JP3912947B2 - Anomaly detection system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier by an electrophotographic method, and developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer contained in a developing device, or the image forming apparatus. removable cartridge forming apparatus, that is, relates to the abnormality detection system such as a process cartridge and cartridge have been developing apparatus.
[0002]
Here, examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, an LED printer, a laser beam printer, etc.), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and an electrophotographic word processor.
[0003]
The process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In other words, it means that at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
[0004]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The process cartridge method is adopted. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.
[0005]
In such a process cartridge type electrophotographic image forming apparatus, when the developer runs out, the cartridge can be replaced to form an image again. However, the cartridge must be replaced by the user himself. A means for notifying the user when the developer is consumed, that is, a developer amount detecting device is required.
[0006]
The developer amount detecting device includes a developer amount detecting unit capable of detecting a developer remaining amount level in order to be able to know at any time how much developer that can be used for image formation in the cartridge remains. Alternatively, it can be provided in the image forming apparatus main body.
[0007]
There is a flat antenna method as one method of this developer remaining amount detecting means. As shown in FIG. 3, the flat antenna (planar antenna) is formed by forming a pair of conductive patterns 22 and 23 on the substrate 21 at a predetermined interval, and is in contact with, for example, the developer on the side of the developer storage container. The contact area between the developer and the planar antenna 20 decreases as the developer in the developer storage container decreases.
[0008]
The electrostatic capacity changes by changing the contact area between the surface of the conductive pattern and the developer due to the consumption of the developer, thereby associating the remaining amount of the developer in the container with the electrostatic capacity of the planar antenna. It becomes possible to know the remaining amount of developer in the container at any time by measuring the capacitance of the planar antenna.
[0009]
The electrostatic capacity of the planar antenna 20 can be known from a current flowing through the other conductive portion when a constant AC bias is applied to one of the pair of conductive portions 22 and 23.
[0010]
By providing the developer amount detection device using the above-described method or the like, the remaining amount of developer can be detected, and the user can be notified of the amount of developer in the cartridge.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in order to accurately notify the user of the developer amount, it is desirable to consider the possibility that the above-described developer remaining amount detecting means will break down.
[0012]
Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to further develop the above-described conventional technology, enable abnormality detection of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus, and use of the cartridge and image forming apparatus in which the abnormality has occurred leads to further serious damage. It is an object of the present invention to provide an anomaly detection system that can prevent this in advance.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object is manually achieved abnormality detection system according to the present invention. In summary, the present invention relates to a developer storage container, a developer remaining amount detection means capable of sequentially detecting the remaining amount of developer in the developer storage container, and a storage means for storing information relating to the remaining amount of developer. , the cartridge is removable image forming apparatus having, I abnormality detection system der of the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge, the detection output from said developer amount detecting means by the first statistical method Processing means for processing to determine the remaining amount of developer, means for writing the remaining developer amount determined by the processing means to the storage means, and the remaining developer amount determined by the processing means and the storage means Comparing means for comparing the stored developer remaining amount, and the developer remaining amount determined by processing by a second statistical method different from the first statistical method by the comparing means, Storage means Based on the result of comparison between the developer remaining amount stored, anda determining means for determining an abnormality of the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge, the judgment unit may, of comparison of the comparing means As a result, when the difference between the developer remaining amount determined by the second statistical method and the developer remaining amount stored in the storage unit is larger than a predetermined amount, the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge Information indicating that the abnormality is determined in an information display unit provided in the image forming apparatus and / or a device having a display communicable with the image forming apparatus. As a result, if the value of the difference between the developer remaining amount determined by the second statistical method and the developer remaining amount stored in the storage means is smaller than the predetermined value, then the first statistics Target Finalized the developer remaining amount in accordance with a result of comparison of the developer remaining amount stored in the storage means determines an abnormality, and the image forming apparatus information display unit and / or the image forming device provided in the Ru said abnormality detection system der, characterized in that outputs information indicating the determined abnormality in a device having a communicable display.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter will be described in more detail with reference to the abnormality detection system according to the present invention with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
Example 1
First, an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a process cartridge constructed according to the present invention can be mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic laser beam printer A.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 4, the laser printer A is used by being connected to a host 41 such as a personal computer or a workstation, and the configuration thereof is a recording material such as a recording paper by an electrophotographic image forming process. An engine unit C that forms an image on an OHP sheet, cloth, etc., and a controller unit D that is directly connected to the host 41 and is a developing unit that develops the page description language received together with the print request signal from the host 41 into image data. It is roughly divided into
[0022]
The overall operation of the engine unit C is controlled by an E-controller 42 mounted on the engine unit C. Through the video interface (I / F) 43, the engine unit C and the controller unit D can communicate with each other.
