JP2009120345A - Switching device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a switching device and an image forming device capable of performing miniaturization and high-speed switching while suppressing generation of noise generated by using a solenoid. <P>SOLUTION: A switching part 60 is provided with a gate member 61 for switching a conveying direction of conveyed paper; the solenoid 62 for varying attitude of the gate member 61 by rotating the gate member 61 around a rotation shaft K; a current control part 63 for feeding a current to the solenoid 62; and a drive control part 66 input with a detection result of paper detection sensors 64, 65 and outputting a signal for controlling drive of the solenoid 62 to a current control part 63. The drive control part 66 outputs an ON-signal to the current control part 63 for a predetermined time, outputs an OFF-signal for a predetermined time and outputs the ON-signal again when it is switched from OFF to ON. It outputs the OFF-signal to the current control part 63 for a predetermined time, outputs the ON-signal for a predetermined time and outputs the OFF-signal again when it is switched from ON to OFF. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a switching device and an image forming apparatus.

As a device for switching the sheet conveyance direction at the branching portion of the sheet conveyance path in an electrophotographic copying machine, printer, or other image forming apparatus, conventionally, a guide for switching the position by a solenoid is provided at the branching portion and selected conveyance 2. Description of the Related Art A gate type sheet conveyance path switching device that closes a conveyance path entrance different from a path and feeds a sheet to a selected path is widely employed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for controlling the impact noise of a solenoid by dissipating energy by both elastic means and aerodynamic means. Further, Patent Document 2 operates to generate an electric signal for energizing the solenoid and generate a pulsed electric signal to control the release of the solenoid when the energizing signal ends. There is disclosed a solenoid control mechanism characterized in that the solenoid control mechanism is included.

JP-A-9-129441 JP-A-8-2749

  Here, if the sheet conveying path switching device is not small, it is difficult to mount it in the image forming apparatus. In addition, it is difficult to use the image forming apparatus in which a sheet is conveyed at high speed unless the sheet conveying path switching apparatus is capable of switching at high speed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a switching device and an image forming apparatus that can be downsized and switched at high speed while suppressing the generation of abnormal noise due to the use of a solenoid.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solenoid configured to be able to selectively switch between the first position and the second position in a mechanism portion of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and the reception of a first signal. Actuating means for operating the solenoid in the direction of the first position and operating the solenoid in the direction of the second position by receiving the second signal, and output time information of the first signal is set. Setting means; second setting means for setting output time information for the second signal; output time information for the first signal set by the first setting means; and the second setting means for setting the second signal. Output time information of the second signal is obtained, and when the solenoid in the first position is switched to the second position, the first signal and the second signal are output to the actuating means, and the solenoid is switched. control And control means that is a switching device comprising a.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the control means outputs the second signal, outputs the first signal after a time corresponding to output time information of the second signal has elapsed, and the first signal. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is output again after a time corresponding to the output time information elapses. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the actuating means changes a current value supplied to the solenoid by a signal from the control means, and the control means has the solenoid in the first position. A third signal is output after switching to the second position, and the actuating means supplies a current value to be supplied to the solenoid upon reception of the third signal to a current value to be supplied upon reception of the second signal. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the switching device is lowered. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory for storing output time information of the first signal set by the first setting means and output time information of the second signal set by the second setting means. The switching device according to claim 1, further comprising: means, wherein the control means acquires the output time information of the first signal and the output time information of the second signal from the storage means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holder for holding a toner image, a sheet conveying unit for conveying a sheet, and a toner image held on the holder for a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit. Transfer means for transferring, fixing means for fixing a toner image transferred to a recording medium by the transfer means, and switching means provided on the downstream side of paper conveyance of the fixing means and for switching the paper conveyance direction, The switching unit is disposed at a branch point of the conveyance path of the sheet conveyance unit, and selectively switches between the first position and the second position to guide the sheet to a predetermined conveyance destination, and the guide member A solenoid for driving to switch between the first position and the second position; operating the solenoid in the direction of the first position by receiving a first signal; and receiving the second signal When switching the solenoid in the first position to the second position based on the operating means for operating the switch in the direction of the second position, the output time information of the first signal and the output time information of the second signal The image forming apparatus further comprises: a control unit that outputs the first signal and the second signal to the operating unit and controls switching of the solenoid.

