JP2001117469A - Image forming device, cartridge attachable and detachable to/from this and individual cartridge identifying method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device of which the image forming device main body can identify and a cartridge attachable and detachable to/from this image forming device and an individual cartridge identifying method the individual cartridge and which is served for various functions by effectively utilizing a small storage capacity of the storing means. SOLUTION: A storing means 31 stores the manufacturing date of a cartridge B and the serial numbers of the cartridge B manufactured on the day. A device main body 100 has an information reading means 33 for reading the manufacturing date of the cartridge B and the serial numbers of the cartridge B stored in the means 31 and identification means 41 for identifying the individual cartridge B from the read information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, and a cartridge mountable on the main body of the image forming apparatus, that is, a process cartridge, a developing device formed into a cartridge, and the like. ,
The present invention relates to a method of identifying a cartridge using a memory mounted on the cartridge, an image forming apparatus, and a cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus.

Here, as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, L
ED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), electrophotographic facsimile machines, and electrophotographic word processors.

The cartridge detachably mountable to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, charging means for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and electrophotographic photosensitive member. This means at least one of the cleaning means for cleaning the body. In particular, the process cartridge is
At least one of the charging unit, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer forms a latent image by irradiating an electrophotographic photosensitive member with light corresponding to image information. The image is formed on the recording medium by supplying a developer (including toner) using a developing unit to visualize the image, and then transferring the image from the photoconductor to the recording medium.

In such an image forming apparatus, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are used in order to facilitate replacement of consumables such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a developer and maintenance. There is a process cartridge system in which the developing means, the charging means, the cleaning means, the developer accommodating section, the waste developer container and the like are integrated as a process cartridge and can be detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body. According to this process cartridge system, maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself without relying on a service person, so that operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

Further, for example, in a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of color developing means, when each developing means has different consumption, or when the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the developing means have different consumption, that is, when the life is different. In order to be able to replace and maintain the developing means of each color or the electrophotographic photosensitive member individually,
For example, there are cartridges in which a developing unit and a developer accommodating unit are formed as cartridges, and a photosensitive drum cartridge in which a cleaning unit and a waste developer container and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed as a cartridge. is there.

In recent years, in such a cartridge type image forming apparatus, a memory is provided in the cartridge and various functions using the memory are provided in order to improve the usability of the user and to improve the quality. Has been proposed.

For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-105021, each cartridge is identified by using information stored in a memory of the cartridge.
There is a method for simplifying the operation performed by the image forming apparatus.

That is, conventionally, in the above-described cartridge-removable image forming apparatus, each time the cartridge is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, parameters unique to each cartridge, such as adjusting a developing bias, are adjusted. There is a method of executing a predetermined image adjustment process for correcting the image density to the optimum image density.For example, when the cartridge is once removed from the image forming apparatus for jam clearance or the like and is remounted, the image Since the parameters for adjusting the density are almost the same, the image adjustment process is not required, and the time required for image formation becomes longer and the power consumption is wasted as much as the process is performed. Therefore, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-105021, the identification information for identifying the individual cartridge (the identification number (I
D) is stored in the memory of the cartridge, and it is determined whether or not the cartridge mounted in the image forming apparatus main body is a newly mounted cartridge. Skip the adjustment process.

A method has also been proposed in which the date of manufacture of a cartridge is stored in the memory of the cartridge, and the date of use of the cartridge is displayed by utilizing the date of manufacture on the image forming apparatus main body side.

Further, data counted by the main body of the image forming apparatus, such as a count value (pixel count) of the number of pixels of a formed image and a used amount (for example, the number of printed sheets) of the photosensitive drum, is converted into a used amount of the cartridge. For example, a method having various functions for improving user's convenience by using a memory provided in a cartridge, such as a method of storing the data in a memory of a cartridge as data indicating the above, has been proposed. For example, by allowing the cartridge itself to hold information on the usage amount of the cartridge as described above,
Even when a plurality of cartridges are exchanged and used, the cartridge usage amount reflecting the cartridge usage information can be continuously displayed on the image forming apparatus main body side.