[0023]
First, an electrophotographic image forming process executed in the engine unit C will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the engine unit C of the laser beam printer A includes a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member, that is, a photosensitive drum 1. The photosensitive drum 1 is charged by a charging roller 2 as charging means, and then a latent image corresponding to the image data developed in the controller unit D is formed by the laser scanner 3. This latent image is developed by the developing means 5 to be a visible image, that is, a toner image.
[0024]
That is, the developing means 5 has a developing chamber 5A provided with a developing roller 5a as a developer carrying member, and in the developer containing container 4 as a developer containing portion formed adjacent to the developing chamber 5A. The developer T is sent out to the developing roller 5a in the developing chamber 5A by the rotation of the developer feeding member 10. In this embodiment, an insulating one-component toner is used as the developer T. The developing roller 5a has a built-in fixed magnet 5b. By rotating the developing roller 5a, the developer is conveyed, and a triboelectric charge is applied by the developing blade 5c, and a developer layer having a predetermined thickness is provided. And supplied to the developing area of the photosensitive drum 1. The developer supplied to the development area is transferred to a latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 to form a toner image. The developing roller 5a is connected to a developing bias circuit, and normally, a developing bias voltage in which a DC voltage is superimposed on an AC voltage is applied.
[0025]
On the other hand, in synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the recording material P set in the paper feed cassette 200 is conveyed to the transfer position via the pickup roller 8 and the conveying means 9A. A transfer roller 6 serving as a transfer unit is disposed at the transfer position, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the recording material P by applying a voltage.
[0026]
The recording material P that has received the transfer of the toner image is conveyed to the fixing unit 10 by the conveying unit 9B. The fixing unit 10 includes a fixing roller 10b including a heater 10a and a driving roller 10c, and fixes the transferred toner image on the recording material P by applying heat and pressure to the recording material P passing therethrough.
[0027]
The recording material P is discharged to the discharge tray 14 by the transport unit 9C. The discharge tray 14 is provided on the upper surface of the main body of the laser beam printer A.
[0028]
After the toner image is transferred to the recording material P by the transfer roller 6, the photosensitive drum 1 is subjected to the next image forming process after the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed by the cleaning unit 7. The cleaning means 7 scrapes off the residual developer on the photosensitive drum 7 by an elastic cleaning blade 7 a provided in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and collects it in the developer reservoir 7 b.
[0029]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge B is detachable from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body 100. That is, a developer frame 11 having a developer container (developer container) 4 and a developer feeding member 10 for storing the developer, and a developing frame for holding the developing means 5 such as the developing roller 5a and the developing blade 5c. A developing unit is integrally formed by welding the body 12, and a cleaning frame body 13 to which the cleaning means 7 such as the photosensitive drum 1 and the cleaning blade 7 a and the charging roller 2 are attached is integrally coupled to the developing unit. As a result, it is made into a cartridge.
[0030]
The process cartridge B is detachably mounted on the cartridge mounting means 101 (FIG. 1) provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the user.
[0031]
According to the present invention, the process cartridge B has the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 that can sequentially detect the remaining amount according to the consumption of the developer T in the developer storage container 4. Next, the developer remaining amount detecting means will be described.
[0032]
The planar antenna 20 that is a developer remaining amount detecting means is disposed on the inner side wall of the developer container 4. Further, according to the present embodiment, as described above, the stirring container 10 that rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 is provided in the developer container 4, and the stirring means 10 is loosened by the rotation. While being supplied to the developing roller 5a.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 3, the planar antenna 20 has two conductor patterns 22 and 23 formed on a commonly used printed board 21 by etching or printing. Further, a protective film (not shown) is formed on the conductor patterns 22 and 23 in order to protect the circuit pattern. The conductor pattern may be set appropriately. In this embodiment, the width (W) of the two conductor patterns 22 and 23 of the planar antenna 20 is 300 μm, and the distance (G) between the conductor patterns 22 and 23 is about 300 μm. It is narrow.