  The invention according to claim 6 further includes first setting means for setting output time information of the first signal, and second setting means for setting output time information of the second signal. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

According to the first aspect, as compared with the case where the present invention is not applied, it is possible to reduce the size and switch at high speed while suppressing the generation of noise caused by the solenoid.
According to claim 2, it becomes possible to realize high-speed switching without increasing the load of the control means.
According to claim 3, it is possible to reduce power consumption as compared with the case where the present invention is not applied.
According to the fourth aspect, the output time information corresponding to the use conditions and the like can be stored in the storage means in advance.
According to the fifth aspect, compared with the case where the present invention is not applied, the image forming apparatus can be increased in size and the paper conveyance speed can be reduced even if the switching unit capable of suppressing the generation of noise caused by the solenoid is mounted inside. Can be prevented.
According to the sixth aspect, the user can set the output time information.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured by a so-called tandem method using an electrophotographic method, and an image forming process unit 10 as an example of an image forming unit that forms an image (toner image) made of toner on a recording material. And a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 also stores an image processing unit 51 that performs predetermined image processing on image data received from an image reading device 4 such as a personal computer (PC) 3 or a scanner, and a processing program, for example. And an external storage unit 52 realized by a hard disk drive.

The image forming process unit 10 forms four image forming units that respectively form yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images arranged in parallel at regular intervals. Units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (also collectively referred to as “image forming unit 11”) are provided.
The image forming unit 11 includes a photosensitive drum 12 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed while rotating in the direction of arrow A, a charging roll 13 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 with a predetermined potential, and a charging roll 13 And a print head 14 that exposes the photosensitive drum 12 charged in accordance with the image data based on the image data. Further, the image forming unit 11 includes a developing unit 15 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 and a drum cleaner 16 that cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 12. Each of the four image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K is configured in substantially the same manner except for the toner stored in the developing unit 15, and each of the image forming units 11 is yellow (Y) and magenta (M). , Cyan (C) and black (K) toner images are formed.

  Further, the image forming process unit 10 intermediates the intermediate transfer belt 20 onto which the respective color toner images formed on the respective photosensitive drums 12 of the respective image forming units 11 are transferred, and the respective color toner images of the respective image forming units 11. Primary transfer rolls 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K (also collectively referred to as “primary transfer roll 21”) that sequentially transfer (primary transfer) to the transfer belt 20 are provided. In addition, the image forming process unit 10 performs secondary transfer (secondary transfer) of the superimposed toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 onto the paper P as a recording material (recording paper) at the secondary transfer unit T. A transfer roll 26 and a fixing device 30 that fixes the second-transferred image on the paper P are provided.

The intermediate transfer belt 20 includes a drive roll 24 that rotationally drives the intermediate transfer belt 20, a backup roll 25 provided at a position opposite to the secondary transfer roll 26, a tension roll 27 that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 20, and a stretching roll. 28 and primary transfer rolls 21Y, 21M, 21C, 21K and the like, and circulates and moves in the direction of arrow B.
The fixing device 30 includes a fixing roll 31 having a heating source therein, and a pressure roll 32 arranged in pressure contact with the fixing roll 31. The fixing device 30 fixes the toner image on the paper P by passing the paper P holding the unfixed toner image between the fixing roll 31 and the pressure roll 32 and heating and pressing the paper P. To do.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the image forming process unit 10 performs an image forming operation under the control of the control unit 50. That is, when a color image is formed, print job data or the like input from the PC 3 or the image reading device 4 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 51 and sent to the print head 14 for each color. For example, in the black (K) color image forming unit 11K, the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 uniformly charged at a predetermined potential by the charging roll 13 is transferred to the K color image data from the image processing unit 51 by the print head 14. And an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 12. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 15, and a black (K) toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 12. Similarly, in the image forming units 11Y, 11M, and 11C, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toner images are formed.
When a monochrome image is formed, a black (K) toner image is formed only in the black (K) image forming unit 11K.

