JP2025102160A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique that makes it possible to omit a circuit for controlling the switching of a flapper solenoid.SOLUTION: A composite machine 1 includes: a process part 4; a fixing unit 6; a cutter 10; a body 20 having a first discharge path 201A that discharges a sheet S to the outside without passing through a cutter position SP, and a second discharge path 201B that discharges the sheet S to the outside via the cutter position SP; a cutter motor 106 for transmitting a driving force to the cutter 10; a motor driver MD4 for controlling the drive of the cutter motor 106; a flapper 88 for guiding the sheet S to either the first discharge path 201A or the second discharge path 201B; and a flapper solenoid 89 for switching the flapper 88 to either a first position 88A for guiding the sheet S to the first discharge path 201A or a second position 88B for guiding the sheet S to the second discharge path 201B. The motor driver MD4 controls the drive of the cutter motor 106 as well as switching of the flapper solenoid 89.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

This application relates to an image forming apparatus that cuts a sheet on which an image is formed using a cutter.

Conventionally, image forming devices that cut sheets of standard sizes are known. The cutting device described in Patent Document 1 transports the sheet to a cutting position and stops it, and cuts the stopped sheet with a cutting blade that extends in the sheet width direction that intersects with the transport direction. This cutting device is configured so that the sheet is discharged through a single transport path provided with a cutting blade.

JP 2023-19469 A

An image forming apparatus may have a first discharge path along which the sheet is discharged without passing through the cutter, and a second discharge path along which the cut sheet is discharged via the cutter. In addition to a cutter motor for driving the cutter and a motor driver for controlling the cutter motor, this image forming apparatus has the problem that it requires a separate control circuit for switching and controlling a flapper solenoid that switches a flapper for switching between the first discharge path and the second discharge path.

The purpose of this application is to provide a technology that makes it possible to omit the circuitry for switching and controlling the flapper solenoid.

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a heating rotor, and a pressure rotor that forms a nip between the heating rotor and the pressure rotor, and a fixing unit that fixes the image formed on the sheet to the sheet, a cutter having a moving blade that is arranged at a cutter position downstream of the fixing unit in the sheet conveying direction in a conveying path along which the sheet is conveyed passing through the image forming unit and the fixing unit, the cutter cutting the sheet by moving the moving blade in a cutting direction that intersects with the sheet conveying direction, and a device main body having the conveying path, and a first discharge path for discharging the sheet outside the device main body without passing through the cutter position. , a device body having a second discharge path for discharging the sheet outside the device body via the cutter position, a cutter motor that transmits a driving force to the cutter for moving the moving blade in the cutting direction, a motor driver that controls the drive of the cutter motor, a flapper that guides the sheet to one of the first discharge path and the second discharge path, and a flapper solenoid that switches the flapper between a first state in which the sheet is guided to the first discharge path and a second state in which the sheet is guided to the second discharge path, and the motor driver performs switching control of the flapper solenoid in addition to driving control of the cutter motor.

The motor driver controls the drive of the cutter motor as well as the switching of the flapper solenoid, making it possible to omit the circuit for switching control of the flapper solenoid.

In addition, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the motor driver has a first terminal and a second terminal, and flows a current for driving the cutter motor from the first terminal and the second terminal, and further flows a current for switching the flapper from the first terminal and the second terminal to the flapper solenoid.

The motor driver supplies current not only to the cutter motor but also to the flapper solenoid. The flapper solenoid can switch the flapper depending on the current supplied to it. Therefore, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a separate circuit for supplying current to the flapper solenoid 89 is not required.

In addition, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the cutter motor by a first signal line and a second signal line, respectively, and a first connection point on the first signal line and a second connection point on the second signal line are connected to the flapper solenoid by a third signal line and a fourth signal line, respectively. The image forming apparatus further includes a first cutoff circuit arranged on the third signal line and configured to pass or block a current flowing on the third signal line, and a second cutoff circuit arranged on the fourth signal line and configured to pass or block a current flowing on the fourth signal line. When a current is passed from the first terminal, if the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit are in a state of blocking the current, the motor driver rotates the cutter motor a first time to move the moving blade in the cutting direction, When the first and second cutoff circuits are in a state where current is passing through, the current flows through the flapper solenoid, causing the flapper solenoid to switch from the second state to the first state; when current flows from the second terminal, when the first and second cutoff circuits are in a state where current is interrupted, the cutter motor is rotated a second time to move the moving blade in the cutting direction; and when the first and second cutoff circuits are in a state where current is passing through, the current flows through the flapper solenoid, causing the flapper solenoid to switch from the first state to the second state.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a first cutoff circuit and a second cutoff circuit are provided, and the motor driver can control the movement of the moving blade and the switching of the flapper position by the flapper solenoid simply by controlling the passage/cutoff of current through the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit.

In addition, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position, and further includes a control unit, wherein when cutting a sheet by moving the movable blade from the initial position to the completion position, the control unit instructs the first and second breaking circuits to cut off current and instructs the motor driver to flow current from the first terminal, when returning the moving blade from the completion position to the initial position, the control unit instructs the first and second breaking circuits to cut off current and instructs the motor driver to flow current from the second terminal, when switching the flapper from the second state to the first state, the control unit instructs the first and second breaking circuits to pass current and instructs the motor driver to pass current from the first terminal, and when switching the flapper from the first state to the second state, the control unit instructs the first and second breaking circuits to pass current and instructs the motor driver to pass current from the first terminal.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a control unit, a first cutoff circuit, and a second cutoff circuit are provided, and the control unit can control the movement of the moving blade and the switching of the flapper position by the flapper solenoid simply by instructing the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit to pass/cut off current.

In addition, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position, the first cutoff circuit has a first rectifying element arranged in a direction that causes a current to flow from the flapper solenoid to the first connection point, and a first switch arranged in parallel to the first rectifying element and turning on and off the flowing current, the second cutoff circuit has a second rectifying element arranged in a direction that causes a current to flow from the flapper solenoid to the second connection point, and a second switch arranged in parallel to the second rectifying element and turning on and off the flowing current, and further includes a control unit, and when a sheet is cut by moving the movable blade from the initial position to the completion position, the control unit instructs the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit to cut off the current, and controls the first terminal When the moving blade is returned from the completion position to the initial position, the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit are instructed to cut off current and the motor driver is instructed to make current flow from the second terminal. When the flapper is switched from the second state to the first state, an on signal is output to the first switch, an off signal is output to the second switch, and the motor driver is instructed to make current flow from the first terminal. When the flapper is switched from the first state to the second state, an off signal is output to the first switch, an on signal is output to the second switch, and the motor driver is instructed to make current flow from the second terminal.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first cutoff circuit is composed of a first rectifier element and a first switch, and the second cutoff circuit is composed of a second rectifier element and a second switch, thereby realizing switching of the current flow from one terminal of the flapper solenoid to the other terminal, or the current flow from the other terminal of the flapper solenoid to one terminal.

In addition, in an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when cutting a sheet having an image formed on one side, the control unit outputs an OFF signal to the first switch, outputs an ON signal to the second switch, and instructs the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal when switching the flapper from the first state to the second state before the cutter cuts the sheet, and then, when it is detected that the moving blade has reached the initial position, causes the motor driver to stop outputting current from the second terminal and controls the motor driver to move the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position, thereby cutting the sheet that has reached the cutter position.

In this way, the control unit simply outputs an off signal to the first switch, outputs an on signal to the second switch, and instructs the motor driver to flow current from the second terminal, and the flapper switches from the first state to the second state and the moving blade starts moving toward the initial position, so there is no need to issue a new instruction to start moving the moving blade toward the initial position.

In an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the control unit switches the flapper from the second state to the first state after the cutter cuts the sheet, the control unit outputs an ON signal to the first switch and an OFF signal to the second switch, instructs the motor driver to flow current from the first terminal, instructs the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit to cut off current, instructs the motor driver to flow current from the second terminal, and when it detects that the moving blade has reached the initial position, causes the motor driver to stop outputting current from the second terminal.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when an instruction is given to switch the flapper from the second state to the first state, the moving blade starts moving in a direction from the initial position toward the completed position. Therefore, after giving the instruction to switch, the control unit moves the moving blade in a direction from the completed position back to the initial position, thereby returning the moving blade to its initial position.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the image forming unit performs image formation on one side of the sheet again after the cutter has cut the sheet, the control unit instructs the first and second cutoff circuits to cut off current and instructs the motor driver to pass current from the second terminal, and when it detects that the moving blade has reached the initial position, controls the motor driver to stop outputting current from the first and second terminals and controls the motor driver to move the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position, thereby cutting the sheet that has reached the cutter position.

In an image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the image forming unit again forms an image on one side of the sheet after the sheet is cut by the cutter, the control unit does not need to instruct the flapper to switch to the second state again, because the flapper has already been switched to the second state.

In an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position, the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the cutter motor by a fifth signal line and a sixth signal line, respectively, the flapper solenoid is connected to a third connection point provided on either the fifth signal line or one of the sixth signal lines, and a current flowing from the motor driver via the third connection point flows to a ground section, the flapper is in the first state when no current flows through the flapper solenoid, and when the motor driver flows a current from the first terminal, the cutter motor rotates a first time and a current flows from the first terminal to the ground section via the third connection point and the flapper solenoid, and when the motor driver flows a current from the second terminal, the cutter motor rotates a second time and a current flows from the second terminal to the ground section via the cutter motor, the third connection point, and the flapper solenoid in this order.

In an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a motor driver rotates a cutter motor a first time to move a moving blade from an initial position toward a completion position, and a current flows through a flapper solenoid to switch the flapper from a first state to a second state.
Meanwhile, the motor driver can move the movable blade from the completion position toward the initial position by rotating the cutter motor a second time, and can switch the flapper from the first state to the second state by passing a current through the flapper solenoid.
The motor driver can also return the flapper from the second state back to the first state by removing current from the cutter motor and the flapper solenoid.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cutter included in the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing in detail a part of the control configuration of FIG. 3. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which output signals from each terminal of the ASIC in FIG. 4 correspond to the operations of the cutter motor and the flapper solenoid. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a sheet single-sided printing and cutting process executed by an ASIC, particularly a CPU, of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1 . 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of an image forming process included in the sheet single-sided printing and cutting process of FIG. 6 . 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a sheet cutting process included in the sheet single-sided printing and cutting process of FIG. 6 . 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a sheet duplex printing and cutting process executed by an ASIC, particularly a CPU, of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1 . 10 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a sheet reversing process included in the sheet double-sided printing and cutting process of FIG. 9 . 10 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the image forming process (second surface) included in the sheet double-sided printing and cutting process of FIG. 9 . FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing in detail a part of the control configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes the embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multi-function peripheral (MFP) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present application. The multi-function peripheral 1 is an example of an image forming device, and has a print function, a copy function, a scan function, and the like. Note that a multi-function peripheral may have a fax function in addition to these functions. For convenience of explanation, the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the multi-function peripheral 1 are defined below as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1. In addition, the side of the paper is defined as the left, and the other side of the paper is defined as the right.

