JPH0281056A - Electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To precisely control the life of expendables by permitting expendables such as a photosensitive body to incorporate prescribed memories, sequentially writing information and monitoring the information. CONSTITUTION:The title device 10 rotates the photosensitive body 11 to cause an electrifier to electrify, and an image is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image, following which the latent image is developed and transferred onto a transfer sheet, and a cleaning device 12 cleans. These procedures are repeated. The photosensitive body 11 and the device 12, both of which are expendables of the device 10, incorporate writable nonvolatile memories 13 and 14, which are connected to a microcomputer (CPU) 15. It repeats a reading action being a life detecting action and a writing action being a life information updating action, and displays information regarding the expiration of service life and nonloading on a display part 17.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to electrophotographic devices such as printers and copying machines.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, electrophotographic devices have been equipped with consumables such as photoconductors and cleaning devices, and have a counter in the main body of the machine that counts the number of times the photoconductor has been used. A warning to replace the photoconductor is issued.

The counter is reset by manual operation by the user after replacing the photoconductor, or mechanically reset by setting a new photoconductor. Also, unnecessary toner after image transfer on the photoreceptor is cleaned by a cleaning device and collected in a waste toner bottle, and the amount of toner in this waste toner bottle is detected and when this reaches a certain amount, the cleaning device is replaced. It is designed to notify you.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional electrophotographic apparatus mentioned above, the counter is provided in the main body of the machine and not in the photoreceptor itself, so the counter may be reset due to an erroneous operation and the photoreceptor may be replaced before the photoreceptor reaches the end of its life. , normal photoconductor life management is no longer performed. Additionally, the amount of toner collected in the waste toner bottle varies greatly depending on the amount of image information, density, etc., but the lifespan of the cleaning device depends on factors such as the durability of the blade, so the amount of toner in the waste toner bottle remains constant. Even if the cleaning device reaches the limit, it does not necessarily mean that the life of the cleaning device has come to an end, and since the life of the cleaning device cannot be accurately detected, the life of the cleaning device cannot be accurately managed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic apparatus that can improve the above-mentioned drawbacks and accurately manage the lifespan of consumables.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electrophotographic apparatus having consumables, as shown in FIG. 9. [Operation] The control means 2 sequentially writes the information stored in the non-volatile memory 1 of the consumable product and monitors this information to manage the life of the consumable product. Information corresponding to the degree of wear of the consumable item is sequentially written into a nonvolatile memory 1 of the consumable item, and this information is monitored to manage the life of the consumable item.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, an electrostatic latent image is formed by rotating the photoreceptor 11 and charging the photoreceptor 11 with a charger, and then performing image exposure with an exposure device, and then developing and transferring the electrostatic latent image. In a transfer-type electrophotographic printer IO that transfers to paper and uses a cleaning device 12 to clean unnecessary toner after image transfer on a photoconductor, the lifespan of the photoconductor 11 and cleaning device 12 is managed as follows. The photoreceptor 11 is used repeatedly.

The consumables consisting of the photoreceptor 11 and the cleaning device 12 are each serial access type EEPROM.
A readable/writable non-volatile memory 13, 14 consisting of the following is built in, and these memories 13 and 14 are connected to a control unit 16 configured using a microcomputer (CPLI) 15 by an electrical connector or an optical cable. The initial value of the memory contents of the memo January 3.14 is predetermined, for example, in a clear state, and the initial value is always used when the photoreceptor 11 and cleaning device 12 are newly installed. Therefore, the stored contents of the memories 13 and 14 will not be reset to reset 1 due to an erroneous operation, and the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11 and cleaning device 12 can be accurately managed. Further, the CPU 15 is connected to the display section 17 and connected to the outside via an interface.