[0034]
When 200 Vpp and 2000 Hz are applied as the AC bias between the electrodes 22 and 23 of the respective conductive patterns in the planar antenna 20 of the present embodiment, the entire surface on the planar antenna 20 is 20 pF when the developer is not touching the planar antenna 20. When the developer was touched, a capacitance value different from 60 pF was observed.
[0035]
As the developer T in the developer container 4 decreases by repeating the image forming process, the contact area between the developer T and the planar antenna 20 decreases, and the electrodes 21 and 22 on the planar antenna 20 are correspondingly reduced. The capacitance between them is also reduced. Therefore, the amount of developer T in the container 4 can be known at any time by observing this electrostatic capacity.
[0036]
However, actually, even if the developer T in the developer container 4 is gradually reduced, the developer remains slightly adhered on the planar antenna 20, resulting in variations in measurement results.
[0037]
Therefore, in order to remove the developer adhering to the surface, an antenna cleaning means 10a (FIG. 2) is provided at the end of the stirring means 10, and the surface of the planar antenna 20 is cleaned as the stirring means 10 rotates. This antenna cleaning means (surface cleaning means) 10a is, for example, a sheet of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and cleans so that the surface of the planar antenna 20 is stroked.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 3, a hole 24 is provided in the substantially central portion of the planar antenna 20, and the support shaft of the stirring means 10 passes through the hole 24 and is rotatably supported by the developer container 4 or the like. Thus, almost the entire area of the planar antenna 20 can be cleaned.
[0039]
With the above configuration, the variation in the measurement result due to the developer that remains slightly adhered to the planar antenna 20 can be almost eliminated, but the output of the planar antenna 20 varies with the rotation period of the surface cleaning means 10a.
[0040]
Therefore, in this embodiment, statistical processing is performed such as taking the average value of the antenna output or selecting the minimum value according to the rotation period of the surface cleaning means 10a.
[0041]
However, in order to determine the developer remaining amount level, a bias is applied to the planar antenna 20, and the stirring means 10 and the surface cleaning means 10a (stirring means 10) are rotated to rotate the surface cleaning means 10a. Since it is necessary to execute the statistical processing of the antenna output according to the period, the time is required.
[0042]
More specifically, the output signal from the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 provided in the process cartridge B is subjected to statistical processing by the signal processing means 44 provided in the engine section C. Furthermore, the developer remaining amount level in the developer container 4 is determined using the relationship between the capacitance detected using the planar antenna 20 associated in advance and the developer amount.
[0043]
In this embodiment, the remaining developer level is expressed as a percentage where the remaining developer is 100% in an unused state, and the remaining developer is 0% when all the developer is consumed for image formation. It is.
[0044]
Further, according to the present invention, the storage means 31 is provided in the process cartridge B, and the determined remaining developer level is written and stored in the storage means 31 as needed.
[0045]
Thus, by providing the storage means 31 in the process cartridge B, even when the cartridge B is exchanged and used, the remaining amount of developer in each cartridge can be stored.
[0046]
In this embodiment, the storage means 31 mounted on the process cartridge B is a serial data input / output nonvolatile memory, and its storage capacity is 16 bits. This capacity is sufficient to represent an integer from 0 to 100. Therefore, the remaining developer level in the developer container 4 can be stored as a percentage.
[0047]
In addition to the non-volatile memory used in this embodiment, a volatile memory equipped with a power source can be used as the storage unit 31, and the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the storage unit 31 are mechanically connected. It is also possible to use a contactless memory that can communicate without any problem.
[0048]
Further, the data writing / reading means 32 with respect to the storage means 31 is disposed in the engine unit C.
[0049]
When data is written to and read from the storage means 31, an appropriate waiting time is set according to the characteristics of the device used, and its operation is guaranteed.
[0050]
Next , the developer remaining amount detection system and the abnormality detection system for the cartridge and the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment will be described.
[0051]
First, a developer remaining amount detection method will be described. In this embodiment, while the image forming apparatus main body 100 is in operation, the remaining developer level is always set to the display 33 (FIG. 4), which is a display unit of the apparatus main body 100, or a personal computer or workstation. It can be displayed on the display 41a (FIG. 4) which is an information display unit provided in the host 41, and when an abnormality occurs, that fact is instantly displayed on the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 or the host 41. It can be displayed on the display 41a. Of course, it is also possible to display on both the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and the display 41a of the host 41.