The multifunction device 1 includes an image forming unit 2 and an image reading unit 9. The image forming unit 2 is an electrophotographic type and has a function of forming an image on a sheet S. In this example, the image forming unit 2 has a function of forming a monochrome image on a sheet S. The present disclosure is not limited to this, and the image forming unit 2 may have a function of forming a full-color image on a sheet S, for example.

The image reading unit 9 reads an image formed on a medium such as paper, and has an image reading sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) type, and a movement mechanism for moving the image reading sensor. The image reading unit 9 reads the image formed on the medium under the control of the ASIC 105.

The image forming unit 2 includes a main body 20, a conveying unit 3, a processing unit 4, a fixing unit 6, and a cutter 10.

The main body 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a front cover 21, a supply tray 31, a discharge tray 22, a transport path 201, and a re-transport path 202. The front cover 21 is attached to the front of the main body 20 in an openable and closable state. The supply tray 31 is attached to the bottom of the main body 20 in a detachable state. A sheet S is placed on the supply tray 31. The sheet S is a standard sheet such as an A4 size. The sheet S is, for example, a paper medium such as plain paper or thick paper, but is not limited to this and may be an overhead projector film. The discharge tray 22 is provided on the top of the main body 20, and a sheet S on which an image is formed is placed on the discharge tray 22.

The transport path 201 is a path for transporting the sheet S placed on the supply tray 31 in a transport direction toward the discharge tray 22 via the process unit 4. The transport path 201 branches into a first discharge path 201A and a second discharge path 201B at the branch position D1. Therefore, some of the sheets S transported via the process unit 4 are discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the first discharge path 201A, and some are discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the second discharge path 201B.

The re-conveying path 202 is a path for conveying the sheet S, which has an image formed on one side, in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, toward the process unit 4 again. The re-conveying path 202 starts at a connection position D2 on the second discharge path 201B downstream in the conveying direction from the branching position D1, and ends at a junction position J on the conveying path 201 upstream in the conveying direction of the pre-registration sensor SE1.

The conveying section 3 includes a pickup roller 33, a separation roller 34, a registration roller 35, a conveying roller 36, a first discharge roller 85, a second discharge roller 86, a third discharge roller 87, a flapper 88, re-conveying rollers 38 and 39, a main motor 108 (see FIG. 3), and a discharge motor 109 (see FIG. 3).

The pickup roller 33 picks up the sheets S in the supply tray 31 that have been pushed upward by the sheet pressure plate 32, and transports them toward the transport path 201. The separation roller 34 separates the sheets S picked up by the pickup roller 33 one by one.

The registration rollers 35 are disposed upstream of the process unit 4 on the transport path 201. The registration rollers 35 align the direction of the leading edge of the sheet S, and then transport the sheet S toward the process unit 4. The transport rollers 36 transport the sheet S after it has passed through the fixing unit 6 toward the first discharge rollers 85 or the third discharge rollers 87.

The first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 are arranged in the second discharge path 201B. The first discharge roller 85 is arranged at a position upstream of the cutter position SP where the cutter 10 is arranged, and the second discharge roller 86 is arranged at a position downstream of the cutter position SP.

The first discharge roller 85 rotates by the driving force from the discharge motor 109 (see FIG. 3). The first driven roller 85' is disposed at a position facing the first discharge roller 85 across the second discharge path 201B. The first driven roller 85' rotates in response to the rotation of the first discharge roller 85. The second discharge roller 86 also rotates by the driving force from the discharge motor 109. The second driven roller 86' is disposed at a position facing the second discharge roller 86 across the second discharge path 201B. The second driven roller 86' rotates in response to the rotation of the second discharge roller 86.

The first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 rotate to transport the sheet S in the transport direction, thereby discharging the sheet S onto the discharge tray 22. The rotation to transport the sheet S in the transport direction corresponds to a counterclockwise rotation around the left-right direction of the main body 20 as an axis.

On the other hand, the third discharge roller 87 is disposed in the first discharge path 201A. The third discharge roller 87 is rotated by the driving force from the discharge motor 109 (see FIG. 3). The third driven roller 87' is disposed at a position facing the third discharge roller 87 across the first discharge path 201A. The third driven roller 87' rotates in accordance with the rotation of the third discharge roller 87. The third discharge roller 87 rotates to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction, thereby discharging the sheet S to the discharge tray 22. The third discharge roller 87 also conveys the sheet S to the re-conveying path 202 by rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction. The rotation in the direction opposite to the rotation to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction corresponds to a clockwise rotation about the left-right direction of the main body 20 as an axis.

Re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 are arranged on the re-conveying path 202. The re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 convey the sheet S conveyed to the re-conveying path 202 toward the processing unit 4. The re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 re-convey the sheet S, which has had an image formed on one side, toward the processing unit 4 via the re-conveying path 202, making it possible to form images on both sides of the sheet S.

The process unit 4 forms an image on the sheet S and is housed in the main body 20. The process unit 4 has a drum cartridge 5 and a laser unit 7. The drum cartridge 5 has a photosensitive drum 51, a toner storage unit 57, a supply roller 56, a developing roller 55, a charger 52, a transfer roller 53, and a pinch roller 54. The drum cartridge 5 can be removed from the main body 20 by opening the front cover 21. The pinch roller 54 of the drum cartridge 5 faces the registration roller 35. The pinch roller 54 rotates following the rotation of the registration roller 35 and transports the sheet S together with the registration roller 35.

The photosensitive drum 51 rotates by the driving force from the main motor 108 (see FIG. 3) to transport the sheet S in the transport direction, thereby transporting the sheet S in the transport direction. The photosensitive drum 51 rotates clockwise around an axis that is the left-right direction of the main body 20. Toner is stored in the toner storage section 57. The supply roller 56 supplies the toner in the toner storage section 57 to the developing roller 55. The charger 52 is a scorotron type charger, and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 51. The charger 52 may be a charging roller.

A transfer roller 53 is disposed opposite the photosensitive drum 51. The transfer roller 53 forms a transfer nip TN between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 53 on the transport path 201. A transfer belt may be used instead of the transfer roller 53.

The main body 20 has a laser unit 7 at the top inside. The laser unit 7 has a polygon mirror 131 (see FIG. 3), a laser emission unit 132 (see FIG. 3), a polygon motor 133 (see FIG. 3), lenses and reflectors (not shown). The laser unit 7 exposes the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 by scanning the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 at high speed with laser light (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) based on image data emitted from the laser emission unit 132.

The surface of the photoconductor drum 51 is exposed to light by the laser unit 7, forming an electrostatic latent image based on image data. The developing roller 55 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 51, forming a toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 51.

A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 53 by the high-voltage power supply board 112 (see FIG. 3). The transfer roller 53 transports the sheet S between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 53, thereby transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 to the sheet S passing through the transfer nip TN. In this manner, an image is formed on the sheet S.

The fixing unit 6 is disposed downstream of the process unit 4 on the conveying path 201. The fixing unit 6 has a heating roller 61, a pressure roller 62, and a heater 63. The heating roller 61 is an example of a heating rotator, and heats the sheet S. The pressure roller 62 is an example of a pressure rotator, and forms a nip N between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62 to pressurize the sheet S. The pressure roller 62 rotates to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction by the driving force of the main motor 108. The pressure roller 62 rotates to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction in a counterclockwise direction around the axis of the left-right direction of the main body 20. The heater 63 is, for example, a halogen heater, and heats the heating roller 61.

The fixing unit 6 heats the sheet S with the heating roller 61 and rotates the pressure roller 62 to convey the sheet S while applying pressure to it with the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, thereby fixing the image formed on the sheet S by the process unit 4 to the sheet S.

The fixing device 6 is configured to include a heating roller 61, a pressure roller 62, and a heater 63, but is not limited to this. For example, the fixing device 6 may be configured to include a heater, a nip plate that receives radiant heat from the heater, a heating belt that rotates around the nip plate, and a pressure roller.

The fixing device 6 may also have a substrate on which a heat generating pattern is formed, a belt that rotates around the substrate, and a pressure roller, with the substrate and belt contacting the pressure roller. The fixing device 6 may also have a heating roller, a heater, and a pressure belt.

A cutter 10 is disposed between the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 in the second discharge path 201B. The cutter 10 is disposed downstream of the fixing unit 6 in the conveying direction of the sheet S. The multifunction device 1 stops the rotation of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 so that the cutting position on the sheet S reaches the cutter position SP. With the rotation of the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 stopped, the multifunction device 1 cuts the sheet S using the cutter 10.

Figure 2 shows a schematic configuration of the cutter 10. As shown in Figure 2, the cutter 10 has a cutter frame 11, a slide rail 12, a fixed blade 13, a sheet passing section 14, a moving blade 15, a slide holder 16, and a cutter motor 106. The cutter frame 11 extends in the axial direction. The slide rail 12 is a rail formed on the cutter frame 11 and extending in the axial direction. The fixed blade 13 is a flat blade fixed to the cutter frame 11 and extending in the axial direction. The sheet passing section 14 is a space formed on the cutter frame 11 through which the sheet S passes. In this embodiment, the sheet passing section 14 is formed between the slide rail 12 and the fixed blade 13. The moving blade 15 is a disc-shaped blade and is rotatably fixed to the slide holder 16.

The slide holder 16 engages with the slide rail 12 and is attached to the cutter frame 11 so as to be slidable along the slide rail 12. When the cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction (an example of a first rotation), the slide holder 16 slides from one side (e.g., the right side wall side of the main body 20) to the other side (e.g., the left side wall side of the main body 20) in the axial direction, and when the cutter motor 106 is driven in the reverse direction (an example of a second rotation), the slide holder 16 slides from the other side to one side in the axial direction. The slide holder 16 can move from an initial position FP shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 to a completion position KP shown by a broken line. The slide holder 16 to which the moving blade 15 is fixed can move in a cutting direction intersecting with the conveying direction at the cutter position SP. The cutting direction is a direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP, or a direction from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP.
When the slide holder 16 moves along the slide rail 12 to the completion position KP while the sheet S is at the cutter position SP, the single sheet S is sandwiched between the fixed blade 13 and the movable blade 15 and cut into two pieces. After the sheet S is cut, the multifunction device 1 rotates the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 for a predetermined time, thereby discharging the two cut sheets S onto the discharge tray 22.

