JP3184318B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium based on image information input through communication with an external apparatus and selectively executing at least two types of conveyance restart methods for the recording medium. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of image forming apparatus, conveyance of a recording sheet at the time of resetting and power-on is restarted.
In many cases, only the discharge detection means is used. Therefore, if the output of the paper discharge detection means is OFF, it is determined that the recording paper is not in the apparatus. On the other hand, if the output of the paper discharge detection means is ON, it is determined that the recording paper that has not been discharged exists in the apparatus, and the recording paper that has stagnated (has jammed) in the apparatus due to a conveyance failure or the like. If the sheet is automatically ejected, the sheet may not be ejected properly and the situation may worsen, or the photosensitive drum or the like may be damaged. Therefore, the operator is informed of this fact and the operator is notified. Was urged to be removed by hand.

[0003]

However, in the above conventional example, when the leading end position of the recording paper is located before the position of the paper ejection detection, there is a disadvantage that the presence or absence of the recording paper is erroneously detected. . Another problem is that the operator cannot remove the normal recording paper by hand, because it is impossible to distinguish the normal recording paper from the jammed recording paper that has once caused a conveyance failure.

Further, if the paper discharge detecting means fails, the operation
There was a problem that the display of jam was repeatedly displayed on the data, and it was not possible to provide correct information.

[0005] An image processing apparatus according to the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet, the supply of the recording sheet into the image forming apparatus is performed. Paper feed detection means for detecting paper, paper discharge detection means for detecting discharge of the recording paper outside the image forming apparatus, and the paper feed detection means and the paper discharge detection means based on the detection information of the paper discharge detection means. Calculating means for calculating the remaining number of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus; jam detecting means for detecting a jam of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus;
Conveyance status storage means for storing, in a nonvolatile state, jam information indicating that a jam has been detected by the jam detection means and information on the number of remaining recording sheets calculated by the calculation means; and Referring to the jam information and the remaining number information of the conveyance status storage unit, the jam information indicates that the recording sheet has not been jammed, and the remaining number information indicates that at least one recording sheet remains in the image forming apparatus. If it is shown that
When a first mode in which the recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus is automatically discharged is selected, and the jam information indicates that the recording paper has jammed, the operator is notified of the jam. Selecting means for prompting removal of the recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus and selecting a second mode in which the automatic discharge operation is not performed. The paper discharge detection means detects the presence or absence of a recording paper in a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus, and the selection means detects no paper jam according to the paper jam information when the image forming apparatus is started. In response to the fact that the recording sheet is not remaining in the image forming apparatus by the remaining number information, and that the discharge detection unit has detected the recording sheet, The second mode is selected. The paper discharge detection means detects the presence or absence of a recording paper in a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus, and the selection means detects no paper jam according to the paper jam information when the image forming apparatus is started. And that the remaining number information indicates that no recording paper remains in the image forming apparatus, and that the discharge detection unit does not detect the recording paper, A third mode in which a process at the time of startup is performed is selected. The image forming apparatus forms an image on recording paper based on image information input through communication with an external device. If the selection unit determines from the remaining number information that the recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus exists after the automatic ejection operation in the first mode, A mode is selected. In order to achieve the above object, a method according to the present invention is a control method of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet, wherein a first step of detecting the feeding of the recording sheet into the image forming apparatus is provided, A second step of detecting the discharge of the recording sheet outside the image forming apparatus, and calculating a remaining number of the recording sheet in the image forming apparatus based on the detection information of the first step and the second step. A third step of detecting a jam of the recording sheet in the image forming apparatus; a jam information indicating that a jam has been detected in the fourth step; A fifth step of storing the remaining number information of the recording paper in a nonvolatile state, and referring to the jam information and the remaining number information stored in the fifth step when the image forming apparatus is started, and The image forming apparatus in response to the fact that the recording sheet has not been jammed, and that the remaining number information indicates that at least one recording sheet remains in the image forming apparatus. A first mode for performing an automatic discharging operation of the recording paper remaining in the printer is selected, and when the jam information indicates that the recording paper has jammed, the operator is notified of the image forming operation. And a sixth step of prompting removal of the recording paper remaining in the apparatus and selecting a second mode in which the automatic discharge operation is not performed. A seventh step of detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet in a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus; and, when starting up the image forming apparatus, the jam information indicates that the recording sheet has not been jammed, and the remaining number information Indicating that no recording paper remains in the image forming apparatus, and selecting the second mode in response to detecting the recording paper in the seventh step; It is characterized by having. A seventh step of detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet in a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus; and, at the time of starting the image forming apparatus, indicating that the recording sheet has not been jammed by the jam information.
When the remaining number information indicates that no recording paper remains in the image forming apparatus, and when the recording paper is not detected in the seventh step, a normal startup process is performed. An eighth step of selecting a third mode;
It is characterized by having. In addition, as a suitable embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration can be adopted. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, an image is formed on a recording medium based on image information input through communication with an external device, and at least two types of image forming methods capable of selecting and executing the lowest method of transporting the recording medium are performed. Paper feed detecting means 1001 for detecting the feeding of a recording medium into the apparatus, paper discharge detecting means 1002 for detecting the discharge of a recording medium outside the apparatus,
Arithmetic means 1003 for calculating the number of remaining recording media in the apparatus based on the detection information of the paper feed detecting means 1001 and the paper discharge detecting means 1002, and jam detecting means 1004 for detecting an abnormal conveyance of the recording medium in the apparatus. A conveyance status storage unit 1005 for storing in a non-volatile state the detection information of the jam detection unit 1004 and the information on the remaining number of the recording medium calculated by the calculation unit 1003, and information stored in the conveyance status storage unit 1005 A restart selection unit 1006 for selecting a method of restarting the conveyance of the recording medium based on the detection information of the detection unit 1002.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the above-described configuration of FIG. 1, an in-machine paper detecting unit 1007 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the apparatus is provided.
Reference numeral 006 selects a conveyance restart method for the recording medium in consideration of the detection information of the in-machine paper detection unit 1007 in addition to the information stored in the conveyance status storage unit 1005 and the detection information of the discharge detection unit 1002.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the restart selecting means 1006 determines that a normal recording medium is present in the apparatus and performs a paper discharging operation, and a recording in which a conveyance error has occurred. A second resume mode in which the media sheet is determined to be present in the apparatus to display a conveyance abnormal situation and prompt the apparatus operator to remove the recording medium, and a third mode in which it is determined that the recording medium is not present in the apparatus and the third mode is resumed. Select and execute one of the restart modes.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, an image is formed on a recording medium based on image information input through communication with an external device, and at least two types of recording medium transport resume methods can be selectively executed. In the forming apparatus, a sheet feeding detecting unit 1001 for detecting the feeding of the recording medium into the apparatus, and a sheet discharging detecting unit 100 for detecting the sheet discharging of the recording medium to the outside of the apparatus.
2, paper feed detecting means 1001 and paper discharge detecting means 100
Computing means 1003 for calculating the number of recording media remaining in the apparatus based on the detection information of No. 2; jam detecting means 1004 for detecting conveyance abnormality of the recording medium in the apparatus; detection information of the jam detecting means 1004; A conveyance status storage unit 1005 for storing in a non-volatile state information on the remaining number of operations of the recording medium by the operation unit 1003, and a conveyance of the recording medium based on the information stored in the conveyance status storage unit 1005 and the detection information of the paper ejection detection unit 1002. Restart selection means 10 for selecting a restart method
06, and a normal end confirmation unit 1010 for confirming the normal end of the sheet discharging operation based on the remaining number of recording media in the apparatus by the arithmetic unit 1003.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, in-machine paper detecting means 1 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the apparatus in addition to the configuration of FIG.
007, and the resumption selecting means 1006 determines the method of resuming the conveyance of the recording medium by taking into account the information stored in the conveyance status storage means 1005 and the detection information of the paper ejection detection means 1002 and also the detection information of the internal paper detection means 1007. select. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the restart selecting means 1006 determines that a normal recording medium is in the apparatus and performs a first sheet discharging operation.
And a second resume mode in which it is determined that a recording medium sheet having a conveyance error is present in the apparatus, a conveyance abnormality state is displayed and the apparatus operator is prompted to remove the recording medium, and the recording medium is in the apparatus. , And selects and executes one of the third restart modes for restarting. Then, at this time, the normal end confirmation means 1010 confirms the normal end of the sheet discharging operation.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, an image is formed on a recording medium based on image information input through communication with an external device, and at least two types of recording medium conveyance restart methods can be selectively executed. In an image forming apparatus, a sheet feed detecting unit 1001 for detecting the feeding of a recording medium into the apparatus.
Paper discharge detecting means 1002 for detecting discharge of a recording medium out of the apparatus, failure detecting means 1012 for detecting a failure of the paper discharge detecting means 1002, paper feed detecting means 1001, and the paper discharge detecting means 1002 Calculating means 1003 for calculating the number of recording media remaining in the apparatus based on the detection information, and jam detecting means 10 for detecting abnormal transport of the recording medium in the apparatus.
04, a transport status storage unit 1005 for storing the detection information of the jam detection unit 1004 and the information on the number of remaining arithmetic operations of the recording medium in the arithmetic unit 1003 in a non-volatile state, and information stored in the transport status storage unit 1005. Paper detection means 10
02, and a restart selection unit 1006 for selecting a recording medium conveyance restart method based on the failure detection information of the paper ejection detection unit 1002 in the failure detection unit 1012.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 further includes an in-machine paper detecting means 1007 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the apparatus. Information, discharged sheet detecting means 1
In addition to the detection information of 002 and the detection information of the failure detection unit 1012, the method of restarting the conveyance of the recording medium is selected in consideration of the detection information of the internal paper detection unit 1007.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a failure detecting means 101 for detecting a failure of the paper discharge detecting means 1002 as necessary.
2 and a second failure detection unit 1013 for detecting a failure of the in-machine paper detection unit 1007. Then, the resumption selecting means 1006 adds to the information stored in the transport status storage means 1005, the detection information of the paper discharge detection means 1002, the detection information of the in-machine paper detection means 1007, the detection information of the failure detection means 1012, and the second The conveyance restart method of the recording medium is selected in consideration of the detection information of the failure detection unit 1013 of FIG. More specifically, a first restart mode in which a normal recording medium is determined to be present in the apparatus and a paper discharging operation is performed, and a state in which a recording medium having a transport error is determined to be present in the apparatus is determined. Is displayed to prompt the apparatus operator to remove the recording medium, and a third restart mode in which the recording medium is determined not to be in the apparatus and the apparatus is restarted is selected and executed.