[0052]
A signal output means 47 for outputting a signal to the display unit 33 of the main body of the image forming apparatus or a device having a display communicable with the image forming apparatus to indicate that the remaining amount of developer and the abnormality have occurred. Arranged in part D. This makes it easy to display the remaining developer level and the fact that an abnormality has occurred on a host 41 such as a personal computer or workstation that is a device having a display capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus.
[0053]
As described above, the remaining amount of developer in the developer container 4 is determined by statistically processing the output from the planar antenna. This processing is executed by the signal processing means 44 provided in the E-controller 42 of the engine unit C.
[0054]
An AC bias is applied to the planar antenna 20 immediately after the power switch of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is turned on, immediately after cartridge replacement, or immediately after jam processing, and the developer remaining amount detecting unit 20 detects the developer remaining amount level. .
[0055]
As described above, immediately after the power switch of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is turned on, immediately after the cartridge replacement, or immediately after the jam processing, a bias is applied to the planar antenna 20, and the rotation of the stirring means 10 and the surface cleaning means 10a is further performed. There is not enough time to execute the statistical processing of the antenna output in accordance with the rotation cycle of the surface cleaning means 10a to determine the remaining developer level, and the remaining developer level cannot be displayed. . Therefore, in such a time zone, the user cannot know the remaining developer level.
[0056]
Accordingly, the writing / reading means 32 provided in the engine unit C indicates the developer remaining level determined by the previous developer remaining amount detection and stored and stored in the storage means 31 provided in the process cartridge B. It communicates with the signal output means 47 provided in the controller unit D via the video interface (I / F) 43 for reading, and the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of the host 41 such as a personal computer or workstation. To display.
[0057]
As a result, even if a sufficient time has not elapsed until the developer remaining level is determined, such as immediately after the power switch of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is turned on, immediately after cartridge replacement, or immediately after jam processing. Immediately, the user can be informed of the remaining amount of developer. At this time, abnormality detection of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus is performed.
[0058]
Next, an abnormality detection method for the cartridge and the image forming apparatus will be described. There is a possibility that the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 such as the planar antenna 20 capable of detecting the developer remaining level may break down. Possible causes of failures include electrical problems such as contact failure and bias application failure, and mechanical problems such as damage to the planar antenna 20, but in either case, both the image forming apparatus and the cartridge are enormous. There is a high possibility that it will have a negative impact. Therefore, abnormality detection must be performed before image formation at the latest.
[0059]
As described above, the stirrer 10 must be rotated, for example, to form an image to some extent, and the statistical processing of the antenna output corresponding to the rotation period of the stirrer 10 must be executed. The level cannot be determined accurately. Therefore, in order to detect the abnormality as described above based on the developer remaining amount determined by the normal statistical process, it is necessary to wait until the process is completed, and at the latest, immediately before the start of image formation. It is impossible to detect abnormalities.
[0060]
On the other hand, if the rough statistical process has a different accuracy from the normal statistical process, the approximate remaining developer level can be detected in a short time. Therefore, in this embodiment, first, an abnormality in the cartridge and the image forming apparatus is quickly performed by using the approximate developer remaining amount obtained by this rough (simple) statistical process different from the normal statistical process. It is set as the structure which detects.
[0061]
This simple statistical processing is performed by the signal processing means 44 disposed in the engine unit C. The approximate developer remaining level in the developer container 4 is determined from the relationship between the electrostatic capacity detected using the planar antenna 20 and the developer amount that are associated in advance.
[0062]
That is, as described above, the amount of developer in the developer storage container 4 is generally statistically determined to be an average value of the output of the planar antenna 20 detected while the stirring means 10 is rotated, for example, 10 times. Confirmed by processing. On the other hand, as the above-mentioned simple statistical processing,
(1) It is conceivable to apply a bias to the planar antenna 20 without rotating the stirring means 10. In this case, there is a high possibility that the developer remains attached to the planar antenna 20, but there is no problem in rough detection. Other than that,
(2) It is also possible to take an average value of the antenna output detected while the stirring means 10 is rotated once. Although detection accuracy is lowered, there is no problem in rough detection.