Next, the control configuration of the multifunction device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the multifunction device 1 further includes an ASIC 105, ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, a pre-registration sensor SE1, a post-registration sensor SE2, a discharge sensor SE3, an operation panel PA, a communication interface (I/F) 130, a low-voltage power supply board 110, a sensor group 91, motor drivers MD1 to MD4, and a flapper solenoid 89. The ASIC 105, ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, and motor drivers MD1 to MD4 are mounted on a main board 100.

The ASIC 105 is equipped with a CPU 101. The CPU 101 performs overall control over each part of the multifunction device 1. The ASIC 105 is electrically connected to the ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, motor drivers MD1 to MD4, electromagnetic clutch 107, pre-registration sensor SE1, post-registration sensor SE2, discharge sensor SE3, operation panel PA, communication I/F 130, fixing unit 6, laser unit 7, and sensor group 91.

The ROM 102 stores various control programs and various settings for controlling the multifunction device 1. The control programs include the sheet single-sided printing and cutting process and the sheet double-sided printing and cutting process, which will be described later with reference to Figures 6 to 11.

RAM 103 is used as a working area from which various control programs are read, and as a storage area for temporarily storing image data included in a job. CPU 101 controls each part of MFP 1 according to the control programs read from ROM 102 and the signals output from various sensors, while storing the processing results in RAM 103 or NVRAM 104.

The operation panel PA has, for example, a touch panel in which a touch pad and a display are integrally formed, and a key button section. The operation panel PA accepts user operations and outputs the accepted information to the ASIC 105. For example, the user can operate the operation panel PA to instruct the multifunction device 1 to cut the sheet after image formation.

The motor driver MD1 is connected to a polygon motor 133 that rotates the polygon mirror 131 of the laser unit 7, and controls the driving of the polygon motor 133 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105.

The motor driver MD2 is connected to the main motor 108 and controls the driving of the main motor 108 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The main motor 108 outputs a driving force to the pickup roller 33, the registration roller 35, the conveying roller 36, the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39, the pressure roller 62, and the drum cartridge 5. When the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the forward direction via the motor driver MD2, the output of the main motor 108 transmits a driving force to the conveying roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the photosensitive drum 51, the developing roller 55, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35. Then, the conveying roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the photosensitive drum 51, the developing roller 55, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35 rotate to convey the sheet S in the conveying direction.

On the other hand, even if the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the reverse direction via the motor driver MD2, the driving force is not transmitted to the conveying roller 36, the pressure roller 62, the drum cartridge 5, the pickup roller 33, and the registration roller 35.

Further, the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the forward direction to transmit a driving force to the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39. The transmitted driving force causes the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 to rotate so as to transport the sheet S toward the process unit 4. The rotation of the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 to transport the sheet S toward the process unit 4 is a clockwise rotation about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the main body 20.
On the other hand, even when the ASIC 105 drives the main motor 108 in the reverse direction, the driving force is transmitted to the re-conveying rollers 38 and 39. The re-conveying rollers 38 and 39 rotate by the transmitted driving force to convey the sheet S toward the process unit 4.

The stepping motor driver MD3 controls the driving of the discharge motor 109, which is a stepping motor, in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The discharge motor 109 transmits a driving force to the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87. The ASIC 105 drives the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction via the stepping motor driver MD3. By driving the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction, the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87 rotate to transport the sheet S in the transport direction. In the first discharge roller 85, the second discharge roller 86, and the third discharge roller 87, the rotation to transport the sheet S in the transport direction is a counterclockwise rotation about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the main body 20.
As a result, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 22 via the first discharge path 201A or the second discharge path 201B. Meanwhile, the ASIC 105 drives the discharge motor 109 in the reverse direction. The third discharge roller 87 rotates in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the sheet S. For the third discharge roller 87, the rotation in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the sheet S means a clockwise rotation about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the main body 20.
As a result, the sheet S being transported along the first discharge path 201A is transported in the direction opposite to the transport direction, and the sheet S is transported toward the re-transport path 202.

The DC motor driver MD4 controls the driving of the cutter motor 106. The cutter motor 106 is a DC brush motor. The cutter motor 106 is not limited to a DC brush motor, and may be a DC brushless motor.
The motor driver MD4 uses DC 24V supplied from the low-voltage power supply board 110 as an operating voltage and controls the drive of the cutter motor 106 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The ASIC 105 drives the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction via the DC motor driver MD4. The forward drive of the cutter motor 106 causes the slide holder 16 to move the moving blade 15 in the width direction of the sheet S, and the sheet S is cut. The encoder 113 is attached to the rotation shaft of the cutter motor 106 and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation of the cutter motor 106. The ASIC 105 receives the signal output from the encoder 113, and obtains the rotation direction, rotation position, and rotation speed of the cutter motor 106 based on the received signal. This allows the ASIC 105 to know where the slide holder 16 is located on the slide rail 12, that is, where the moving blade 15 is located in the axial direction.

In addition to controlling the drive of the cutter motor 106, the DC motor driver MD4 switches the position of the flapper 88 between a first position (position 88A shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) and a second position (position 88B shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) by switching the direction of a current flowing through the flapper solenoid 89 in response to a control signal from the ASIC 105. The first position 88A is a position where the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 is guided to the first discharge path 201A. The first position 88A is also a position where the sheet S on the first discharge path 201A is guided to the re-conveyance path 202. The second position 88B is a position where the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 is guided to the second discharge path 201B.
The state in which the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A is a first state in which the sheet S is guided to the first discharge path 201A. The state in which the flapper 88 is in the second position 88B is a second state in which the sheet S is guided to the second discharge path 201B.
Before the execution of the <Sheet Single-Sided Printing and Cutting Processing> in FIG. 6 and the <Sheet Double-Sided Printing and Cutting Processing> in FIG. 9, which will be described later, the flapper 88 is in a first state in which the sheet is guided to the first discharge path 201A.

The flapper solenoid 89 is a self-holding solenoid and has a movable iron core (not shown), a fixed iron core (not shown), and a coil 891 (see FIG. 4). The movable iron core and fixed iron core of the flapper solenoid 89 have well-known configurations, and the movable iron core of the flapper solenoid 89 can switch the magnetic polarity depending on the direction of the current flowing through the coil 891.

The electromagnetic clutch 107 is controlled by the ASIC 105. The ASIC 105 switches on the electromagnetic clutch 107 to allow the driving force of the main motor 108 to be transmitted to the pickup roller 33, and switches off the electromagnetic clutch 107 to prevent the driving force of the main motor 108 from being transmitted to the pickup roller 33.

The pre-registration sensor SE1 is disposed upstream of the registration rollers 35 on the transport path 201, and is a sensor that detects the passage of the sheet S. The pre-registration sensor SE1 may be a sensor having an actuator that oscillates when the sheet S comes into contact with it, or an optical sensor. The pre-registration sensor SE1 outputs an ON signal when the sheet S is passing, and outputs an OFF signal when the sheet S is not passing. The detection signal by the pre-registration sensor SE1 is output to the ASIC 105.

The post-registration sensor SE2 is disposed upstream of the fixing unit 6 on the conveying path 201, specifically between the registration roller 35 and the transfer roller 53, and is a sensor that detects the passage of the sheet S. The post-registration sensor SE2 has the same configuration as the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal by the post-registration sensor SE2 is output to the ASIC 105.

The discharge sensor SE3 is disposed between the fixing unit 6 and the conveying roller 36 on the conveying path 201, and detects the passage of the sheet S. The discharge sensor SE3 has a configuration similar to that of the pre-registration sensor SE1. A detection signal from the discharge sensor SE3 is output to the ASIC 105.

Sheet sensor SE4 (see FIG. 1) is disposed between cutter position SP and second discharge roller 86, and detects the passage of sheet S. Sheet sensor SE4 has the same configuration as pre-registration sensor SE1. Sheet sensor SE4 is one of the sensors included in sensor group 91. In addition to sheet sensor SE4, sensor group 91 also includes a round blade presence sensor (not shown) that detects whether or not moving blade 15 is installed in slide holder 16. Each detection signal from each sensor included in sensor group 91 is output to ASIC 105.

The communication I/F 130 is connected to a network such as a LAN, and enables connection to an external device such as a PC incorporating a driver for the multifunction device 1. The CPU 101 can receive a print job via the communication I/F 130. The print job includes various information required to form an image on the sheet S, such as image data for forming an image, the size and type of the sheet S used for image formation, and information on whether or not to cut the sheet S.

The low-voltage power supply board 110 is equipped with an AC-DC converter (not shown) and converts the input AC voltage (e.g., commercial AC 100V) to a DC voltage (e.g., DC 24V) using the AC-DC converter, and outputs it to the main board 100 and the high-voltage power supply board 112. The main board 100 is equipped with a DC-DC converter (not shown) and supplies the input DC 24V directly to the motor drivers MD1 to MD4, or converts the input DC 24V to a lower DC voltage (e.g., DC 3.3V) using the DC-DC converter and supplies it to the ASIC 105 and the like as a power supply voltage. The high-voltage power supply board 112 boosts the DC 24V from the low-voltage power supply board 110 and applies a high-voltage charging voltage, developing voltage, and transfer voltage to the charger 52, developing roller 55, and transfer roller 53, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a detailed diagram of a portion of the control configuration of FIG. 3, and is a diagram for explaining the drive control of the cutter motor 106 by the DC motor driver MD4 and the switching control of the flapper solenoid 89.
The cutter motor 106 has a coil 1061, one terminal T1, and the other terminal T2. The cutter motor 106 is a motor that rotates in the forward direction when a current flows from the one terminal T1 to the other terminal T2 via the coil 1061. The cutter motor 106 is a motor that rotates in the reverse direction when a current flows from the other terminal T2 to the one terminal T1 via the coil 1061.

In addition to the movable iron core (not shown), fixed iron core (not shown), and coil 891 described above, the flapper solenoid 89 further has one terminal T11 and the other terminal T12.