[0013]

In the above arrangement, when the conveyance of the recording medium is restarted at the time of resetting or turning on the power, the recording medium having a conveyance failure may be present in the apparatus, or the recording medium in the normal conveyance state may be simply stored in the apparatus. For example, when the document is only stagnated, the transport can be restarted optimally according to the respective transport conditions, and unnecessary operations can be prevented.

For example, the conveyance of the recording medium at the time of resetting or turning on the power is restarted by the information of the conveyance status storage means and the paper discharge detection means. Perform the operation. (2) It is determined that the recording medium in which the conveyance failure has occurred is present in the apparatus, and the operator is prompted to remove the recording paper.

(3) It is determined that the recording paper is not in the machine. By selecting and executing the three types of restart methods described above, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that does not need to perform useless operations in accordance with the situation. Further, the failure detection means 10
12, for example, when it is determined that a recording medium having a conveyance failure is present in the apparatus, and when the operator is prompted to remove the recording paper, the number of times the door is opened and closed thereafter is counted, and the discharge detection means is provided. If a failure 1002 is detected, it is determined that a normal recording medium is present in the apparatus, and a countermeasure more suitable for the situation can be performed, such as performing a paper discharging operation. The same applies to the case where the second failure detection unit 1013 detects a failure in the in-machine paper detection unit, and a measure suitable for the situation can be taken.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a case where the image forming apparatus is applied to, for example, a laser beam printer is shown.

In FIG. 10, a laser beam printer main body 1 (hereinafter, main body 1) has a cassette 2 for storing recording paper S, and a recording paper sensor 3 in the cassette for detecting the presence or absence of the recording paper S in the cassette 2. Recording paper S for cassette 2
A cassette size sensor 4 (comprised of a plurality of microswitches) for detecting the size of the paper, and a paper feed roller 5 for feeding out the recording paper S from the cassette 2 are provided.