[0012]

However, in an image forming apparatus in which a cartridge having a memory storing cartridge identification information as described above can be mounted, conventionally,
Serial number (serial number) when manufacturing the cartridge
Was stored in the memory, and each cartridge was identified only from this serial number.

As described above, when the individual identification of the cartridge is performed using only the serial number at the time of manufacturing the cartridge, when the production amount of the cartridge increases, a large area for storing the cartridge identification information must be secured in the memory. .

When the date of manufacture of the cartridge is stored in the memory of the cartridge in order to determine the expiration date of the cartridge on the image forming apparatus main body side as described above, the cartridge may be used in addition to the serial number when the cartridge was manufactured. Had memorized the date of manufacture. However, when the serial number at the time of manufacturing the cartridge and the manufacturing date of the cartridge are stored in the memory as independent data, the amount of data stored in the memory increases, and the small memory capacity is effectively used. There was a problem that can not be.

In particular, as described above, information for achieving various functions for improving user convenience, such as storing information on the amount of use of the cartridge in the memory of the cartridge, is to be written in the memory of the cartridge. In this case, it is required to use a small memory capacity effectively.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to identify individual cartridges in the main body of the image forming apparatus by storing information for individual identification of the cartridge in a storage means provided in the cartridge detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. By providing an image forming apparatus capable of providing various functions by effectively using a small storage capacity of the storage means, a cartridge detachable to the image forming apparatus, and a cartridge individual identification method. is there.

Another object of the present invention is to enable individual identification of a cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and to effectively use the small storage capacity of the storage means provided in the cartridge and store the cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reliably storing predetermined data stored in a storage unit of a predetermined cartridge, this image forming apparatus, and a cartridge individual identification method.

Another object of the present invention is to enable individual identification of a cartridge in an image forming apparatus main body, and
By effectively utilizing the small storage capacity of the storage unit provided in the cartridge, the predetermined data accumulated in the image forming apparatus main body can be reliably written in the storage unit of the predetermined cartridge in a fixed data unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the number of times of writing to the image forming apparatus, a cartridge detachable to the image forming apparatus, and a cartridge individual identifying method.

Still another object of the present invention is to enable individual identification of a cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and to effectively utilize the small storage capacity of the storage means provided in the cartridge. An image forming apparatus capable of reliably writing predetermined data stored in a storage unit of a predetermined cartridge in a predetermined data unit to reduce the amount of data to be written to the storage means; It is to provide a possible cartridge and a cartridge identification method.

[0020]

The above object is achieved by an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a cartridge detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus, and a cartridge individual identifying method. In summary, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in an image forming apparatus in which a cartridge having a storage unit is detachable from an apparatus main body, the storage unit has a date of manufacture of the cartridge and a cartridge manufactured on that day. Information reading means for reading the date of manufacture of the cartridge stored in the storage means and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day; and identification means for identifying the individual cartridge from the read information. And an image forming apparatus characterized by having the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus in which the cartridge having the storage means is detachable from the apparatus main body, the storage means includes a date of manufacture of the cartridge and a line on which the cartridge was manufactured. The identification information and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day and the line are stored. The apparatus main body stores the manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage means, the information identifying the line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and the line on that day. An image forming apparatus comprising: an information reading unit that reads a serial number of a cartridge manufactured by the method described above; and an identification unit that identifies an individual cartridge based on the read information.

