JP2001194974A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device having good usability for both of a facsimile user and a copy and printer user. SOLUTION: When a printing operation is requested by a FCU 45 in an energy saving mode, the printing operation is performed prior to a toner recovery process of other than a black toner, and a process adjustment process, and when the printing operation is requested by a PCU 41, the printing operation is performed after the process adjustment process and the toner recovery process of all color toners.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a copy function, a facsimile function, and a printer function, and more particularly to a control technique for returning from an energy saving mode to a normal mode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, color digital multifunction peripherals having a facsimile function added to a color copying machine have been put on the market. In this type of multifunction machine, the facsimile function can be used to perform nightly reception printing from outside. However, if the copier body is always turned on for nighttime reception printing, wasteful power consumption will occur. Therefore, an energy saving mode with low power consumption is realized. For example, power can be separately supplied to the main control unit and the FCU (facsimile control unit) using a relay switch.
(Network control unit) and supply the received file information once to the FCU.
Systems for storing data in a memory within the device are generally known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-35555 discloses this kind of prior art.
No. 6 is disclosed. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
As described in Japanese Patent No. 336409, a technique for improving the efficiency of the energy saving mode by keeping the memory from being out of the energy saving mode until the reception memory becomes full has been proposed.

[0003]

By the way, in a color copying machine, when the power is turned on or when returning from the energy saving mode, a process adjusting step for adjusting image forming conditions to improve full-color printing quality is executed. In addition, when the toner bottle is replaced due to toner end or near end when the power is turned off or in the energy saving mode, information on the toner end or near end state is stored in the non-volatile memory. Toner end stored in memory,
A toner recovery process for restoring the toner density based on the near-end information is executed. However, it takes several minutes to execute the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step, and the user has to wait during that time.
Further, in the process adjustment step, since a predetermined toner pattern is formed on the photoconductor, the photoconductor is deteriorated, the toner is consumed, and the durability of the entire system is reduced. Here, facsimile printing is generally black and white printing, so that image quality is not affected even if the process adjustment step is not performed at the time of printing. Similarly, even if the toner other than black is the toner end or the near end, it is not necessary to immediately execute the toner recovery process.
It is enough even after printing. The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that is easy to use for both a facsimile user and a copy and printer user.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a facsimile printing unit and a printer printing unit, and a normal mode with high power consumption and an energy saving mode with low power consumption. In addition, when the main power is turned on and when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, a process adjustment step of adjusting image forming conditions to improve print quality and a toner density of the developing machine are adjusted to a predetermined density. In an image forming apparatus having a function of executing a toner recovery step of performing a recovery operation for returning to a normal operation, if a printing operation request is made by a facsimile printing unit in the energy saving mode, the printing operation is performed by a process other than the process adjustment process and the black toner This is executed prior to the toner recovery process of If are those comprising the execution order control unit for executing printing operation after executing the process adjustment step and the toner recovery process of all the color toners. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
At the time of startup by turning on the main power supply and at the time of returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode by the power switch, the printing operation is performed after the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step are executed by the execution order control means. It is assumed that. To achieve the above objectives,
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there are provided a facsimile printing unit and a printer printing unit, and has two modes of a normal mode with high power consumption and an energy saving mode with low power consumption. When returning from the normal mode to the normal mode, a function to execute a process adjustment step of adjusting image forming conditions to improve print quality and a toner recovery step of performing a recovery operation for returning the toner density of the developing machine to a predetermined density are provided. When the facsimile printing unit and the printer printing unit receive a printing operation request in the energy saving mode in the image forming apparatus having the image forming apparatus, the execution order of performing the process adjustment process is prohibited, and the printing operation is performed after the toner recovery process is performed. It is characterized by comprising control means.

