Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes: conveyance part that conveys, along a conveyance path, continuous paper in which fold lines are disposed per constant size; a detector that is disposed in a detection position in the middle of the conveyance path and detects whether or not a fold line in the continuous paper at the detection position is a mountain fold or a valley fold; and a memory that stores predetermined numbers of conveyance steps per size of one sheet of the continuous paper, wherein a leading edge of the continuous paper is loaded to a preset reference position, the number of conveyance steps corresponding to the size of one sheet of the continuous paper is read from the memory, the continuous paper is conveyed by the number of conveyance steps, and the fold line is aligned with the detection position of the detector.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    (1) Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method. 
         [0003]    (2) Related Art 
         [0004]    Conventionally, among printers, a printer that prints continuous paper such as folded paper has been known. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including: conveyance part that conveys, along a conveyance path, continuous paper in which fold lines are disposed per constant size; a detector that is disposed in a detection position in the middle of the conveyance path and detects whether or not a fold line in the continuous paper at the detection position is a mountain fold or a valley fold; and a memory that stores predetermined numbers of conveyance steps per size of one sheet of the continuous paper, wherein a leading edge of the continuous paper is loaded to a preset reference position, the number of conveyance steps corresponding to the size of one sheet of the continuous paper is read from the memory, the continuous paper is conveyed by the number of conveyance steps, and the fold line is aligned with the detection position of the detector. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an overall view showing the completion of auto-loading in a printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an overall view showing the state of auto-loading in the printer according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an overall view showing mountain/valley detection in the printer according to the exemplary of the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the folding of continuous paper according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing a controller and the like according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing a table stored in a number-of-conveyance-steps memory housed in the controller of  FIG. 5 ; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing auto-loading according to the exemplary of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    A printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 7 . 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a printer  1  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a substantially U-shaped conveyance path  5 . Continuous paper  2 , in which fold lines A to K that are perforated lines are disposed at constant intervals, is conveyed along the conveyance path  5  from a paper supply port  3  to a stacker  23 . Sequentially disposed along the conveyance path  5 , from the upstream side to the downstream side, are first conveyance rollers  10 , a first developer  11 , a first drum  12 , a first transfer unit  13 , a second developer  14 , a second drum  15 , a second transfer unit  16 , a first fixer  17 , second conveyance rollers  18 , a second fixer  19 , a mountain/valley detector  20 , third conveyance rollers  21 , a swing arm  22 , and a stacker  23 . The printer  1  also includes a controller  30  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0016]    The first developer  11  and the first fixer  17  print the front side of the continuous paper  2 , and the second developer  14  and the second fixer  19  print the back side of the continuous paper  2 . Further, the first, second, and third conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  are driven by a stepping motor, for example, and configure conveyance parts for conveying the continuous paper  2  along the conveyance path  5 . 
         [0017]    The mountain/valley detector  20  is disposed between the third conveyance rollers  21  and the second fixer  19  along the conveyance path  5 . When the continuous paper  2  reaches a detection position M of the mountain/valley detector  20 , the mountain/valley detector  20  detects whether, for example, the fold line G in the continuous paper  2  is a mountain fold or a valley fold and outputs a detection signal to the controller  30 . 
         [0018]    A paper supply port sensor  4  is disposed in the paper supply port  3 . When the continuous paper  2  is set in the paper supply port  3 , the paper supply port sensor  4  detects whether or not the leading edge of the continuous paper  2  has been inserted into the paper supply port  3 , outputs a detection signal to the controller  30 , and causes the continuous paper  2  to be conveyed by the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  along the conveyance path  5 . 
         [0019]    A stacker sensor  31  is disposed at a position in the vicinity of the stacker  23 , which is a paper discharger. The stacker sensor  31  detects whether or not the leading edge of the continuous paper  2  conveyed along the conveyance path  5  has reached a reference position L in the vicinity of the stacker  23 , outputs a detection signal to the controller  30 , and causes the conveyance of the continuous paper  2  to be temporarily stopped. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the direction in which the swing arm  22  is to start swinging is determined on the basis of a signal outputted from the later-described controller  30 . The swing arm  22  swings like a pendulum in the direction of the arrows shown in  FIG. 3  in correspondence to the folding direction (mountain fold, valley fold) of the continuous paper  2  sequentially discharged toward the stacker  23 , whereby the continuous paper  2  is methodically folded on the stacker  23  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0021]    A number-of-conveyance-steps memory  30 A is housed in the controller  30 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , for example, a table of numbers of conveyance steps X that have been determined per size of one sheet of the continuous paper  2  is stored in advance in the number-of-conveyance-steps memory  30 A. Here, the user uses a button (not shown) disposed on the printer  1  to input from the outside the size of the continuous paper  2  to be printed. Thus, the controller  30  reads, from the number-of-conveyance-steps memory  30 A, one of the numbers of conveyance steps X corresponding to the size of the continuous paper  2  from among the numbers of conveyance steps X in the table shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0022]    The controller  30  also controls the first, second, and third conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  on the basis of the read number of conveyance steps X, causes the continuous paper  2 , whose leading edge has reached the position in the vicinity of the stacker  23  and which has been temporarily stopped, to be driven by the number of conveyance steps X by the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21 , causes the continuous paper  2  to be conveyed such that, for example, the fold line G in the continuous paper  2  coincides with the detection position of the mountain/valley detector  20 , and determines the direction in which the swing arm  22  is to start swinging. 