In the first and second aspects of the present invention, according to one embodiment, the apparatus main body further includes information writing means for writing information to the storage means, and the information writing means comprises The means performs individual identification of the cartridge mounted on the apparatus main body, and then writes the information accumulated in the apparatus main body into the storage means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a cartridge having storage means and detachable from the image forming apparatus, the storage means stores a date of manufacture of the cartridge and a serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. There is provided a cartridge characterized by being performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a cartridge having a storage means and detachable from the image forming apparatus, the storage means includes a date of manufacture of the cartridge, information for specifying a line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and A cartridge is provided, wherein the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that line is stored that day.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge individual identification method comprising a storage means for storing identification information, wherein a cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus main body is individually identified by the apparatus main body. A cartridge individual identification method is provided, wherein a cartridge attached to the apparatus main body is individually identified from a manufacturing date of the cartridge and a serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day stored in the means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cartridge individual identifying method for identifying an individual cartridge which can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the storing means for storing identification information is provided. The cartridge mounted on the apparatus body is individually identified from the date of manufacture of the cartridge stored in the means, the information for specifying the line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. A method for identifying a cartridge is provided.

In each of the above aspects of the present invention, according to a preferred embodiment, the storage means is a non-volatile memory, a non-contact non-volatile memory, or a volatile memory provided with a power supply.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge further comprises an electrophotographic photosensitive member, charging means for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and developing means for supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member. And at least one of cleaning means for cleaning the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a cartridge detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus, and a method for identifying an individual cartridge will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 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. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic laser beam printer A, receives image information from a host computer, and performs a recording medium, for example, a recording paper, an OHP sheet, by an electrophotographic image forming process. An image is formed on a cloth or the like.

The laser beam printer A has a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member, that is, a photosensitive drum 1. The photoconductor drum 1 is charged by a charging roller 2 serving as a charging unit, and then a laser beam L corresponding to the image information is emitted from a laser scanner 3 so that a latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the photoconductor drum 1. It is formed. This latent image is developed by the developing means 5 to be a visible image, that is, a toner image.

That is, the developing means 5 has a developing chamber 5A provided with a developing roller 5a as a developer carrier.
A developer T in a developer container 4 as a developer container formed adjacent to the developing chamber 5A is supplied to the developing roller 5a of the developing chamber 5A. In the developer storage container 4, FIG.
A stirring means 15 is provided which rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in the middle, and by the rotation of the stirring means 15, the developer T is supplied to the developing roller 5a while being loosened. In this embodiment, as the developer T, an insulating magnetic one-component toner was used. The developing roller 5a has a built-in fixed magnet 5b, and the developer is conveyed by rotating the developing roller 5a, and a triboelectric charge is applied by a developing blade 5c which is a developer layer thickness regulating member. At the same time, a developer layer having a predetermined thickness is formed and supplied to the developing area of the photosensitive drum 1. The developer supplied to the developing area is transferred to a latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 to form a toner image. Developing roller 5
a is connected to a developing bias circuit, and a developing bias voltage in which a DC voltage is superimposed on an AC voltage is usually applied.

On the other hand, the recording medium P set in the paper feed cassette 200 is conveyed to the transfer position via the pickup roller 8 and the conveying means 9A in synchronization with the formation of the toner image. At the transfer position, a transfer roller 6 as a transfer unit is disposed, and by applying a voltage, the photosensitive drum 1 is moved.
The upper toner image is transferred to the recording medium P.

The recording medium P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 10 by the conveying unit 9B. Fixing means 10
Is provided with a fixing roller 10b and a drive roller 10c each having a built-in heater 10a, and applies heat and pressure to the recording medium P passing therethrough to fix the transferred toner image on the recording medium P.

The recording medium P is discharged to the discharge tray 14 by the conveying means 9C. The discharge tray 14 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 100 of the laser beam printer A.

After the transfer of the toner image onto the recording medium P by the transfer roller 6, the developer remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1 is removed by the cleaning means 7 and then subjected to the next image forming process. Is done. The cleaning means 7 scrapes off the residual developer on the photosensitive drum 1 by an elastic cleaning blade 7a provided in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and collects it in a waste developer container 7b.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge B is a developer frame having a developer storage container (developer storage section) 4 for storing the developer and a stirring means 15. 11, the developing roller 5a and the developing blade 5
c and a developing frame 12 holding the developing means 5 is welded to form a developing unit as a unit, and the developing unit is further provided with cleaning means such as a photosensitive drum 1, a cleaning blade 7a and a waste developer container 7b. 7 and a cleaning frame 13 to which the charging roller 2 is attached are integrated into a cartridge.

The process cartridge B is removably mounted on a cartridge mounting means 101 (FIG. 1) provided on the image forming apparatus main body 100 by a user.

Next, a cartridge individual identifying method according to the present invention will be described.

According to the present invention, the process cartridge B
Is provided with a storage unit 31, and the content of the storage unit 31 can be read and written by the image forming apparatus main body 100 in a state where the process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100. It has been.

According to this embodiment, a readable / writable nonvolatile memory (hereinafter simply referred to as “memory”) is used as the storage means 31 provided in the process cartridge B. As information, a manufacturing date of the process cartridge B and a serial number (serial number) of the process cartridge B manufactured on that day are stored.

Referring to FIG. 3 further, the process cartridge B includes, as information for identifying the individual cartridge (cartridge identification information), the manufacturing date of the process cartridge B and the process cartridge B manufactured on the manufacturing date. Memory 31 in which serial numbers are stored
And a cartridge-side read / write control unit 32 for controlling reading / writing of information from / to the memory 31. When the process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, the read / write control unit 32 on the cartridge side
The read / write control unit 33 of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is connected to each other by signal lines of R / W, REQ, DRY, CLC, and DATA. As described above, the image forming apparatus main body 1 serves as a unit for reading and writing information from and to the memory 31.
It has a read / write control unit 33 on the 00 side and a read / write control unit 32 on the cartridge side.

The image forming apparatus main body 100 is provided with a CPU (central processing unit) 41 for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus A in a centralized manner. The CPU 41 is electrically connected to the read / write control unit 33 of the image forming apparatus main body 100 so that information read from the memory 31 of the process cartridge B can be input.

The CPU 41 determines that the power supply of the image forming apparatus A is O
If N is set, or if the door 16 (FIG. 1), which is the insertion opening of the process cartridge B, is opened and closed, there is a possibility that the process cartridge B is different from the one previously installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100. It is determined that there is a possibility that the process cartridge B has been replaced, and the manufacturing date and the serial number stored in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B are read. In the present embodiment, the CPU 41 provided in the image forming apparatus A functions as an identification unit.
Can be identified.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the CPU 41 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100 is electrically connected to the storage section 42 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100. , Cartridge identification information read from the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, that is,
In this embodiment, the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B and the serial number of the process cartridge manufactured on that day can be stored.

When the power of the image forming apparatus A is turned on or when the door 16 is opened or closed, the CPU 41 detects this, reads the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 41 of the process cartridge B, and reads the cartridge identification information. This is compared with the cartridge identification information stored in the storage unit 42 of the main body.

At this time, if it is determined that the cartridge identification information read from the memory 31 of the process cartridge B does not match the cartridge identification information already stored in the storage section 42 of the image forming apparatus main body 100, It is determined that the process cartridge B mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100 is newly mounted, and the new cartridge identification information is written in the storage section 42 of the image forming apparatus main body 100. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 42 is formed of a nonvolatile memory, and holds the written cartridge identification information.

On the other hand, the memory 3 of the process cartridge B
1 and the storage unit 42
If the cartridge identification information already stored in the process cartridge B matches, it is determined that the process cartridge B is a process cartridge B that has already been mounted. Thus, the memory 3 of the process cartridge B
The process cartridge B can be reliably identified from the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B and the serial number of the process cartridge B manufactured on that day, which are stored in 1.

As described above, by storing the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B and the serial number of the process cartridge B manufactured on the date of manufacture as information for individual identification of the cartridge, that is, the cartridge is replaced with a serial number other than the serial number. By further specifying the date of manufacture as information, the capacity of the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31 can be reduced.

Next, an operation example of the image forming apparatus A using the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B according to the present invention will be described.

The image forming apparatus main body 100 reads the contents stored in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B,
The configuration is such that the content is determined by the CPU 41 and appropriate processing is performed.

First, according to the present invention, the individual process cartridges B to be mounted are identified by using the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31.
For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-105021, it is possible to simplify the operation after the jam processing.

That is, the image forming apparatus A of this embodiment adjusts the developing bias as an image density adjustment parameter unique to each process cartridge B in order to stabilize the image density. That is, after a predetermined patch latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1 and then developed, the patch image that has become a visible image is measured by a density sensor (not shown).
The PU 41 executes an image adjustment process for determining an optimum developing bias based on the density of the patch image.

Here, according to the present invention, the individual identification of the process cartridge B mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100 is performed as described above, and the mounted process cartridge B is newly mounted. It can be determined whether the cartridge has been re-mounted or not, and the image adjustment process is executed only when a new process cartridge B is mounted. Accordingly, for example, when the process cartridge B is once detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 for jam clearance or the like and then re-attached, the image adjustment process is unnecessary and can be omitted. Move to operation.

Next, according to the present invention, the individual identification of the process cartridge B can be performed using the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B. After confirming the process cartridge B attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the predetermined data stored in the image forming apparatus main body 100 can be reliably written into the memory 31 of the predetermined process cartridge B. At this time, according to the present invention, since the cartridge identification information is stored with a small storage capacity, such data can be stored in the memory 31 by effectively using the memory 31 with a small storage capacity.

For example, in the present embodiment, the memory 31 of the process cartridge B can store the number of prints and the count value (pixel count) of the number of pixels of the formed image.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus A of this embodiment has a cartridge usage detecting device for detecting the usage of the process cartridge B.
In this embodiment, the cartridge usage detecting device has a printed number counter 61 for counting the number of printed recording media P as means for detecting the degree of consumption of the photosensitive drum 1. Also, as means for detecting the state of consumption of the developer,
Pixel counter 62 for counting the number of pixels of a printed image
have. The CPU 41 can detect the degree of wear of the photosensitive drum 1 using a predetermined conversion table from the number of printed sheets, and multiplies the counted number of pixels by the amount of developer consumed per pixel to obtain a used developer. The amount can be calculated.

Here, in this embodiment, the printed sheet counter 61 indicates the printed recording medium P every time image formation is performed.
Storage unit 4 provided in image forming apparatus main body 100
It is sequentially added to 2 and stored. Also, the pixel counter 6
Reference numeral 2 denotes the number of pixels of an image to be formed (the number of pixels) sequentially added to and stored in a storage unit 42 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100 when the image signal sent from the host computer is developed into bitmap data. Let it. In the storage unit 42 of the image forming apparatus main body 100, the usage information (the number of prints and the pixel count) of the process cartridge B is sequentially stored in association with the identification information of each process cartridge B, which is also stored in the storage unit 42. It is memorized.

The data of the number of prints and the pixel count stored in the storage section 42 of the image forming apparatus main body 100 are used to identify the process cartridge B mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100 as described above. After that, the data is collectively written into the memory 31 of the process cartridge B at a predetermined timing in a fixed data unit. By writing these data into the memory 31 mounted on the process cartridge B, the usage amount of each cartridge can be stored in the cartridge itself even when a plurality of cartridges are exchanged.

As described above, according to the present invention, data to be sequentially added is temporarily stored in the storage section 42 in the image forming apparatus 100.
After that, it is determined that the same process cartridge B as the process cartridge B that was mounted when the data was stored is currently mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, and then the memory 31 of the process cartridge B is stored. Can be written to. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the possibility that data stored in the storage unit 42 of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is erroneously written to the memory 31 of the different process cartridge B, and only accurate data is stored in the memory 31 of the appropriate process cartridge B. It is possible to do.