[0005]

In the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, facsimile printing is black and white printing, and a process adjustment step mainly performed for improving full-color printing quality is not required. Or, in consideration of the fact that printing is possible even if it is near-end, in the case of facsimile printing, the printing operation is executed prior to the process adjustment process and the toner recovery process other than black toner, and printer printing is full color printing Therefore, the printing operation is performed after the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step for all color toners are performed. In the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step are performed at the time of normal power-on or activation by the power switch in consideration of the fact that the apparatus is frequently used in full-color printing. In the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, facsimile printing is frequently performed when a document is received from the outside, and in recent years, networking of personal computers in offices has been advanced, and a large number of printers have been connected to one network. In consideration of the increased number of opportunities for users to perform printing, if there is a printing operation request by the facsimile printing unit and the printer printing unit in the energy saving mode, the execution of the process adjustment process is prohibited, and the toner recovery process is executed. By executing the printing operation after that, the waiting time is reduced, the deterioration of the photoconductor is reduced, and the toner consumption is reduced.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus has an automatic document feeder 2 mounted on an apparatus main body 1. The apparatus main body 1 has a two-stage paper feed tray (cassette) 11 mounted on the inner bottom thereof, and a manual paper feed tray 12 on the right side of the drawing and a paper discharge tray 13 on the left side. is there. From the paper feed tray 11 and the manual paper feed table 12, paper is fed toward registration rollers 16 by paper feed roller groups 14 and 15, respectively. In the vicinity of the downstream side of the registration roller 16 in the paper transport direction, an electrophotographic process unit centering on the photoconductor 17 is disposed.
Thereby projecting a light image. Photoconductor 17
The fixing device 2 is located downstream of the transfer / transport belt 19 in contact with the fixing device 2.
0, and the sheet is switched between the discharge tray 13 direction and the double-sided tray 21 direction by the switching claw on the downstream side of the fixing device 20. The automatic document feeder 2 is mounted on the contact glass 22. The automatic document feeder 2 includes a document feed table 31 on which the document P is placed,
It is a well-known device having a paper feed separation unit 32 and a transport belt 33. In the image forming operation, the paper is transported from the paper feed tray 11 or the manual feed tray 12 toward the registration rollers 16, while the original P is sent out from the original feed tray 31 of the automatic document feeder 2 toward the contact glass 22. .
The original P on the contact glass 22 is
The optical image is written on the photoconductor 17 and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 17. This electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing machine, and a toner image is obtained on the photoconductor 17. Then, the toner image is transferred by a registration roller 16 to a sheet sent to a transfer unit at a certain timing. The toner image is fixed while the paper passes through the fixing device 20, and finally the paper is
3 is discharged.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus. The control unit of the image forming apparatus includes a PCU (printer control unit) 41, a main control unit 44 having a system control unit 42 and a plotter control unit 43, an FCU (facsimile control unit) 45, and an NCU (network control unit) 46. I have. The main control unit 44 constitutes an execution order control unit described in the claims. AC power is supplied by the main switch 47 and P
SU (Power Supply Unit) 48
Convert to 4V DC power supply. The PCU 41, the main control unit 44, the FCU 45, and the NCU 46
Power is supplied. The 24V power supply outputs a PWR signal from the main control unit 44 (PWRO).
N) Via the relay circuit 50 to be energized, the PCU 4
1. The main controller 44, the FCU 45, the NCU 46, and loads 49 such as a fixing heater, a fan, and a solenoid. Also, from PCU 41, PWU-P,
Each start signal of the PWU-F is input from the FCU 45 to the main control unit 44, and the main control unit 44
Which activation signal of the FCU 45 has been activated can be recognized. Further, the main control unit 44 includes:
The power switch 51 is connected, and when the power switch 51 is pressed, a shift to the energy saving mode and a return process from the energy saving mode to the normal state are performed.
Here, the FCU 45 and the NCU 46 are known as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-336409, filed by the present applicant, but will be briefly described. FCU 45
An AF memory, a buffer, a modem, a compression / expansion device, etc. are provided.
The data compressed in step 2 is stored in the SAF memory, transferred to a buffer, recompressed by a compression / decompression device, and transmitted to the NCU 46 via a modem. At the time of FAX reception / printing, data sent from the line is accumulated in the SAF memory via the NCU 46 and the modem, decompressed by the compression / decompression device, and passed to the system control unit 42. The NCU 46 outputs a ringing detection signal to a ringing detection circuit when a facsimile is received from the telephone line. When a signal is detected by the ringing detection circuit, the FCU 45
The relay of No. 6 is turned on to close the line, and the modem is controlled to start the receiving operation.

Next, the control operation of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process of shifting to the energy saving mode by pressing the power switch and returning from the energy saving mode to the normal state. The main control unit 44 checks whether or not the power switch 51 has been turned on in S1, and repeats this check if it has not been turned on. If the power switch 51 is turned on, the PWR signal is turned off in order to shift to the energy saving mode in S2, and the relay circuit 50 is turned off.
