normal paper discharge destination with a smaller number of sheets that can be loaded as the discharge destination after the switch (hereinafter referred to as the "switching destination").

[0041] 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the operation of sheet transport device 20 when switching the discharge destination. Here, the number of sheets that can be loaded in first discharge section 41 and second discharge section 51 is set to 400 sheets, the number of sheets that can be loaded in first stacker 42 and second stacker 52 is set to 2000 sheets, and the number of sheets that can be loaded in third discharge section 61 is set to 200 sheets.

[0042] First, assume that while paper transport device 20 is discharging paper to first stacker 42, inspection device 32 detects an abnormality in the paper to be discharged, and then the number of sheets discharged to first stacker 42 reaches a specified number. Then, as indicated by arrow 201, paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to first discharge unit 41, which is one of the normal paper discharge destinations with the smallest stackable number of sheets.

[0043] Next, assume that while paper transport device 20 is discharging paper to first discharge section 41, inspection device 32 detects an abnormality in the paper to be discharged, and then the number of sheets discharged to first discharge section 41 reaches a specified number. Then, as shown by arrow 202, paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to second discharge section 51, which is a normal paper discharge destination with the smallest number of sheets that can be loaded at that time.

[0044] Next, assume that while paper transport device 20 is discharging paper to second discharge section 51, inspection device 32 detects an abnormality in the paper to be discharged, and thereafter the number of sheets discharged to second discharge section 51 reaches a specified number. Then, as indicated by arrow 203, paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to second stacker 52, which is a normal paper discharge destination with the smallest number of sheets that can be loaded at that time.

[0045] For example, suppose that while 1,000 sheets of paper are being discharged to first stacker 42 based on the current print instruction, an abnormality occurs with the paper to be discharged, and only 300 sheets of paper are discharged to first stacker 42. In this case, if the inspection results show no abnormalities, of the remaining 700 sheets of paper, 400 sheets will be discharged to first discharge section 41 and 300 sheets will be discharged to second discharge section 51. In other words, because the remaining 700 sheets of paper are not discharged to second stacker 52, when a large amount of paper is discharged based on a subsequent print instruction, second stacker 52 will be able to accommodate this large amount of paper.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the condition that the number of sheets that can be loaded is equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets to be discharged based on the print instruction may be added to the condition that the number of sheets that can be loaded is small. That is, paper transport device 20 may select, as the switching destination, a discharge destination that has a small number of sheets that can be loaded and a number of sheets that can be loaded equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets to be discharged based on the print instruction.

[0047] In this case, paper transport device 20 switches the discharge destination to the next normal paper discharge destination as long as the next normal paper discharge destination satisfies the condition that the number of sheets that can be loaded is equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets of paper to be discharged based on the print instruction.On the other hand, paper transport device 20 selects another normal paper discharge destination if the next normal paper discharge destination does not satisfy the condition that the number of sheets that can be loaded is equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets of paper to be discharged based on the print instruction.

[0048] For example, suppose that an abnormality occurs with the paper to be discharged while 1,000 sheets are being discharged to the first stacker 42 based on the current print instruction, and only 300 sheets are discharged to the first stacker 42. In this case, the remaining 700 sheets are not discharged to the first discharge section 41 or the second discharge section 51, which have a stacking capacity of less than 700 sheets, but are discharged to the second stacker 52, which has a stacking capacity of 700 sheets or more.

[0049] Here, when only the condition that the number of sheets that can be stacked is small is used, it can be said to be a subsequent priority mode, which prioritizes discharging paper to a large-capacity stacker based on a subsequent print instruction.In contrast, when the condition that the number of sheets that can be stacked is small and the condition that the number of sheets that can be stacked is equal to or greater than the number of sheets remaining in the current print instruction are used, it can be said to be a current priority mode, which prioritizes reducing the number of destinations for discharging paper based on the current print instruction.

[0050] In this embodiment, the third discharge section 61 is the destination for abnormal paper discharge, but if the third discharge section 61 is the normal paper discharge destination and the remaining number of sheets to be discharged based on the print instruction is 200 or less, the third discharge section 61 may be selected as the destination for switching.

[0051] [Hardware configuration of paper transport control device] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the paper transport control device 70 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the paper transport control device 70 includes a processor 21, a RAM 22, and a ROM 23.

[0052] The processor 21 realizes the function of controlling the transport of paper in the paper transport device 20 by loading various programs stored in the ROM 23 or the like into the RAM 22 and executing them.

[0053] The RAM 22 is a memory used as a working memory for the processor 21. The ROM 23 is a memory that stores various programs executed by the processor 21.

