JPH0448702B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field> The present invention provides a paper feeder in which at least one of a plurality of paper feeders is provided with a paper size detection means for detecting the size of the paper placed thereon. Regarding a copying machine that is a tray.

<Summary of the Invention> In order to prevent the occurrence of copy mistakes, a copying machine having a paper feed tray according to the present invention has a paper size detecting means that detects the size of paper placed on the paper feed tray. A means for comparing the paper size and the paper size selected by the paper size selection means is provided, and by stopping the copying operation when the two differ, paper of a different size from the predetermined size is fed during continuous copying operation. It is designed to prevent this from happening.

<Prior art and its drawbacks> In order to simplify the paper feeding work in copying machines,
A paper cassette containing a plurality of sheets of paper of a single size is attached to a paper feed section. Paper is fed one by one from this paper cassette to the copying process section. Paper of the size stored in the paper cassette installed in the paper feed section can be fed immediately, but there is a limit to the number of paper cassettes that can be installed in the paper feed section at one time. It is not possible to immediately supply paper of all sizes that can be copied.

For this reason, in the past, a paper feed tray was provided in a part of the paper feed section so that paper of a required size could be placed on the tray. This paper feed tray can hold about 50 sheets of plain paper at a time, and is equipped with a paper size detection means for detecting the size of the paper placed thereon. This paper size detection means detects the size of the paper placed on it, and if it matches the paper size selected by calculation or input, the paper is fed one by one from the paper feed tray. .

However, since multiple sheets of paper can be stored at once, sheets of multiple sizes may be stored. For example, when B5 size paper is loaded, you can use it without removing the B5 size paper.
Copying operations may be performed with B4 size paper loaded. When multiple sheets are continuously copied in this way, the number of B4 size sheets placed is
If the number of copies is less than the set number, the B5 size paper located below the B4 size paper is continuously fed, resulting in copy errors.

<Object of the Invention> In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, the object of the present invention is to prevent paper of a size different from the paper size involved in copying work from being fed from a paper feed tray, and to prevent the occurrence of copy mistakes. The purpose is to provide a copying machine that can prevent

<Configuration and Effects of the Invention> A copying machine having a paper feed tray of the present invention has the following features:
A plurality of paper feed sections and a paper size selection means for selecting a paper size related to a copying operation before starting a copying operation, and a plurality of sheets of paper can be placed on at least one of the paper feed sections. In a copying machine having a paper feed tray equipped with a paper size detection means for detecting the size of paper placed thereon, the paper detected by the paper size detection means each time before the start of paper feeding during continuous copying operation. The method further comprises a size comparison means for comparing the paper size with the paper size selected by the paper size selection means, and an operation stop means for stopping the copying operation when the size comparison means determines that the two are different. Features.

With the above configuration, according to the present invention, the size of the paper placed on the paper feed tray is always detected by the paper size detection means during copying work, and the detected paper size and the selected paper size are The comparing means compares the two sizes, and if the two sizes are different, the copying operation can be stopped by the operation stopping means. Therefore, when the paper of the selected size placed on top of the paper of another size runs out during continuous copying of multiple sheets, the paper of the other size located below is transferred to the copying process section. This prevents the paper from being fed in the wrong direction, thereby preventing the occurrence of copy errors.

<Embodiment> FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the structure of a copying machine having a paper feed tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A photosensitive drum 3 is provided approximately at the center of the interior of the copying machine main body 1, and a copying process section 2 is configured. Paper feed rollers 8 to 10 are rotatably attached to the right side inside the copying machine main body 1, and constitute a paper feed section 4. A paper feed tray 5 and paper cassettes 6 and 7 are mounted on the right side of the copying machine main body 1 so as to face paper feed rollers 8 to 10, respectively. A paper ejection roller 14 is provided on the left side of the copying machine main body 1, and a paper ejection tray 13 is attached thereto, forming a paper ejection section 15. The paper conveyance path 1 passes from the paper feed section 4 to the paper ejection section 15 via the copy process section 2.
1 is formed.

During the copying process, the paper feed rollers 8 to 8 are fed from either the paper feed tray 5 or the paper cassettes 6 and 7.
By the operation 10, sheets of paper are fed to the copying process section 2 one by one. After the transfer process of the copying process, the paper is transferred to the fixing roller 12 by the paper conveyance path 11.
The fixing process is then carried out. Thereafter, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 13 by the operation of the paper discharge roller 14.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the paper feed tray installed in the copying machine.