[0063]
The determined approximate remaining developer level is transmitted from the signal processing unit 44 to the comparison unit 46 provided in the controller unit D via the video interface (I / F) 43.
[0064]
At the same time, a writing / reading unit 32 provided in the engine unit C indicates the developer remaining level determined by the previous developer remaining amount detection and stored and stored in the storage unit 31 provided in the process cartridge B. The data is read out and transmitted to the comparison means 46 disposed in the controller unit D via the video interface (I / F) 43.
[0065]
In the comparison means 46, a large value exceeding a predetermined threshold value X between the approximate developer remaining level and the developer remaining level determined in the previous image formation or the like and stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge. When the difference is recognized, it is considered that the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is broken, the surface cleaning means 10a is broken, an electrical short circuit, the image forming apparatus main body 100 is broken, or the like.
[0066]
In this case, it is determined that an abnormality or failure has occurred in the process cartridge B or the image forming apparatus main body 100, and the comparison unit 46 disposed in the controller unit D is similar to the signal output unit 47 disposed in the controller unit D. Communication is performed, and the fact that an abnormality has occurred is displayed on the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of the host 41 such as a personal computer or workstation, and the fact is notified to the user.
[0067]
The displayed contents indicate the possibility of the occurrence of the failure such as the occurrence of the failure of the developer remaining amount detecting means 20, the failure of the apparatus main body 100, or the cause of the failure, or the process cartridge B or the apparatus main body 100 needs to be inspected. It may indicate the necessity of maintenance such as being there.
[0068]
At this time, the comparison means 46 provided in the controller part D communicates with the writing / reading means 32 provided in the engine part C via the video interface (I / F) 43 and is mounted on the process cartridge B. The storage means 31 stores information indicating that an abnormality has occurred. As a result, even when the process cartridge B is exchanged and attached to the apparatus main body 100, it is possible to instantaneously determine that the process cartridge is likely to have failed, and to avoid the use of the cartridge in which an abnormality has occurred. Yes.
[0069]
If the comparison means 46 determines that the difference between the two is smaller than the predetermined threshold value X, it is determined that there is no problem, and the abnormality detection ends.
[0070]
After the abnormality detection using the developer remaining amount obtained by the above-described simple statistical processing, the developer remaining amount is determined by normal statistical processing. That is, in the developer remaining amount detection performed during the image forming operation, a more accurate developer remaining amount level is notified to the user, and furthermore, it is possible to always detect abnormality of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus. The developer remaining amount level is determined by performing normal statistical processing on the output signal of the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 and stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge B and the determined remaining developer level. The developer remaining amount level thus made is compared in two stages as shown below by the comparison means 46 provided in the controller part D and the comparison means 45 provided in the engine part C.
[0071]
First, in the first stage, the magnitude of the absolute value of the difference between the two is compared by the comparison means 46 disposed in the controller unit D.
[0072]
In a device that sequentially detects the remaining amount, such as the remaining developer amount detecting device 30 of the present embodiment, the remaining developer level determined by the nth detection and the remaining developer level determined by the n + 1th detection. There should not be too much difference between them. Therefore, when a large difference exceeding the predetermined threshold value X is recognized, it may be caused by damage to the developer remaining amount detecting means 20, damage to the surface cleaning means 10a, electrical short circuit, failure of the image forming apparatus main body, or the like. It is done.
[0073]
In this case as well, as described above, it is determined that an abnormality or failure has occurred in the process cartridge B or the image forming apparatus main body 100, and the comparison means 46 disposed in the controller unit D is also disposed in the controller unit D. Communicating with the signal output means 47 provided, the fact that an abnormality has occurred is displayed on the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of the host 41 such as a personal computer or workstation, and this is notified to the user. In addition, information indicating that an abnormality has occurred is stored in the storage means 31 mounted on the process cartridge B.
[0074]
Next, in the second stage, in the comparison means 45 arranged in the engine unit C, the magnitude relationship between the developer remaining level determined and the developer remaining level stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge B is shown. Compare.
[0075]
In principle, it is possible that the currently determined developer remaining level is larger than the developer remaining level determined in the previous image formation or the like and stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge B. Absent. Therefore, when the determined remaining developer level is higher than the remaining developer level stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge B, it can be regarded as a measurement error.