The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes transport paths R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 as a paper transport system. The transport path R1 is for transporting the paper P from the paper storage trays 40A and 40B to the secondary transfer unit T and the fixing device 30, and the transport path R2 is a sheet of paper P transported by the transport path R1. The discharge path Q is for discharging the paper P, and the transport path R3 is for discharging the paper P transported by the transport path R1 from the paper discharge section W.
The transport path R4 is used for duplex printing, and is used for transporting the paper P reversed in the transport path 3 to the transport path R1 again. That is, when the paper P is transported from the transport path R4 to the transport path R1, an image is formed on the back surface of the paper P by passing through the secondary transfer portion T and the fixing device 30.
The transport path R <b> 5 is for transporting the paper P from the manual paper storage tray 56 to the secondary transfer unit T.
Further, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a switching unit (switching mechanism, sheet transport direction switching device) 60 that switches the sheet transported on the transport path R1 to the other transport paths R2, R3, and R4. . The switching unit 60 will be described later.

  Each color toner image formed by each image forming unit 11 is applied to each primary image to which a predetermined primary transfer bias voltage is applied from a power supply device as a high voltage primary transfer power source on an intermediate transfer belt 20 that circulates and moves in the direction of arrow B. The toner images are sequentially electrostatically transferred by the transfer roll 21 and a superimposed toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 20. As the intermediate transfer belt 20 moves, the superimposed toner image is conveyed toward the secondary transfer portion T where the secondary transfer roll 26 and the backup roll 25 are arranged.

On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 1, a plurality of sheets P1 and P2 (collectively referred to as “sheets P”) of different sizes or types are stored in the sheet storage trays 40A and 40B, respectively. For example, when the paper P1 is designated by the control unit 50, the paper P1 is taken out from the paper storage tray 40A by the pickup roll 41, and is conveyed one by one to the position of the registration roll 43 by the conveyance roll 42 along the conveyance path R1. Is done. The same applies when the paper P2 is designated by the control unit 50. In this embodiment, the paper storage trays 40A and 40B are provided. However, it is also conceivable to provide a paper storage tray having a larger number.
Then, the paper P is fed out from the registration roll 43 in accordance with the timing at which each color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 20 is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion T. A voltage is applied to the secondary transfer portion T from a power supply device as a high-voltage secondary transfer power supply. Each color toner image is electrostatically transferred (secondary transfer) collectively onto the paper P by the action of the transfer electric field formed by the secondary transfer roll 26 and the backup roll 25.

Thereafter, the sheet P on which the superimposed toner image is electrostatically transferred is peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 20 and conveyed to the fixing device 30. The unfixed toner image on the paper P conveyed to the fixing device 30 is fixed on the paper P by being subjected to a fixing process by heating and pressing by the fixing device 30. Then, the sheet P on which the image is formed is conveyed from the conveyance path R1 to the conveyance path R2, and is discharged from the sheet discharge portion Q of the image forming apparatus 1 by the post-fixing conveyance roll 44 and the unloading roll 45, thereby forming an image. The sheet is conveyed to a sheet post-processing apparatus or the like (not shown) connected to the apparatus 1.
On the other hand, the toner (transfer residual toner) adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 20 after the secondary transfer is removed by a belt cleaner 23 disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 20 to prepare for the next image forming cycle.
In this manner, image formation in the image forming apparatus 1 is repeatedly executed for the designated number of sheets.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the configuration and operation of the switching unit (switching device) 60. FIG. 2A illustrates that the solenoid 62 of the switching unit 60 is off. (B) is a state in which the solenoid 62 is on.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the switching unit 60 is arranged to be rotatable around the rotation axis K, and is a gate member (guides the transport path) that switches the transport direction of the transported paper P. 2) and the posture of the gate member 61 (first position, second position) by rotating the gate member 61 about the rotation axis K as shown in FIG. 2 (a) or (b). ) And a current control unit (actuating means, electromagnetic drive circuit) 63 for supplying a current (operating current) to the solenoid 62. The solenoid 62 and the current control unit 63 can be referred to as a solenoid mechanism or operating means, and can also be referred to as means for moving the guide. Further, the gate member 61, the solenoid 62, and the current control unit 63 can be referred to as a transport path switching mechanism and can be referred to as a transport direction switching device.