A registration roller pair 6 for synchronously transporting the recording paper S is disposed downstream of the paper supply roller 5. An image forming unit 8 that forms a toner image on the recording paper S based on a laser beam from the laser scanner unit 7 is disposed downstream of the registration roller pair 6. Furthermore,
Downstream of the image forming section 8, a fixing device 9 for thermally fixing the toner image formed on the recording paper S is disposed.
A paper discharge sensor 10 for detecting the recording paper transport state of the paper discharge unit, a paper discharge roller 11 for discharging the recording paper S, and a loading tray 12 for loading the recording paper S on which recording has been completed are arranged downstream of the printer. .

The laser scanner 7 is provided with an image signal (image signal VDO) sent from an external device 28 described later.
Unit 13 that emits a laser beam modulated on the basis of a laser beam, and a polygon motor 1 for scanning the laser beam from the laser unit 13 onto a photosensitive drum 17 to be described later.
4, an imaging lens group 15, a folded mirror 16, and the like.

The above-described image forming section 8 includes a photosensitive drum 17 and a pre-exposure lamp 1 necessary for a known electrophotographic process.
8, a primary charger 19, a developing device 20, a transfer charger 21, and a cleaner 22 having a cleaner blade 22a. The main motor 23 applies a driving force to the sheet feeding roller 5 via a sheet feeding roller clutch 24 and a driving force to the register roller pair 6 via a registration roller clutch 25. Each unit of the image forming section 8 including the photosensitive drum 17, the fixing device 9, and the discharge roller 1
1 is also giving a driving force.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a printer control device for controlling the main body 1, and an external device 2 via an interface 27.
8 so that control information, print information, and the like can be transmitted and received. Reference numeral 29 denotes a door provided on the main body 1, which is normally used in a closed state, and is opened, for example, when a jammed recording sheet is removed during conveyance. Reference numeral 40 denotes a door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of the door 29. The door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned on when the door 29 is opened, and is turned on when the door 29 is closed.
FF.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a jam status display unit constituted by, for example, an LED or the like, which informs an operator that a jam has occurred, and prompts the user to remove the jam recording paper. Reference numeral 42 denotes a paper discharge sensor failure display unit composed of, for example, an LED or the like, which informs the operator that a failure has occurred in the paper discharge sensor 10 and urges repair. In the following embodiment, an example will be described in which the paper ejection sensor failure display unit 42 is provided.
Even if the paper ejection sensor failure display unit 42 is not provided, substantially the same effect can be obtained.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the interface 27 shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, SB
SY is a status valid signal.
6 to the external device 28. CBSY is a command valid signal.
6 is sent.

SC is a status / command signal,
When the status valid signal SBSY is "1", the data is sent from the printer control device 26 to the external device 28 as status data indicating the internal state of the printer. When the command valid signal CBSY is "1", the external device 28 Is sent from the external device 28 to the printer control device 26 as command data indicating a command to the printer controller 26.

CLK is the status / command signal SC
And sent from the external device 28 to the printer control device 26. Command 1 from external device 28
In response, the printer controller 26 returns one status corresponding to the command. The above SBSY,
Each signal of CBSY and CLK is a signal used for serial communication of a handshake type. This SBSY, C
FIG. 12 shows an operation timing chart of each signal of BSY and CLK.

RDY is a ready signal, which is set to "1" when the printer control device 26 is ready for printing, and sent from the printer control device 26 to the external device 28. PRINT is a print signal that becomes “1” when the external device 28 instructs a print start.
8 to the printer control device 26. Furthermore, V
SREQ is a vertical synchronization request signal that the printer control device 26 requests the external device 28 to output a later-described vertical synchronization signal VSYNC.

VSYNC is a horizontal synchronizing signal for synchronizing the image output sent from the external device 28 to the printer control device 28 in the horizontal direction (main scanning direction / laser).
VDO is output from the external device 28 to the printer control signal 26 in response to the vertical synchronization signal VSYNC and the horizontal synchronization signal HSYNC.
This is an image signal for transmitting a dot image serially in synchronization with C.

Hereinafter, the printing process of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIGS. 12 to 14 are timing charts for explaining the printing process of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The printer control device 26, as shown in FIG.
When the print signal PRINT becomes "1", the drive of the main motor 23 and the polygon motor 14 starts. When the main motor 23 is driven, the photosensitive drum 17, the fixing roller (inside the fixing device 9), and the discharge roller 11 rotate.
At this time, the primary charger 19, the developing device 20, the transfer charger 21
At the same time.

When the rotation of the polygon motor 14 reaches a steady state, the printer controller 26 waits for t ₁ seconds (see FIG. 13).
The paper feed clutch 24 is turned on to drive the paper feed roller 5,
The recording paper S is fed toward the registration roller pair 6. Then, the printer control device 26 determines when the leading edge of the recording paper S reaches the registration roller pair 6 (the paper feed roller 5).
At the time t ₂ seconds after driving the vertical synchronization signal request VSRE)
Q is sent to the external device 28, and the paper feed roller clutch 24 is turned off to stop driving the paper feed roller 5.

When the preparation of the output of the image signal VDO is completed after the development of the image information into the dot image, the external device 28 confirms that the vertical synchronization request signal VSREQ is "1", and the vertical synchronization signal VSYNC. Is set to "1", and in synchronization with this, the output of the image signal VDO for one page is started after _tv seconds. The printer control device 26 outputs the vertical synchronization signal V
After t ₃ seconds from the rise of SYNC, the registrar clutch 25 is turned on, and the registrar pair 6 is driven.
Rejisutoro - driving the roller pair 6, the trailing edge of the recording sheet S is Rejisutoro - performs time to pass through the roller pair 6 t ₄ seconds.

During this time, the printer control device 26 sends the horizontal synchronization signal HSYNC to the external device 28 at a predetermined timing synchronized with the laser scanning, and modulates the laser light emitted from the laser unit 13 based on the image signal VDO. . The external device 28 outputs the image signal VDO for one scan in synchronization with the rise of the horizontal synchronization signal HSYNC as shown in FIG.