[0076]
In such a case, the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of the host 41 such as a personal computer or a workstation are not displayed in order to prevent the user from giving erroneous information that the developer remaining level has increased. The remaining developer level determined in the previous developer remaining amount detection is displayed.
[0077]
That is, the signal output means 47 arranged in the controller unit D is input to update the developer remaining level determined in the previous developer remaining amount detection with the currently determined developer remaining level. Absent. Therefore, the writing / reading means 32 provided in the engine unit C is not requested to write the developer remaining level.
[0078]
When the currently determined developer remaining level is lower than the developer remaining level stored in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge, the comparing means 45 disposed in the engine unit C is connected to the video interface (I / I). F) It communicates with the signal output means 47 arranged in the controller unit D via 43, and the display of the apparatus main body 100 and / or personal is set with the currently determined developer remaining level as the new developer remaining level. The information is displayed on the display 41a of the host 41 such as a computer or a work station to notify the user.
[0079]
At the same time, the writing / reading unit 32 provided in the engine unit C is requested to write the currently determined developer remaining level in the storage unit 31 as a new developer remaining level.
[0080]
By disposing the storage unit 31 in the process cartridge B, the remaining amount of developer can be stored in each cartridge. Therefore, even when the cartridge B is replaced and used, the user can immediately know the developer remaining level corresponding to each cartridge by calling the developer remaining level information from the storage means 31 of the replaced cartridge. . At the same time, the abnormality of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus can be detected.
[0081]
If the cartridge B is new, the remaining amount of developer stored at the factory shipment stage is stored in advance in the storage means 31, so this level is read until the remaining developer level is determined. ,indicate.
[0082]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remaining developer level detected by the developer remaining amount detecting unit 20 and determined at present is stored in the storage unit 31 from the engine unit C to the controller unit D. The output relating to the remaining developer level of two systems is made with the remaining developer level determined in the previous detection of remaining developer.
[0083]
Next, a developer remaining amount detection method and an abnormality detection method for the cartridge and the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the process described above as a flowchart.
[0084]
In this embodiment, while the image forming apparatus main body 100 is in operation, the remaining developer level is always displayed on the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of a personal computer as the host 41. To do.
[0085]
When the developer remaining amount level by the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is unconfirmed immediately after the main body power switch is turned on, immediately after the cartridge replacement, immediately after the jam processing, etc. (step 101), the data written in the engine unit C is written. The reading means 32 reads the developer remaining amount level TA0 determined by the previous developer remaining amount detection from the storage means 31 mounted on the process cartridge B (step 102), and reads the video interface (I / F) 43. To the signal output means 47 arranged in the controller part D.
[0086]
In response to this, the signal output means 47 outputs a signal to display TA0 as the remaining developer level at that time on the display unit 33 or the personal computer 41 provided in the image forming apparatus main body (step 103). .
[0087]
Even when the cartridge B is new, the remaining amount of developer stored in the storage unit 31 is stored in advance in the storage means 31. Therefore, this level is read until the remaining developer level is determined. indicate.
[0088]
At the same time, simple developer remaining amount detection by the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is executed (step 104). The output signal from the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is subjected to simple statistical processing different from normal statistical processing in the signal processing means 44 disposed in the engine section C, and approximate development in a short time. The remaining agent level TA1 is determined (step 105).
[0089]
The determined approximate developer remaining level TA1 is transmitted from the signal processing unit 44 to the comparison unit 46 disposed in the controller unit D via the video interface (I / F) 43.
[0090]
Further, the developer remaining amount level TA0 determined by the previous remaining amount detection is read from the storage unit 31 mounted on the process cartridge B by the data writing / reading unit 32 disposed in the engine unit C ( Step 106), and the video data is transmitted to the comparison means 46 provided in the controller unit D via the video interface (I / F) 43.
[0091]
Even when the cartridge B is new, the remaining amount of developer stored in the storage unit 31 in advance at the factory shipment stage is stored, so this level is read out.
[0092]
In the comparison means 46 provided in the controller part D, the approximate developer remaining level TA1 is compared with the developer remaining level TA0 read from the storage means 31 (step 107).