When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is in the <initial state> position, the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A, and is in the first state in which the sheet S is guided to the first discharge path 201A. When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is in the <initial state> position, if a current flows from the other terminal T12 of the flapper solenoid 89 to one terminal T11, the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is attracted to the fixed core. Even if the current to the coil 891 is cut off, the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is maintained in the <attracted state> position by the fixed core.

As the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 moves from the <initial state> position to the <attraction state> position, the flapper 88 switches from the first position 88A, which is the <initial state> position, to the second position 88B, which is the <attraction state> position.

When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is in the <attraction state> position, the flapper 88 is in the second position 88B, and is in a second state in which the sheet S is guided to the second discharge path 201B. When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 is in the <attraction state> position, if a current flows from one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89 to the other terminal T12, the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 repels the fixed core. As a result of this repulsion, the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 returns from the <attraction state> position to the <initial state> position.

As the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89 returns from the "attraction state" position to the "initial state" position, the flapper 88 switches from the second position 88B, which is the "attraction state" position, to the first position 88A, which is the "initial state" position.

The DC motor driver MD4 receives three control signals from the ASIC 105. The three input terminals Vref, IN1, and IN2 of the DC motor driver MD4 are connected to the three output ports P0 to P2 of the ASIC 105 via three signal lines.

The ASIC 105 outputs either an output or stop control signal from the output port P0. Either the output or stop control signal output from the output port P0 of the ASIC 105 is input to the input terminal Vref of the DC motor driver MD4. The ASIC 105 controls the enable/disable of the DC motor driver MD4 according to the control signal input to the input terminal Vref.

The ASIC 105 outputs either an H or L control signal from output ports P1 and P2. The control signals output from output ports P1 and P2 of the ASIC 105 are input to input terminals IN1 and IN2 of the DC motor driver MD4, respectively. The ASIC 105 controls the direction of rotation of the cutter motor 106, forward/reverse/stop, according to the control signals input to input terminals IN1 and IN2.

The terminal OUT1 of the DC motor driver MD4 is connected to one terminal T1 of the cutter motor 106 via a signal line SL1. And the terminal OUT2 of the DC motor driver MD4 is connected to the other terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106 via a signal line SL2.

The connection point CP1 provided on the signal line SL1 is connected to one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89 via the signal line SL11. The connection point CP2 provided on the signal line SL2 is connected to the other terminal T12 of the flapper solenoid 89 via the signal line SL21.

A first shutoff circuit 90A is provided on the signal line SL11. The first shutoff circuit 90A is a circuit that switches between passing and blocking the current flowing on the signal line SL11. In addition, a second shutoff circuit 90B is provided on the signal line SL21. The second shutoff circuit 90B is a circuit that switches between passing and blocking the current flowing on the signal line SL21.

The first cutoff circuit 90A is a circuit consisting of a diode DI1 and an NPN transistor SW1 arranged in parallel with the diode DI1. The cathode of the diode DI1 is connected to the collector of the transistor SW1, and the anode of the diode DI1 is connected to the emitter of the transistor SW1. The base of the transistor SW1 is connected to the output port P3 of the ASIC 105 via a resistor R11. A connection point CP11 between the cathode of the diode DI1 and the collector of the transistor SW1 is connected to a connection point CP1 on the signal line SL1 via a connection line SL11. A connection point CP12 between the anode of the diode DI1 and the emitter of the transistor SW1 is connected to one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89 via the signal line SL11.

The second shutoff circuit 90B, like the first shutoff circuit 90A, is a circuit consisting of a diode DI2 and an NPN transistor SW2 arranged in parallel with the diode DI2. The cathode of the diode DI2 is connected to the collector of the transistor SW2, and the anode of the diode DI2 is connected to the emitter of the transistor SW2. The base of the transistor SW2 is connected to the output port P4 of the ASIC 105 via a resistor R21. A connection point CP21 between the cathode of the diode DI2 and the collector of the transistor SW2 is connected to a connection point CP2 on the signal line SL2 via a connection line SL21. A connection point CP22 between the anode of the diode DI2 and the emitter of the transistor SW2 is connected to the other terminal T12 of the flapper solenoid 89 via the signal line SL21.

Figure 5 shows the correspondence between each input signal from the ASIC 105 to the DC motor driver MD4, each input signal from the DC motor driver MD4 to the first and second cutoff circuits 90A, 90B, and each operation of the cutter motor 106 and the flapper solenoid 89. Each "control" item in Figure 5 shows how the DC motor driver MD4 controls the drive of the cutter motor 106 and the switching control of the flapper solenoid 89 based on each input signal from the ASIC 105 to the DC motor driver MD4.

5, IN1 and IN2 correspond to two input terminals IN1 and IN2 of DC motor driver MD4, respectively, and indicate the values of control signals output from output ports P1 and P2 of ASIC 105 and input to input terminals IN1 and IN2. SW1 and SW2 correspond to transistor SW1 of first shutoff circuit 90A and transistor SW2 of second shutoff circuit 90B, respectively, and indicate the values of control signals output from output ports P3 and P4 of ASIC 105 and input to the base of transistor SW1 and the base of transistor SW2.
Each of the "control" items shown in FIG. 5 is explained below.

<Cutter motor stopped and flapper not switched; Control: Stop/initial state>
When the DC motor driver MD4 stops the cutter motor 106 and moves the flapper 88 to the initial state position (first position 88A), the CPU 101 outputs the following control signal to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105.

The CPU 101 outputs the following control signals via the ASIC 105: P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = L; P4 (SW2) = L. When the control signals IN1 = L and IN2 = L are input, the DC motor driver MD4 does not output current from either the terminal OUT1 or the terminal OUT2. As a result, the cutter motor 106 is stopped because no current flows through the coil 1061.

In addition, the transistor SW1 is turned off by a control signal SW1=L input to the base of the transistor SW1. Similarly, the transistor SW2 is turned off by a control signal SW2=L input to the base of the transistor SW2.
Therefore, no current flows through the flapper solenoid 89 , and the flapper solenoid 89 does not perform the operation of switching the position of the flapper 88 .

By using the control signals P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = L; and P4 (SW2) = L, the DC motor driver MD4 can control the cutter motor 106 to stop and move the flapper 88 to its initial position (first position 88A).

In this embodiment, the ASIC 105 does not use the control signal indicating either output or stop, which is output from the output port P0, but it may be configured to use it. For example, when stopping the cutter motor 106, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal P0 (Vref) = stop to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105, and when rotating the cutter motor 106 forward/reverse, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal P0 (Vref) = output to the DC motor driver MD4.

<Cutter motor forward driving and no flapper switching; Control: Cutter movement (forward path)>
When the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction and does not switch the flapper 88, the CPU 101 outputs the following control signal to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105.

The CPU 101 outputs each of the control signals P1 (IN1) = H; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = L; and P4 (SW2) = L via the ASIC 105. Upon receiving the control signals IN1 = H and IN2 = L, the DC motor driver MD4 outputs a current from the terminal OUT1 to one terminal T1 of the cutter motor 106, and the current returns to the terminal OUT2 via the coil 1061 and the other terminal T2.

The cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction by a current that flows from one terminal T1 through the coil 1061 to the other terminal T2. As the cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the initial position FP to the completion position KP (forward path).

When the control signal SW1=L is input to the base of transistor SW1, transistor SW1 is turned off. Similarly, when the control signal SW2=L is input to the base of transistor SW2, transistor SW2 is turned off.

Meanwhile, transistor SW1 of the first shutoff circuit 90A and transistor SW2 of the second shutoff circuit 90B are both off, and further diode DI1 of the first shutoff circuit 90A and diode DI2 of the second shutoff circuit 90B cut off the current input from the cathode side. The current branching off from terminal OUT1 at connection point CP1 is cut off by transistor SW1 and diode DI1 of the first shutoff circuit 90A. The current flowing from terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106 and branching off at connection point CP2 is cut off by transistor SW2 and diode DI2 of the second shutoff circuit 90B. As a result, no current flows through the flapper solenoid 89, and therefore the flapper solenoid 89 does not operate to switch the position of the flapper 88.

By using the control signals P1 (IN1) = H; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = L; and P4 (SW2) = L, the DC motor driver MD4 can control the cutter motor 106 to rotate in the forward direction and to not switch the position of the flapper 88.

<Cutter motor forward drive and flapper switching; Control: Flapper switching (first position)>
When the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction and switches the flapper 88 from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state), the CPU 101 outputs the following control signal to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105.

The CPU 101 outputs each of the control signals P1 (IN1) = H; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = H; P4 (SW2) = L to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105. The control signals IN1 = H and IN2 = L are input to the DC motor driver MD4. Then, the control signal SW1 = H input to the base of the transistor SW1 of the first shutoff circuit 90A turns the transistor SW1 on. On the other hand, the control signal SW2 = L input to the base of the transistor SW2 of the second shutoff circuit 90B turns the transistor SW2 off.

When the control signals IN1=H and IN2=L are input, the DC motor driver MD4 outputs a current from the terminal OUT1 to one of the terminals T1. The current output from the terminal OUT1 of the DC motor driver MD4 returns to the terminal OUT2 via the connection point CP1, the signal line SL1, one of the terminals T1 of the cutter motor 106, the coil 1061, the other terminal T2, the signal line SL2, and the connection point CP2.

The current output from terminal OUT1 of DC motor driver MD4 branches at connection point CP1. The current branched at connection point CP1 returns to terminal OUT2 via signal line SL11, transistor SW1, one terminal T11 of flapper solenoid 89, coil 891, the other terminal T12, signal line SL21, diode DI2, and connection point CP2.

The cutter motor 106 rotates in the forward direction when a current flows from one terminal T1 to the other terminal T2. As the cutter motor 106 rotates in the forward direction, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the initial position FP to the completion position KP.

When the flapper 88 is in the second position 88B (second state), if a current flows from one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89 to the other terminal T12, the flapper 88 switches from the second position 88B to the first position 88A.

By using the control signals P1 (IN1) = H; P2 (IN2) = L; P3 (SW1) = H; and P4 (SW2) = L, the DC motor driver MD4 can execute control to drive the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction and to switch the flapper 88 from the second position 88B to the first position 88A.

<No cutter motor reverse drive and flapper switching; Control: Cutter movement (return)>
When the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction and does not switch the flapper 88, the CPU 101 outputs the following control signal to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105.

The CPU 101 outputs the following control signals via the ASIC 105: P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = H; P3 (SW1) = L; P4 (SW2) = L. When the control signals IN1 = L and IN2 = H are input, the DC motor driver MD4 outputs a current from the terminal OUT2 to the other terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106, and the current returns to the terminal OUT1 via the coil 1061 and one terminal T1.

