Image forming apparatus
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorRyoichi Matsushima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a feeding roller configured to rotate responsive to drive force received from a motor to convey a recording medium via a manual feed input, and a clutch device configured to be switched between first and second modes in which the motor drive force is transmitted to the feeding roller and prevented from being transmitted to the feeding roller, respectively. The apparatus includes a sensor disposed between the manual feed input and the feeding roller for detecting the recording medium, and a control unit configured to maintain the clutch device in the first mode while controlling the motor to drive the feeding roller to feed the recording medium while the sensor detects that the recording medium is fed through the manual feed input.
Claims8
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a casing including a manual feed input through which a recording medium is inserted;
- a sheet supply unit comprising
- an input tray in which a recording medium is stored,
- a pickup roller for picking up a recording medium in the input tray, and
- a supply roller for supplying a recording medium picked up by the pick up roller;
- a motor;
- a feeding roller configured to rotate responsive to drive force received from the motor, the feeding roller being configured to convey the recording medium inserted through the manual feed input in a sheet feeding direction and configured to convey the recording medium supplied from the supply roller in the sheet feeding direction;
- a clutch device, the clutch device configured to be switched between a first mode in which the drive force from the motor is transmitted to the feeding roller and a second mode in which the drive force is prevented from being transmitted from the motor to the feeding roller;
- a first sensor configured to detect the recording medium, the first sensor being disposed between the manual feed input and the feeding roller;
- a second sensor configured to detect the recording medium, the second sensor being disposed downstream of the feeding roller in the sheet feeding direction;
- an image forming unit configured to form an image and apply the image to the recording medium, the image forming unit being disposed downstream of the second sensor in the sheet feeding direction;
- and
- a control unit,
- wherein when the feeding roller feeds the recording medium from the manual feed input, the control unit is configured to:
- maintain the clutch device in the first mode while controlling the motor to drive the feeding roller to feed the recording medium into the casing responsive to the first sensor detecting that the recording medium is fed through the manual feed input;
- control the motor to stop before a leading end of the recording medium reaches the second sensor responsive to the first sensor detecting the recording medium without switching the clutch device from the first mode to the second mode;
- and
- control the motor to drive the feeding roller to feed the recording medium to the image forming unit and to cause the image forming unit to form the image on the recording medium based on the second sensor detecting the recording medium,
- wherein when the feeding roller feeds the recording medium from the sheet supply unit, the control unit is configured to:
- control the clutch device to switch from the first mode to the second mode to stop the feeding roller before a leading end of the recording medium reaches the second sensor responsive to the first sensor detecting the recording medium with the motor being continuously driven;
- and
- control the clutch device to switch from the second mode to the first mode to drive the feeding roller to feed the recording medium to the image forming unit and to cause the image forming unit to form the image on the recording medium based on the second sensor detecting the recording medium.
In an image forming apparatus including a feeding roller, a motor and a clutch, the clutch configured to be switched between a first mode in which the drive force from the motor is transmitted to the feeding roller and a second mode in which the drive force is prevented from being transmitted from the motor to the feeding roller, a method for feeding a recording medium to an image forming unit comprising the steps of:
- a) detecting a recording medium in a manual feed input;
- b) transmitting drive force from the motor to drive the feeding roller, in the first mode, to feed the recording medium in a sheet feeding direction through the manual feed input to a nipping position in which the recording medium is nipped by the feeding roller responsive to the detecting;
- c) controlling the motor to stop transmission of the drive force to the feeding roller, in the first mode, when the recording medium reaches the nipping position and before a leading end of the recording medium is able to be detected by a sensor located downstream from the feeding roller;
- d) processing input data after transmission of the drive force from the motor has been stopped;
- e) responsive to completion of the processing of the input data, transmitting drive force from the motor to drive the feeding roller a first rate of speed, in the first mode, to feed the recording medium to the image forming unit;
- f) maintaining a clutch device in the first mode while detecting that the recording medium is in the manual feed input through steps b), c), d) and e) without switching the clutch device to the second mode;
- g) detecting when the recording medium reaches a sensing position in which the leading end of the recording medium is able to be detected by the sensor responsive to completion of processing the input data;
- and
- h) controlling the motor to drive the feeding roller at a second rate of speed higher than the first rate of speed to feed the recording medium to the image forming unit responsive to detecting that the recording medium reaches the sensing position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.