  The solenoid 62 includes a coil 62a having a space inside, a plunger (movable iron core) 62b disposed in the space of the coil 62a, and a spring 62c that urges the plunger 62b outward. ing. And when an electric current does not flow into the coil 62a, as shown to (a) of FIG. 2, the plunger 62b protrudes outward by the urging | biasing force of the spring 62c. When a predetermined current is supplied to the coil 62a from the current control unit 63, the plunger 62b is attracted to the space of the coil 62a by the coil 62a against the urging force of the spring 62c (suction operation), and FIG. As shown in (b), the plunger 62b is retracted into the solenoid body, and the protrusion amount is reduced. Further, when the predetermined current is not supplied from the current control unit 63, the plunger 62b is released from the suction by the coil 62a (release operation), and returns to the state shown in FIG. 2A by the urging force of the spring 62c.

Thus, the relative position of the plunger 62b with respect to the coil 62a changes depending on whether or not the current is supplied to the coil 62a. In addition, when the current is supplied to the coil 62a, the plunger 62b receives a force to move in a direction in which the amount of protrusion from the solenoid body decreases, and when the current supply to the coil 62a is stopped, The force in the direction opposite to the above, that is, the force is applied so as to move in the direction in which the amount of protrusion from the solenoid body increases.
Note that the solenoid 62 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 2, and can employ another structure conventionally used.

  The switching unit 60 also detects the detection results of the paper detection sensor 64 disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device 30 in the transport path R1, the paper detection sensor 65 disposed in the transport path R3, and the paper detection sensors 64 and 65. And a drive controller 66 that controls the drive of the solenoid 62. The drive control unit 66 may be configured to be included in a part of the control unit 50 shown in FIG.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the drive controller 66. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive control unit 66 receives a detection signal from the paper detection sensors 64 and 65, and an ON signal (first signal, second signal) based on the detection signal received by the reception unit 66a. ) Or an off signal (first signal, second signal) and the determination unit 66b for determining the presence and timing of the output, and the ON signal or the OFF signal (ON / OFF pulse signal) according to the determination result of the determination unit 66b. A transmission unit 66c that transmits to the control unit 63. Further, the drive control unit 66 sets an on signal time setting unit (first setting means) that sets a continuous output time (output time information of the first signal, output time information of the second signal) of the on signal transmitted by the transmission unit 66c. , Second setting means) 66d and an off signal time setting unit (first setting) for setting a continuous output time (output time information of the first signal, output time information of the second signal) of the off signal transmitted by the transmitter 66c. Means, second setting means) 66e, and a storage unit 66f for storing various data and software.

  The determination unit 66b performs predetermined processing by reading data and software stored in the storage unit 66f in advance, and may be configured by a CPU, for example. The storage unit 66f stores a program installed in advance and information set by the on signal time setting unit 66d and the off signal time setting unit 66e, and may be configured by a memory, for example.

In the drive control unit 66, the reception unit 66a receives the detection results of the paper detection sensors 64 and 65, and the determination unit 66b makes a determination based on the information and other information, and causes the transmission unit 66c to output an ON signal. In this case, the determination unit 66b causes the output to be performed according to the ON signal continuous output time set by the ON signal time setting unit 66d.
In the drive control unit 66, the reception unit 66a receives the detection results of the paper detection sensors 64 and 65, the determination unit 66b makes a determination based on the information and other information, and causes the transmission unit 66c to output an off signal. . In that case, the determination unit 66b performs output according to the continuous output time of the off signal set by the off signal time setting unit 66e.

  The drive control unit 66 transmits an on signal and an off signal of the solenoid 62 to the current control unit 63 using information from the sheet detection sensors 64 and 65 and the like. Then, the current control unit 63 supplies and interrupts the current to the plunger 62b according to the on signal and the off signal. That is, the current control unit 63 continues to supply current to the plunger 62b while receiving the ON signal from the drive control unit 66, and while receiving the OFF signal from the drive control unit 66, No current is supplied to the plunger 62b.

