Recording material conveyance apparatus, image forming system, recording material conveyance method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023406654-A1
Application number	US-202318335295-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 15, 2023
Priority date	Jun 20, 2022
Publication date	Dec 21, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A recording material conveyance apparatus includes a hardware processor and a measurement section. The hardware processor is capable of performing switching control of, in response to, among a plurality of recording material housing sections that house recording materials, a first recording material housing section becoming out of recording material while a recording material fed from the first recording material housing section is being conveyed, selecting a second recording material housing section to cause a recording material housed in the second recording material housing section to be conveyed. In the switching control, the hardware processor selects the second recording material housing section based on a measured physical property value of each of the recording materials of the recording material housing section The measurement section measures the physical property value of each of the recording materials of the recording material housing section. The physical property value corresponds to a physical property.

First claim

1 . A recording material conveyance apparatus comprising:
a hardware processor that (i) is capable of performing switching control of, in response to, among a plurality of recording material housing sections that house recording materials, a first recording material housing section becoming out of recording material while a recording material fed from the first recording material housing section is being conveyed, selecting a second recording material housing section to cause a recording material housed in the second recording material housing section to be conveyed, and (ii) in the switching control, selects the second recording material housing section based on a physical property value of each of the recording materials of the plurality of recording material housing sections; and a measurement section that measures the physical property value of each of the recording materials of the plurality of recording material housing sections, the physical property value corresponding to a physical property.

2 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor selects the second recording material housing section based on a first physical property value as the physical property value of the recording material of the first recording material housing section and a second physical property value as the physical property value of the recording material of the second recording material housing section.

3 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor selects the second recording material housing section based on a difference between a first physical property value as the physical property value of the recording material of the first recording material housing section and a second physical property value as the physical property value of the recording material of the second recording material housing section.

4 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first physical property value is a physical property value stored in advance in a storage section in association with the first recording material housing section.

5 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the physical property value includes a physical property value corresponding to the physical property that varies depending on an environment of the recording materials.

6 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the switching control, the hardware processor selects the second recording material housing section based on the physical property value associated with, among the plurality of recording material housing sections, a recording material housing section housing a recording material of a same size and a same type as the recording material of the first recording material housing section.

7 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor selects, from among the plurality of recording material housing sections, a recording material housing section having a difference in physical property value from the first recording material housing section being a first threshold value or less, as the second recording material housing section.

8 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor selects, from among the plurality of recording material housing sections, a recording material housing section having a smallest difference in physical property value from the first recording material housing section, as the second recording material housing section.

9 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein in the switching control, the hardware processor does not select the second recording material housing section and stops recording-material conveyance by a recording material conveyance section in response to no recording material housing section housing a recording material of a same size and a same type as the recording material of the first recording material housing section and having the difference in physical property value from the first recording material housing section being the first threshold value or less being present.

10 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a first receiving section that receives a user operation to set or change the first threshold value.

11 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the physical property includes at least one of surface electrical resistance and moisture content of the recording materials.

12 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a second receiving section that receives a user operation to select at least one item from among a plurality of items corresponding to a plurality of physical properties, each of which is the physical property, including surface electrical resistance and moisture content of the recording materials,
wherein the hardware processor uses the physical property value of the at least one item selected by the user operation to select the second recording material housing section.

13 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising, on a recording-material conveyance path:
an image forming apparatus that forms images on the recording materials; and an image inspection device that inspects the images formed on the recording materials, wherein the image inspection device reads image densities of the images formed on the recording materials before and after switching of the first recording material housing section to the second recording material housing section in the switching control, and wherein the hardware processor is capable of determining whether to continue or stop recording-material conveyance by a recording material conveyance section based on the image densities of the images formed on the recording materials before and after the switching.

14 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein in the switching control, the hardware processor
selects a recording material housing section housing a recording material of a same size and a same type as the recording material of the first recording material housing section and having a difference in physical property value from the first recording material housing section being a second threshold value or less and being smallest, as the second recording material housing section, and continues the recording-material conveyance by the recording material convenance section by causing the recording material conveyance section to convey the recording material housed in the second recording material housing section.

15 . The recording material conveyance apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein in the switching control, the hardware processor
in response to no recording material housing section housing the recording material of the same size and the same type as the recording material of the first recording material housing section and having the difference in physical property value from the first recording material housing section being the second threshold value or less being present, selects a recording material housing section housing the recording material of the same size and the same type as the recording material of the first recording material housing section and having the difference being equal to or less than a third threshold value that is more than the second threshold value and being smallest, as the second record

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Shimokawa Syunji
• Konishi Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B65H3/446 Primary

  alternatively, i.e. according to a fixed sequence · CPC title

• B65H3/44 Primary

  Simultaneously, alternately, or selectively separating articles from two or more piles · CPC title

• B65H2301/13

  Relative to size or orientation of the material · CPC title

• B65H2301/14

  of batches of material of different characteristics · CPC title

• B65H43/04

  detecting, or responding to, presence of faulty articles (B65H43/08 takes precedence; diverting faulty articles from main streams B65H29/62) · CPC title