[0093]
As described above, if the difference between the two values is larger than the predetermined X, it is determined that some abnormality has occurred, and the comparison unit 46 communicates with the signal output unit 47 also disposed in the controller unit D, A signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the display 33 of the apparatus main body 100 and / or the display 41a of the host 41 is transmitted (step 108).
[0094]
At the same time, the comparing means 46 communicates with the data writing / reading means 32 arranged in the engine part C and stores information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the storage means 31 (step 109).
[0095]
If the difference between the two values is smaller than the predetermined X in step 107, it is determined that there is no abnormality.
[0096]
The abnormality detection in steps 104 to 107 is completed, and the detection by the developer remaining amount detection means 20 is executed (step 110).
[0097]
When printing is started from a state in which the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 and printing is not performed for a while with the power switch of the apparatus main body 100 turned on (step 111), the developer is stirred. It still takes time for the developer remaining level to be determined after (antenna cleaning) starts, but since the previous developer remaining level is already displayed on the display, steps 101 to 103 are performed. Absent. However, the abnormality detection of Step 104 to Step 107 is executed so as to detect the abnormality of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus before the image forming operation at the latest.
[0098]
Thereafter, developer detection is performed by the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 such as performing image formation to some extent (step 110), and the current developer remaining level is set by the signal processing means 44 disposed in the engine section C. TA2 is determined (step 112).
[0099]
The signal processing unit 44 is provided with the determined developer remaining amount level TA2 in the controller unit D via the comparison unit 45 provided in the engine unit C and the video interface (I / F) 43. It outputs to the comparison means 46. At the same time, the developer remaining amount level TA0 stored in the storage means 31 mounted on the process cartridge B is written and read by the reading means 32 (step 113), and the comparison means 45 and the video interface of the engine unit C are read. It is output to the comparison means 46 of the controller unit D via (I / F) 43.
[0100]
TA2 and TA0 are processed in the comparison means 45 and the comparison means 46 as follows.
[0101]
First, abnormality detection is performed in the comparison means 46 provided in the controller part D (step 114). As described above, the developer remaining amount level detected and fixed by the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is stored in the storage means 31 mounted on the process cartridge B as needed. Therefore, as long as there is no abnormality, TA2 and TA0 should be very close values. Accordingly, when the difference between the two values is larger than the predetermined X, the signal output means 47 disposed in the controller section D receives an output from the comparison means 46 that determines that some abnormality has occurred, and the abnormality is detected. A signal notifying that the image has occurred is output to the display unit 33 and / or the host 41 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100 (step 108).
[0102]
The output from the comparison means 46 is received by the data writing / reading means 32 disposed in the engine section C via the video interface (I / F) 43, and the previous developer remaining in the storage means 31 of the process cartridge B. Instead of overwriting the developer remaining amount level TA2 determined in the amount detection, it is prohibited to overwrite the developer remaining amount level TA2 that is currently determined, and information indicating that an abnormality has occurred is stored in the storage means 31 ( Step 109).
[0103]
On the other hand, the comparison means 45 disposed in the engine unit C performs processing that enables more accurate detection of the developer remaining amount. That is, a comparison is made as to which of TA2 and TA0 is greater (step 115). If the newly determined developer remaining amount level TA2 is greater, an update request regarding the remaining developer level is received in response to a signal from the comparison means 45. Do not give out. Therefore, the remaining amount of developer transmitted to the display unit 33 and / or the host 41 by the signal output means 47 disposed in the controller unit D remains at the developer remaining level TA0 that was determined last time (step). 116).
[0104]
When the developer remaining amount level TA2 currently determined by the developer remaining amount detecting means 20 is smaller than TA0, the developer remaining amount level TA2 is received by the video interface (I / I) in response to a signal from the comparing means 45. F) The signal is transmitted to the signal output means 47 disposed in the controller unit D via 43 (step 117).
[0105]
Further, the signal from the comparison means 45 is written and read by the reading means 32, TA0 in the storage means 31 is rewritten to the value of TA2 and stored as a new TA0 (step 118).
[0106]
By repeating the above steps, the developer remaining amount display is updated, and at the same time, abnormality detection of the cartridge and the image forming apparatus is executed.
