JP7593155B2 - Paper conveying system, image forming system, conveying method, and paper conveying program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper transport system, an image forming system, a transport method, and a paper transport program that appropriately responds when a paper jam occurs (a blockage in the transport path).

In paper transport systems, when a jam occurs in the paper transport path, a technology called pre-purge is known in which, before the paper transport is stopped or the user removes the jammed paper, paper other than the jammed paper that was located upstream in the transport path is transported to the paper output tray (for example, see Patent Document 1). By performing pre-purge, the amount of paper remaining in the device can be reduced, and the user's burden in dealing with jams, such as removing paper, can be reduced.

JP 2016-101710 A

However, pre-purging is performed before the jammed paper is removed, and at the time pre-purging is performed, the jammed paper is blocking the transport path to the main output tray that was previously used. Therefore, the output tray used for pre-purging is a different output tray from the one that was previously used. This different output tray that is temporarily used in the purging process may have a narrower range of paper sizes and shapes that can be discharged compared to the main output tray. In this way, if the different output tray used for pre-purging has stricter restrictions than the output tray that was previously used, pre-purging may not be performed properly.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to perform appropriate pre-purging even when the limitations of the paper output tray used for pre-purging are stricter than those of the paper output tray previously used.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means:

(1) a paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a control unit that controls the conveying unit and, when a conveying abnormality occurs in the conveying path while a job for discharging paper to the first paper discharge tray is being executed, executes a pre-purge to discharge a subsequent paper that was being conveyed when the conveying abnormality occurred, upstream of the paper that caused the conveying abnormality, to the second paper discharge tray;
A paper transport system in which, when performing the pre-purge, the control unit cuts the subsequent paper if the subsequent paper is a specified type of paper, and discharges the cut paper to the second paper output tray.

(2) The paper transport system described in (1) above, in which the control unit further determines whether or not to perform the cutting during the pre-purge based on the stopping position of the source paper in the transport path, the position of the cutting unit, and the path to the second paper output tray.

(3) A paper transport system as described in (1) or (2) above, in which the predetermined type of paper is a long paper whose length in the transport direction is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

(4) The paper transport system described in (3) above, in which the predetermined value is a length that exceeds the length of paper that can be discharged to the second paper output tray.

(5) The paper transport system described in (3) or (4) above, in which the control unit sets the cutting position of the subsequent paper by the cutting unit so that the length of the paper after cutting satisfies the constraint of the paper length that can be discharged to the second paper output tray.

(6) A paper transport system as described in (1) or (2) above, in which the specified type of paper is tab paper or an envelope.

(7) The second paper discharge tray is a plurality of trays,
the conveying unit conveys each of the divided sheets that have been cut by the cutting unit and divided into a plurality of sheets;
The control unit, when performing the pre-purge, switches the destination of each of the divided sheets generated by cutting the subsequent paper between multiple second paper output trays and transports them in a paper transport system described in any of (1) to (5) above.

(8) The paper transport system described in (7) above, in which the control unit sets the cutting position of the subsequent paper by the cutting unit so that each of the divided sheets is longer than the minimum paper length that the transport unit can transport.

(9) When switching the discharge destination of the divided paper and transporting the divided paper, the control unit
The paper transport system according to (7) or (8) above, wherein the divided sheets of the same paper length are discharged to the same second paper output tray, or the divided sheets of different paper lengths are discharged to different second paper output trays.

(10) When switching the discharge destination of the divided paper and transporting the divided paper, the control unit
A paper transport system described in any of (7) to (8) above, which determines whether an image has been formed in an image forming section for each divided sheet, and discharges sheets with images formed thereon and sheets without images formed thereon to different second paper output trays.

(11) Each of the second paper discharge trays has a limit on the number of sheets that can be loaded,
The control unit, when performing the pre-purge, switches between a plurality of the second paper output trays and transports the paper in accordance with the constraints on the number of sheets loaded.A paper transport system as described in any one of (7) to (10) above.

(12) The cutting unit can divide one sheet of paper into three or more divided sheets by performing two or more cutting processes,
The control unit estimates the number of cuts when each of multiple second discharge trays is set as the discharge destination, and sets the second discharge tray with the fewest number of cuts as the discharge destination.

(13) The second paper discharge tray has restrictions regarding the shape of the paper sheets that can be loaded thereon,
The paper transport system described in (6) above, wherein when performing the pre-purge, the control unit determines the position at which the paper is cut by the cutting unit, or the shape of the paper after cutting, in accordance with the constraints of the shape of the second paper output tray to which the paper is discharged.

(14) A setting reception unit that receives settings by a user,
A paper transport system as described in any of (1) to (13) above, wherein the control unit causes the cutting unit to execute a cutting process at the position at which the paper is cut by the cutting unit, or the length in the transport direction of the divided paper that is cut by the cutting unit and divided into multiple sheets, which is accepted by the setting acceptance unit during the pre-purge.

(15) A setting reception unit that receives settings by a user,
The second paper output tray is a plurality of trays,
The paper transport system according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the control unit, during the pre-purge, discharges the cut paper to a second paper output tray accepted by the setting acceptance unit.

(16) A plurality of temporary stop points for use in pre-purging are set on the conveying path,
A paper transport system described in any of (1) to (15) above, wherein the control unit stops the paper following the paper at the pause point when the cutting unit is performing a cutting process on the paper.

(17) A paper transport system according to any one of (1) to (16) above,
an image forming unit that forms an image on the paper conveyed along the conveying path;
An image forming system comprising:

(18) A paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets of paper stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path from the paper feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the paper feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A paper transport method executed in a paper transport system comprising:
(a) executing a job of controlling the conveying unit to discharge a sheet onto the first discharge tray;
(b) detecting a conveyance abnormality in the conveyance path while the job is being executed;
and (c) when a transport abnormality occurs, a pre-purge is performed on the upstream side of the causing sheet that caused the transport abnormality, to discharge the subsequent sheet that was being transported when the transport abnormality occurred to the second sheet discharge tray,
The step (c)
a step (c1) of determining that a cutting process is to be performed when the subsequent paper is a predetermined type of paper when the pre-purge is performed;
A conveying method including a step (c2) of cutting the paper by the cutting section and discharging the cut paper to the second paper output tray when it is determined in the step (c1) that a cutting process is to be performed.

(19) The conveying method described in (18) above, in which step (c1) further determines whether or not to execute the cutting process based on the stopping position of the source paper on the conveying path, the position of the cutting unit, and the path to the second paper output tray.

(20) The conveying method described in (18) or (19) above, in which the predetermined type of paper is a long sheet, tab paper, or envelope whose length in the conveying direction is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

(21) The second paper discharge tray is a plurality of trays,
the conveying unit conveys each of the divided sheets that have been cut by the cutting unit and divided into a plurality of sheets;
In the step (c), when performing the pre-purge, the destination of each of the divided sheets generated by cutting the subsequent sheet is switched between the second output trays, and the divided sheets are transported in the transport method described in any of (18) to (20) above.