[0054] [Functional configuration of the paper transport control device] 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the paper transport control device 70 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the paper transport control device 70 includes a discharge destination information acquisition unit 71, an operating condition acquisition unit 72, an inspection result acquisition unit 73, a discharge destination determination unit 74, a switching destination selection unit 75, and a discharge control unit 76.

[0055] The destination information acquisition unit 71 acquires destination information regarding the destination. Here, the destination information is, for example, the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31. The destination information acquisition unit 71 may acquire the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31 that is stored in advance from the RAM 22. Alternatively, the destination information acquisition unit 71 may acquire the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31 from the paper transport device 20. In this embodiment, the interposer 31 is used as an example of a supply unit that supplies media that are not experiencing any defects.

[0056] The operating condition acquisition unit 72 acquires the operating conditions of the discharge destination determination unit 74. Here, the operating conditions refer to, for example, whether the discharge destination determination unit 74 uses the discharge destination information acquired by the discharge destination information acquisition unit 71 or information specified by the user when determining the discharge destination of the paper. As described above, the discharge destination information acquired by the discharge destination information acquisition unit 71 is the stackable number of sheets on the interposer 31. The information specified by the user is a specified number of sheets equal to or less than the stackable number of sheets on the interposer 31. The operating condition acquisition unit 72 acquires the operating conditions based on, for example, a user input on an operating condition setting screen displayed on an operation panel (not shown) of the image forming system 1. In this embodiment, the stackable number of sheets on the interposer 31 or a specified number equal to or less than this stackable number is used as an example of a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in the supply unit, and the specified number is used as an example of an amount specified by the user via the operation unit.

[0057] The inspection result acquisition unit 73 acquires the inspection results from the inspection device 32. Here, the inspection results are information indicating whether the printing condition of the paper is normal or abnormal. In this embodiment, the inspection device 32 is provided as an example of an inspection device that inspects the condition of the medium. Also, in this embodiment, the inspection results are used as an example of information indicating whether a defect has occurred in the medium, and the processing of the inspection result acquisition unit 73 is performed as an example of acquiring information indicating whether a defect has occurred in the medium from the inspection device.

[0058] The destination determination unit 74 acquires destination information from the destination information acquisition unit 71, operating conditions from the operating condition acquisition unit 72, and inspection results from the inspection result acquisition unit 73, and determines a destination to which to discharge the paper based on this information. Here, the operating conditions refer to whether to use the destination information acquired by the destination information acquisition unit 71 or to use information specified by the user, as described above. When the destination determination unit 74 acquires from the operating condition acquisition unit 72 operating conditions indicating that the destination information acquired by the destination information acquisition unit 71 is to be used, the destination determination unit 74 sets the stackable number of sheets of the interposer 31 acquired as the destination information from the destination information acquisition unit 71 as the specified number. When the destination determination unit 74 acquires from the operating condition acquisition unit 72 operating conditions indicating that information specified by the user is to be used, the destination determination unit 74 sets the specified number of sheets acquired from the operating condition acquisition unit 72 as the specified number.

[0059] Specifically, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines the discharge destination to which a sheet of paper whose inspection result is normal is discharged to one of a plurality of normal paper discharge destinations. In this embodiment, the normal paper discharge destination is used as an example of the first discharge destination, and this process of the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of control to discharge a medium that is not defective among a plurality of media to be discharged to the first discharge destination.

[0060] Furthermore, if the inspection result of the paper to be discharged is abnormal while the paper is being discharged to the normal paper discharge destination, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines the discharge destination as the abnormal paper discharge destination. Thereafter, the discharge destination determination unit 74 continues to determine the normal paper discharge destination as the discharge destination until the number of sheets discharged to the normal paper discharge destination reaches a predetermined number. In this embodiment, the abnormal paper discharge destination is used as an example of a discharge destination different from the first discharge destination, and this process of the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of controlling the discharge of defective media among the multiple media to be discharged to a destination different from the first discharge destination. In this embodiment, a predetermined number is used as an example of a predetermined amount, and this process of the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of controlling the discharge of non-defective media among the multiple media to the first discharge destination until the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount after the defective media has been discharged to a destination different from the first discharge destination.

