JP2000019897A - Controller for printer capable of taking up photoreceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the wasteful consumption of a photoreceptor by performing blank printing and discriminating whether the photoreceptor is damaged or not when an operator tries to take up the photoreceptor which is not dead yet. SOLUTION: A printer controller 2 analyzes designation from a control panel 1, a grasps the take-up state of a photoreceptor unit 4 inside an engine 3 and controls take-up action. At the time of taking up the photoreceptor, the number of pages of printing during the service life per each surface of the photoreceptor is compared with the total number of pages printed by using each surface of the photoreceptor in use at present, and the blank printing is executed when the total number of pages consumed by the photoreceptor in use at present does not each the number of pages of printing during the service life. When any soil is found in a printed result during the execution of the blank printing, a warning screen to urge the operator to perform the cleaning operation for the inside of the engine 3 is displayed. When no soil is found in the printed result, taking up the photoreceptor is permitted by assuming that the factor of the deterioration of printing quality is the damage of the photoreceptor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for a printer capable of winding a photosensitive member by an operation from an operation panel, and more particularly to a control for winding a photosensitive member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional printer capable of winding a photosensitive member by using an operation panel, the photosensitive member can always be wound by an operator's will regardless of the degree of wear (life) of the photosensitive member.

[0003]

In a conventional printer in which the photosensitive member can be wound by using an operation panel, the photosensitive member has not reached the end of its life or has no cause for deteriorating the print quality of the photosensitive member. However, there is a problem that the photoconductor can be freely taken up at any time and the photoconductor is wasted.

An object of the present invention is to suppress wasteful consumption of a photoconductor.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the control device of the present invention, when the photosensitive member is wound, the number of printed pages per service life per photosensitive member and the currently used photosensitive member are determined. The total number of printed pages is compared, and if the total number of printed pages consumed by the photoconductor currently in use does not reach the number of printed pages for life, blank page printing is executed.

[0006] Then, a warning screen for urging the user to check whether or not the print result is dirty is displayed during the execution of blank printing. If the print result is dirty, a warning screen for urging the operator to clean the engine is displayed. If there is no dirt in the print result, it is assumed that the cause of print quality deterioration is damage to the photoreceptor, and the execution of winding is permitted.

[0007] The control device of the printer controlled as described above suppresses unnecessary winding of the photoconductor, and achieves the above object.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a configuration of a printer to which the present invention is applied. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, commands can be transmitted and received between the operation panel 1 and the printer control device 2 or between the printer control device 2 and the engine 3. 3
It controls the winding state of the photoconductor unit 4 inside and controls the winding operation. Also, the photoconductor unit 4
Is a type in which the photoconductor can be replaced.

FIG. 2 is a processing flow when the photosensitive member is wound up. Step 2a is a determination as to whether or not a winding request has been made. The variable I represents the total number of pages printed on one surface of the photoconductor currently being wound, and the constant J is the total number of pages that can be printed on one surface of the photoconductor (lifetime value). ). If there is a take-up request (I ≧ J), the process proceeds to step 2e to execute photoreceptor take-up, but if there is no take-up request (I <J).
Executes blank printing in step 2b to determine whether the cause of print quality deterioration is in the photoconductor. Thereafter, a warning screen 1 is displayed in step 2c, and the operator is asked to confirm whether or not the blank printing result is free from dirt.
The result of the determination is selected by a key on the operation panel.
(Refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 described later for an example of the warning screen 1 in step 2c.) The flag X in step 2d indicates whether or not the printing result in step 2b is dirty. Set by processing. If there is no stain on the print result (X = 1), it is determined that the cause of the print quality deterioration is damage to the photoconductor, the process proceeds to step 2e, the photoconductor is wound up, and the process ends. Similarly, if there is dirt (X = 0), it is determined that the cause of print quality deterioration is other than the photoreceptor, and a warning display 2 is displayed in step 2f, and the process ends.

FIG. 3 is a display example when the operation panel 1 in FIG. 1 is a touch panel. When an attempt is made to execute winding of a photosensitive member whose life has not reached its end, step 2c in FIG.
5 is a display example of a warning screen 1 displayed by the following.

FIG. 4 is a processing flow from the display of the warning screen 1 in FIG. 3 to the setting of the flag X for determining the presence or absence of a scratch on the photoreceptor by pressing a key. At step 4a, the warning screen 1 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. In steps 4b and 4c, it is determined whether a key has been pressed. Here, when the "Yes" key 3a in FIG. 3 is depressed, 0 is substituted for the determination flag X in step 4d, and it is registered that there is no cause of print quality deterioration in the photoconductor, and the process is terminated. When the "No" key 3b in FIG. 3 is depressed, 1 is substituted for the judgment flag X in step 4e, and it is registered that the factor of print quality deterioration is caused by the photoconductor, and the process is terminated. Then, the determination flag X set here is used for the determination in step 2d of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a display example when the operation panel 1 of FIG. 1 is a touch panel, and a warning screen 2 displayed in step 2f of FIG. 5 is a display example. Here, "End"
When the key 5a is pressed, the processing exits from the step 2f and ends.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operator can determine whether or not the photosensitive member has been damaged when the photosensitive member is wound up when the photosensitive member has not reached the end of its life. Useless consumption of the body can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a processing flow at the time of executing the winding of a photoconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a warning screen 1 when an attempt is made to execute winding of a photoconductor whose life has not expired according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a processing flow when setting a flag X for judging the presence or absence of a scratch on a photoconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a warning screen 2 when an attempt is made to wind up a photoconductor that has not reached the end of its life, which is one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... operation panel 2 ... printer control device 3 ...
Engine 4 Photoreceptor unit 2a-2f Processing steps for photoreceptor take-up execution 3a Yes key 3b No key 4a-4e Photoreceptor scratch Processing step for setting the presence / absence determination flag X,
5a ... End key

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 2H027 DA45 EH04 FA27 FA35 FA37 GA20 GA30 GB05 HA03 HA08 HA10 HA12 HB01 HB02 HB14 2H035 CA01 CE02 CE08

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a printer control device capable of winding a photoconductor by an operation from an operation panel, when an operator tries to wind a photoconductor that has not reached the end of its life,
A control device for a printer capable of winding a photoconductor, wherein it is possible to determine whether or not the photoconductor is damaged by performing blank printing.