  In the switching unit 60 configured as shown in FIG. 3, when the drive control unit 66 outputs an off signal, the current control unit 63 does not supply current to the solenoid 62. (A) in the posture (first position, second position). Further, when the drive control unit 66 outputs an ON signal, the current control unit 63 supplies a predetermined current to the solenoid 62, whereby the gate member 61 has the posture (first position, 2nd position). The gate member 61 and the solenoid 62 are selectively switched as shown in (a) or (b) of FIG.

In the case shown in FIG. 2A, the gate member 61 is switched to transport the paper P from the transport path R1 to the transport path R2. Further, the gate member 61 conveys the paper P, which is reversed after being conveyed to the conveyance path R3, to the conveyance path R4.
In the case shown in FIG. 2B, the gate member 61 is switched so as to transport the paper P from the transport path R1 to the transport path R3.
As described above, the gate member 61 selectively transports the paper P from the transport path R1 to the transport path R2 or the transport path R3, and transports the paper P from the transport path R3 to the transport path R4.

  More specifically, the gate member 61 normally has a posture of closing the transport path R3 as shown in FIG. 2A, and thereby transports the paper P from the transport path R1 to the transport path R2. The paper P transported to the transport path R2 is discharged from the paper discharge unit Q.

In the case of double-sided printing, when the paper P on which image formation has been performed on the front surface is conveyed, the gate member 61 closes the conveyance path R2 as shown in FIG. With this, the paper P from the transport path R1 is transported to the transport path R3. The sheet P transported to the transport path R3 is temporarily stopped, the solenoid 62 is activated, and the gate member 61 is switched to a posture for closing the transport path R3 as shown in FIG. Then, the paper P once stopped on the transport path R3 is transported in the opposite direction. As a result, the gate member 61 transports the paper P on the transport path R2 to the transport path R4. In other words, the paper P on which the image is formed on the back surface is discharged from the paper discharge unit Q from the transport path R2.
Even in the case of single-sided printing, when discharging the paper so that the printing surface is on the top, the gate member 61 is in the posture shown in FIG. 2B, whereby the paper P is conveyed. The paper is discharged from the paper discharge unit W from the path R3. That is, in response to a post-processing instruction, the posture of the gate member 61 is changed and the paper discharge units Q and W are selected as the discharge destination of the paper P.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the switching unit 60 when switching from off to on. 4A is a graph for explaining a control signal (drive signal) output from the drive control unit 66 to the current control unit 63, where the vertical axis represents the control signal and the horizontal axis represents time (t). (B) is a figure which shows the behavior of the gate members 71, 73, and 75. FIG. In addition, the gate members 71, 73, and 75 in FIG. 6B are given for explaining the behavior, and are the same members as the gate member 61 described above.
When the drive control unit 66 determines that the posture of the gate member 71 needs to be switched, the drive control unit 66 outputs an ON signal to the current control unit 63 as shown in FIG. At this time, the drive control unit 66 controls to output the ON signal for the time T11, output the OFF signal for the time T12, and then output the ON signal again. The time T11 is a value preset by the ON signal time setting unit 66d (see FIG. 3) of the drive control unit 66, and is stored in the storage unit 66f. The time T12 is a value set in advance by the off signal time setting unit 66e (see FIG. 3) of the drive control unit 66, and is stored in the storage unit 66f.

  With this control, the gate member 71 shown in FIG. 4B is configured such that when the drive control unit 66 starts outputting an ON signal and the current control unit 63 supplies a predetermined current to the solenoid 62, the solenoid 62 Due to the suction operation, a force rotating in the direction of arrow 72 is received, and rotation in the direction of arrow 72 starts. And the drive control part 66 continues outputting an ON signal until time T11 passes.

  Then, when the time T11 has elapsed, the drive control unit 66 continues to output the off signal only for the time T12. Then, the current control unit 63 stops supplying current to the solenoid 62, and the gate member 73 rotating in the direction of the arrow 72 receives a force in the direction opposite to that of the gate member 73 by the releasing operation of the solenoid 62. That is, the gate member 73 receives a braking force acting in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 72, and rotates in the direction of the arrow 74 while reducing the rotation speed, so that the state of the gate member 73 immediately before the collision is changed. It is formed. It is also conceivable to set the time T12 so that the gate member 73 stops for a very short time.