Cuts off the 24V power supply. In this state, the mode has shifted to the energy saving mode. That is, in the energy saving mode, the PCU 41, the main control unit 44, the FCU 45,
The NCU 46 is supplied with only 5V power from the PSU 48, and the load 49 is not supplied with power.
To return from the energy saving mode, press the power switch 5 again.
1 is turned on. That is, it is checked in step S3 whether the power switch 51 has been turned on, and if not, this check is repeated again. If it is on, S4
The main controller 44 executes a reset process for returning from the energy saving mode. Then, an initial operation (for example, cleaning of the photoconductor), a process adjustment process, and a toner recovery process performed when the power is turned on are executed. Both the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos.
It is described in 179405 and is well known, but will be briefly described. In the process adjusting step, the electrophotographic process is actually performed under predetermined conditions, and for example, the charging condition, that is, the voltage applied to the charging charger is adjusted. The charged potential is measured by a potential sensor,
Change the voltage of the high-voltage power supply so that it matches the target value. Toner recovery operation means that after replacing the toner container,
This refers to a toner density return operation for returning the toner density to a predetermined value.Specifically, a density measurement pattern formed on a photoconductor is read by an optical sensor until a proper density condition is reached. This refers to an operation of repeating toner supply from the toner container to the developing device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a first processing example performed by the main control unit when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. In S11, it is determined whether or not the start request is from the FCU 45. That is, the presence or absence of the input of the start signal PWU-F from the FCU 45 is checked. FC
If it is started from U45, the process proceeds to S13, executes operation A, and ends this processing. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S12, executes the operation B, and ends this processing. As described above, since facsimile printing is black-and-white printing, the operation A
May be a printing operation in the monochrome mode. Therefore, in the operation A, first, if the toner end of BK (black) is near end, the toner recovery step is executed only for BK, and the printing operation is executed if the fixing temperature has reached a predetermined value without executing the process adjustment step. . After that, a process adjustment step,
The other color toner recovery process is performed. Action B
Indicates the case of printing in the color mode. In the case of toner end or near end, the toner recovery process is executed first, then the process adjustment process is performed, and then, if the fixing temperature has reached a predetermined value, the printing operation is performed. I do. The operation A is to execute the printing process prior to the execution of the toner recovery process and the process adjustment process other than the BK, with priority given to the reduction of the waiting time of the user in the monochrome mode. As described above, the facsimile reception in the energy saving mode is performed. In the case of. The operation B places importance on image quality in the color mode and executes a toner recovery process and a process adjustment process prior to printing, and is performed at the time of normal power-on or startup from pre-printing. . FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of the operation A shown in FIG. In S21, it is checked whether the black toner is in a toner near end or end state. If it is not near end or end state, S23
Proceed to. If it is in the near end or end state, a toner recovery process is executed in S22. Next, the process proceeds to S23, where it is checked whether or not a fixing warm-up state is present. If not in the fixing warm-up state, this check is repeated. If it is in the fixing warm-up state, the process proceeds to S24 to perform a printing operation. Then, the process proceeds to S25, where it is checked whether colors other than the black toner are in the toner near end or end state. If the state is not the near end or end state, the process proceeds to S27. If it is in the near end or end state, the toner recovery process is executed in S26, and after the operation is completed, the operation returns to the normal state in S28. In step S27, a process adjustment step is performed. After the operation is completed, the process returns to the normal state in step S28.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the operation B shown in FIG. In S31, it is checked whether even one color is in the toner near end or end state. Near-end,
If it is not the end state, the process proceeds to S33. In S33, a process adjustment step is performed, and after the operation is completed, the process proceeds to S34. On the other hand, if it is in the near end or end state, the toner recovery process is executed in S32. After the operation is completed, the process proceeds to S34, where it is checked whether or not the fixing is warmed up. If not in the fixing warm-up state, this check is repeated. If it is in the fixing warm-up state, the process proceeds to S35,
Perform printing operation. After the operation ends, the process proceeds to S36 and returns to the normal state. A known type of color copying machine performs a process adjusting step at intervals of a predetermined number of copies. In this case, the process adjustment step may not be performed when starting up from the energy saving mode in order to reduce the waiting time of the user, reduce the deterioration of the photoconductor, and reduce the toner consumption. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second processing example performed by the main control unit when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. In this example, at the time of activation in facsimile reception and printer printing, the operation C in which the process adjustment step is not performed is performed. That is, PWU-
The input signal of F is checked to check whether or not it has been started by the FCU 45. If the activation is from the FCU 45, the process proceeds to S42, executes the operation C, and ends this processing. If not started from the FCU 45, the process proceeds to S43 and P
It checks the input signal of the WU-P and checks whether it has been started by the PCU 41 or not. PCU41 in S43
If so, the process proceeds to S42 and executes the above-described operation C. If it is not started from the PCU 41, the process proceeds to S44, executes the operation B, and ends this processing. FIG.