[0032] In addition, in the case of the print on the next page, t ₅ seconds after the re-print signal PRINT is set to "1". Thereafter, the same operation as that of the first page is performed. By the operation of the printer control device 26 and the external device 28, the recording paper S is sequentially conveyed to the paper feed roller 5, the registration roller pair 6, the image forming section 8, the fixing device 9, and the paper discharge roller 11. Then, an image is recorded.

FIG. 15 shows the connection between the MPU 30 in the printer control device 26 shown in FIG. 10, the nonvolatile RAM 32, and each unit. 15, the same components as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted. In the figure, 3
0 is an MPU, 31 is an external bus, 32 is a non-volatile RAM serving as transport status storage means, 33 is an input buffer for a detection signal of the sheet ejection sensor 10, 34 is an input buffer for a detection signal of the door open / close sensor 40, and 35 is a supply buffer. An output buffer for driving the paper roller clutch 24, an output buffer 36 for driving the jam status display 41, and an output buffer 38 for driving the paper output sensor failure display unit 42. When the paper discharge sensor failure display unit 42 is omitted, the output buffer 38 is also omitted.

The MPU 30 also has an internal timer 37, a RAM 39 for temporarily storing the progress of normal processing, etc., and a ROM 50 for storing, for example, control procedures and the like shown in each flowchart shown in FIG. The ON / OFF state of the paper discharge sensor 10 is transmitted to the MPU 30 via the input buffer 33. The on / off state of the door open / close sensor 40 is determined by the MPU 3 via the input buffer 34.
0 is transmitted. The MPU 30 controls the paper feed roller clutch 24 through the output buffer 35, and at the same time, detects the start of paper feed at the drive timing of the paper feed roller 5.

The MPU 30 controls the jam status display 45 through the output buffer 36 to notify the operator of the occurrence of the jam and to prompt the operator to remove the jammed recording paper. The number of remaining recording sheets in the apparatus (inside the apparatus) and the jam status are stored in a nonvolatile RAM 3 via an external bus 31.
2 is stored.

The MPU 30 is provided with a paper ejection sensor failure display 4
In the case of the configuration provided with 2, the paper ejection sensor failure display 42 is controlled through the output buffer 38 to notify the operator of the occurrence of the failure of the paper ejection sensor 10 and to urge the operator to repair it. Hereinafter, the operation of storing the transport status in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of storing the state of the recording paper fed into the apparatus, and FIG.
This is a flowchart showing the operation of recording the state of the recording sheet discharged outside the apparatus and detecting and recording the jam state.
Will be recorded. First, referring to FIG. 16, the operation of storing the state of the recording paper fed into the apparatus will be described. The operation of storing the state of the recording paper fed into the apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. Move on to the indicated process. First, step S
In step 1, the apparatus is started up in accordance with an instruction from the transport restart selecting means. When the start-up operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S2, where the standby state is set. Then, when the PRINT signal becomes "1" in the standby state, the operation shifts to an operation of storing the state of the recording sheet fed into the apparatus after step S3.

That is, as shown in step S3, PRINT
When the signal becomes "1", the process exits from the standby state and proceeds to step S4 to start printing. In the printing process, prior to the actual printing operation, first, the preprocessing of step S5 is performed. Next, in step S6, the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is incremented by one, and at the same time, the sheet supply roller clutch 24 is turned on to start sheet supply.

When the sheet feeding is completed and the vertical synchronizing signal VSYNC becomes "1", the process proceeds to step S7, and TIME, which will be described later, is executed.
At the same time as setting a predetermined initial value in OVER1 and OVER2, the actual printing process is started. In addition, TIME-OVE
R1 and TIME-OVER2 are measured using an imager 37 built in the MPU 30. When the printing process is completed in the next step S8, PRINT is executed.
Check whether the signal is "1". PRINT signal is "1"
In the case of (1), since there is the next print output, the process returns to step S6, and the variable of the number of sheets in the non-volatile RAM 32 is incremented by one, and at the same time, the paper feed roller clutch 24 is turned on to start the paper feed and the next page is started. Execute the printing process.

On the other hand, when the printing process is completed, the PRI
If the NT signal is "0", the flow advances from step S8 to step S9 to execute post-processing. Thereafter, the operation returns to the standby state of step S2, and the next PRINT signal is set to "1".
Watch for By executing the above processing, the number of recording papers carried into the apparatus becomes non-volatile R
It will be recorded in the variable of the number of sheets of AM32.

Next, the operation of recording the state of the recording sheet discharged outside the apparatus of this embodiment and the operation of detecting and recording the jam state of the recording sheet will be described with reference to FIG. Also in this processing, when the power of the apparatus is turned on, first, in step S1, the apparatus is started up in accordance with the instruction of the transport restart selecting means. When the start-up operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S2, where the standby state is set. The processes up to the above are the same as the processes in steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 16 described above.

In the operation of recording the state of the recording sheet discharged outside the apparatus and the operation of detecting and recording the jam state of the recording sheet, the discharging state is constantly monitored in the standby state as shown in step S13. Is started. In the following step S14, it is checked whether or not the paper discharge sensor 10 is turned on (whether or not the recording paper has been discharged).

If the paper discharge sensor 10 is not on, the flow advances to step S15 to check whether or not TIME-OVER1 has timed out. In this embodiment, TI
The ME-OVER 1 is initially set to a time having a sufficient margin for the recording paper to reach the paper ejection sensor 10 normally. Therefore, when the recording sheet normally reaches the paper ejection sensor 10, the paper ejection sensor 10 is turned on within the time of TIME-OVER1. Therefore, in step S15, TI
If the ME-OVER1 has not timed out, the flow returns to step S14 to monitor that the paper discharge sensor 10 is turned on.

If the paper discharge sensor 10 does not turn on within the timer set time of TIME-OVER1, TIME-OV
Since ER1 times out, it is determined to be a jam and the process proceeds from step S15 to step S16. Then, in step S16, the variable of the jam in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is set to 1, and an error processing associated therewith is executed. During the error processing in step S16, the jam status display 41 is turned on, and the operator is notified of the occurrence of the jam to prompt the operator to remove the jam recording paper.

Then, in the following step S17, the operator checks the jam status display 41, opens the door of the apparatus in order to remove the recording paper having the conveyance failure, and monitors that the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on. I do. When it is confirmed that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S18, where it is monitored that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned off. When it is confirmed that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S19.