The data once stored in the main body 100 of the image forming apparatus is written into the memory 31 of the process cartridge B when a certain amount is reached.
It is also possible to reduce the amount of data to be written to the. For example, when the number of printed sheets is counted 1000, the unit is written as one unit in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, whereby the capacity to be written in the memory 31 can be reduced to 1/1000.

Also, as described above, the image forming apparatus main body 100
By temporarily storing the data on the side and checking the individual process cartridges B and writing them all at once to the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, the number of times of writing can be reduced. It is not necessary to frequently write to the memory 31 of B, so that the life of the memory 31 can be extended and the probability of data corruption can be reduced.

Further, since it is not necessary to frequently write the data in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, the CPU 42 does not need to perform any work other than the processing related to the image forming process during the image forming operation, so that the throughput may be reduced. Thus, the original capability of the image forming apparatus A can be brought out.

As described above, for example, by storing the use amount information of the process cartridge B in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, even when a plurality of process cartridges B are exchanged and used, the use amount information is stored in the image. Various functions for improving the user's convenience, such as notifying the user of the current usage amount of the cartridge to the user, can be realized by using the forming apparatus main body 100. Since the capacity of the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31 of the cartridge B can be reduced, the memory 31 having a small capacity can be effectively used for these various functions.

It should be understood that the present invention does not limit the data once stored in the image forming apparatus main body and then written to the storage means of the cartridge to the above-mentioned number of prints and pixel count value. Such data is not limited to data relating to the amount of use of the cartridge. For example, regarding information on the amount of use of the cartridge, in addition to the above-described methods for detecting the amount of use of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the rotation speed of the photosensitive drum may be used. , A method of measuring the current flowing through the photoconductor drum, a method of counting the rotation time of the photoconductor drum, the application time of the charging bias, and the like, and estimating the degree of consumption of the photoconductor drum by a conversion formula.
In addition to the above-described methods for detecting the state of consumption of the developer, a torque detection method for detecting a torque of a means for stirring the developer in the developer container, a pair of a pair formed in parallel with a predetermined interval. The capacitance of a flat antenna substrate composed of an electrode pattern with a conductive part is measured, and the amount of developer is detected by using the fact that the capacitance changes with the contact area between the flat antenna and the developer. Capacitance detection method.

Further, according to the present invention, the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B and the serial number of the process cartridge B manufactured on that day are stored in the memory of the process cartridge B as cartridge identification information. At the same time as the individual identification, the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B is known on the image forming apparatus main body 100 side. Thus, the date of manufacture of the process cartridge B and the storage unit 4 on the image forming apparatus main body 100 side, for example.
2, it is possible to determine whether or not the number of days until the expiration date of the cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100 is small. For example, when it is determined that the expiration date is about to expire, a display unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100 or a host computer (not shown) communicably connected to the image forming apparatus main body 100 Can be displayed on the screen informing the user that the expiration date is imminent, and this information can be recorded on the recording medium P and output.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the cartridge identification information includes the manufacturing date information of the cartridge, it is not necessary to store the manufacturing date information in addition to the cartridge identification information. Although the range is minimum, the date of manufacture can be identified, and individual cartridges can be identified, so that the memory 31 can be used effectively.

As described above, according to the present invention, individual information of a cartridge can be identified by the main body of the image forming apparatus by storing information for identifying the individual cartridge in the memory 31 provided in the process cartridge B. 31 can be used for various functions by effectively using a small storage capacity.

Embodiment 2 Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The image forming apparatus of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and differs only in the cartridge identification information stored in the memory 31 provided in the process cartridge B. Therefore, members having the same configuration and function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

In this embodiment, a readable / writable nonvolatile memory (memory) 31 which is a storage means provided in the process cartridge B stores cartridge identification information as
The manufacturing date of the process cartridge B, information on the line manufactured, and the serial number (serial number) of the process cartridge B manufactured on the line on that day are stored.

Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus main body 100
1, the individual process cartridges B are identified by the manufacturing date, the line information of the manufactured line, and the serial number manufactured on that line.

As described above, the individual identification of the cartridge
The same operation and effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved by performing the manufacturing on the basis of the manufacturing date, the manufacturing line information, and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on the line on the manufacturing date. That is, by further specifying the cartridge based on the manufacturing date information which is information other than the serial number of the cartridge and the line information on which the cartridge was manufactured, the capacity of the cartridge identification information to be stored in the storage means of the cartridge can be reduced, and The capacity can be effectively used for various purposes.

Further, as in this embodiment, not only the manufacturing date of the cartridge and the serial number of the day, but also the manufacturing line is stored in the memory 31 of the process cartridge B, so that the manufacturing line can be specified for each cartridge. For example, even when a defect occurs in the cartridge, there is an advantage that various analyzes including the production line can be easily performed. Here, in the present invention, the line information stored in the storage unit of the cartridge may be, for example, information for specifying a manufacturing factory and an area of the cartridge.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the removable cartridge of the image forming apparatus main body 100 includes the photosensitive drum 1,
A process cartridge B integrally includes a charging unit 2, a developing unit 5, a cleaning unit 7a as a process unit acting on the photosensitive drum 1, and a developer container 4 and a waste developer container 7b. However, the cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this. FIGS. 5 and 6 show a developing device (developing cartridge) in the form of a cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention.
C shows an embodiment of the photosensitive drum cartridge D.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a developing chamber 5A having a developing roller 5a and a developing blade 5c as developing means, and a developer accommodating container 4 serving as a developing accommodating section are integrated by frames 11 and 12. Developing unit C, which is made into a unit and can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the photosensitive drum 1, charging means 2, cleaning means 7a, and waste developer container 7b A memory 31 is provided for each cartridge having a structure that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus, such as a photoreceptor drum cartridge D that is integrally unitized and detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 100. By storing the cartridge identification information according to the present invention described in each of the above embodiments, the same function and effect can be achieved.

The storage means for storing information for individual identification of the process cartridge B is not particularly limited as long as the information described above can be stored.
An OM, a ferroelectric nonvolatile memory (FeRAM) which is a non-contact nonvolatile memory, a combination of a volatile memory and a backup battery, or the like can be used. F
The eRAM has such advantages that it is not necessary to provide a power supply on the cartridge side, and that information can be read and written on the image forming apparatus main body side in a non-contact manner.

[0078]

As described above, the image forming apparatus, the cartridge detachable to the image forming apparatus, and the cartridge individual identifying method of the present invention make the cartridge having the storage means detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. A) The storage means stores the date of manufacture of the cartridge and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day, and the main body of the apparatus reads the manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage means and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. (B) the storage means includes a date of manufacture of the cartridge, information for specifying a line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and (B) a storage means for identifying the cartridge from the read information. The serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that line is stored that day, Stored cartridge of the date of manufacture,
Since it is configured to include information for identifying the line in which the cartridge was manufactured and information reading means for reading the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day, and identification means for identifying the cartridge individually from the read information, The cartridge can be individually identified by the image forming apparatus main body, and various functions can be provided by effectively using the small storage capacity of the storage unit.

Further, since the cartridge can be individually identified by the image forming apparatus main body and the small storage capacity of the storage means provided in the cartridge can be effectively used, the cartridge can be stored in the image forming apparatus main body. The given data thus made can be reliably stored in the storage means of the given cartridge.

Further, since the cartridge can be individually identified in the image forming apparatus main body and the small storage capacity of the storage means provided in the cartridge can be effectively used, the cartridge is stored in the image forming apparatus main body. The predetermined data thus written can be reliably written to the storage means of the predetermined cartridge in a fixed data unit, and the number of times of writing to the storage means can be reduced.