(22) A paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets of paper stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A paper transport program executed by a computer that controls a paper transport system comprising:
(a) executing a job of controlling the conveying unit to discharge a sheet onto the first discharge tray;
(b) detecting a conveyance abnormality in the conveyance path while the job is being executed;
and (c) performing a pre-purge when a transport abnormality occurs, on the upstream side of the causing sheet that caused the transport abnormality, to discharge the subsequent sheet that was being transported when the transport abnormality occurred to the second sheet discharge tray,
The step (c)
a step (c1) of determining that a cutting process is to be performed when the subsequent paper is a predetermined type of paper when the pre-purge is performed;
A paper transport program for causing the computer to execute a process including a step (c2) of cutting the paper by the cutting unit and discharging the cut paper to the second paper output tray when it is determined in the step (c1) that a cutting process should be performed.

The paper transport system according to the present invention includes a cutting unit and a control unit that controls the transport unit and, if a transport abnormality occurs on the transport path while a job is being executed to discharge paper to a first paper output tray, executes a pre-purge to discharge the subsequent paper that was being transported when the transport abnormality occurred to a second paper output tray upstream of the paper that caused the transport abnormality. When executing the pre-purge, if the subsequent paper is a specified type of paper, the control unit cuts the paper using the cutting unit and discharges the cut paper to the second paper output tray. This allows appropriate pre-purge even when the constraints of the output tray used in the pre-purge are stricter than those of the output tray previously used.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming system. 4 is a flowchart showing a printing process according to the first embodiment. 4 is a subroutine flowchart showing the process of step S4 in FIG. 3. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the position of the succeeding paper when a jam occurs in the paper discharge unit and pause points set in the transport path. 5 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process of step S44 in FIG. 4 according to the first embodiment. 10 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process of step S44 in FIG. 4 according to the second embodiment. 4 is a table showing the configuration of each post-processing device. 11 is a table showing the lengths of the divided sheets and the discharge destinations of the succeeding sheets 1 to 3 after they have been cut. 13 is a table showing the lengths of the divided sheets and the discharge destinations of the succeeding sheets 1 to 3 after they have been cut in the modified example. 13 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process of step S44 in FIG. 4 according to the third embodiment. 13 is an example of a setting screen for setting a discharge destination. 13 is an example of a setting screen for setting a dividing paper length. 13 is a table showing the lengths and destinations of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 are cut in accordance with user settings of the destination and the divided sheet length. 13 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process of step S44 in FIG. 4 according to the fifth embodiment. 13 is a table showing the lengths of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 are cut and the discharge destinations in the fifth embodiment. 20 is a table showing the image presence/absence state, length, and discharge destination of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 have been cut in the sixth embodiment. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a tab sheet and a cutting position on the tab sheet; 23 is a table showing the configuration of each post-processing device in the seventh embodiment. 13 is a table showing the lengths of the divided sheets and the discharge destinations after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 are cut when tab sheets are used. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating an envelope and a cutting position on the envelope.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may differ from the actual ratios. In this specification, the process of transporting and discharging remaining paper in the transport path to the paper output tray when a jam occurs is called purging (or purging process). In addition, the process of transporting paper other than the jammed paper that was located upstream of the jammed paper in the transport path to a sub-paper output tray (purge tray) before the jammed paper is removed by the user is called pre-purge. In addition, during pre-purge, the paper that was transported downstream of the jammed paper is transported directly to the main paper output tray (used as a product).

(Overall composition)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system 1000 including a paper transport system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming system 1000. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming system 1000 includes a paper feed unit 10, an image forming device 20, an inserter unit 30, an image inspection unit 40, a purge unit 50, a cutting unit 60, and a paper discharge unit 70. Paper 90 is supplied from the paper feed unit 10 or a paper feed tray of the image forming device 20, and is discharged to one of the paper discharge trays 58y, 68y, 78x, and 78y via the conveying path of the conveying unit of each device. A configuration of the image forming system 1000 excluding the image forming unit 280 described later corresponds to a paper transport system. In this case, the image forming device 20 including the image forming unit 280 may be connected upstream of the paper transport system in the paper transport direction.

Here, the paper output tray 78x functions as the "first paper output tray". The first paper output tray is the so-called main tray, and during normal printing, the paper is output to this main paper output tray 78x. The constraints on the first paper output tray are relatively loose, and the paper size that can be output can accommodate long paper, and the maximum loading capacity exceeds 1000 sheets. The paper output trays 58y, 68y, and 78y function as the "second paper output tray". In addition, in this specification, the paper output trays 78y, 68y, and 58y may be referred to as the second paper output trays A, B, and C, respectively (see Figure 5, etc., described later). The second paper output tray is a so-called sub-tray, and is also called a purge tray. The second paper output tray is used during pre-purging, which is performed immediately after a jam occurs. The second paper output tray used at that time is appropriately selected depending on the stopping position of the jam-causing paper in the transport path. The constraints on the second output tray are stricter than those on the first output tray, with a smaller paper size that can be output and a smaller maximum load capacity.

(Paper feed unit 10)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed unit 10 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a paper feed unit 130, a transport unit 140, an abnormality detection unit 150, and a communication unit 190.

The control unit 110 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The CPU is a control circuit composed of a multi-core processor that controls the above-mentioned components and executes various arithmetic processes according to a program, and each function of the paper feed unit 10 is realized by the CPU executing the corresponding program. The memory is a high-speed accessible main storage device that temporarily stores programs and data as a working area. For example, the memory may be a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory).

The storage unit 120 is a large-capacity auxiliary storage device that stores various programs, including the operating system, and various data. For example, a hard disk, a solid-state drive, a flash memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. are used as the storage.

The paper feed section 130 has multiple paper feed trays. The paper feed section 130 feeds the paper 90 stored in the paper feed trays one sheet at a time and sends it to the transport section 140. The paper feed section 130 of the paper feed unit 10 can store and feed long paper. Long paper (long sheet) is paper whose paper length in the longitudinal direction (transport direction) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and is longer than paper of a general standard size. This standard size is, for example, 19 inches (approximately 482 mm). Long paper is, for example, paper whose longitudinal length is equal to or greater than 488 mm, or whose length exceeds the maximum paper length (487.7 mm or 762.0 mm) described below. Long paper that can be handled by the paper feed section 130 can be, for example, paper whose longitudinal length is up to 1200 mm.

The transport unit 140 is equipped with multiple transport rollers and a drive motor (not shown) arranged on a transport path within the device, and transports paper fed from each paper feed tray of the paper feed unit 130 to the image forming device 20 via the transport path within the device.