It is assumed that the jammed recording sheet has been removed by the opening / closing operation of the apparatus door, and step S
At 19, both the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 and the variable of the jam are set to “0”. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1 to execute the same processing as when the power is turned on. on the other hand,
If the recording paper has reached the paper discharge sensor 10 normally, the process proceeds from step S14 to step S20, where the paper discharge sensor 1
Check if 0 is off. If the recording paper has normally passed the paper ejection sensor 10, the TIME-O
The paper discharge sensor 10 is turned off within the time VER2. For this reason, when the paper discharge sensor 10 is on, step S21 is performed.
To check if TIME-OVER2 has timed out. If TIME-OVER2 is not time-over, the process returns to step S20.

If the paper discharge sensor 10 is not turned off within the set time of TIME-OVER2, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the process proceeds from step S21 to step S22, where the nonvolatile RA
The variable of the jam of M32 is set to 1 and the error processing associated therewith is executed. This step S22
The jam status display 41 is turned on during the error processing, and the operator is notified of the occurrence of a jam to urge the removal of the jam recording paper.

Then, in the following step S23, the operator checks the jam status display 41, opens the door of the apparatus in order to remove the recording paper having the conveyance failure, and monitors that the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on. I do. When it is confirmed that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S24, where it is monitored that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned off. When it is confirmed that the door opening / closing sensor 40 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S25.

It is assumed that the jammed recording sheet has been removed by the opening / closing operation of the apparatus door, and step S
At 25, both the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 and the variable of the jam are set to “0”. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1 to execute the same processing as when the power is turned on. on the other hand,
In the processing of step S20 and step S21, TI
The sheet ejection sensor 10 is turned on within a set time of ME-OVER1, and the sheet ejection sensor 1 is turned on within a time of TIME-OVER2.
If 0 is turned off, it is assumed that the paper is normally discharged, and step S
From step 20, the process proceeds to step S30. And step S30
Then, the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is decremented by one, and the process returns to step S13.

That is, the paper ejection state is monitored separately from the printing process to detect a jam, and the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is decremented according to the number of recording sheets ejected outside the apparatus (outside the apparatus). I do. 16 and 1 described above.
By the operation of 7, the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 and the variable of the jam always indicate the number of remaining recording sheets in the apparatus and the state of the jam at that moment, and such a state can be stored accurately.

Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 18, details of the apparatus start-up processing by the transport resumption selecting means in step S1 in FIGS. 16 and 17 will be described. When the power is turned on, first, in step S40, the variable of the failure in the normal RAM 39 is initialized to "0". Next, at step S41, it is checked whether or not the variable of the jam of the nonvolatile RAM 32 is set. If the variable of the jam is set to "1", the process proceeds to step S42, where the jam status display 41 is turned on via the output buffer 36 to notify the operator of an error in the recording paper in the apparatus. It encourages the occurrence of stay and the removal of the recording paper in the apparatus. At the same time, accompanying error processing is performed.

Then, the following steps S43 to S
At 45, similarly to the above-described steps S17 to S19, it is confirmed that the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on / off, and it is determined that the jammed recording sheet has been removed by this operation, and the number of sheets of the nonvolatile RAM 32 is determined. And the variable of the jam are set to “0”. Thereafter, the process returns to step S41.

On the other hand, if the variable of the jam is not "1" in step S41, the process proceeds to step S46, where the number of sheets is "0".
Check whether or not. If the number is not "0", it is determined that there is no paper in the apparatus but no recording paper is present, and the flow advances to step S47. In step S47, a paper discharging process for discharging the recording paper out of the apparatus is executed. In the paper ejection process, the nonvolatile RAM is used in accordance with the number of ejected recording sheets.
The variable of 32 is decremented.

When the paper discharging process is completed in step S47, the process proceeds to step S48, and at the time when the paper discharging process is completed, the variable of the number of sheets is set to "0", and it is confirmed that the paper discharging operation is completed normally. Then, the process proceeds to step S55 described later.
However, if the number of sheets is not "0" in step S48, the paper discharge processing is not normally performed, and it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S49, where the variable of the jam in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is set to "1". Perform error processing.
That is, the jam status display 41 is turned on to notify the operator of the occurrence of the jam and to prompt the operator to remove the jam recording paper. Then, the process proceeds to step S43.

On the other hand, if the number of sheets is "0" in step S46, the flow advances to step S50 to check whether or not the sheet discharge sensor 10 is on. If the paper discharge sensor 10 is on even though the non-volatile RAM 32 stores that there is no recording paper, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the process advances to step S51 to change the variable of the jam in the non-volatile RAM 32 to "1". "age,
The corresponding error processing is performed. That is, the jam status display 41
To notify the operator of the occurrence of the jam,
Encourage removal of jam recording paper.

Next, in step S52, since there is a possibility that the paper ejection sensor 10 has a failure, the variable of the failure in the normal RAM 50 is incremented by one. And the following step S53
It is checked whether or not the variable of this failure is 10 or more. If the failure variable is not 10 or more than 10, the process proceeds to step S43. On the other hand, if the variable of the failure becomes 10 or more in step S53, it is determined that the paper discharge sensor 10 has failed, and the process proceeds to step S58. Then, in step S58, the stop processing of the apparatus is performed. Then, sensor failure processing in step S59 is performed. In the case where the paper discharge sensor failure display 42 is provided, the paper discharge sensor failure display 42 is turned on at the same time as the stop processing of the apparatus in the above-described processing in step S58, and the paper is discharged to the operator. It is desirable to execute processing for notifying the occurrence of a failure in the sensor 10 and prompting for repair.

On the other hand, if the paper discharge sensor 10 is not on in step S50, that is, if the variable of the jam is "0" and the number of sheets is "0" and the paper discharge sensor 10 is off, the process proceeds to step S55. It is determined that the recording paper is not staying in the apparatus, and the variable of the failure of the normal RAM 50 is set to "0" in the following step S56. Then, proceed to step S57,
Device start-up processing other than the paper discharge processing is performed. When the apparatus start-up processing other than the sheet discharge processing is completed, the apparatus enters the standby state of step S2.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the conveyance of the recording paper is restarted at the time of resetting, turning on the power, or the like,
Optimal transport restart can be performed according to each transport situation, such as when recording paper with transport failure is present in the device, or when recording paper in a normal transport state is merely stagnant in the device. , Unnecessary operations and the like can be prevented. For example,
The conveyance of the recording sheet at the time of resetting or turning on the power is restarted based on the information stored in the non-volatile RAM 32 and the detection information of the sheet ejection sensor 10 and the like. Perform paper operation.

(2) It is determined that a recording sheet having a conveyance failure is present in the apparatus, and the operator is prompted to remove the recording sheet. (3) It is determined that the recording paper is not in the apparatus. By selecting and executing the three types of restart methods described above, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that does not need to perform useless operations in accordance with the situation.

Further, for example, when it is determined that a recording sheet having a conveyance failure is present in the apparatus and the operator is prompted to remove the recording sheet, the number of times the door is opened and closed thereafter is counted. For example, if the paper ejection sensor 10 is still on even after 10 times, it is determined that the paper ejection sensor 10 is out of order, and it is possible to cope with the situation. <Second Embodiment> In the above-described embodiment, an example in which each variable is mainly stored in the nonvolatile RAM 32 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the nonvolatile RAM 32
However, the present invention is not limited to the example of storing the data in the normal RAM 3 incorporated in the MPU 30 during the normal operation.
9, the contents may be stored in the non-volatile RAM 32 only when there is a possibility that the contents will be lost if the contents are normally stored in the RAM 39 such as when the power is turned off. FIG. 1 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention configured as described above.
9 will be described below.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printer control device 26 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. I do. In the second embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment shown in FIG. C. 45 is added. This power supply monitoring I. C. Numeral 45 is configured to monitor the voltage level of the drive power supply voltage (+5 V, which is the IC drive power supply in this embodiment) of the control unit. When detecting a drop in the power supply voltage, the MPU 30 sends a POWER-DOW to the MPU 30.
An N interrupt signal 46 is generated.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the case where the configuration shown in FIG. 19 is adopted, FIGS.
The number of variables including the variable of the jam in the nonvolatile RAM 32 shown in FIG. 8 is usually stored in the RAM 39. Normal control operations such as the control of the number of sheets are the same as those shown in FIGS.

In the second embodiment, the following processing shown in FIG. 20 is added to the above normal processing. That is, the power supply monitoring I.I. C. 45
Notifies the MPU 30 that the power supply will be down soon using the POWER-DOWN interrupt signal 46. When this interrupt signal is input, the MPU
In step S61, the process of step S30 proceeds to the interrupt process (S60) shown in FIG.
It is evacuated and stored in AM32. By this operation, even when the power is turned off, the number of remaining sheets in the apparatus, jam information, and the like can be held. Then, as shown in step S62, the power supply of the apparatus is turned off. When the power supply of the apparatus is turned on again, in step S63, step S63 is executed.
At 61, the number of variables including the variable of the jam saved in the nonvolatile RAM 32 is read and loaded into a predetermined storage area of the normal RAM 39. Then, the processing may be performed after the apparatus start-up processing similar to that of the first embodiment.

According to the second embodiment described above, during normal operation, the high-speed normal RAM 39 can be used.
The processing speed during normal operation can be increased. <Third Embodiment> FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

In the third embodiment, an in-machine paper sensor 43 and an in-machine paper sensor failure display unit 48 for detecting the presence or absence of recording paper in the apparatus are added to the configuration shown in FIG. The operation control of the third embodiment having the above configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. Also in the third embodiment, the calculation of the number of remaining sheets in the apparatus follows the control shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. As for the jam information, the above-described jam detection method shown in FIG. 18 is used, and the jam is also detected by the in-machine paper sensor 43. The method of detecting a jam by the in-machine paper sensor 43 is the same as the method of detecting a jam by the paper ejection sensor 10.

Next, the operation of the transport resumption selecting means in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The third embodiment shown in FIG. 22 differs from the process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 22 in that the process of step S50 in FIG. 18 is replaced by step S70 in FIG. Other controls are the same.

That is, in the process of FIG. 22, first, in step S40, the variable of the discharge sensor failure of the normal RAM and the variable of the in-machine sensor failure are set to "0". Then, step S4
If the variable of jam is "0" at 1 and step S46
If the number is "0", the flow advances to step S70 to determine whether the paper discharge sensor 10 or the in-machine paper sensor 43 is on. If the number of sheets in the non-volatile RAM 32 is "0" and it is stored that there is no paper, but the paper ejection sensor 10 or the in-machine paper sensor 43 is ON, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the processing in step S51 and subsequent steps is performed. Proceed to.

On the other hand, the paper ejection sensor 10 and the in-machine paper sensor 4
If 3 is off, the process proceeds to step S55. Other controls are the same as those in FIG. As described above, according to the third embodiment, the presence of the in-machine paper sensor 43 enables more accurate jam detection than when the paper ejection sensor 10 is used alone.

When the in-machine paper sensor 43 is used, the conveyance can be resumed more accurately than when the paper discharge sensor 10 is used alone. <Fourth Embodiment> FIG. 23 is a sectional view illustrating the structure of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
In addition to the first embodiment, an in-machine paper sensor 43 for detecting the presence or absence of paper in the apparatus and an in-machine paper sensor failure display unit 48 are added.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the various sensors and the printer control unit 26. In FIG. 24, the same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. I do. In FIG. 24, the MPU 30
Inputs a detection signal from the in-machine paper sensor 43;
In addition, the in-machine paper sensor failure display 48 is controlled through the output buffer 39 together with the in-machine paper sensor to notify the operator of the occurrence of the failure of the in-machine paper sensor 43 and to prompt the operator for repair.

The operation control of the fourth embodiment having the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the calculation of the number of remaining sheets in the apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and FIGS.
According to the flowchart shown in FIG. Similarly, the jam detection method in FIG. 17 is used for the jam information. And the fourth
In the embodiment, the jam is also detected by the in-machine paper sensor 43. The method of detecting a jam by the in-machine paper sensor 43 is the same as the method of detecting a jam by the paper ejection sensor 10.

The number of remaining papers in the apparatus and the jam state are stored in the nonvolatile RAM 32 through the external bus 31. 4th
In the embodiment, the conveyance restart method follows the flowchart of FIG. Referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 25, steps S in FIGS. 16 and 17 in the fourth embodiment will be described.
The operation of the first restart selecting means will be described. Note that FIG.
5, the first and third embodiments described above with reference to FIG.
8 and the control shown in FIG. 22 have the same step numbers.

When the power is turned on, the processing shifts to the processing shown in FIG. First, in step S71, the variables of the paper ejection sensor failure in the normal RAM 39 and the variables of the in-machine sensor failure are initialized to "0". Next, in step S41, the nonvolatile RAM 32
Check the variable of the jam. Jam variable is "1"
If so, the flow advances to step S42 to turn on the jam status display 41, prompt the operator to remove the paper inside the machine, and perform an error process associated therewith. Then, in steps S43 to S45, the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on / off.
After confirming that the paper is turned off, it is considered that the paper that has been jammed by turning on / off the door opening / closing sensor 40 is removed, and the variable of the number of sheets in the nonvolatile RAM 32 and the variable of the jam are set to "0", and the process returns to step S43.

If the variable of the jam is not "1" in step S41, then the number of sheets is checked in step S46. If the number of sheets is not "0" in step S46, it is determined that there is a sheet that has not been jammed in the apparatus, and the process proceeds to steps S47 to S49 to perform a sheet discharging process and the like. This processing is the same as the processing in FIG. 18 described above.

If the number of sheets is not "0" in step S46, the flow advances to step S70 to check whether or not the paper discharge sensor 10 and the in-machine paper sensor 43 are on. Although the non-volatile RAM 32 stores that there is no paper, the paper discharge sensor 1
If the value is 0 or the internal paper sensor 43 is ON, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the flow advances to step S51 to set the variable of the jam in the non-volatile RAM 32 to "1", thereby performing an error process accordingly. More specifically, the jam status display 41 is turned on to notify the operator of the occurrence of the jam and to prompt the operator to remove the recording sheet causing the jam.

Next, in step S76, there is a possibility that the paper discharge sensor 10 has failed.
Check whether 0 is on. If the paper discharge sensor 10 is not on, the process proceeds to step S78. On the other hand, the paper ejection sensor 1
If 0 is on, the process proceeds to step S77 where the normal RAM
The 39 paper ejection sensor failure variables are incremented by one.
Then, the process proceeds to step S78.

In step S78, there is a possibility that the in-machine paper sensor 43 has failed. To check this, it is determined whether or not the in-machine paper sensor 43 is on. If the internal paper sensor 43 is not on, the process proceeds to step S80. On the other hand, if the internal paper sensor 43 is ON, the process proceeds to step S79, and the internal paper sensor failure variable of the normal RAM 39 is incremented by one. Then, the process proceeds to step S80.

In step S80, it is checked whether the variable of the paper ejection sensor failure or the variable of the in-machine paper sensor failure is 10 or more. If the variable of the paper ejection sensor failure or the variable of the internal paper sensor failure is 10 or more, the process proceeds to step S81, and it is determined that the sensor whose variable is 10 or more is faulty. In the case of a failure of the paper discharge sensor 10, the paper discharge sensor failure display 42 is turned on at the same time as the stop processing of the apparatus is performed, and the paper discharge sensor 10
Notify the occurrence of a failure and urge repair. Alternatively, in the case of a failure of the in-board paper sensor 43, the apparatus performs stop processing and simultaneously turns on the in-board paper sensor failure display 48 to notify the operator of the occurrence of the failure of the in-board paper sensor 43 and repair the apparatus. Prompt. Subsequently, sensor failure processing in step S59 is performed.

On the other hand, if the variable of the paper ejection sensor failure or the variable of the internal paper sensor failure is not 10 or more than 10 in step S80, the processing shifts to the above-described processing of step S43 and subsequent steps similar to FIG. Since the details of this processing have been described above, detailed description will be omitted. On the other hand, in step S70, the paper discharge sensor 10
When both the in-machine paper sensor 43 are off, step S5
At 5 it is determined that there is no paper in the apparatus, and the process proceeds to the next step S75, where both the variable of the paper ejection sensor failure and the variable of the internal paper sensor failure of the RAM 39 are both set to "0". Then, in a succeeding step S55, the apparatus is started up other than the sheet discharging process.
The standby (S
2).

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, since the in-machine paper sensor 43 is provided, the jam detection can be performed more accurately than when the paper discharge sensor 10 is used alone. When the in-machine paper sensor 43 is used, the conveyance is restarted.
This can be performed more accurately than when only 0 is used. Further, a failure of the in-machine paper sensor 43 can be detected, and correct information can be provided to the operator even in the case of a failure of the in-machine paper sensor 43.

<Fifth Embodiment> Next, the operation of the restart selecting means in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This corresponds to step S1 in FIGS. 16 and 17 described above. Referring to FIG. 26, FIG.
The same step numbers are given to the controls as in the processing shown in FIG.

In the fifth embodiment, the same hardware configuration as in the fourth embodiment is sufficient. FIG.
The fifth embodiment in FIG. 6 differs from the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 25 in the processing after step S43. Hereinafter, steps different from the steps of the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, step S42
To turn on the jam status display 41 to urge the operator to remove the paper inside the machine and perform the accompanying error processing.
In the following step S43, it is confirmed that the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on, and in the next step S91, the time when the door open / close sensor 40 is turned on (the door is opened) is stored.

In the following step S44, it is confirmed that the door open / close sensor 40 is turned off, and in the next step S92, the time when the door open / close sensor 40 is turned off (the door is closed) is stored. Then, in step S93, the time from when the door is opened to when it is closed is calculated. In the following step S94,
As a result of the calculation in step S93, it is checked whether the time from when the door is opened to when it is closed is within 10 seconds. If the time from when the door is opened until when the door is closed is within 10 seconds, it is determined that the jammed paper has not been removed, and the process returns to step S43 again to display the jam status display 41.
As it is, and wait for the door to open again.