[0061] Furthermore, if the inspection result of the paper to be discharged is abnormal while the paper is being discharged to the normal paper discharge destination, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines the discharge destination as another normal paper discharge destination when the number of sheets discharged to this normal paper discharge destination reaches a predetermined number. At this time, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines the discharge destination by calling the discharge destination selection unit 75 to select a discharge destination. In this embodiment, the discharge destination determination unit 74 uses the discharge destination as an example of a second discharge destination. Also, in this embodiment, this process of the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of controlling the discharge of non-defective media from the plurality of media to the second discharge destination when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount after a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media. Furthermore, in this embodiment, this process of the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of controlling the discharge of non-defective media from the plurality of media to the second discharge destination when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount after a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media.

[0062] Furthermore, if no abnormality occurs in the paper to be discharged while the paper is being discharged to the normal paper discharge destination, the discharge destination determination unit 74 continues to determine this normal paper discharge destination even if the number of sheets discharged to the normal paper discharge destination reaches a specified number. In this embodiment, if no defective media have appeared among the multiple media, this processing by the discharge destination determination unit 74 is performed as an example of control to discharge media from the multiple media that are not defective to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount.

[0063] The switching destination selection unit 75 selects a switching destination from among a plurality of normal paper discharge destinations based on the number of sheets that can be stacked at each normal paper discharge destination. In the present embodiment, this process by the switching destination selection unit 75 is performed as an example of selecting a second discharge destination from a plurality of discharge destinations other than the first discharge destination based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of discharge destinations.

[0064] Specifically, in the subsequent priority mode, the switching destination selection unit 75 selects, as the switching destination, the normal paper discharge destination with the smallest stackable number of sheets from among the multiple normal paper discharge destinations. In this embodiment, this process of the switching destination selection unit 75 is performed as an example of selecting the second discharge destination on the condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is the smallest among the amounts of media that can be accommodated at each of the multiple discharge destinations.

[0065] Furthermore, in the current priority mode, the switching destination selection unit 75 selects, as the switching destination, a normal paper discharge destination from among the multiple normal paper discharge destinations that has the smallest number of sheets that can be stacked and that has a number of sheets that is equal to or greater than the number of sheets of paper that have not yet been discharged in response to the print command. In this embodiment, this processing by the switching destination selection unit 75 is performed as an example of selecting a second discharge destination with the additional condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is equal to or greater than the amount of media that have not yet been discharged among the multiple media.

[0066] The discharge control unit 76 controls the paper transport device 20 so that the paper is discharged to the discharge destination determined by the discharge destination determination unit 74 .

[0067] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operating condition setting screen 800 displayed on an operation panel (not shown) of the image forming system 1 when the operating condition acquisition unit 72 acquires the operating conditions.

[0068] As shown in the figure, the operating condition setting screen 800 includes an item 810. The item 810 is an item for specifying automatic switching of the discharge destination. The item 810 also includes an item 820. The item 820 is an item for specifying the maximum number of discharged sheets.

[0069] Furthermore, item 820 includes radio buttons 830 and 840. Radio button 830 is a radio button that is clicked when specifying that the maximum number of sheets to be discharged is to be the number of sheets that can be loaded on interposer 31. Radio button 840 is a radio button that is clicked when the user specifies an arbitrary number as the maximum number of sheets to be discharged. When clicking radio button 840, the user may specify the number of sheets to be discharged using numeric input UI 841. Here, the number of sheets to be discharged is specified to be equal to or less than the number of sheets that can be loaded on interposer 31.

[0070] [Operation of the paper transport control device] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the paper transport control device 70. It is assumed that, prior to this operation, the discharge destination information acquisition unit 71 acquires discharge destination information, the operating condition acquisition unit 72 acquires operating conditions, and each transfers them to the discharge destination determination unit 74. It is also assumed that, each time a paper is transported from the image forming device 10 to the paper transport device 20, the inspection result acquisition unit 73 acquires the paper inspection results from the inspection device 32 and transfers them to the discharge destination determination unit 74.

[0071] As shown in the figure, in the paper transport control device 70, first, the discharge destination determination unit 74 sets the discharge destination of the paper to the default normal paper discharge destination (step 701).

[0072] Next, the discharge destination determination unit 74 refers to the inspection result received from the inspection result acquisition unit 73 and determines whether the inspection result of the paper is normal (step 702).

[0073] First, we will explain the case where the inspection result of the paper is determined to be normal in step 702. In this case, the discharge destination determination unit 74 refers to the inspection results received so far from the inspection result acquisition unit 73 and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the inspection result of the previous paper (step 703).