The abnormality detection unit 150 is composed of an optical sensor or an optical sensor and an actuator, and detects the presence or absence of paper 90 being transported along the transport path. The abnormality detection unit 150 detects abnormalities in the transport of paper 90 (also called transport jams) when paper is fed by the paper feed unit 130 and when paper is transported by the transport unit 140. Specifically, the control unit 110 determines that a transport abnormality has occurred when the abnormality detection unit 150 does not detect paper 90 at a specified timing or continues to detect it.

The communication unit 190 is an interface for communicating with the image forming device 20 and other devices. The paper feed unit 10 transmits and receives various setting values and various information required for controlling operation timing between the image forming device 20 and other devices via the communication unit 190.

(Image forming device 20)
The image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a paper feed unit 230, a transport unit 240, an abnormality detection unit 250, an image reading unit 260, an operation display unit 270, an image forming unit 280, and a communication unit 290. The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 excluding the image forming unit 280 corresponds to a paper transport device.

Of these, the control unit 210, memory unit 220, paper feed unit 230, transport unit 240, abnormality detection unit 250, and communication unit 290 have configurations corresponding to the control unit 110, memory unit 120, paper feed unit 130, transport unit 140, abnormality detection unit 150, and communication unit 190 of the paper feed unit 10 described above, respectively. Descriptions of these will be omitted. The control unit 210 coordinates the control of the entire image forming system 1000 by working together with the control units of the other units 10, 30 to 70. For example, when pre-purging, it cooperates with the other units to control the transport and discharge of paper 90 stuck in the transport path within the image forming system 1000.

The image reading unit 260 is located at the top of the main body and generates image data by reading the document transported by the ADF or the document placed on the document glass. The image reading unit 260 includes a sensor array, an optical system, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source, a document glass, and a housing that houses these. The sensor array is a color line sensor in which multiple optical elements (e.g., CCD (Charge Coupled Device)) are arranged in a line along the main scanning direction and can read the entire width of the paper 90 in the width direction. The optical system is composed of multiple mirrors and lenses. Light from the LED light source passes through the document glass and irradiates the surface of the paper 90 passing through the reading position. The image of the reading position is guided by the optical system and formed on the sensor array. The image reading units 461 and 462 of the image inspection unit 40, which will be described later, are similarly configured and have the function of reading the image formed on the surface of the paper 90 being transported along the transport path and generating image data.

The operation display unit 270 is equipped with a touch panel, numeric keypad, start button, stop button, etc., and is used to display various information and input various instructions. Through the operation display unit 270, the user can set paper information such as the size and type of paper stored in the paper feed trays of the paper feed unit 10 and the image forming device 20. The operation display unit 270 also functions as a setting reception unit, and through this operation display unit 270, the user can select the paper output tray to be used during pre-purging and set the paper length when cutting (see Figures 12 and 13 described below).

The image forming section 280 forms an image on the paper 90 conveyed from the paper feed unit 10, or on the paper 90 fed and conveyed from a paper feed tray of the paper feed section 230 of the image forming section 280. The image forming section 280 forms a color image on the paper 90 using a well-known electrophotographic imaging process including, for example, the steps of charging, exposing, developing, transferring, and fixing.

(Inserter unit 30, image inspection unit 40)
Both the inserter unit 30 and the image inspection unit 40 include a control unit, a memory unit, a conveying unit 340, 440, an abnormality detection unit 350, 450 (see FIG. 1), and a communication unit similar to those of other devices (some components are not shown). These components have the same functions as the corresponding components of the above-mentioned paper feed unit 10 or the image forming apparatus 20, so their description will be omitted.

The inserter unit 30 also includes a paper insertion section 360 (see FIG. 1) and transports paper 90 to the transport path. For example, when forming a booklet consisting of multiple sheets of paper, paper 90 such as colored paper is transported from the paper insertion section 360 as an insertion sheet between the sheets to separate them into chapters.

The image inspection unit 40 inspects the paper 90 on which an image has been formed by the upstream image forming device 20. Specifically, the image inspection unit 40 includes an image reading section 461 for reading the front side, which is disposed above the transport path, and an image reading section 462 for reading the back side, which is disposed below the transport path. The image formed on the paper 90 transported along the transport path is read to generate image data. The control section of the image inspection unit 40 or the control section 210 of the image forming device 20 compares this read image data with a correct image (e.g., print data for printing) to determine whether an image abnormality has occurred that does not meet the quality standards for the image formation position, image density, or color.

(Purge unit 50)
The purge unit 50 discharges paper during the purge process. The purge unit 50 is also called an inversion unit, and has a paper inversion section 560, which determines the front and back of the paper 90 on the switchback transport path and transports it to a downstream device. By inverting the paper, the paper 90 discharged to the paper discharge tray is switched from a face-up state to a face-down state. The paper discharge tray discharge section 580 includes a paper discharge tray 58y, and discharges the paper 90 to the paper discharge tray 58y. The switching of the transport path, i.e., switching between the paper discharge tray 58y, the switchback transport path of the paper inversion section 560, and the straight transport path, is performed by a transport path selection section 570 equipped with a solenoid, an actuator, etc.

In addition to the above-described paper inversion section 560, transport path selection section 570, and paper output tray discharge section 580, the purge unit 50 also includes a control section 510, a memory section 520, a transport section 540, an abnormality detection section 550, and a communication section 590. These components have the same functions as the corresponding components of the above-described paper feed unit 10 or image forming device 20, so their description will be omitted. In addition, the transport path selection section 570 and paper output tray discharge section 580 function as part of the transport section as a whole (the same applies to the other units 60, 70).

(Cutting unit 60)
The cutting unit 60 includes a cutting section 660. The cutting section 660 is composed of a first cutter 66a, a second cutter 66b, and a waste box 66c. The first cutter 66a cuts the paper 90 in the FD direction by moving a blade along the feed direction (FD) of the paper 90. The second cutter 66b cuts the paper 90 in the CD direction by moving a blade along the width direction (CD) of the paper perpendicular to the FD direction. The paper cut by the first and second cutters 66a and 66b (hereinafter also referred to as divided paper) is transported downstream along the transport path. Alternatively, in a case where the outside of the register marks on all four sides is cut, unnecessary divided paper is discarded in the waste box 66c below. In this embodiment, the first cutter 66a may be omitted. The paper discharge tray discharge section 680 includes a paper discharge tray 68y, and discharges the paper 90 to the paper discharge tray 68y. For example, the cutting unit 60 cuts a predetermined type of paper 90, such as long paper, tab paper, or envelope, at a predetermined position to divide the paper into pieces of paper with a paper length and/or a paper shape that satisfy the constraints of the downstream paper discharge tray 68y (78y), etc., and then discharges the pieces of paper to the paper discharge tray 68y, etc.

In addition to the cutting section 660 and the paper output tray discharge section 680 described above, the cutting unit 60 also includes a control section 610, a memory section 620, a conveying section 640, an abnormality detection section 650, a conveying path selection section 670, and a communication section 690. These components have the same functions as the corresponding components of the paper feed unit 10, the image forming device 20, or the purge unit 50 described above, so their description will be omitted.