The cutter motor 106 is driven in reverse by a current that flows from the other terminal T2 to one terminal T1 via the coil 1061. As the cutter motor 106 is driven in reverse, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the completion position KP to the initial position FP (return path).

Transistor SW1 is turned off by a control signal SW1=L input to the base of transistor SW1. Similarly, transistor SW2 is turned off by a control signal SW2=L input to the base of transistor SW2. As a result, no current flows through the flapper solenoid 89, and the flapper solenoid 89 does not switch the position of the flapper 88.

By using the control signals P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = H; P3 (SW1) = L; P4 (SW2) = L, the DC motor driver MD4 can control the cutter motor 106 to drive in reverse and not to switch the position of the flapper 88.

<Cutter motor reverse drive and flapper switching; Control: Flapper switching (second position)>
When the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction and switches the flapper 88 from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state), the CPU 101 outputs the following control signal to the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105.

The CPU 101 outputs the following control signals via the ASIC 105: P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = H; P3 (SW1) = L; P4 (SW2) = H. The control signals IN1 = L and IN2 = H are input to the DC motor driver MD4. The control signal SW1 = L input to the base of the transistor SW1 of the first shutoff circuit 90A turns the transistor SW1 off. On the other hand, the control signal SW2 = H input to the base of the transistor SW2 of the second shutoff circuit 90B turns the transistor SW2 on.

When the control signals IN1=L and IN2=H are input, the DC motor driver MD4 outputs a current from the terminal OUT2 to the other terminal T2. The current output from the terminal OUT2 of the DC motor driver MD4 returns to the terminal OUT1 via the connection point CP2, the signal line SL2, the other terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106, the coil 1061, one terminal T1, the signal line SL1, and the connection point CP1.

The current output from terminal OUT2 of DC motor driver MD4 branches at connection point CP2. The current branched at connection point CP2 returns to terminal OUT1 via signal line SL21, transistor SW2, the other terminal T12 of flapper solenoid 89, coil 891, one terminal T11, signal line SL11, diode DI1, and connection point CP1.

The cutter motor 106 is driven in reverse by current flowing from the other terminal T2 to one terminal T1. As the cutter motor 106 is driven in reverse, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the completion position KP to the initial position FP.

When the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A, when a current flows from the other terminal T12 to one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89, the flapper 88 switches from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state).

By using the control signals P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = H; P3 (SW1) = L; and P4 (SW2) = H, the DC motor driver MD4 can execute control to reverse drive the cutter motor 106 and switch the flapper 88 from the first position 88A to the second position 88B.

The control process executed by the multifunction device 1 configured as described above will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 11.

<Sheet single-sided printing and cutting process>
6 shows the procedure of the single-sided sheet printing and cutting process executed by the ASIC 105, particularly the CPU 101. This single-sided sheet printing and cutting process is started when the multifunction device 1 receives a print job or print command including an instruction to print (form an image) on one side of a sheet S and an instruction to cut the sheet S with single-sided printing. Hereinafter, in the explanation of each process, a step will be represented as "S".

In FIG. 6, first, the CPU 101 turns on the heater 63 (S10) and controls the heater 63 so that the heating roller 61 reaches the target temperature. Next, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD2 to drive the main motor 108 in the forward direction (S12), and then switches the flapper 88 to the second position 88B (S14). The process of S14 is the process of "Flapper switching (second position)" in the "Control" item of FIG. 5, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in FIG. 5 via the ASIC 105.

As described above, before the process of FIG. 6 is started, the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A (first state) as an initial position.
By the process of S14, the flapper 88 is switched from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state), and the cutter motor 106 is driven in the reverse direction.
Therefore, the flapper 88 guides the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 to the second discharge path 201B where the cutter 10 is provided.
The slide holder 16 of the cutter 10 starts to move toward the initial position FP. The CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD4 and the first and second cutoff circuits 90A, 90B to switch the flapper 88 to the second position 88B. The motor driver MD4 can control the flapper 88 to switch from the first position 88A to the second position 88B, and can also control the moving blade 15 of the cutter 10 to return to the initial position FP.

Next, the CPU 101 waits until the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position FP (S16: NO). The CPU 101 determines whether the slide holder 16 has reached the initial position FP based on the output signal from the encoder 113. As described above, the CPU 101 can obtain the rotation direction, rotation position, and rotation speed of the cutter motor 106 based on the signal output from the encoder 113, so that it can know where the slide holder 16 is located on the slide rail 12, that is, where the moving blade 15 is located in the axial direction.

When the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position FP (S16: YES), the CPU 101 stops the cutter motor 106 (S18). The process of S18 is the "Stop/initial state" process in the "Control" item of FIG. 5, that is, the process described in <Cutter motor stopped and no flapper switching>, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in FIG. 5 via the ASIC 105.

Next, the CPU 101 executes the image formation process (S20). FIG. 7 shows the detailed procedure of the image formation process. In FIG. 11, the CPU 101 first executes a pickup command (S40). This causes the CPU 101 to turn on the electromagnetic clutch 107. When the electromagnetic clutch 107 is turned on, as described above, the driving force of the main motor 108 is transmitted to the pickup roller 33, so that the sheet S in the supply tray 31 is picked up and transported toward the transport path 201.

Next, the CPU 101 waits until the post-registration sensor SE2 switches from off to on (S42: NO). As described above, the post-registration sensor SE2 is disposed between the registration roller 35 and the transfer roller 53 on the conveying path 201, and outputs an on signal when the sheet S is passing through, and outputs an off signal when the sheet S is not passing through. Therefore, in S42, the CPU 101 waits until the post-registration sensor SE2 detects the leading edge of the sheet S. Then, when the post-registration sensor SE2 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S42: YES), the CPU 101 starts image formation on the sheet S (S44). Note that image formation may be started by a trigger other than the post-registration sensor SE2 detecting the leading edge of the sheet S. It is sufficient that the image formation is performed so that the toner image formed by the photosensitive drum 51 is correctly transferred to the image formation position of the sheet S.

Next, the CPU 101 waits until the discharge sensor SE3 switches from off to on (S46: NO). As described above, the discharge sensor SE3 is disposed between the fixing unit 6 and the conveying rollers 36 on the conveying path 201, and outputs an on signal when the sheet S is passing, and outputs an off signal when the sheet S is not passing. Therefore, in S46, the CPU 101 waits until the discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of the sheet S. Then, when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S46: YES), the CPU 101 drives the discharge motor 109 to rotate forward (S48). As the discharge motor 109 is driven forward, the first discharge rollers 85 and the second discharge rollers 86 convey the sheet S on the second discharge path 201B in the conveying direction.

The CPU 101 waits until a predetermined time has elapsed (S50: NO), and when the predetermined time has elapsed (S50: YES), the CPU 101 ends image formation (S52) and ends the image formation process. The "predetermined time" in S50 is, for example, the time from when the discharge sensor SE3 detects the leading edge of the sheet S in the transport direction until the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the transfer nip TN (see FIG. 1).

Returning to FIG. 6, next, the CPU 101 executes the sheet cutting process (S22). FIG. 8 shows the detailed procedure of the sheet cutting process. In FIG. 8, first, the CPU 101 waits until the sheet S conveyed by the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 reaches the sheet stop position (S60: NO). The sheet stop position is, for example, the position where the center of the sheet S reaches the cutter position SP of the cutter 10 when the sheet S is cut at the center in the conveying direction. Note that the position where the center of the sheet S reaches the cutter position SP of the cutter 10 is the position where the sheet S has passed through the fixing unit 6, and the rear end of the sheet S is not nipped by the fixing unit 6.

The CPU 101 determines whether the sheet S has reached the sheet stop position by, for example, counting the number of steps of the discharge motor 109 when the sheet sensor SE4 detects the leading edge of the sheet S. Then, when the sheet S has reached the sheet stop position (S60: YES), the CPU 101 stops driving the discharge motor 109 (S62).

The CPU 101 drives the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction to move the slide holder 16 from the initial position FP to the completion position KP (outward movement) (S64). The process of S64 is the process of "Cutter movement (outward movement)" in the "Control" item in Fig. 5, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in Fig. 5 via the ASIC 105.
As a result, the cutter motor 106 slides the slide holder 16 from one axial side (e.g., the right side wall side of the main body 20) to the other side (e.g., the left side wall side of the main body 20), so that the slide holder 16 starts moving from the initial position FP shown by the solid line in Figure 2 toward the completion position KP (forward path) shown by the dashed line.

Next, the CPU 101 waits until the slide holder 16 reaches the completion position KP (S66: NO). The CPU 101 determines whether the slide holder 16 has reached the completion position KP based on the output signal from the encoder 113. When the slide holder 16 reaches the completion position KP (S66: YES), the CPU 101 stops the cutter motor 106 (S68) in the same manner as in S18 (see FIG. 6) above. The process of S68 is the "Stop/Initial state" process in the "Control" item in FIG. 5, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in FIG. 5 via the ASIC 105. This completes the cutting of the sheet S by the cutter 10.

Next, the CPU 101 drives the discharge motor 109 in the forward direction (S70). As the discharge motor 109 drives in the forward direction, the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 rotate, and the sheet S cut by the cutter 10 is transported by the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 toward the discharge tray.

Then, the CPU 101 waits until the discharge of the cut sheet S by the first discharge roller 85 and the second discharge roller 86 is completed (S72: NO). Here, possible methods for determining whether the discharge of the cut sheet S is completed include, for example, a method of determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the processing of S70, that is, the time required for the discharge of the cut sheet S to be completed, or a method of counting the number of steps of the discharge motor 109 since the processing of S70 and determining whether the number of steps is equal to or greater than the number of steps required for the discharge of the cut sheet S to be completed.

When the discharge of the cut sheet S is completed (S72: YES), the CPU 101 stops the drive of the discharge motor 109 (S74) in the same manner as in S62 above, and then ends the sheet cutting process.

Returning to FIG. 6, the CPU 101 judges whether the job being executed includes printing of the next sheet (S24). If it is determined that the next sheet is to be printed (S24: YES), the CPU 101 drives the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction to move the slide holder 16 from the completion position KP to the initial position FP (returning) (S26). The process of S26 is the process of "Cutter movement (returning)" in the "Control" item of FIG. 5, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in FIG. 5 via the ASIC 105. Then, the CPU 101 returns the process to the above S16 and continues to execute the processes from S16 onwards. Here, when the sheet single-sided printing cutting process is to be performed continuously on the next sheet, the switching control of the flapper 88 is not performed. This is because the flapper 88 has already been switched to the second position 88B in the process of S14 and this state is maintained. Therefore, when printing and cutting continuously, it is convenient because it is not necessary to switch the flapper 88 each time.