The CPU 15 repeatedly performs a read operation (life detection operation) and a write operation (life information update operation) as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). That is, the CPU 15 performs step S
Information regarding the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11 (the number of uses according to the degree of wear of the photoreceptor 11) is read out from the memory 13 built into the photoreceptor 11 at l, and this information is compared with a value corresponding to the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11. By doing so, it is determined whether the life of the photoreceptor 11 has come to an end and whether or not the photoreceptor 11 is not attached. Here, if the photoreceptor 11 is not installed, the CPU1
The connection between the CPU 15 and the memory 13 is released, and if the cleaning device 12 is not installed, the connection between the CPU 15 and the memory 14 is released. When the photoreceptor 11 is attached to the printer 10 and the life of the photoreceptor 11 has not yet come to an end, the CPU 1
5 is the cleaning device 1 from the memory 14 in step S2.
It is possible to determine whether or not the lifespan of the cleaning device 12 has come by reading out the information regarding the lifespan of No. 2 (the number of uses according to the degree of wear of the cleaning device ff1j12) and comparing this information with a value corresponding to the lifespan of the cleaning device 12; It is determined whether the cleaning device 12 is not installed. When the cleaning device 12 is attached and the life of the cleaning device I2 has not yet expired, the CPU 15 ends the read operation and proceeds to the next routine. Also, the photoreceptor 11
When the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11 has expired or the photoreceptor 11 is not installed, the cpuis proceeds from step S1 to step S3, displays on the display section 17 that the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11 has expired or is not installed, and the next printing operation of the printer 10 is started. After prohibiting this and notifying the outside via the interface that the life of the photoreceptor 11 has expired or that the photoreceptor 11 is not installed, the process advances to step S2.

When the life of the cleaning device 12 has come or the cleaning device 12 is not installed, the CPtJ 15 proceeds from step S2 to step S4 and displays on the display unit 17 that the life of the cleaning device 12 has expired or is not installed, and the printer 10 After prohibiting the printing operation of the cleaning device 12 and notifying the outside via the interface that the life of the cleaning device 12 has expired or that the cleaning device 12 is not installed, the reading operation is ended and the process proceeds to the next routine. Furthermore, the CPU 15 performs step S
5, Printer] Checks the signal generated each time printing of one page is completed in 0 to determine whether printing of one page is completed, and every time printing of one page is completed, In step S6, information regarding the lifespan of the photoreceptor 11 in the memory 1:3 is incremented, and in step S7, information regarding the lifespan of the cleaning device 12 in the memory 14 is incremented. Therefore, the cleaning device ■
The information regarding the lifespan of the cleaning device 12 also corresponds to the degree of use (degree of wear and tear) of the cleaning device 12, so that the lifespan of the cleaning device 12 can be accurately managed. Note that when the photoconductor 1 is newly installed, the CPU 15 reads information regarding the life of the photoconductor 11 from the memory 13 and determines that this information is a predetermined initial value. The display unit 17 detects that it has been newly installed.
At the same time, the display of the photoconductor 11 being over the lifespan or not being installed is stopped, and at the same time, the prohibition of the printing operation is canceled. Further, when the cleaning device 12 is newly installed, the CPt 115 reads information regarding the lifespan of the cleaning device 12 from the memory port and determines that this information is a predetermined initial value. This is detected, and the display unit 17 stops displaying that the cleaning device @ 12 has expired or is not installed, and at the same time, prohibition of the printing operation is canceled.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in an electrophotographic apparatus having consumables, the present invention includes a readable/writable nonvolatile memory provided in the consumables, and a nonvolatile memory in the consumables that stores information according to the degree of wear of the consumables. Since the apparatus includes a control means for managing the lifespan of the consumables by sequentially writing the information and monitoring this information, it is possible to accurately manage the lifespan of the consumables.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention, and FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are flowcharts showing the processing flow of the CPU in the same embodiment. 1... Non-volatile memory, 2... Control means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an electrophotographic apparatus having consumables, a read/write nonvolatile memory provided in the consumables, information corresponding to the degree of wear of the consumables is sequentially written into the nonvolatile memory of the consumables, and this information is monitored. and control means for managing the life of the consumables.