(Paper Discharge Unit 70)
The paper discharge unit 70 includes a paper discharge tray discharge section 780. The paper discharge tray discharge section 780 includes paper discharge trays 78x and 78y, and discharges the paper 90 to the paper discharge tray 78x or the paper discharge tray 78y.

In addition to the discharge tray discharge unit 780 described above, the discharge unit 70 also includes a control unit, a memory unit, a transport unit 740, an abnormality detection unit, a transport path selection unit, and a communication unit. These components have the same functions as the corresponding components of the feed unit 10, image forming device 20, and purge unit 50 described above, so their description will be omitted.

(Printing process in the first embodiment)
Next, the printing process in the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 6. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the printing process in the first embodiment, which is mainly executed by the control unit 210 of the image forming apparatus 20 that controls the entire image forming system 1000. Note that this printing process includes a paper conveying process by the paper conveying system. The printing process excluding the print process by the image forming unit 280 corresponds to the paper conveying process, and this paper conveying process is executed by the control unit (control unit 210, etc.) of the paper conveying system.

(Step S1)
The control unit 210 starts printing by receiving an instruction to execute a print job from a user via a terminal (personal computer) connected to the image forming system 1000 via a network or the operation display unit 270. At this time, the paper 90 is discharged to a first paper discharge tray (e.g., paper discharge tray 78x).

(Steps S2 and S3)
If printing is completed without a jam (S2: YES), the control unit 210 ends the process (END). On the other hand, if a jam occurs (step S3: YES), the process proceeds to step S4. The occurrence of a jam of the paper 90 is detected by the abnormality detection units 150, 250, 550, etc. in the image forming system 1000.

(Step S4)
Here, when the succeeding paper is a predetermined type of paper, the control unit 210 judges whether or not pre-purging can be performed based on the stop position of the jammed paper in the transport path, the arrangement position of the cutting unit 660, and the path to the second paper output tray, and in that case, whether or not cutting is to be performed. The pre-purging process will be described later.

(Step S5)
The user is notified by the operation display unit 270 or the like that a jam has occurred. After proper pre-purging has been performed by each of the embodiments described below, the user can perform jam release processing with little effort. After the user removes the jammed paper, post-processing is performed. Post-processing includes recovery printing that reuses print data that has been image-formed on the discarded paper 90, such as the jammed paper.

(Step S41)
Fig. 4 is a subroutine flowchart showing the process of step S4 in Fig. 3. In this step S41, the control unit 210 determines whether or not the succeeding sheet upstream of the jammed sheet can be discharged to the second discharge tray (purge tray).

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the position of the succeeding paper when a jam occurs in the paper discharge unit 70 and the pause points set on the transport path. Multiple pause points are set in advance for each paper length. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram corresponding to Figure 1. In the example shown in Figure 5, when paper 90 is transported to the paper discharge tray 78x as the discharge destination, a jam of paper 90 occurs on the transport path just before the paper discharge tray 78x. The paper 90 is a long paper with a length of 1200 mm. The jammed paper does not block the path to the paper discharge tray 78y. There are three succeeding sheets. At the time of the jam, as shown in Figure 5, the three succeeding sheets are located on the transport paths of the cutting unit 60, the inserter unit 30, and the paper feed unit 10, respectively. In the situation shown in Figure 5, the paper discharge trays 78y, 68y, and 58y are available as purge trays upstream of the jammed paper. The control unit 210 selects the paper output tray 78y that is located immediately upstream of the stopping position of the jammed paper and is the most downstream within the usable range as the purge tray.

In the situation shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 210 determines that subsequent sheets 1 to 3 can be discharged to the purge tray (YES) and proceeds to step S42.

(Step S42)
Here, the control unit 210 judges whether the succeeding sheets 1 to 3 are of a predetermined type. Examples of the predetermined type are long sheets, tab sheets, and envelopes. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the succeeding sheets 1 to 3 are long sheets, so they are of a predetermined type (YES), and the process proceeds to step S43.

(Step S43)
The control unit 210 determines whether or not the conveyance path of the succeeding sheets includes the cutting unit 660. In the example of Fig. 5, since the cutting unit 660 is located on the conveyance path to the purge trays (discharge trays 78y, 68y) of succeeding sheets 1 to 3 (YES), the process proceeds to step S44.

(Step S44)
The control unit 210 performs the transport process of step S44. Fig. 6 is a subroutine flowchart showing the transport process of step S44 of Fig. 4 in the first embodiment.

(Transportation process in the first embodiment)
(Step S201)
The control unit 210 determines the cutting position so as to satisfy the constraint conditions according to the constraints of the second paper output tray (e.g., paper output tray 78y) used as a purge tray. Specifically, the cutting position is determined so that the divided paper length is equal to or less than the maximum paper length that can be discharged to the destination paper output tray 78y. The cutting position and/or the number of divisions is determined so that the divided paper length is equal to or greater than the minimum paper length that can be conveyed on the conveying path downstream of the cutting unit 660 (e.g., the minimum paper length is 148 mm (postcard size)). The paper length here refers to the length of the paper in the conveying direction, and the divided paper length refers to the length of the divided paper after the subsequent paper is divided.

(Steps S202 and S203)
The control unit 210 transports the succeeding paper to the cutting unit 660, cuts the succeeding paper at the cutting position determined in step S201, and then the control unit 210 transports each of the divided sheets in order to the second paper discharge tray. The control unit 210 controls the transport of the succeeding paper and the cutting unit 660 by cooperating with the control units of other devices (units).

A plurality of pause points are set in advance on the conveying path of the image forming system 1000. The pause points are positions where the paper being conveyed can be stopped when a jam occurs. In other words, they are areas where the paper is stopped in a state where it can be conveyed again during pre-purging, which is performed after the user removes the jammed paper that caused the conveying abnormality. The control unit 210 pauses the succeeding paper at this pause point when the cutting unit 660 is cutting the preceding succeeding paper in the CD direction while stopping the preceding succeeding paper. This prevents the succeeding papers from colliding with each other. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the pause points are provided in the image forming device 20 and the purge unit 50. The pause point of the image forming device 20 (hereinafter referred to as stop point A) is the conveying path upstream of the registration roller, including the nip portion of the registration roller. The pause point of the inserter 50 (hereinafter referred to as stop point B) is the switchback conveying path of the paper reversing unit 560.

While subsequent sheet 1 is being cut by cutting section 660, subsequent sheet 2 is transported to stop point A and temporarily stopped, and subsequent sheet 3 is transported to stop point B and temporarily stopped. After cutting of subsequent sheet 1 is completed, each of the cut divided sheets is transported to output tray 78y and discharged.