On the other hand, if the next sheet is not to be printed (S24: NO), the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 to the first position 88A (S28). The process of S28 is the process of "flapper switching (first position)" in the "control" item of FIG. 5, and the CPU 101 outputs each control signal shown in FIG. 5 via the ASIC 105. By the process of S28, the flapper 88 is switched from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state), and the cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction. Therefore, the flapper 88 guides the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 to the first discharge path 201A where the cutter 10 is not provided, and the slide holder 16 of the cutter 10 starts to move toward the completion position KP. However, at this time, the slide holder 16 is at the completion position KP, so it does not move any further. The slide holder 16 is in the completion position KP because the answer in S66 above (see FIG. 8) is "YES."

Next, the CPU 101 drives the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction, as in S26 above, to move the slide holder 16 from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP (returning) (S30). Then, as in S16 above, the CPU 101 waits until the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position FP (S32: NO), and when the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position FP (S32: YES), the CPU 101 stops the cutter motor 106 (S34), as in S18 above.

Next, the CPU 101 turns off the heater 63 (S36), outputs a control signal to the motor driver MD2 to stop the main motor 108 (S38), and then ends the sheet single-sided printing and cutting process.

The order of the processes in S28 and S30 to S34 is important. In other words, it is not preferable to perform S28 after S30 to S34. When S30 to S34 are performed, the slide holder 16 is stopped at the initial position FP. When S28 is then performed, as described above, the flapper 88 is switched to the first position 88A and the cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction. This is because the slide holder 16 may shift slightly from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP. If S30 to S34 are performed after S28, this type of shift from the initial position FP will not occur.

<Sheet double-sided printing and cutting process>
Fig. 9 shows the procedure of the sheet double-sided printing and cutting process executed by the ASIC 105, particularly the CPU 101. This sheet double-sided printing and cutting process is started when the multifunction device 1 receives a print job or print command including an instruction to print (form an image) on both sides of the sheet S and an instruction to cut the double-sided printed sheet S. Fig. 9 is configured by partially modifying the sheet single-sided printing and cutting process in Fig. 6, so in Fig. 9, the same processes as in Fig. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted as appropriate.

As described above, before the process of FIG. 9 is started, the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A (first state) as its initial position, and is in a position to guide the sheet S toward the first discharge path 201A.

The CPU 101 executes the processes of S10, S12, and S20. The CPU 101 uses the conveying unit 3 to convey the sheet S toward the first discharge path 201A. The image forming process of S20 indicates a process of forming an image on the first side of the sheet S. Then, the CPU 101 executes the sheet inversion process (S80). FIG. 10 shows the detailed procedure of the sheet inversion process. In FIG. 10, the CPU 101 first waits until the sheet S reaches the inversion position (S90: NO). The CPU 101 executes this by determining whether the sheet S has reached the inversion position. The CPU 101 determines whether the rear end of the sheet S in the conveying direction has reached the inversion position by determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the discharge sensor SE3 detected the front end of the sheet S in the conveying direction.

When the sheet S reaches the reversal position (S90: YES), the CPU 101 drives the discharge motor 109 to rotate in the opposite direction (S92). As the discharge motor 109 rotates in the opposite direction, the third discharge roller 87 rotates in the opposite direction to the direction of conveyance of the sheet S, and the sheet S is conveyed toward the re-conveyance path 202. The sheet S conveyed to the re-conveyance path 202 is conveyed toward the process unit 4 by the re-conveyance rollers 38 and 39.

As in S42 (see FIG. 7) above, the CPU 101 waits until the post-registration sensor SE2 switches from off to on (S94: NO). Then, when the post-registration sensor SE2 detects the leading edge of the sheet S (S94: YES), the CPU 101 ends the sheet inversion process.

Returning to FIG. 9, the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 to the second position 88B (S82) in the same manner as in S14 (see FIG. 6) above. This switches the flapper 88 to the second position 88B, and the cutter motor 106 is driven in the reverse direction. As a result, the flapper 88 guides the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 to the second discharge path 201B in which the cutter 10 is provided, and the slide holder 16 of the cutter 10 starts to move toward the initial position FP.

Then, similar to S16 above, the CPU 101 waits until the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position (S84: NO), and when the slide holder 16 reaches the initial position FP (S84: YES), the CPU 101 executes the image formation process (second side) (S86).

Figure 11 shows the detailed procedure of the image forming process (second side) in which an image is formed on the second side of the sheet S transported via the re-transport path 202. The image forming process (second side) is configured by omitting the processes of S40 and S42 included in the image forming process of Figure 7. Therefore, in the process of Figure 11, the same processes as those included in the image forming process of Figure 7 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted. The image forming process (second side) is configured by omitting the processes of S40 and S42 included in the image forming process of Figure 7 because the sheet S to be printed is a sheet S that has been printed on its first side via the re-transport path 202, and there is no need to pick up a new sheet S from the supply tray 31, and because the process of S42 has already been performed in S94 (see Figure 10), there is no need to perform it redundantly.

Returning to FIG. 9, the CPU 101 executes the process of S18 in FIG. 6. By the sheet cutting process of S18, the sheet S with images formed on both the first and second sides is cut by the cutter 10.

Next, the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state) (S88) in the same manner as in S28 (see FIG. 6) above. This switches the flapper 88 to the first position 88A, and the cutter motor 106 rotates forward. As a result, the flapper 88 guides the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 36 to the first discharge path 201A where the cutter 10 is not provided, and the slide holder 16 of the cutter 10 starts to move toward the completion position KP. However, since the slide holder 16 is at the completion position KP at this time, it does not move any further. The slide holder 16 is at the completion position KP because it was determined to be "YES" in S66 (see FIG. 8) above.

If it is determined in S24 that the job being executed involves printing the next sheet (S24: YES), the CPU 101 returns the process to S20 and continues executing the processes from S20 onwards.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S24 that the job being executed does not include printing of the next sheet (S24: NO), the CPU 101 executes the same processes of S30 to S38 as those of S30 to S38 in FIG. 6, and then ends the sheet duplex printing and cutting process.

If the job being executed does not include printing of the next sheet (S24: NO), the order of processing S88 and S30 to S34 is important. If the result is (S24: NO) after processing S88, processing S30 to S34 can be performed to prevent the slide holder 16 from shifting from the initial position FP.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
(1) The multifunction device 1 of this embodiment includes an image forming unit 2, a fixing unit 6, a cutter 10 having a movable blade 15 fixed to a slide holder 16, a main body 20 having a first discharge path 201A for discharging the sheet S to the outside without passing through the cutter position SP and a second discharge path 201B for discharging the sheet S to the outside via the cutter position SP, a cutter motor 106, a DC motor driver MD4, a flapper 88, and a flapper solenoid 89.
The movable blade 15 fixed to the slide holder 16 is movable in a cutting direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP or from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP. The movable blade 15 cuts the sheet S at the cutter position SP by moving in the direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP.
The DC motor driver MD 4 controls the drive of the cutter motor 106 as well as the switching of the flapper solenoid 89 .

In the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment, the DC motor driver MD4 controls the flapper solenoid 89 in addition to driving and controlling the cutter motor 106, making it possible to omit the circuit for switching and controlling the flapper solenoid 89.

(2) The DC motor driver MD4 also has terminals OUT1 and OUT2. A current for driving the cutter motor 106 flows from the terminals OUT1 and OUT2 of the DC motor driver MD4, and a current for the flapper solenoid 89 to switch the flapper 88 flows from the terminals OUT1 and OUT2.

In this way, the DC motor driver MD4 supplies current not only to the cutter motor 106, but also to the flapper solenoid 89. The flapper solenoid 89 can switch the flapper 88 by the current supplied to it. Therefore, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment does not require a separate circuit that supplies current to the flapper solenoid 89.

(3) In addition, terminals OUT1 and OUT2 of DC motor driver MD4 are connected to cutter motor 106 by signal lines SL1 and SL2, respectively, and connection point CP1 on signal line SL1 and connection point CP2 on signal line SL2 are connected to flapper solenoid 89 by signal lines SL11 and SL21, respectively.
Multifunction device 1 further includes a first shutoff circuit 90A and a second shutoff circuit 90B. First shutoff circuit 90A is disposed on signal line SL11 and is a circuit that either passes or cuts off the current flowing through signal line SL11. Second shutoff circuit 90B is disposed on signal line SL21 and is a circuit that either passes or cuts off the current flowing through signal line SL21.
When the DC motor driver MD4 passes current from the terminal OUT1, if the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B are in a state of cutting off the current, the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction. By driving the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction, the moving blade 15 moves in the cutting direction, which is the direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP.
When DC motor driver MD4 passes current from terminal OUT1, if first shutoff circuit 90A and second shutoff circuit 90B are in a state where they allow current to pass, current flows through flapper solenoid 89. Then, flapper solenoid 89 switches flapper 88 so that the position of flapper 88 changes from second position 88B (second state) to first position 88A (first state).
When the DC motor driver MD4 passes current from the terminal OUT2, if the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B are in a state of cutting off the current, the DC motor driver MD4 reverses the rotation of the cutter motor 106. By driving the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction, the moving blade 15 moves in the cutting direction, which is the direction from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP.
When DC motor driver MD4 passes current from terminal OUT2, if first shutoff circuit 90A and second shutoff circuit 90B are in a state where they allow current to pass, current flows through flapper solenoid 89. Then, flapper solenoid 89 switches flapper 88 so that the position of flapper 88 changes from first position 88A (first state) to second position 88B (second state).

In this way, by simply providing the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B and controlling the passage/shutoff of current through the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B, the DC motor driver MD4 can control the movement of the moving blade 15 and the switching of the position of the flapper 88 by the flapper solenoid 89.

(4) The multifunction device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a CPU 101 .
When the sheet is cut by moving the movable blade 15 from the initial position FP to the completion position KP, the CPU 101 instructs the first cutting circuit 90A and the second cutting circuit 90B to cut off the current. The CPU 101 instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow a current from the terminal OUT1.
When the moving blade 15 is returned from the completion position KP to the initial position FP, the CPU 101 instructs the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B to cut off the current, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT2.
When the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state), it instructs the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B to pass current, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT1.
When the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state), the CPU 101 instructs the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B to pass current, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT2.