Further, since the individual cartridges can be identified in the main body of the image forming apparatus and the small storage capacity of the storage means provided in the cartridge can be effectively used, the cartridge can be stored in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The predetermined data thus written can be reliably written to the storage means of the predetermined cartridge in a fixed data unit, and the amount of data to be written to the storage means can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a storage unit provided in the process cartridge according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus main body.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a cartridge usage amount detecting device that suitably acts on the present invention according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the developing cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of one embodiment of the photosensitive drum cartridge according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 photoconductor drum 2 charging means 3 laser scanner 4 developer storage container 5 developing means 7 cleaning means 10 fixing means 31 non-volatile memory (storage means) 41 CPU (identification means) 61 printed sheet counter 62 pixel counter 42 image forming apparatus main body Side storage unit 100 image forming apparatus main body 101 mounting means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroaki Ogata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Canon Inc. (reference) 2H027 DA50 DE04 DE07 HB05 HB15 2H071 BA04 BA13 BA32 BA34 DA06 DA08 DA13 DA15 DA31 DA32

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus in which a cartridge having storage means is detachable from an apparatus main body, wherein the storage means stores a manufacturing date of the cartridge and a serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. Is characterized by having information reading means for reading the manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage means and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day, and identification means for identifying the individual of the cartridge from the read information. Image forming device. 2. An image forming apparatus in which a cartridge having a storage unit is detachable from an apparatus main body, wherein the storage unit includes a date of manufacture of the cartridge, information for specifying a line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and a line for that day. The serial number of the cartridge manufactured in is stored.The apparatus main body stores the manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage means, information identifying the line in which the cartridge was manufactured, and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured in that line on that day. An image forming apparatus comprising: information reading means to be read; and identification means for identifying an individual cartridge from the read information. 3. The apparatus main body further includes information writing means for writing information to the storage means, wherein the information writing means performs the individual identification of the cartridge mounted on the apparatus main body. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information stored in the apparatus main body is written in the storage unit. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage unit is a nonvolatile memory, a non-contact type nonvolatile memory, or a volatile memory provided with a power supply. 5. The cartridge further includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, charging means for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and cleaning means for cleaning the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following. 6. A cartridge having storage means and detachable from the image forming apparatus, wherein the storage means stores a date of manufacture of the cartridge and a serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. . 7. A cartridge having a storage unit and detachable from an image forming apparatus, wherein the storage unit includes a date of manufacture of the cartridge, information for specifying a line on which the cartridge was manufactured, and a cartridge manufactured on that line. A serial number of the cartridge is stored. 8. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein said storage means is a nonvolatile memory, a non-contact type nonvolatile memory, or a volatile memory provided with a power supply. 9. The cartridge further includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, charging means for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and cleaning means for cleaning the electrophotographic photosensitive member. 9. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the cartridge has at least one of the following. 10. A storage device for storing identification information,
In the cartridge individual identification method for individually identifying a cartridge detachable from an image forming apparatus main body by the apparatus main body, the cartridge main body is identified from the manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage unit and the serial number of the cartridge manufactured on that day. A method for identifying an individual cartridge, wherein the mounted cartridge is individually identified. 11. A storage means for storing identification information,
In a cartridge individual identification method for individually identifying a cartridge detachable from an image forming apparatus main body by the apparatus main body, a manufacturing date of the cartridge stored in the storage means, information for specifying a line in which the cartridge is manufactured, and a line of the date From the serial number of the cartridge manufactured in
A cartridge individual identification method, wherein a cartridge mounted on the apparatus main body is individually identified. 12. The cartridge individual identification method according to claim 10, wherein said storage means is a nonvolatile memory, a non-contact type nonvolatile memory, or a volatile memory provided with a power supply. 13. The electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing unit for supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the electrophotographic photosensitive member. 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of them is provided.
2. An individual cartridge identification method.