In accordance with this movement, the succeeding sheet 2 is transported to the cutting section 660 and the cutting process is carried out. While the succeeding sheet 2 is being cut by the cutting section 660, the succeeding sheet 3 is transported to stop point A and temporarily stopped. After cutting of the succeeding sheet 2 is completed, each of the cut divided sheets is transported to the paper output tray 78y and discharged.

In accordance with this movement, the succeeding sheet 3 is transported to the cutting section 660 and the cutting process is performed. After cutting of the succeeding sheet 3 is completed, each of the cut divided sheets is transported to the paper output tray 78y and discharged. This completes the transport process for pre-purging all succeeding sheets, and the process returns to FIG. 4.

In this way, in the first embodiment, a control unit is provided that executes a pre-purge to discharge subsequent sheets that were being transported when the transport abnormality occurred upstream of the jammed paper to a second paper output tray, and when executing the pre-purge, if the subsequent paper is a specified type of paper, the cutting unit cuts the paper and discharges the cut paper to the second paper output tray. This allows appropriate pre-purge even when the constraints of the output tray used in the pre-purge are stricter than those of the output tray previously used, reducing the burden on the user in clearing the jam.

(Transportation process in the second embodiment)
Next, the conveying process in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 10. FIG. 7 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process in step S44 in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a table showing the configuration of each post-processing device (units 30 to 70). The purge unit 50, the cutting unit 60, and the paper discharge unit 70 are provided with a paper discharge tray that can be used as a second paper discharge tray (purge tray) during pre-purge. As described above, these paper discharge trays 78y, 68y, and 58y are also referred to as second paper discharge trays A to C. The maximum paper length a of the second paper discharge tray A that can be discharged is 487.7 mm, and the maximum paper lengths b and c of the second paper discharge trays B and C are both 762.0 mm. The maximum loading capacity of the second paper discharge trays A and B is 8 sheets, and the second paper discharge tray C is 100 sheets. The configuration and constraints shown in FIG. 8 are stored in advance in the storage unit 220 or the like.

The transport process of the second embodiment described below uses multiple second output trays during pre-purging when there are constraints such as maximum loading capacity. Furthermore, of the multiple second output trays, priority is given to using the output trays in order from the most downstream (output trays A, B, C).

(Step S301)
The control unit 210 determines the stack amount here. This determination is performed for each succeeding sheet or each divided sheet. If the sheets can be discharged to the second discharge tray A (YES), the process proceeds to step S302. If the sheets cannot be discharged (NO), the process proceeds to step S311.

(Step S302)
Here, the control unit 210 determines the cutting position in accordance with the constraints of the paper discharge tray A. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the maximum paper length a that can be discharged from the paper discharge tray A is 487.7 mm, and the cutting position is determined so that the divided paper length (the length of each divided paper) satisfies the condition of being equal to or less than this maximum paper length a. Fig. 9 is a table showing the discharge destinations of each subsequent paper when pre-purging is performed in the conveying process in the second embodiment for subsequent long sheets 1 to 3 with a paper length of 1200 mm when a jam occurs at the jam position shown in Fig. 5 (the same jam-causing paper positions and paper lengths are used in Figs. 10, 16, and 17 described later).

(Steps S302 and S303)
9A, the control unit 210 conveys the succeeding sheets 1 and 2 to the cutting unit 660, where the second cutter 66b cuts them to a length equal to or less than the maximum sheet length a that can be discharged, which is a restriction of the second discharge tray A (discharge tray 78y), and divides one succeeding sheet into three divided sheets. For example, divided sheets 1 and 2 are the same length as the maximum sheet length a, and divided sheet 3 is the remaining sheet. Specifically, the three divided sheets 1 to 3 are 487.7 mm, 487.7 mm, and 224.6 mm, respectively. Each of the divided sheets 1 to 8 is conveyed to the second discharge tray A.

(Step S311)
Next, the control unit 210 judges whether or not the subsequent sheet 3 can be discharged to the other second discharge tray B. As shown in Fig. 9A, if the succeeding sheet 3 is divided into three divided sheets and all of them are discharged, the stacking capacity of the second discharge tray A is estimated to be nine sheets. In this case, the stacking capacity exceeds the maximum stacking capacity of eight sheets (step S301: NO).

The control unit 210 determines whether the ninth divided sheet 9 can be discharged to the next second discharge tray B (discharge tray 68y). Here, it can be discharged to the second discharge tray B (YES), and the process proceeds to step S312. Note that discharge tray C (discharge tray 58y) is in a position that can be used for pre-purging subsequent sheets 2 and 3, but is upstream of the cutting unit 660. Therefore, it cannot discharge subsequent sheets 2 and 3, which have a paper length of 1200 mm, and is therefore excluded from the options as a discharge tray.

(Steps S312 to S314)
Here, the cutting position is determined according to the constraints so as to correspond to the maximum paper length b (762.0 mm) that can be discharged to the second discharge tray B. Here, since maximum paper length a < maximum paper length b, no further cutting is necessary in step S313. However, if maximum paper length a > maximum paper length b and the divided paper is longer than maximum paper length b, further cutting may be necessary. In that case, cutting is performed.

In step S314, the control unit 210 transports the ninth divided sheet 9 to the second discharge tray B and discharges it, as shown in FIG. 9(a).

(Step S315)
Pre-purge ends because no discharge destination can be secured for the succeeding sheet or divided sheet. In this case, the succeeding sheet or divided sheet remains stopped at the temporary stop position or at the cutting section 660. In this case, it is removed by the user.

In FIG. 9(a) an example is shown in which the divided paper length is adjusted to the maximum paper length a that can be discharged, but as in FIG. 9(b), the succeeding paper may be divided into equal lengths and the divided paper lengths may be made uniform. Also, in the example in FIG. 9, the discharge destination was switched for each divided paper, but the discharge destination may be switched for each succeeding paper. For example, in FIG. 9, divided papers 1 to 6 generated from succeeding papers 1 and 2 are discharged to second discharge tray A, and divided papers 7 to 9 generated from succeeding paper 3 are discharged to second discharge tray B.

Figure 10 is a table showing the length of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 are cut and the destination of discharge in a modified example. In the example in Figure 9, the most downstream discharge tray 78y is used preferentially among the multiple second discharge trays, but in the modified example shown in Figure 10, the most upstream tray is used preferentially instead.

The second discharge tray B has a maximum paper length b that can be discharged of 762.0 mm, and because the number of divisions of a 1200 mm subsequent sheet can be set to "2", subsequent sheets 1 to 3 (total of 6 sheets) can be discharged to a single second discharge tray B. In the example of FIG. 10(a), one subsequent sheet is divided into two divided sheets. The divided sheet lengths are 762.0 mm and 438.0 mm, respectively, and all are discharged to the same second discharge tray B. Note that in the modified example, the subsequent sheet may also be divided into equal lengths, as shown in FIG. 10(b), to make the divided sheet lengths uniform.