In this way, by providing the first cutoff circuit 90A and the second cutoff circuit 90B, the CPU 101 can control the movement of the moving blade 15 and the switching of the position of the flapper 88 by the flapper solenoid 89 simply by instructing the first cutoff circuit 90A and the second cutoff circuit 90B to pass or cut off current.

(5) MFP 1 of this embodiment further includes CPU 101, a first shutoff circuit 90A, and a second shutoff circuit 90B. First shutoff circuit 90A includes diode DI1 oriented to pass current from flapper solenoid 89 toward connection point CP1, and transistor SW1 arranged in parallel with diode DI1 for turning on and off the flowing current. Second shutoff circuit 90B includes diode DI2 oriented to pass current from flapper solenoid 89 toward connection point CP2, and transistor SW2 arranged in parallel with diode DI2 for turning on and off the flowing current.
When the sheet S is cut by moving the movable blade 15 from the initial position FP to the completion position KP, the CPU 101 instructs the first cutting circuit 90A and the second cutting circuit 90B to cut off the current, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT1.
When the moving blade 15 is returned from the completion position KP to the initial position FP, the CPU 101 instructs the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B to cut off the current, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT2.
When the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state), it outputs an on signal to the transistor SW1, outputs an off signal to the transistor SW2, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT1.
When the CPU 101 switches the flapper 88 from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state), it outputs an off signal to the transistor SW1, outputs an on signal to the transistor SW2, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT2.

By configuring the first shutoff circuit 90A with a diode DI1 and a transistor SW1, and configuring the second shutoff circuit 90B with a diode DI2 and a transistor SW2, it is possible to switch the current flow from one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89 to the other terminal T12, or from the other terminal T12 of the flapper solenoid 89 to one terminal T11.

(6) In addition, when cutting a sheet having an image formed on one side, the CPU 101 outputs the following signal when switching the flapper 88 from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state) before the cutter 10 cuts the sheet S.
The CPU 101 outputs an OFF signal to the transistor SW1 and outputs an ON signal to the transistor SW2 via the ASIC 105. The CPU 101 instructs the DC motor driver MD4 via the ASIC 105 to supply current from the terminal OUT2 (S14). The moving blade 15 moves in the direction from the completion position KP back to the initial position FP.
After S14, when the CPU 101 detects that the moving blade 15 has reached the initial position FP (S16: YES), it causes the DC motor driver MD4 to stop outputting current from the terminal OUT2 (S18).
After S18, the CPU 101 cuts the sheet S that has reached the cutter position SP (S60, S62) by controlling the DC motor driver MD4 to move the moving blade 15 from the initial position FP to the completion position KP (S64, S66).

In this way, the CPU 101 simply outputs an OFF signal to transistor SW1, outputs an ON signal to transistor SW2, and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from terminal OUT2, causing the flapper 88 to switch from the first position 88A (first state) to the second position 88B (second state) and causing the moving blade 15 to start moving toward the initial position FP, so there is no need to issue a new instruction to cause the moving blade 15 to start moving toward the initial position FP.

(7) Furthermore, when the flapper 88 is switched from the second position 88B (second state) to the first position 88A (first state) after the sheet S is cut by the cutter 10, the CPU 101 outputs the following signal.
The CPU 101 outputs an ON signal to the transistor SW1 and an OFF signal to the transistor SW2 via the ASIC 105. The CPU 101 instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to supply current from the terminal OUT1 via the ASIC 105 (S28). Then, the moving blade 15 moves in the direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP.
After S28, CPU 101 instructs first shutoff circuit 90A and second shutoff circuit 90B to shut off the current, and instructs DC motor driver MD4 to pass current from terminal OUT2 (S30). Then, moving blade 15 moves in the direction returning from completion position KP to initial position FP.
When the CPU 101 detects that the moving blade 15 has reached the initial position FP (S32: YES), it instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to stop outputting current from the terminal OUT2 (S34).

When the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment issues an instruction to switch the flapper 88 from the second position 88B to the first position 88A, the moving blade 15 starts moving in a direction from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP. Therefore, after issuing the instruction to switch, the CPU 101 moves the moving blade 15 in a direction returning from the completion position KP to the initial position FP, thereby returning the moving blade 15 to the initial position FP.

(8) Furthermore, when the process unit 4 again performs image formation on one side of the sheet S after the cutter 10 has cut the sheet S, the CPU 101 instructs the first shutoff circuit 90A and the second shutoff circuit 90B to shut off the current and instructs the DC motor driver MD4 to flow current from the terminal OUT2 (S26).
After S26, when the CPU 101 detects that the moving blade 15 has reached the initial position (S16), it causes the DC motor driver MD4 to stop outputting current from the terminals OUT1 and OUT2 (S18).
The CPU 101 cuts the sheet S that has reached the cutter position (S60, S62) by controlling the DC motor driver MD4 to move the moving blade 15 from the initial position FP to the completion position KP (S64, S66).

After the cutter 10 cuts the sheet S, if the process unit 4 is to perform image formation on one side of the sheet again, the flapper 88 has already been switched to the second position 88B (S14), so the CPU 101 does not need to issue an instruction to switch the flapper 88 to the second position 88B again.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since this embodiment is configured by modifying a part of the control configuration of the multifunction device 1 described in the first embodiment (see FIG. 4), the description will focus on the modified part and omit the description of the other parts as appropriate.

Fig. 12 shows in detail a part of the control configuration of the multifunction printer 1 according to this embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 4 of the first embodiment. The flapper solenoid 89 in Fig. 4 is a self-holding solenoid, but the flapper solenoid 89' in Fig. 12 is a well-known solenoid that does not have a fixed iron core, unlike the self-holding solenoid. The flapper solenoid 89' has a coil 892, a movable iron core (not shown), a spring (not shown), one terminal T11, and the other terminal T12.
It should be noted that, in the control configuration of FIG. 12, circuits such as first shutoff circuit 90A and second shutoff circuit 90B in FIG. 4 are not present, and therefore the number of signals output from ASIC 105 can be reduced compared to the control configuration of FIG. 4.

In FIG. 12, the terminal OUT1 of the DC motor driver MD4 is connected to one terminal T1 of the cutter motor 106 via a signal line SL3. The terminal OUT2 of the DC motor driver MD4 is connected to the other terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106 via a signal line SL4.

The connection point CP3 provided on the signal line SL3 is connected to one terminal T11 of the flapper solenoid 89' via the signal line SL31. The other terminal T12 of the flapper solenoid 89' is connected to the ground section GND via the signal line SL32.

When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' is in the "initial state" position, the flapper 88 is in the first position 88A, and is in the first state in which the sheet S is guided to the first discharge path 201A.

When the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' is in the <initial state> position, if current flows through the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89', the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' is attracted to the coil 892. The movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' is in the <attraction state> position. If current continues to flow through the coil 892, the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' is maintained in the <attraction state> position.

When current continues to flow through coil 892 and the movable core of flapper solenoid 89' is maintained in the "attracted state" position, if current stops flowing to coil 892, the movable core of flapper solenoid 89' will return from the "attracted state" position to the "initial state" position by the spring.

As the movable iron core of the flapper solenoid 89' moves from the <initial state> position to the <attraction state> position, the flapper 88 switches from the first position 88A, which is the <initial state> position, to the second position 88B, which is the <attraction state> position.
As the movable core of the flapper solenoid 89' moves from the <attraction state> position to the <initial state> position, the flapper 88 switches from the second position 88B, which is the <attraction state> position, to the first position 88A, which is the <initial state> position.

(a) The CPU 101 outputs the control signals P1 (IN1)=H; P2 (IN2)=L via the ASIC 105.
When control signals IN1=H and IN2=L are input, the DC motor driver MD4 outputs a current from the terminal OUT1 to one terminal T1 of the cutter motor 106, and the current returns to the terminal OUT2 via the coil 1061 and the other terminal T2.
The cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction by a current flowing from one terminal T1 to the other terminal T2 via the coil 1061. As the cutter motor 106 is driven in the forward direction, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the initial position FP to the completion position KP (forward path).

The current output from terminal OUT1 of DC motor driver MD4 branches at connection point CP3. The current branched at connection point CP3 flows through signal line SL31, from one terminal T11 of flapper solenoid 89' to coil 892, and through the other terminal T12 to ground GND.

When current flows through coil 892 of flapper solenoid 89', flapper solenoid 89' moves from the <initial state> position to the <attraction state> position, and flapper 88 switches from first position 88A, which is the <initial state> position, to second position 88B, which is the <attraction state> position. As long as current continues to flow through coil 892 of flapper solenoid 89', the position of flapper 88 will continue to be second position 88B.

(b) The CPU 101 outputs the control signals P1 (IN1)=L; P2 (IN2)=H via the ASIC 105.
When the DC motor driver MD4 receives control signals IN1=L and IN2=H, it outputs a current from the terminal OUT2 to the other terminal T2 of the cutter motor 106, and the current returns to the terminal OUT1 via the coil 1061 and the other terminal T1.
The cutter motor 106 is driven in a reverse direction by a current flowing from the other terminal T2 to one terminal T1 via the coil 1061. As the cutter motor 106 is driven in a reverse direction, the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the completion position KP to the initial position FP (return path).

The current output from terminal OUT2 of DC motor driver MD4 passes through the other terminal T2 of cutter motor 106, coil 1061, and one terminal T1, and branches at connection point CP3. The current branched at connection point CP3 passes through signal line SL31, flows from one terminal T11 of flapper solenoid 89' to coil 892, and the other terminal T12 to ground section GND.

Then, as current flows through coil 892 of flapper solenoid 89', flapper solenoid 89' moves from the <initial state> position to the <attraction state> position, and flapper 88 switches from first position 88A, which is the <initial state> position, to second position 88B, which is the <attraction state> position. As long as current continues to flow through coil 892 of flapper solenoid 89', the position of flapper 88 will continue to be second position 88B.

(c) The CPU 101 outputs the control signals P1 (IN1) = L; P2 (IN2) = L via the ASIC 105. When the control signals IN1 = L and IN2 = L are input, the DC motor driver MD4 does not output current from either the terminal OUT1 or the terminal OUT2, so the cutter motor 106 stops.

Current from the DC motor driver MD4 does not flow through the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89'. Therefore, if the position of the flapper 88 is the second position 88B, the position of the flapper 88 returns from the second position 88B to the first position 88A by preventing current from flowing through the coil 892.