  The drive controller 66 continues to output the ON signal again when the time T12 has elapsed. As a result, the gate member 75 rotating in the direction of the arrow 74 hits the constituent member of the transport path R1 and stops. Then, after stopping, the gate member 75 continues to receive the force in the direction of the arrow 74, and thus maintains its posture without rotating in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 74.

  As described above, when the gate member 71 shifts to the posture of the gate member 75 (when switching from OFF to ON), the gate member 73 in the middle of the shift receives a braking force that reduces the rotational speed. The collision noise between the gate member 75 and the conveyance path constituting member is reduced. Further, the gate member 71 shifts to the posture of the gate member 75 at high speed, and high-speed switching is realized.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the switching unit 60 when switching from on to off. FIG. 5A is a graph for explaining a control signal output from the drive control unit 66 to the current control unit 63, where the vertical axis represents the control signal and the horizontal axis represents time (t). (B) is a diagram showing the behavior of the gate members 81, 83, 85. In addition, the gate members 81, 83, and 85 in FIG. 5B are given for explaining the behavior, and are the same members as the gate member 61 described above.
When the drive control unit 66 determines that the posture of the gate member 81 needs to be switched, the drive control unit 66 outputs an off signal to the current control unit 63 as shown in FIG. At that time, the drive control unit 66 controls to output the off signal only for the time T21, then output the on signal only for the time T22, and then output the off signal again. The time T21 is a value preset by the off signal time setting unit 66e (see FIG. 3) of the drive control unit 66, and is stored in the storage unit 66f. The time T22 is a value set in advance by the on signal time setting unit 66d (see FIG. 3) of the drive control unit 66, and is stored in the storage unit 66f.

  By such control, as shown in FIG. 5A, the drive control unit 66 starts outputting the off signal, and the current control unit 63 stops supplying current to the solenoid 62. Then, the gate member 81 shown in FIG. 5B receives the urging force of the spring 62c (see FIG. 2A or 2B) in the direction of the arrow 82 by the releasing operation of the solenoid 62, and the arrow Begins rotating in the direction of 82. And the drive control part 66 continues outputting an OFF signal until time T21 passes.

  Then, when the time T21 elapses, the drive control unit 66 continues to output the ON signal only for the time T22. As a result, the current control unit 63 continues to supply a predetermined current to the solenoid 62, and the gate member 83 rotating in the direction of the arrow 82 by the suction operation of the solenoid 62 exerts a force in the direction opposite to that in the past. receive. That is, the gate member 83 receives a braking force acting in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 82, and rotates in the direction of the arrow 84 while reducing the rotation speed.

  When the time T22 has elapsed, the drive control unit 66 continues to output the off signal again. Accordingly, the gate member 85 rotating in the direction of the arrow 84 hits the constituent member of the transport path R1 and stops. After the stop, the gate member 85 continues to receive the urging force in the direction of the arrow 84 by the spring 62c, and thus maintains its posture without rotating in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 84.

  Thus, when the gate member 81 shifts to the posture of the gate member 85 (when switching from on to off), the gate member 83 in the middle of the shift receives a braking force that reduces the rotational speed. The collision noise between the gate member 85 and the conveyance path constituting member is reduced. Further, the gate member 81 shifts to the posture of the gate member 85 at high speed, and high-speed switching is realized.