In this way, in the second embodiment, the paper is transported by switching between multiple second paper output trays depending on the number of sheets that can be loaded. In this way, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and pre-purging can be performed more appropriately.

(Transportation process in the third embodiment)
Next, referring to FIG. 11, the conveying process in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process in step S44 in FIG. 4. In the second embodiment, when there are a plurality of second discharge trays that can be used for pre-purging, the conditions for preferential use are determined in advance. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 9, the discharge trays are preferentially used in order from the most downstream side (in the order of A, B, C), and in the example of FIG. 10, the discharge trays are preferentially used in order from the most upstream side. In the third embodiment described below, the number of cuts (number of divisions) is estimated, and the second discharge tray with the smallest number of cuts is determined as the discharge destination.

(Step S401)
The control unit 210 determines whether there are multiple second discharge trays that can be used for pre-purging based on the stop position of the jammed paper on the transport path, the arrangement position of the cutting unit 660, and the path to the second discharge tray. If there is only one (NO), the process proceeds to step S402. If there are multiple (YES), the process proceeds to step S403.

(Step S402)
The second and only selectable paper output tray is determined as the output destination.

(Step S403)
The number of cuts when the sheet is discharged to each of the second discharge trays is estimated. Note that the number of cuts by the second cutter 66b that cuts the sheet in the CD direction of the cutting unit 660 corresponds to the number of divisions, so this determination may be made based on the number of divisions.

For example, in the example of Figure 9 where the second output tray A is used, the number of divisions is estimated to be 3 (number of cuts = 2), and in the example of Figure 10 where the second output tray B is used, the number of divisions is estimated to be 2 (number of cuts = 1).

(Step S404)
The control unit 210 determines the second discharge tray B, which has the least number of cuts, as the discharge destination. Thereafter, the process from step S201 onward in FIG. 6 (or step S301 onward in FIG. 7) is executed.

In this way, in the third embodiment, the second discharge tray, which has the least number of cuts, is set as the discharge destination. By doing so, the overall processing time for pre-purging can be shortened.

(Transportation process in the fourth embodiment)
Next, the conveying process in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 14. In the second embodiment described above, the second discharge tray to be preferentially used was preset. The divided paper length was the maximum paper length a (example of Fig. 9(a)) or the maximum paper length b (example of Fig. 10(a)), or an equal paper length (examples of Figs. 9(b) and 10(b)). In the fourth embodiment, these can be set by the user.

FIG. 12 is an example of a setting screen s1 for setting the discharge destination to be displayed on the operation display unit 270, and FIG. 13 is an example of a setting screen s2 for setting the divided paper length to be displayed on the operation display unit 270. These setting screens s1 and s2 are displayed immediately after a jam occurs. The setting screen s1 displays multiple second discharge trays that can be used for pre-purge as candidates. The user can select the discharge tray to be used from the candidate second discharge trays. The setting screen s1 shows that two second discharge trays A and B are available, and that the second discharge tray B is selected. Pressing the OK button transitions to the next setting screen s2. Note that if the cancel button is pressed, the control unit 210 automatically selects the second discharge tray as the discharge destination, as shown in the second embodiment.

The setting screen s2 in FIG. 13 further allows the user to set the length of the divided paper. The number of divisions can be selected using the pull-down button, and the paper length can also be set. In the example in FIG. 13, "equal divisions" is selected as the paper length. When "numeric input" is selected, the numeric keys are enabled, and a numerical value can be input. After setting, the setting is reflected by pressing the "OK (execute)" button, and pre-purge is performed as shown in the first embodiment with the setting conditions of the setting screens s1 and s2. Note that a standard size may be selected as the setting for the paper length in the transport direction. For example, a standard size of 210 mm (A4 size) or 420 mm (A3 size) is selected from the pull-down menu. This makes it easier to process the divided paper when it is reused or discarded.

Figure 14 is a table showing the length and destination of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 have been cut, according to the user's settings for the destination and divided sheet length. Figure 14 follows the setting examples of Figures 12 and 13. In this way, the user can set the destination and divided sheet length after a jam has occurred, allowing pre-purging to be performed in line with the user's intentions. Note that in the fourth embodiment, the user is allowed to set both the destination and divided sheet length, but it is also possible to allow the user to set only one of them.

(Transportation process in the fifth embodiment)
Next, the conveying process in the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. In the fifth embodiment, when multiple second discharge trays are available, divided sheets of the same length are discharged to the same second discharge tray, and divided sheets of different lengths are discharged to different second discharge trays. Figure 15 is a subroutine flowchart showing the conveying process of step S44 in Figure 4 in the fifth embodiment. Figure 16 is a table showing the lengths and discharge destinations of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1 to 3 are cut.

(Step S501)
The control unit 210 determines whether there are multiple second discharge trays that can be used for pre-purging based on the stop position of the jammed paper on the transport path, the arrangement position of the cutting unit 660, and the path to the second discharge tray. If there is only one (NO), the process proceeds to step S511. If there are multiple (YES), the process proceeds to step S521.

(Steps S511 to S513)
Here, the succeeding sheet is cut at the cutting position determined according to the constraints, and is discharged to the second discharge tray. This process directly corresponds to steps S201 to S203 in FIG. 6, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

(Step S521)
The control unit 210 determines the cutting position according to the constraints of the second discharge trays A and B used as purge trays. Specifically, when the succeeding sheet is divided into two, the sheet destined for the second discharge tray A is designated as "divided sheet x" and the sheet destined for the other second discharge tray B is designated as "divided sheet y",
The maximum sheet length a that can be discharged from the second discharge tray A is equal to or greater than the divided sheet length of the divided sheet x, and
The cutting position is determined so that the maximum sheet length b that can be discharged from the second discharge tray B is equal to or greater than the divided sheet length of the divided sheet y. Examples of the maximum sheet lengths a and b are as shown in the table of FIG.

(Steps S522 and S523)
The control unit 210 conveys the succeeding sheet to the cutting unit 660, cuts the succeeding sheet at the cutting position determined in step S521, and then the control unit 210 conveys the divided sheet y to the second discharge tray B and the divided sheet x to the second discharge tray A. The state discharged from the processing up to step S523 is shown in FIG.

In this way, in the fifth embodiment, when multiple second discharge trays are available, divided sheets of the same length are discharged to the same second discharge tray, and divided sheets of different lengths are discharged to different second discharge trays. In the fifth embodiment, this type of transport process provides the same effects as the above-mentioned embodiments, and furthermore, divided sheets of the same length can be collected in the same discharge tray, making them easier to discard and easier to reuse when the divided sheets are to be reused for a different purpose.