[0107]
In the present embodiment, the controller unit has a part of the developer remaining level comparison function. However, a configuration in which the controller unit has all the functions is also possible. Even in that case, on the video interface (I / F) 43 which is a communication means between the controller unit D and the engine unit C, the current developer remaining amount level value determined by the developer remaining amount detecting unit and the previous time This means that there are outputs relating to the remaining developer level of the two systems of the remaining developer level value determined by the remaining amount detection and stored in the storage means 31.
[0108]
In this embodiment, the planar antenna method is used as the developer remaining amount detecting means 20, but the present invention is not limited to this method. Any method can be used as long as the remaining developer level can be detected sequentially, such as a stirring torque detection method in the developer container 4.
[0109]
Further, the signal processing unit 44 disposed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 may be mounted on the process cartridge B together with the storage unit 31. By mounting the arithmetic processing unit related to both on the process cartridge B, communication such as data writing and reading performed between the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the process cartridge B can be simplified. As a result, it is possible to reduce the chance of occurrence of a communication error due to contact failure and noise, and to perform stable developer remaining level detection.
[0110]
Example 2
FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the developing device E in the form of a cartridge according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0111]
The developing device E of the present embodiment includes a developing chamber 5A that holds the developing means 5 such as the developing roller 5a and the developing blade 5c, and a developer storage container 4 that stores a developer that supplies the developer to the developer means 5. Are integrally formed of a plastic developer frame 11 and a development frame 12 to form a cartridge. That is, the developing device C of the present embodiment is a unit obtained by unitizing the developing device constituents of the process cartridge B described in the first embodiment. That is, from the process cartridge B, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 2, the cleaning device. Except for the means 7, it can be considered as an integrated cartridge. Accordingly, all the developing device components and the developer amount detecting means described in the first embodiment are similarly applied to the developing device of this embodiment. Therefore, the above description made in Example 1 is used for the description of these configurations and operations.
[0112]
Also in the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be achieved.
[0113]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, to enable the abnormality detection of the removable cartridge images forming apparatus and / or the image forming apparatus, abnormal images forming apparatus and / or the cartridge has occurred is used This can prevent further serious damage.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a developer remaining amount detecting means that can be mounted on a process cartridge according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic relationship diagram of a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a display operation of information related to a developer amount according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the developing device formed into a cartridge according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive drum 2 Charging means 3 Laser scanner 4 Developer storage container 5 Developing means 7 Cleaning means 10 Stirring means 10a Surface cleaning means 20 Developer remaining amount detection means (planar antenna)
31 storage means 30 developer amount detection device 32 data writing / reading means 33 display unit 41 host 42 E-controller 43 video interface 44 signal processing means 45 comparison means 46 comparison means 47 signal output means 100 image forming apparatus main body 101 mounting means A Laser beam printer B Process cartridge C Engine part D Controller part E Developing cartridge (developing device)

Claims (1)

A cartridge having a developer storage container, a developer remaining amount detection means capable of sequentially detecting the developer remaining amount in the developer storage container, and a storage means for storing information relating to the developer remaining amount is detachable . in the image forming apparatus, I abnormality detection system der of the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge,
Processing means for processing the detection output from the developer remaining amount detecting means by a first statistical method to determine the developer remaining amount;
Means for writing the remaining amount of developer determined by the processing means into the storage means;
Comparing means for comparing the developer remaining amount determined by the processing means and the developer remaining amount stored in the storage means ;
A result of comparing the remaining amount of developer determined by the second statistical method different from the first statistical method and the remaining amount of developer stored in the storage unit by the comparison unit A determination means for determining abnormality of the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge based on
Have
The determination means has a value of a difference between the developer remaining amount determined by the second statistical method as a result of the comparison by the comparison means and the developer remaining amount stored in the storage means larger than a predetermined amount. Information indicating that the image forming apparatus and / or the cartridge is abnormal, and an information display unit included in the image forming apparatus and / or a device having a display communicable with the image forming apparatus is determined to be abnormal. The difference value between the developer remaining amount determined by the second statistical method and the developer remaining amount stored in the storage unit as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit is greater than the predetermined value. If it is smaller, then the abnormality is determined according to the result of comparing the remaining developer amount determined by the first statistical method with the remaining developer amount stored in the storage unit, and the image forming apparatus Information The abnormality detection system and outputs a radical 113 and / or information indicating that determines an abnormality in a device having a communicable display and the image forming apparatus.

Images