Figure 12 shows that in the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment, in case (a), the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP (outward path), and in case (b), the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 moves from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP (return path).
When the cutting position on the sheet S reaches the cutter position SP, the rear end of the sheet S passes through the flapper 88. Therefore, even if the slide holder 16 having the moving blade 15 is moved from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP (outward path) or from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP (return path) when the cutting position on the sheet S reaches the cutter position SP, the sheet S will not be jammed by the slide holder 16.

In this embodiment, the connection point CP3 is provided on the signal line SL3, but the connection point CP3 may be provided on the signal line SL4.

As described above, the terminals OUT1 and OUT2 of the DC motor driver MD4 are connected to the cutter motor 106 by the signal lines SL3 and SL4, respectively.
The flapper solenoid 89' is a circuit that is connected to a connection point CP3 provided on either the signal line SL3 or one of the signal lines on the signal line SL4, and through which the current flowing from the DC motor driver MD4 via the connection point CP3 flows to the ground section GND.
The flapper 88 is in the first position 88A when no current flows through the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89'. When the DC motor driver MD4 passes a current through the terminal OUT1, the cutter motor 106 rotates forward and a current flows from the terminal OUT1 to the ground section GND via the connection point CP3 and the flapper solenoid 89'.
When the DC motor driver MD4 passes current from the terminal OUT2, the cutter motor 106 is driven in the reverse direction and current flows from the terminal OUT2 to the ground GND via the cutter motor 106, the connection point CP3 and the flapper solenoid 89' in this order.

In this way, the DC motor driver MD4 moves the movable blade 15 from the initial position FP toward the completion position KP by driving the cutter motor 106 in the forward direction, and also switches the flapper 88 from the first position 88A to the second position 88B by causing a current to flow through the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89'.
On the other hand, the DC motor driver MD4 drives the cutter motor 106 in the reverse direction to move the movable blade 15 from the completion position KP toward the initial position FP, and also switches the flapper 88 from the first position 88A to the second position 88B by passing a current through the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89'.
Also, the DC motor driver MD4 can return the flapper 88 from the second position 88B to the first position 88A by not passing current through the cutter motor 106 and the coil 892 of the flapper solenoid 89'.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the multifunction machine 1 is given as an example of an image forming device, but the image forming device is not limited to the multifunction machine 1 and may be a standalone printer or copier. In each of the above embodiments, the multifunction machine 1 having a fixing unit 6 is given, but the image forming device may be an inkjet printer.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the detection positions at which the pre-registration sensor SE1, the post-registration sensor SE2, the discharge sensor SE3, and the sheet sensor SE4 detect the passage of the sheet S are approximately the same as the installation positions of the respective sensors, but this is not limited thereto, and sensors may be used in which the installation positions of the sensors are separated from the detection positions of the sheet S.

(3) In the first embodiment, NPN transistors SW1 and SW2 are given as an example of the first switch and the second switch, but they may be PNP transistors or other devices such as FETs. In short, anything that can pass/block current will do.

1...Multifunction device (image forming device), 2...Image forming section, 3...Transport section, 4...Process section, 6...Fuser (fixing section), 20...Main body (device main body), 61...Heating roller (heating rotor), 62...Pressure roller (pressure rotor), 63...Heater, 85...First discharge roller (discharge roller), 86...Second discharge roller (discharge roller), 87...Third discharge roller (discharge roller), 88...Flapper, 88A...First position (first state), 88B...Second position (second state), 89, 89'...Flapper solenoid, 90A...First cutoff circuit, 90B...Second cutoff circuit, 101...CPU (control section), 102...ROM, 103...RAM, 104...NVRAM, 105...ASIC, 106...Cutter motor, 108...Main motor, 109...Discharge motor, 110...Low voltage power supply board, 2 01...conveyance path, 201A...first discharge path, 201B...second discharge path, 202...re-conveyance path, MD4...DC motor driver (motor driver), S...sheet, SE1...pre-registration sensor, SE2...post-registration sensor, SE3...discharge sensor, SE4...sheet sensor, SL1...signal line (first signal line), SL2...signal line (second signal line), SL11...signal line (third signal line), SL21...signal line (fourth signal line), SL3...signal line (fifth signal line), SL4...signal line (sixth signal line), CP1...connection point (first connection point), CP2...connection point (second connection point), CP3...connection point (third connection point), SW1...transistor (first switch), SW2...transistor (second switch), DI1...diode (first rectifier element), DI2...diode (second rectifier element).

Claims (9)

an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
a fixing section including a heating rotator and a pressure rotator that forms a nip between the heating rotator and the pressure rotator, and fixes an image formed on a sheet onto the sheet;
a cutter having a movable blade that is arranged at a cutter position downstream of the fixing unit in a sheet conveying direction in a conveying path along which a sheet is conveyed through the image forming unit and the fixing unit, the cutter cutting the sheet by moving the movable blade in a cutting direction that intersects with the sheet conveying direction;
an apparatus main body having the transport path, the apparatus main body having a first discharge path for discharging the sheet to the outside of the apparatus main body without passing through the cutter position, and a second discharge path for discharging the sheet to the outside of the apparatus main body via the cutter position;
a cutter motor that transmits a driving force to the cutter for moving the moving blade in the cutting direction;
A motor driver for controlling the drive of the cutter motor;
a flapper that guides the sheet to one of the first discharge path and the second discharge path;
a flapper solenoid that switches the flapper between a first state in which the sheet is guided to the first discharge path and a second state in which the sheet is guided to the second discharge path;
Equipped with
The motor driver controls the switching of the flapper solenoid in addition to the drive control of the cutter motor.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: The motor driver includes:
A first terminal and a second terminal are provided.
a current for driving the cutter motor is supplied from the first terminal and the second terminal, and a current for switching the flapper is supplied from the first terminal and the second terminal to the flapper solenoid;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the cutter motor by a first signal line and a second signal line, respectively;
a first connection point on the first signal line and a second connection point on the second signal line are connected to the flapper solenoid by a third signal line and a fourth signal line, respectively;
Furthermore,
a first blocking circuit disposed on the third signal line and configured to pass or block a current flowing on the third signal line;
a second blocking circuit disposed on the fourth signal line and configured to pass or block a current flowing on the fourth signal line;
Equipped with
The motor driver includes:
When a current flows from the first terminal,
When the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit are in a state of cutting off the current, the cutter motor is rotated a first time to move the movable blade in the cutting direction,
When the first interrupting circuit and the second interrupting circuit are in a state where a current is passing through them, the current flows through the flapper solenoid, thereby switching the flapper solenoid from the second state to the first state,
When a current flows from the second terminal,
When the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit are in a state of cutting off the current, the cutter motor is rotated a second time to move the movable blade in the cutting direction,
When the first interrupting circuit and the second interrupting circuit are in a state where a current is passing through them, the current flows through the flapper solenoid, thereby switching the flapper solenoid from the first state to the second state.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, The movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position,
Furthermore,
A control unit,
The control unit is
When cutting a sheet by moving the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position, an instruction is given to the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit to cut off a current, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to flow a current from the first terminal,
When returning the moving blade from the completion position to the initial position, an instruction is given to the first breaking circuit and the second breaking circuit to break a current, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal;
when switching the flapper from the second state to the first state, instructing the first blocking circuit and the second blocking circuit to pass a current and instructing the motor driver to flow a current from the first terminal;
when switching the flapper from the first state to the second state, instructing the first blocking circuit and the second blocking circuit to pass a current, and instructing the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position,
The first interruption circuit is
a first rectifying element disposed in a direction in which a current flows from the flapper solenoid to the first connection point; and a first switch disposed in parallel with the first rectifying element and turning on and off the flow of the current,
The second interruption circuit is
a second rectifier element disposed in a direction in which a current flows from the flapper solenoid to the second connection point; and a second switch disposed in parallel with the second rectifier element and turning on and off the flow of the current,
Furthermore,
A control unit,
The control unit is
When cutting a sheet by moving the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position, an instruction is given to the first cutoff circuit and the second cutoff circuit to cut off a current, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to flow a current from the first terminal,
When returning the moving blade from the completion position to the initial position, an instruction is given to the first breaking circuit and the second breaking circuit to break a current, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal;
When switching the flapper from the second state to the first state, an ON signal is output to the first switch, an OFF signal is output to the second switch, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to cause a current to flow from the first terminal;
When switching the flapper from the first state to the second state, an OFF signal is output to the first switch, an ON signal is output to the second switch, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to cause a current to flow from the second terminal.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The control unit is
When cutting a sheet having an image formed on one side thereof, the flapper is switched from the first state to the second state before the cutter cuts the sheet,
an OFF signal is output to the first switch, an ON signal is output to the second switch, and an instruction is given to the motor driver to cause a current to flow from the second terminal, and then, when it is detected that the moving blade has reached the initial position, the motor driver is caused to stop outputting the current from the second terminal;
cutting the sheet that has reached the cutter position by controlling the motor driver to move the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position;
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, The control unit is
When the flapper is switched from the second state to the first state after the cutter cuts the sheet,
outputting an on signal to the first switch, outputting an off signal to the second switch, and instructing the motor driver to flow a current from the first terminal, and then instructing the first shutoff circuit and the second shutoff circuit to shut off a current and instructing the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal;
when it is detected that the moving blade has reached the initial position, the motor driver stops outputting a current from the second terminal.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, The control unit is
When the image forming unit again forms an image on one side of the sheet after the sheet is cut by the cutter,
instructing the first and second breaking circuits to break a current and instructing the motor driver to flow a current from the second terminal, and then causing the motor driver to stop outputting a current from the first terminal and the second terminal when it is detected that the moving blade has reached the initial position;
cutting the sheet that has reached the cutter position by controlling the motor driver to move the moving blade from the initial position to the completion position;
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, The movable blade is movable in the cutting direction from an initial position to a completion position,
the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the cutter motor by a fifth signal line and a sixth signal line, respectively;
The flapper solenoid is
a circuit connected to a third connection point provided on any one of the fifth signal line and the sixth signal line, and in which a current flowing from the motor driver via the third connection point flows to a ground section,
The flapper is in the first state when no current flows through the flapper solenoid,
The motor driver includes:
When a current flows from the first terminal, the cutter motor rotates in a first direction and a current flows from the first terminal to the ground portion via the third connection point and the flapper solenoid,
When a current is applied from the second terminal, the cutter motor rotates at a second speed and a current flows from the second terminal to the ground portion through the cutter motor, the third connection point, and the flapper solenoid in this order.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

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