(Transportation process in the sixth embodiment)
When a jam occurs at the jam position as shown in Fig. 5, subsequent sheets 1 and 2 have passed through the image forming unit 280 and are therefore sheets on which a printed image exists. On the other hand, subsequent sheet 3 has not yet reached the image forming unit 280 and is therefore a sheet on which no unprinted image exists. In this manner, in the sixth embodiment, the discharge destination is switched depending on whether or not an image exists. In this case, image formation on sheet 90 is performed in image forming device 20 connected upstream in the transport direction of the sheet transport system, or in image forming device 20 of image forming system 1000 including the sheet transport system.

Figure 17 is a table showing the state in which the divided sheets with and without images are sorted and discharged to the second discharge trays A and B, respectively. In the sixth embodiment, by performing such a conveying process, the same effects as the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained, and further, because the divided sheets with and without images can be collected in different discharge trays, it becomes easier to discard them, and it also becomes easier to reuse the divided sheets for other purposes. For example, this is effective when the printed sheets are discarded and unprinted sheets are reused, or when the print data contains confidential information. Note that the determination of the presence or absence of an image was performed on a sheet-by-sheet basis for the succeeding sheets, but instead, it may be determined on a divided sheet-by-sheet basis based on the print data. For example, when there is an image on the upper half of the succeeding sheets and no image on the remaining lower half. For example, the first half of the divided sheets of succeeding sheets 1 and 2 are discharged to the second discharge tray A, and the latter half of the divided sheets are discharged to the second discharge tray B together with the divided sheets of succeeding sheets 3.

(Transportation process in the seventh embodiment)
In the above-mentioned first to sixth embodiments, the predetermined type of paper is mainly long paper, whereas in the seventh embodiment, tab paper or an envelope is used as the predetermined type of paper.

Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing tab sheets and the cutting position of the tab sheets. Figure 18(a) shows a paper set consisting of five tab sheets. Each of the five tab sheets constituting one paper set is composed of a rectangular main body (e.g., A4 standard size) and a protruding tab portion provided at a different position on one side of the main body. Figure 18(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the first tab sheet of the paper set is transported. When transported in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the tab portion is located on the upstream side. The user can select tab sheets or envelopes as the paper type through the setting screen (not shown) of the operation display unit 270. If tab sheets are selected, the number of sheets in the paper set, the size of the tab sheets, and the tab position (length and width, the direction of transport when placed on the tray) can be further set. If envelopes are selected, the envelope size and flap position (length and width, the direction of transport when placed on the tray) can be selected.

Figure 19 is a table showing the configuration of each post-processing device (units 30 to 70) in the seventh embodiment. The table in Figure 19 corresponds to the table in Figure 8. In the table in Figure 19, a column for the orientation of the tab portion that can be discharged when tab paper is used has been added as a constraint on the shape of the loaded paper.

When tab paper is set in a paper feed tray of the image forming device 20 or the like and fed and transported in the transport direction as shown in FIG. 18(b), it will be transported with the tab portion on the upstream side. This does not satisfy the tab orientation, which is a constraint on the shape that can be discharged as shown in FIG. 19. If a jam occurs while printing on such tab paper, when the subsequent paper is discharged to the second paper output tray, it is cut at the cutting position shown in FIG. 18(c). This causes the subsequent paper to be divided into divided paper 1 and divided paper 2.

Figure 20 is a table showing the length of the divided sheets after subsequent sheets 1-3 are cut and the discharge destination when a jam occurs at the position shown in Figure 5 while printing using tab sheets such as those shown in Figure 18(b). Note that while the figure shows an example of the number of subsequent sheets in the device when a jam occurs as 3, in reality there may be more subsequent tab sheets. The subsequent sheets are divided at the cutting position shown in Figure 20. Then, divided sheet 2 with the tab portion cut off is discarded in waste bin 66c, and the remaining divided sheet 1 is transported to the second discharge tray (for example, second discharge tray A).

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing an envelope and the cutting position on the envelope. The same transport control is performed for envelopes as for tab paper. Specifically, when printing using an envelope in the orientation shown in Figure 21(a), if a jam occurs at the position shown in Figure 5, the succeeding paper does not satisfy the flap orientation, which is a constraint on the shape of the second paper output tray. Therefore, the succeeding envelope is divided into a wrap portion and the remaining main body portion at the cutting position shown in Figure 21(b). The flap portion as the divided paper is discarded in the waste bin 66c, and the remaining main body portion is discharged to the second paper output tray.

In this way, in the seventh embodiment, when the specified type of paper is tab paper or envelope, the cutting position or the shape of the paper after cutting is determined and cut so as to satisfy the constraints regarding the shape of the paper loaded in the second paper output tray, allowing for appropriate pre-purging in the same way as in the first embodiment.

The configuration of the paper transport system and the image forming system 1000 equipped with the same described above is a description of the main configuration in explaining the features of the above embodiment, but is not limited to the above configuration and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, this does not exclude configurations that are equipped in general paper transport systems or image forming systems.

The means and methods for performing various processes in the paper transport system and image forming system 1000 according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The above-mentioned program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The above-mentioned program may be provided as a standalone application software, or may be incorporated into the software of the device as one of its functions.

1000 Image forming system (paper conveying system)
10 Paper feed unit 110 Control unit 120 Memory unit 130 Paper feed unit 140 Conveying unit 150 Abnormality detection unit 190 Communication unit 20 Image forming apparatus 210 Control unit 220 Memory unit 230 Paper feed unit 240 Conveying unit 250 Abnormality detection unit 260 Image reading unit 270 Operation display unit 280 Image forming unit 290 Communication unit 30 Inserter unit 340 Conveying unit 350 Abnormality detection unit 360 Paper insertion unit 40 Image inspection unit 440 Conveying unit 450 Abnormality detection unit 461, 462 Image reading unit 50 Purge unit 510 Control unit 520 Memory unit 540 Conveying unit 550 Abnormality detection unit 560 Paper reversing unit 570 Conveying path selection unit 580 Paper output tray discharge section 58y Second paper output tray C
590 Communication section 60 Cutting unit 610 Control section 620 Memory section 640 Conveying section 650 Abnormality detection section 660 Cutting section 66a First cutter 66b Second cutter 66c Wastebasket 670 Conveying path selection section 680 Paper discharge tray discharge section 68y Second paper discharge tray B
690 Communication section 70 Paper discharge unit 740 Transport section 750 Abnormality detection section 78x First paper discharge tray 78y Second paper discharge tray A