  Here, time (output time information of the first signal, output time information of the second signal) T1, T11, T12, T2, T21, and T22 are the width of the conveyance path, the material of the gate member 61, the type of the solenoid 62, and the like. The operator arbitrarily sets the ON signal time setting unit 66d and the OFF signal time setting unit 66e (see FIG. 3) of the drive control unit 66 according to the use environment.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the mechanism for switching the conveyance path in the image forming apparatus 1 has been described. However, application to other mechanisms of the image forming apparatus 1 is also conceivable. For example, a pair of reversing rolls (not shown) that inverts the paper when performing duplex printing. The pair of reversing rolls are disposed apart from each other when not in use, and when in use, one of the reversing rolls is moved so as to be in contact with each other. It is conceivable to apply to such a switching mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a graph for explaining a modification of the present embodiment. That is, FIG. 6 is a graph for explaining another control of the switching unit 60 at the time of switching from OFF to ON, in which the vertical axis represents the supply current supplied to the solenoid 62 by the current control unit 63, and the horizontal axis represents time (t ).
In the control shown in FIG. 6, after the current control unit 63 receives the off signal from the drive control unit 66, the current control unit 63 supplies the supply current S2 to the solenoid 62 for a time T31, and then supplies power. Stop only for time T32. By such control, the gate member 71 shifts to the posture of the gate member 75 as shown in FIG. Then, the current control unit 63 supplies the supply current S2 to the solenoid 62 again for the time T33. When the time T <b> 3 has elapsed, the gate member 75 is in contact with the conveyance path constituting member, and thereafter, the current control unit 63 supplies the supply current S <b> 1 to the solenoid 62. The supply current S1 is an arbitrary intermediate value smaller than the supply current S2 (0 <S1 <S2). The value of the supply current S1 is necessary to apply a force to the gate member 75 so that the gate member 75 does not rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow 74 shown in FIG. By controlling in this way, the power consumption when the gate member is on is suppressed. The timing for shifting to the supply current S1 may be set when a predetermined signal (third signal) from the drive control unit 66 is received.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the structure and effect | action of a switching part. It is a block diagram of a drive control part. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the switching part at the time of switching from off to on. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the switching part at the time of switching from ON to OFF. It is a graph explaining the modification of this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

60: switching unit, 61, 71, 73, 75, 81, 83, 85 ... gate member, 62 ... solenoid, 63 ... current control unit, 64, 65 ... paper detection sensor, 66 ... drive control unit, 66a ... reception unit , 66b ... determination unit, 66c ... transmission unit, 66d ... on signal time setting unit, 66e ... off signal time setting unit, 66f ... storage unit, R1, R2, R3, R4 ... transport path, T11, T12, T21, T22 …time

Claims (6)

A solenoid configured to be selectively switchable between a first position and a second position in a mechanism of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet;
Actuating means for actuating the solenoid in the direction of the first position by receiving a first signal and actuating the solenoid in the direction of the second position by receiving a second signal;
First setting means for setting output time information of the first signal;
Second setting means for setting output time information of the second signal;
The output time information of the first signal set by the first setting means and the output time information of the second signal set by the second setting means are acquired, and the solenoid in the first position is moved to the first position. Control means for outputting the first signal and the second signal to the actuating means when switching to two positions and controlling switching of the solenoid;
Including a switching device.   The control means outputs the second signal, outputs the first signal after the time corresponding to the output time information of the second signal has elapsed, and the time corresponding to the output time information of the first signal. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is output again after a lapse of time. The actuating means changes a current value supplied to the solenoid by a signal from the control means,
The control means outputs a third signal after the solenoid in the first position is switched to the second position;
2. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating unit lowers a current value supplied to the solenoid upon reception of the third signal to be lower than a current value supplied upon reception of the second signal. . A storage means for storing output time information of the first signal set by the first setting means and output time information of the second signal set by the second setting means;
The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit obtains output time information of the first signal and output time information of the second signal from the storage unit. A holder for holding a toner image;
Paper transport means for transporting paper,
Transfer means for transferring the toner image held on the holding body onto the paper conveyed by the paper conveyance means;
Fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium by the transfer means;
A switching unit that is provided on the downstream side of the sheet conveyance of the fixing unit and switches a sheet conveyance direction;
Including
The switching means is
A guide member that is disposed at a branch point of the transport path of the paper transport unit and selectively switches between the first position and the second position to guide the paper to a predetermined transport destination;
A solenoid that drives the guide member to switch between the first position and the second position;
Actuating means for actuating the solenoid in the direction of the first position by receiving a first signal and actuating the solenoid in the direction of the second position by receiving a second signal;
Based on the output time information of the first signal and the output time information of the second signal, the first signal and the second signal are sent to the actuating means when the solenoid in the first position is switched to the second position. Control means for outputting and controlling switching of the solenoid;
An image forming apparatus comprising: First setting means for setting output time information of the first signal;
Second setting means for setting output time information of the second signal;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

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