[0074] If it is determined in step 703 that an abnormality has occurred in the inspection result up to the previous sheet, the destination determination unit 74 determines whether the number of sheets discharged to the normal sheet discharge destination exceeds the specified number (step 704). Here, the destination determination unit 74 determines the specified number based on the destination information received from the destination information acquisition unit 71 and the operating conditions received from the operating condition acquisition unit 72. Specifically, if the operating conditions received from the operating condition acquisition unit 72 specify that the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31 should be the specified number, the number of sheets that can be loaded on the interposer 31 received from the destination information acquisition unit 71 should be set to the specified number. Furthermore, if the operating conditions received from the operating condition acquisition unit 72 specify that the number of sheets specified by the user should be set to the specified number, the number specified by the user should be set to the specified number.

[0075] If it is determined in step 704 that the number of sheets discharged to the normal paper discharge destination exceeds the specified number, the discharge destination determination unit 74 calls the switching destination selection unit 75, and the switching destination selection unit 75 performs switching destination selection processing (step 705). The discharge destination determination unit 74 then proceeds to step 706. The switching destination selection processing will be described in detail later.

[0076] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 703 that no abnormalities have occurred in the inspection results for the previous sheets, or if it is determined in step 704 that the number of sheets discharged to the normal paper discharge destination does not exceed the specified number, the discharge destination determination unit 74 proceeds to step 706 without performing the switching destination selection process.

[0077] As a result, the discharge control unit 76 controls the paper to be discharged to the switching destination selected in the switching destination selection process of step 705 (step 706).

[0078] Next, a description will be given of the case where the inspection result of the paper is determined to be abnormal, that is, abnormal, in step 702. In this case, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines the discharge destination of the paper as the abnormal paper discharge destination (step 707).

[0079] As a result, the discharge control unit 76 controls the paper to be discharged to the abnormal paper discharge destination determined in step 707 (step 708). Then, the discharge destination determination unit 74 returns the discharge destination of the paper to the original discharge destination (step 709).

[0080] Thereafter, the discharge destination determination unit 74 determines whether or not there is a next sheet of paper (step 710). If it determines that there is a next sheet of paper, the discharge destination determination unit 74 returns the process to step 702. If it determines that there is no next sheet of paper, the discharge destination determination unit 74 ends the process.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the switching destination selection process in step 705 of FIG.

[0082] As shown in the figure, first, the switching destination selection unit 75 determines whether the next mode or the current mode is set (step 751).

[0083] First, a description will be given of the case where it is determined in step 751 that the subsequent priority mode is set. In this case, the switching destination selection unit 75 selects, from all normal paper ejection destinations, the normal paper ejection destination with the smallest number of sheets that can be stacked as the switching destination (step 752). Then, the switching destination selection unit 75 returns the process to step 705 in FIG. 10 with the normal paper ejection destination selected in step 752 as the switching destination.

[0084] Next, a description will be given of the case where it is determined that the current priority mode is set in step 751. In this case, the switching destination selection unit 75 sets all normal paper discharge destinations as the search range (step 753).

[0085] Next, the switching destination selection unit 75 selects the normal paper ejection destination with the smallest stackable number of sheets from among the normal paper ejection destinations within the current search range (step 754).The switching destination selection unit 75 then determines whether the stackable number of sheets of the normal paper ejection destination selected in step 754 is equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets to be ejected based on the current print instruction (step 755).

[0086] If it is determined in step 755 that the number of sheets that can be stacked at the normal paper ejection destination is not equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets, the switching destination selection unit 75 sets the search range to normal paper ejection destinations other than the normal paper ejection destination selected so far in step 754 (step 756).Then, the switching destination selection unit 75 returns the process to step 754.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 755 that the number of sheets that can be stacked at the normal paper discharge destination is equal to or greater than the number of remaining sheets, the switching destination selection unit 75 returns the processing to step 705 in Figure 10 with the normal paper discharge destination most recently selected in step 754 as the switching destination.

[0088] [Processor] In this embodiment, the term "processor" 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.).

[0089] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in this embodiment may not only be performed by one processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in this embodiment, and may be changed.

[0090] [program] The processing performed by the paper transport control device 70 in this embodiment is prepared as a program such as application software, for example.

[0091] In other words, the first program that realizes this embodiment can be seen as a program that causes a computer to realize the following functions: control the ejection of media that are not defective among the multiple media to be ejected to a first ejection destination; control the ejection of media that have developed a defect among the multiple media to be ejected to a destination other than the first ejection destination; and control the ejection of media that are not defective among the multiple media to the first ejection destination until the amount of media ejected to the first ejection destination reaches a predetermined amount after the defective media have been ejected to a destination other than the first ejection destination.