         [0023]    Further, after the fold line G in the continuous paper  2  coincides with the detection position M of the mountain/valley detector  20  in this manner, the controller  30  causes the continuous paper  2  to be conveyed by the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  20  by a length Y that is equal to the difference between the size of one sheet of the continuous paper  2  and the conveyance length resulting from the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  corresponding to the number of conveyance steps X, causes the fold line B in the continuous paper  2  to coincide with a printing start reference position S, and sets such that printing can be conducted per one sheet of the continuous paper  2 . 
         [0024]    Next, the process of auto-loading from when the continuous paper  2  is set to when printing can be started in the printer  1  according to the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
         [0025]    First, in step  1 , the continuous paper  2  for sheet number management is set in the paper supply port  3 , and the continuous paper  2  is conveyed along the conveyance path  5  by the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  toward the stacker  23 . 
         [0026]    Next, in step  2 , whether or not the number of conveyed sheets of the continuous paper  2  for sheet number management has reached a prescribed number ( 12  sheets in the exemplary embodiment) is determined on the basis of the number which is obtained to divide the length of the conveyance path  5  by the length of one sheet of the continuous paper  2 . When the number of conveyed sheets has not reached the prescribed number (NO) then the processing of step  2  is repeated, and when the number of conveyed sheets has reached the prescribed number (YES), then the flow moves to step  3 . 
         [0027]    In step  3 , conveyance of the continuous paper  2  for managing the number of conveyance steps X is started, and then the flow moves to step  4 . Next, in step  4 , it is determined whether or not the number of conveyance steps X of the continuous paper  2  resulting from the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21  has reached a prescribed number of steps. When the number of conveyance steps X has not reached the prescribed number of steps (NO), then the processing of step  4  is repeated, and when the number of conveyance steps X has reached the prescribed number of steps, that is, when the fold line G in the continuous paper  2  coincides with the detection position M of the mountain/valley detector  20  (YES, the state shown in  FIG. 3 ), then the flow moves to step  5 . 
         [0028]    In step  5 , the conveyance of the continuous paper  2  is temporarily stopped. Next, the flow moves to step  6 , where the mountain/valley detector  20  detects whether the fold line G in the continuous paper  2  is a mountain fold or a valley fold. Next, the flow moves to step  7 , where the initial swinging direction of the swing arm  22  (the direction in which the swing arm  22  is to start swinging) is determined on the basis of the detection result of the mountain/valley detector  20 , and the swing arm  22  is caused to swing. 
         [0029]    Next, in step  8 , the continuous paper  2  is conveyed by the prescribed number of steps corresponding to the length Y that is equal to the difference between the size of one sheet of the continuous paper  2  and the length corresponding to the number of conveyance steps X resulting from the conveyance rollers  10 ,  18 , and  21 . 
         [0030]    Next, the flow moves to step  9 . When the number of steps for conveying the continuous paper  2  has not reached the prescribed number of steps (NO), then the processing of step  9  is repeated. When the number of steps has reached the prescribed number of steps (YES), that is, when the fold line C in the continuous paper  2  coincides with the printing start reference position S, then the flow moves to step  10 , where the continuous paper  2  is again conveyed and printing of the continuous paper  2  is started. Next, the flow moves to step  11 . When the number of conveyed sheets of the continuous paper  2  has not reached the prescribed number of sheets (NO), then the processing of step  11  is repeated. When the number of sheets has reached the prescribed number of sheets (YES), then auto-loading is completed and processing ends. 
         [0031]    In this manner, in the exemplary embodiment, even when various kinds of the continuous paper  2  having a different size of one sheet are set to the printer  1  when the continuous paper is set, the fold line in the continuous paper  2  is aligned with the detection position of the mountain/valley detector  20  on the basis of the table stored in the number-of-conveyance-steps memory  30 A of the controller  30 , and in this state it can be detected whether or not the fold line is a mountain fold or a valley fold. Thus, the direction in which the swing arm  22  is to start swinging can be determined on the basis of the detection result of the mountain/valley detector  20 . 
         [0032]    Consequently, various kinds of the continuous paper  2  having a different size of one sheet can be loaded without the operator being aware of whether or not the first fold line in the continuous paper  2  is a mountain fold or a valley fold, and the convenience of the printer  1  can be raised. 
         [0033]    It will be noted that, although an example is described in the exemplary embodiment where the continuous paper  2  is forwardly moved to align the fold line G of the fold lines A to K in the continuous paper  2  with the detection position of the mountain/valley detector  20 , the present invention is not limited to this and may also be configured such that the continuous paper  2  is reversely moved (reversely conveyed) to align the fold line H in the continuous paper  2  with the detection position of the mountain/valley detector  20 . 
         [0034]    The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.