Claims (15)

a paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a control unit that controls the conveying unit and, when a conveying abnormality occurs in the conveying path while a job for discharging paper to the first paper discharge tray is being executed, executes a pre-purge to discharge a subsequent paper that was being conveyed when the conveying abnormality occurred, upstream of the paper that caused the conveying abnormality, to the second paper discharge tray;
When the control unit executes the pre-purge, if the subsequent sheet is a long sheet of a predetermined type having a sheet length in a transport direction that is longer than a predetermined value, the control unit causes the cutting unit to cut the subsequent sheet at a set cutting position to divide the subsequent sheet into a plurality of divided sheets, and causes the transport unit to discharge each of the plurality of divided sheets onto the second paper discharge tray;
the control unit sets the cutting position of the subsequent paper by the cutting unit so that each of the divided sheets has a length longer than a minimum paper length that can be conveyed by the conveying unit ;
The second paper output tray is a plurality of trays,
The control unit, when performing the pre-purge, switches the discharge destination of each of the divided sheets generated by cutting the subsequent sheet of paper between the multiple second paper discharge trays and transports them . When switching the discharge destination of the divided paper and transporting the divided paper, the control unit
2. The paper transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the divided sheets of the same paper length are discharged to the same second paper discharge tray, or the divided sheets of different paper lengths are discharged to different second paper discharge trays. When switching the discharge destination of the divided paper and transporting the divided paper, the control unit
The paper transport system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a determining unit for determining whether an image has been formed on each of the divided sheets in an image forming unit; and discharging the sheets on which an image has been formed and the sheets on which an image has not been formed to different second paper output trays. Each of the second paper output trays has a limit on the number of sheets that can be loaded,
The paper transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit switches between the second paper ejection trays in accordance with the constraint on the number of sheets that can be loaded when the pre-purge is performed. the cutting unit is capable of dividing one sheet of paper into three or more divided sheets by performing two or more cutting processes;
The paper transport system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit estimates the number of cuts when each of a plurality of second paper output trays is set as the discharge destination, and sets the second paper output tray with the least number of cuts as the discharge destination . a paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a control unit that controls the conveying unit and, when a conveying abnormality occurs in the conveying path while a job for discharging paper to the first paper discharge tray is being executed, executes a pre-purge to discharge a subsequent paper that was being conveyed when the conveying abnormality occurred, upstream of the paper that caused the conveying abnormality, to the second paper discharge tray;
When the control unit executes the pre-purge, if the subsequent sheet is a long sheet of a predetermined type having a sheet length in a transport direction that is longer than a predetermined value, the control unit causes the cutting unit to cut the subsequent sheet at a set cutting position to divide the subsequent sheet into a plurality of divided sheets, and causes the transport unit to discharge each of the plurality of divided sheets onto the second paper discharge tray;
the control unit sets the cutting position of the subsequent paper by the cutting unit so that each of the divided sheets has a length longer than a minimum paper length that can be conveyed by the conveying unit;
Further, a setting reception unit is provided for receiving settings made by a user,
The second paper output tray is a plurality of trays,
The control unit discharges the cut paper to a second paper discharge tray accepted by the setting acceptance unit during the pre-purge . The paper transport system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit further determines whether or not to perform the cutting in the pre-purge based on the stopping position of the source paper on the transport path, the position of the cutting unit, and the path to the second paper output tray. 7. The paper transport system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is a length that exceeds a length of paper that can be discharged to the second paper discharge tray. 9. A paper transport system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a cutting position of the subsequent paper by the cutting unit so that the length of the paper after cutting satisfies the constraint of the paper length that can be discharged to the second paper output tray. A setting reception unit is provided for receiving settings made by a user,
A paper transport system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control unit, during the pre-purge, causes the cutting unit to execute a cutting process at a position at which the paper is cut by the cutting unit, or at a length in the transport direction of the divided paper that is cut by the cutting unit and divided into multiple sheets, which is accepted by the setting acceptance unit. A plurality of pause points for use in pre-purging are set on the conveying path,
11. The paper transport system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops a paper sheet following the paper sheet at the pause point while the cutting unit is cutting the paper sheet. A paper transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ,
an image forming unit that forms an image on the paper conveyed along the conveying path;
An image forming system comprising: a paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A paper transport method executed in a paper transport system comprising:
(a) executing a job of controlling the conveying unit to discharge a sheet onto the first discharge tray;
(b) detecting a conveyance abnormality in the conveyance path while the job is being executed;
and (c) when a transport abnormality occurs, a pre-purge is performed on the upstream side of the causing sheet that caused the transport abnormality, to discharge the subsequent sheet that was being transported when the transport abnormality occurred to the second sheet discharge tray,
The step (c)
When the pre-purge is performed, if the subsequent sheet is a long sheet of a predetermined type having a sheet length in a conveying direction longer than a predetermined value, a step (c1) of determining that a cutting process is to be performed and setting a cutting position;
and (c2) cutting the paper at the cutting position by the cutting unit to divide the paper into a plurality of divided sheets when it is determined in the step (c1) that a cutting process is to be performed, and discharging each of the plurality of divided sheets to the second paper discharge tray,
In the step (c1), the cutting position of the subsequent sheet by the cutting unit is set so that each of the divided sheets has a length longer than the minimum sheet length that can be conveyed by the conveying unit;
The second paper output tray is a plurality of trays,
In the step (c), when the pre-purge is performed, the destination of each of the divided sheets generated by cutting the subsequent sheet is switched between the second sheet output trays, and the divided sheets are transported in the transport method. 14. The transport method according to claim 13, wherein in the step (c1), it is further determined whether or not to perform the cutting process based on a stopping position of the source paper on the transport path, a position of the cutting unit, and a path to the second paper output tray. a paper feed unit including a paper feed tray for storing a plurality of sheets of paper and feeding the sheets stored in the paper feed tray;
a conveying section including at least a first and a second discharge tray and a conveying path extending from the feed tray to the first and second discharge trays, and conveying a sheet fed from the feed tray along the conveying path;
an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality in the conveyance of paper in the conveyance path;
a cutting unit disposed on the conveying path and configured to cut the conveyed paper in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A paper transport program executed by a computer that controls a paper transport system comprising:
(a) executing a job of controlling the conveying unit to discharge a sheet onto the first discharge tray;
(b) detecting a conveyance abnormality in the conveyance path while the job is being executed;
and (c) performing a pre-purge when a transport abnormality occurs, on the upstream side of the causing sheet that caused the transport abnormality, to discharge the subsequent sheet that was being transported when the transport abnormality occurred to the second sheet discharge tray,
The step (c)
When the pre-purge is performed, if the subsequent sheet is a long sheet of a predetermined type having a sheet length in a conveying direction longer than a predetermined value, a step (c1) of determining that a cutting process is to be performed and setting a cutting position;
and (c2) cutting the paper at the cutting position by the cutting unit to divide the paper into a plurality of divided sheets when it is determined in the step (c1) that a cutting process is to be performed, and discharging each of the plurality of divided sheets to the second paper discharge tray,
In the step (c1), the cutting position of the subsequent sheet by the cutting unit is set so that each of the divided sheets has a length longer than a minimum sheet length that can be conveyed by the conveying unit;
The second paper output tray is a plurality of trays,
In step (c), a paper transport program is provided to cause the computer to execute a process in which, when executing the pre-purge, the destination of each of the divided sheets generated by cutting the subsequent sheet of paper is switched between the second output trays and the divided sheets are transported .