[0092] In addition, the second program that realizes this embodiment can be seen as a program that causes a computer to realize the functions of controlling a computer to discharge media that are not defective among the multiple media to be discharged to a first discharge destination, and, when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a predetermined amount, after a defective medium has appeared among the multiple media, controlling a computer to discharge media that are not defective among the multiple media to a second discharge destination.

[0093] The program for realizing this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1...image forming system, 10...image forming device, 20...paper conveying device, 31...interposer, 32...inspection device, 41...first discharge section, 42...first stacker, 51...second discharge section, 52...second stacker, 61...third discharge section, 70...paper conveying control device, 71...discharge destination information acquisition section, 72...operating condition acquisition section, 73...inspection result acquisition section, 74...discharge destination determination section, 75...switching destination selection section, 76...discharge control section

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; After the defective medium is discharged to a destination different from the first destination, control is performed so that non-defective media among the plurality of media are discharged to the first destination until the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first destination, When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount after a defective medium appears among the plurality of media, a second discharge destination is selected from a plurality of discharge destinations other than the first discharge destination and the different discharge destination based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of discharge destinations, and control is performed so that media that are not defective among the plurality of media are discharged to the second discharge destination. A medium discharge control device characterized by:

2. The media discharge control device described in claim 1, characterized in that the processor selects the second discharge destination under the condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is the smallest among the amount of media that each of the multiple discharge destinations can accommodate.

3. The media discharge control device described in claim 2, characterized in that the processor selects the second discharge destination with the additional condition that the amount of media that the second discharge destination can accommodate is greater than or equal to the amount of media that have not yet been discharged among the multiple media.

4. a processor; The processor: Controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; After the defective medium is discharged to a destination different from the first destination, control is performed so that non-defective media among the plurality of media are discharged to the first destination until the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first destination, When a defective medium appears among the plurality of media and the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specified amount, the non-defective media among the plurality of media are discharged to a second discharge destination, and when no defective medium appears among the plurality of media, the non-defective media among the plurality of media are controlled to be discharged to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specified amount. A medium discharge control device characterized by:

5. a processor; The processor: Controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies media that have not developed a defect and that have been discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, a second discharge destination is selected from a plurality of discharge destinations other than the first discharge destination and the different discharge destination based on the amount of media that can be accommodated in each of the plurality of discharge destinations, and control is performed so that media that have not developed a defect among the plurality of media are discharged to the second discharge destination. A medium discharge control device characterized by:

6. a processor; The processor: Controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination different from the first ejection destination; When the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media among the plurality of media are discharged to a second discharge destination, and when no defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, the non-defective media among the plurality of media are controlled to be discharged to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount. A medium discharge control device characterized by:

7. On the computer, a function of controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination other than the first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of non-defective media from the plurality of media to a destination other than the first destination until the amount of media ejected to the first destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media ejected to the first destination; a function of selecting a second destination from among a plurality of destinations other than the first destination and the different destination, based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of destinations, when the amount of media discharged to the first destination reaches the specific amount after a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, and controlling the discharge of non-defective media from the plurality of media to the second destination; A program to achieve this.

8. On the computer, a function of controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination other than the first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of non-defective media from the plurality of media to a destination other than the first destination until the amount of media ejected to the first destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media ejected to the first destination; a function of controlling the ejection of non-defective media from the plurality of media to a second ejection destination when the amount of media ejected to the first ejection destination reaches the specific amount after a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, and controlling the ejection of non-defective media from the plurality of media to the first ejection destination when no defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, even if the amount of media ejected to the first ejection destination reaches the specific amount; A program to achieve this.

9. On the computer, a function of controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination other than the first ejection destination; a function of selecting a second destination from among a plurality of destinations other than the first destination and the different destination based on the amount of media that can be accommodated at each of the plurality of destinations, and controlling the ejection of the non-defective media from the plurality of destinations to the second destination, when the amount of media ejected to the first destination reaches a specific amount that is equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media ejected to the first destination, if a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media; A program to achieve this.

10. On the computer, a function of controlling the ejection of a medium that is free of defects from among the plurality of ejection target media to a first ejection destination; a function of controlling the ejection of a defective medium from among the plurality of ejection target media to an ejection destination other than the first ejection destination; a function of controlling, when the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches a specific amount equal to or less than the amount of media that can be accommodated in a supply unit that supplies non-defective media discharged to the first discharge destination, if a defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to a second discharge destination, and, when no defective medium has appeared among the plurality of media, to discharge non-defective media from the plurality of media to the first discharge destination even if the amount of media discharged to the first discharge destination reaches the specific amount; A program to achieve this.

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