8 is a flowchart showing the contents of operation C shown in FIG. In S51, it is checked whether even one color is in the toner near end or end state. If it is not near end or end state, the process proceeds to S53. If it is in the near end or end state, a toner recovery process is executed in S52. S53
Then, it is checked whether it is in a fixing warm-up state.
If not in the fixing warm-up state, this check is repeated. If it is in the fixing warm-up state, the process proceeds to S54,
Perform printing operation. After the printing operation is completed, the process proceeds to S55 and returns to the normal state.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a printing operation request is made by the facsimile printing means in the energy saving mode during facsimile printing, the printing operation is performed prior to the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step other than the black toner. If the printing operation is requested by the printer printing means, the printing operation is executed after the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step for all color toners are executed, so that the user waiting for the completion of facsimile printing is Reduces the waiting time. Also, when printing on a printer,
Since the printing operation is performed after the process adjustment process and the toner recovery process for all color toners are performed, high-quality full-color printing can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is convenient for both the facsimile user and the printer user. In the invention according to the second aspect, at the time of startup by turning on the main power supply and at the time of returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode by the power switch, the printing operation is performed after the execution order control means executes the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step. Therefore, image quality at the time of full-color printing can be satisfied. According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a printing operation request is made by the facsimile printing unit and the printer printing unit in the energy saving mode at the time of facsimile printing and printer printing, execution of the process adjustment step is prohibited, and toner recovery step is executed. Since the printing operation is performed after that, the waiting time of the user can be reduced in any case, and the deterioration of the photoconductor and the toner consumption can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process of shifting to an energy saving mode by pressing a power switch and returning from the energy saving mode to a normal state.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a first processing example performed by the main control unit when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of an operation A shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of an operation B shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second processing example performed by the main control unit when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of an operation C shown in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 41 PCU 42 System control unit 43 Plotter control unit 44 Main control unit 45 FCU 46 NCU 47 Main switch 48 PSU 49 Load 50 Relay circuit 51 Power switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 1/00 G03G 21/00 372 F term (Reference) 2H027 DA50 EA04 EA15 EC20 ED08 ED30 EE07 EF01 EF06 FA30 FA35 2H077 DA10 DB01 DB18 2H078 AA02 AA04 AA06 AA18 BB01 BB12 DD38 DD78 EE02 EE04 FF04 FF09 5C062 AA02 AA05 AB22 AB46 AB49 AC04 AE15 BA07

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A power supply system comprising a facsimile printing unit and a printer printing unit, and has two modes: a normal mode with high power consumption and an energy saving mode with low power consumption. Image forming having a function of executing a process adjustment step of adjusting image forming conditions to improve print quality and a toner recovery step of performing a recovery operation for returning the toner density of the developing device to a predetermined density when returning to printing In the device, when a printing operation request is made by the facsimile printing unit in the energy saving mode, the printing operation is executed prior to the process adjustment process and the toner recovery process other than the black toner, and the printing operation request is made by the printer printing unit. If necessary, execute the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step for all color toner. An image forming apparatus comprising the execution order control unit for executing printing operation after. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
At the time of startup by turning on the main power supply and at the time of returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode by the power switch, the printing operation is performed after the process adjustment step and the toner recovery step are executed by the execution order control means. Image forming apparatus. 3. It has facsimile printing means and printer printing means, and has two modes, a normal mode with high power consumption and an energy saving mode with low power consumption. Image forming having a function of executing a process adjustment step of adjusting image forming conditions to improve print quality and a toner recovery step of performing a recovery operation for returning the toner density of the developing device to a predetermined density when returning to printing In the apparatus, when a printing operation request is made by the facsimile printing unit and the printer printing unit in the energy saving mode, execution of the process adjustment step is prohibited, and the execution order control unit that executes the printing operation after executing the toner recovery step is executed. An image forming apparatus comprising: