JPH02272471A - System for calculating amount of used developer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To calculate quantity of used developer per one dot taking variance into consideration and to accurately calculate the quantity of used developer irrespective of printing data property by discriminating and classifying the patterns of dots surrounding a noticed dot, and counting the number of printing data dots for each classified pattern type. CONSTITUTION:A judging circuit 4, as a means for recognizing a dot pattern, reads three consecutive printing data from (n-1)th to (n+1)th from memory circuits 1, 2, and 3, and arranges them. A noticed center dot A are classified into 51 patterns depending on where it is positioned with respect to the eight surrounding dots. A counting circuit 5 receives a recognition signal from the judging circuit 4, and integrates the frequency of the generations for each recognition signal (by pattern type), for example, the signal is sent to an arithmetic circuit 6 for one page. The arithmetic circuit 6 finds the quantity of used developer for each pattern type, by using the quantity of the used developer per one dot, which is set in advance for each pattern type; and these are added together to calculate the total quantity of use.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a developer usage amount calculation method for calculating the developer usage amount in an electrophotographic printing device [Prior art] An electrophotographic printing device The conventional method for calculating the amount of developer used is to simply add up the number of dots in print data and calculate the amount of developer used from this.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a conventional developer usage calculation method. A counting circuit 7 receives the synchronized clock and print data sent to the print head, and counts the number of dots by determining whether each pitch I of the print data is 1'' or 0°; It is comprised of an arithmetic circuit 8 that calculates the total amount of developer used by calculating the output of the circuit 7 and a predetermined average amount of developer used per dot.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of printed paper; Figure 5 (a) shows the case where a dot exists alone, and Figure 5 (b) shows the case where multiple dots come together to form a dot group. It shows. As shown in FIG. 5, the developers 10a and 10b fixed on the surface of the paper 9 tend to gather around the latent image on the photoreceptor drum, and there are two types of developer agents 10a and 10b that are fixed on the surface of the paper 9: when they are alone and when they form a group of dots. The amount of developer used per dot is different.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between print data and a latent image formed on a photosensitive drum. Figure 6(a) and (
As shown in b), the shape and area of the latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum differ depending on how the dots are adjacent to each other, and the amount of developer used per adsorbed dot varies. The amount will also vary accordingly.

Conventional methods for calculating the amount of developer used do not take these various points into account, and simply add up the number of dots in the print data and calculate the total amount of developer used from this. Due to its nature, there was a drawback that a difference -V occurred between the actual usage amount and the calculated usage amount.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for calculating the amount of developer used that does not cause a difference between the calculated value and the actual amount used, regardless of the nature of the print data.

[Means to solve the problem]

The method for calculating the amount of developer used in the present invention is to
A memory means for storing print data for a column; and an "M cutting means" for outputting an identification signal for identifying the dot patterns at eight adjacent dot positions for each dot from the information in the memory means and for distinguishing the pattern type. , an integrating means for receiving the +FF identification signal and integrating the number of occurrences of ton 1 for each of the pattern types, and calculating from the output of the stage and the amount of developer used per dot predetermined for each surface layer pattern type. and a calculation means for calculating the general envoy Irl +t-.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block ['A] showing an embodiment of the present invention.

'+R'l' Memory circuit 1 that manually inputs print data sent to the print head of a photo printing device and stores and holds print data for three consecutive dot rows, one dot row at a time.
, 2 and 3, each dot connected to each memory circuit and held in memory circuit 2 determines how each dot is surrounded by adjacent dots, and determines the type of pattern of the surrounding. a determination circuit 4 that outputs an identification signal for distinguishing;
A counting circuit 5 receives an identification signal from the judgment circuit 4 and adds up the number of dots generated for each pattern type based on the identification signal, and the output of the counting circuit 5 is multiplied by the usage amount per dot predetermined for each pattern type to add up. It is composed of an arithmetic circuit 6.

The memory circuit 1 stores and holds the sent print data in units of one dot row, and when the print data for the next one dot row is sent, the print data held until then is stored in the memory circuit 2. send. When new print data is sent from the memory circuit 1, the memory circuit 2 transfers the original print data held until then to the memory circuit 3, and stores the new print data from the memory circuit 1. When new print data is sent from the memory circuit 2, the memory circuit 3 discards the print data held up to then and stores the new print data for one dot row from the memory circuit 2.

The recess circuit 4 reads the print data from the memory circuits 1, 2 and 3, and determines how each dot held in the memory circuit 2 is surrounded by adjacent dots on the image. Dolphin ton 1 ~ Distinguish the pattern,
In order to distinguish between pattern types, different identification signals are output for each pattern type.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a dot pattern recognition method in the judgment circuit 4. The judgment circuit 4 serves as a means for recognizing the drive I pattern by selecting the low 1 from each of the three memory circuits.
Read the three consecutive print data from the first to the first and arrange them as shown in Figure 2. One column at the top is the print data read from the memory circuit 3, one column at the middle is the print data read from the memory circuit 2, and one column at the bottom is the print data read from the memory circuit 1. Depending on where the dot exists among the surrounding eight positions of Hif 1 to dot 8 in the center, the 51 points shown in Figures 3 (1) to 3 (51) are determined. It is distinguished by pattern type. In FIG. 3, the dot of interest is indicated by a black circle in the center, and adjacent dots are indicated by circles with diagonal lines around them. If the dot pattern is rotated or turned over with respect to the dot of interest, resulting in the same pattern, it is recognized as the same pattern type and is not shown in FIG.

The above-mentioned discrimination operation is performed for the dots located at all of the N dot positions constituting each dot row, but when the dot of interest is n=1 or n=N, it is determined as "0" or rN.
It is assumed that no dot exists at the flJ-th dot position. Also, in the case of the first line or the last line of each page, it is assumed that there are no dots in the line above or below the dot of interest.

The counting circuit 5 receives the identification signal from the judgment circuit 4, adds up the number of occurrences of each identification signal (pattern type), and sends it to the arithmetic circuit 6 for each page, for example.

The arithmetic circuit 6 determines the developer usage amount for each pattern type using the developer usage amount per dot set in advance for each pattern type, and calculates the total usage amount by summing them. Through the above operations, an accurate usage amount can be determined regardless of the nature of the print pattern.

In the above-described embodiment, the discrimination circuit 4 distinguishes 51 dot patterns at eight dot positions around the target driver l~, excluding only those that become the same pattern due to rotation or flipping, as the pattern type. As described above, substantially the same effect can be obtained even if several dot patterns having similar characteristics are collectively processed as one pattern type.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained in detail above, the present invention distinguishes and classifies the dot patterns surrounding the dot of interest, and counts the number of dots in the print data for each classified pattern type, thereby reducing the amount of developer used per dot. Since calculations can be performed that take into account variations in the amount, the amount of developer used can be accurately calculated regardless of the nature of the print data.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
An explanatory diagram of the dot pattern recognition method of the judgment circuit 4 in the figure,
Fig. 3 is a diagram of the pattern types identified by the judgment circuit 4, Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a conventional developer usage calculation method, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of printed paper, and Fig. 6 is the printed data. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the latent image and the latent image on the photoreceptor drum. 1. 2.3... Memory circuit, 4... Judgment circuit, 5.7... Counting circuit, 6, 8...
-・Arithmetic circuit, 9...Paper, 10a, 10b...
...Fixed developer. Print data to print hand Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] A storage means for storing print data for three consecutive dot rows, and a determination means for recognizing dot patterns at eight adjacent dot positions for each dot from the information in this storage means and outputting an identification signal for distinguishing the pattern type. and an integrating means for receiving the identification signal and adding up the number of dots generated for each of the pattern types, and calculating the total amount of developer used from the output of the integrating means and the amount of developer used per dot predetermined for each pattern type. A developer usage calculation method characterized by comprising a calculation means for calculating.