A paper feed tray 5 attached to the paper feed section 4 is formed on a substantially flat plate, and paper is placed on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 5 . Paper feed guides 52a and 52b are provided at the upper end of the paper feed tray 5 on the paper feed section 4 side. The paper feed guides 52a and 52b are movable in the direction shown by arrow B or C in the figure, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction. Further, one paper feed guide operates in the opposite direction to the operation of the other paper feed guide. For example, when the paper feed guide 52a is moved in the direction of arrow C, the other paper feed guide 52b
moves in the direction of arrow B. On the upper surface of the paper feed tray 5 near the paper feed guides 52a, 52b, size indicators 53 are written at positions corresponding to the edges of each paper. When placing paper on the paper feed tray 5, the paper feed guides 52a and 52b are moved so as to match the size index 53 of the size of the paper to be placed. As a result, the inner surfaces of the paper feed guides 52a and 52b come into contact with both ends of the paper, thereby regulating the movement of the paper during paper feeding.

A lever 51 is provided near the center of the upper surface of the paper feed tray 5. This lever 51 is normally exposed to the outside from the top surface of the paper feed tray 5 as shown in the figure. When paper is placed and a force in the direction of arrow A is applied, the lever 51 is housed inside the paper feed tray 5. A spring (not shown) is attached below this lever 51. When there is no paper above, the lever 51 returns to the state shown in FIG. 3 by the elastic force of the spring. The lever 51 and the paper feed guides 52a, 52b constitute a paper size detection means, and the size of the paper being placed is detected based on the state of the lever 51 and the position of the paper feed guides 52a, 52b.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the copying machine during the copying process.

After the power is turned on, at step n1 (hereinafter "step ni" will simply be referred to as "ni"), the contents of a counter C that counts the number of copying processes is cleared. Next, n2 indicates the number of copies M made by the operator.
When the copy data such as the following is input, the process advances to n3.
At n3, the input copy magnification is calculated from the detected document size, or the directly input value is set as the size S. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the paper of the paper size S set in n4 is present in the paper feed section 4. Paper size S in n4
If there is no paper of size S, the process advances to n5 and a display prompting the user to load paper of size S is displayed. If there is paper of size S in the paper feed section 4 at n4, proceed to n6;
Of the paper feed rollers 8 to 10, the one at the position where the size S paper is loaded is controlled to operate, and the size S paper is selected.

When the print switch is operated on n7,
The copying process takes place on n8. When the fixing process is completed and the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 13, n9
The contents of counter C are incremented by 1. then n10
Then, it is determined whether the contents of the counter C are equal to the number of copies M set at n2. If the two are equal at n10, the operation ends. counter C
If the content of is not equal to the set number of sheets M, the process advances to n11, and it is determined whether or not paper is being fed from the paper feed tray 5. If the paper is being fed from the paper feed tray 5 at n11, the process proceeds to n12, where the size S' of the paper placed on the paper feed tray 5 is detected by the paper size detection means. Next, paper size S set in n13 and n12
The paper size S′ detected in is compared. If the two do not match at n13, the copying operation is temporarily stopped at n14. If no paper is being fed from the paper feed tray 5 at n11, and if the size S set at n13 matches the detected paper size S', the process proceeds to n8 and continues the copying process for the required number of sheets. Ru.

The operations n11 to n13 described above correspond to the size comparison means of the present invention, and the operation n14 similarly corresponds to the operation stop means. When paper is fed from the paper feed tray 5 through these operations, each time the copying process is completed, the paper size detection means detects the size of the paper currently placed, and
It is possible to compare the set paper size and to temporarily stop the copying operation if the two do not match.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when a B4 size paper 22 is placed above a B5 size paper 21 and a plurality of copies are made in succession, the number of copies is compared to the set number of copies. If there are not enough sheets of B4 size paper loaded on the
B4 size paper 22 runs out. At this time, the paper size detection means detects the B5 size paper 21 at n12, and since the paper size does not match the set paper size, the process proceeds to n14 and stops the operation. Through these operations, paper of a size different from the set paper size is not fed, and copy errors can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the copying operation of a copying machine having a paper feed tray according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the structure of the copying machine having the same paper feed tray; FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the paper feed cassette installed in the copying machine, and FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the use state of the paper feed tray. 51... Lever (paper size detection means), 52
a, 52b...Paper feed guide (paper size detection means).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A paper feeder for copying, and a paper size selection means for selecting a paper size for copying work before the start of copying work, and at least one of the paper feeders.
In a copying machine that has a paper feed tray that can hold multiple sheets of paper and is equipped with a paper size detection means that detects the size of the paper that is placed, before the start of paper feeding during continuous copying work. size comparison means for comparing the paper size detected by the paper size detection means and the paper size selected by the paper size selection means; and a copying operation when the size comparison means determines that the two are different. A copying machine having a paper feed tray, comprising: an operation stop means for stopping the operation.