On the other hand, if it takes more than 10 seconds from the opening of the door to the closing in step S94, the process proceeds to step S45 assuming that the jammed paper has been removed by opening and closing the door, and the operation proceeds to step S45. The variable of the number of sheets and the variable of the jam are set to “0”. Thereafter, the flow returns to step S41 to execute the same processing as when the power is turned on.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, since the in-machine paper sensor 43 is provided, the jam detection can be performed more accurately than when the paper ejection sensor 10 is used alone. Further, when the in-machine paper sensor 43 is used, conveyance restart is performed by the paper discharge sensor 10.
It can be performed more accurately than when only performing. Further, since the failure of the in-machine paper sensor 43 can be detected, the operation
To provide correct information to

Further, since the opening / closing time of the door is measured, the operation of removing jammed paper can be surely confirmed. The present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices or an apparatus including a single device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0087]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically eject a recording medium that does not have a conveyance failure without erroneously detecting the presence or absence of a sheet. Further, when there is a recording medium having a conveyance failure, it can be reliably notified to the operator and can be removed. Further, it is possible to detect a failure of the paper discharge detection means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a configuration diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the interface illustrated in FIG. 10;

12 is a timing chart illustrating a print process of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart illustrating a print process of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating print processing of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of various sensors and a printer control device in the present embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of recording a state of a recording sheet fed into the apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of recording a state of a recording sheet discharged outside the apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the apparatus start-up processing by the restart selecting means of the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of various sensors and a printer control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an interrupt process in the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the apparatus start-up processing by the restart selecting means of the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of various sensors and a printer control device in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing an apparatus start-up process by the restart selecting means of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing an apparatus start-up process by the restart selecting means of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Cassette 3 Cassette paper sensor 4 Cassette size sensor 5 Paper feed roller 6 Registration roller 7 Laser scanner 8 Image forming part 9 Fixing device 10 Paper discharge sensor 11 Paper discharge roller 12 Loading tray 13 Laser unit 14 Polygon motor 15 Imaging lens 16 Folding mirror 17 Photosensitive lens 18 Pre-exposure lamp 19 Primary charger 20 Developing machine 21 Transfer charger 22 Cleaner 23 Main motor 24 Feed roller clutch 25 Registration roller clutch 26 Printer controller 27 Interface 28 External device 29 Door 30 MPU 31 External bus 32 Non-volatile RAM 33, 34, 44 Input buffer 35, 36, 38, 49 Output buffer 37 Timer 39 Normal RAM 40 Door open / close sensor 41 Jam status display unit 42 Paper discharge Sa failure display Yunitsuto 43 machine paper sensor 45 power supply monitoring I. C 46 POWER-DOWN interrupt signal 48 In-machine paper sensor failure display unit 50 ROM

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-138253 (JP, A) JP-A-61-188346 (JP, A) JP-A-55-162235 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H ^7/ 00-7/20

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a 1. A Symbol recording paper, a paper feed detecting means for detecting the recording sheet feeding to the image forming apparatus, the recording paper to the outside of the image forming apparatus a paper discharge detecting means for detecting the sheet discharge, based on the detection information of the sheet feed detecting means and sheet discharge detecting means Dzu
A calculating means for calculating a residual number of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus to have a jam detection means for detecting a jam of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus, a jam is detected by the jam detection means Express
A conveyance status storage means for storing jamming information and residual number information of the recording paper that has been calculated by the calculating means in a nonvolatile state, di of the conveyance status storage means at the start of the image forming apparatus
The jam information and the remaining number information are referred to, and the jam information is used.
Indicates that there was no paper jam, and
According to the residue information, at least one
If recording paper is shown to remain,
Automatically ejects recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus.
The first mode is selected, and the recording paper is
If the jam is indicated, the operator is
Before prompting removal of recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus
Selection to select the second mode that does not perform the automatic ejection operation
An image forming apparatus comprising: a means. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Be those for detecting the presence or absence of paper at the paper discharge portion, said selection means, at the start of the image forming apparatus, the di
Jam information indicates that there was no paper jam
And is recorded in the image forming apparatus by the residual number information.
Indicates that no recording paper remains, and the paper ejection detection
In response to the means detecting the recording paper,
The image according to claim 1, wherein a mode is selected.
Forming equipment. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The presence / absence of recording paper in a paper discharge unit is detected, and the selection unit is configured to start the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is activated.
Jam information indicates that there was no paper jam
And is recorded in the image forming apparatus by the residual number information.
Indicates that no recording paper remains, and the paper ejection detection
A normal start-up will be issued in response to the means not detecting the recording paper.
And selecting a third mode for performing processing during movement.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming apparatus communicates with an external device.
Forms an image on recording paper based on the image information
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said selecting means is adapted to switch to said first mode.
Remaining in the image forming apparatus after the automatic discharging operation
If there is a recording paper that is
If it is determined that the second mode is selected
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 6. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet.
In the control method, a step of detecting feeding of the recording paper into the image forming apparatus is performed.
One step, and detecting a discharge of the recording sheet outside the image forming apparatus.
Two steps , based on the detection information of the first step and the second step.
The remaining number of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus
A third step of calculating and detecting a jam of the recording sheet in the image forming apparatus
A fourth step, and a message indicating that a jam has been detected in the fourth step.
Jam information and the remaining amount of the recording paper calculated by the third.
A fifth step of storing the residue information in a nonvolatile state; and storing the residue information in the fifth step when the image forming apparatus is started.
Refer to the jam information and the remaining number information
Reports that there was no paper jam, and
According to the residual number information, at least in the image forming apparatus
It is shown that one recording paper remains
Accordingly, the recording paper remaining in the image forming apparatus
The first mode for performing the automatic discharging operation is selected, and the jam information is selected.
Reports that there was a paper jam.
In response to this, the operator has
The recording paper is removed and the automatic discharging operation is not performed.
And a sixth step of selecting one of the modes . 7. Recording in a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus.
A seventh step of detecting the presence / absence of paper, and recording the jam information based on the jam information when the image forming apparatus is activated.
It was indicated that there was no jam on the recording paper, and the remaining number
Information indicates that no recording paper remains in the image forming apparatus.
And the recording paper is detected in the seventh step.
The second mode is selected according to the
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , comprising: eight steps.
Control method. 8. Recording in a paper discharge section of the image forming apparatus.
A seventh step of detecting the presence / absence of paper, and recording the jam information based on the jam information when the image forming apparatus is activated.
It was indicated that there was no jam on the recording paper, and the remaining number
Information indicates that no recording paper remains in the image forming apparatus.
And the recording paper is detected in the seventh step.
Not perform the normal startup process in response to the
An eighth step of selecting the third mode.
The control method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 6.