JP2002132101A - Process cartridge recycling system of image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process cartridge recycling system of image forming devices which facilitates judgment as to whether the recycling of components constituting process cartridges is possible or not. SOLUTION: When the process cartridges are subjected to recycling treatment by storing the components history information of the process cartridges together with the lot numbers of the process cartridges into memory means (34a and 34b) through the network NW in using the process cartridges of the image forming devices, the components history information and lot numbers of the process cartridges are read out of the memory means through the network and the process cartridges are subjected to the recycling treatment in accordance with the read-out information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process cartridge regenerating system for an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a process cartridge regenerating system for an image forming apparatus which makes it easy to judge whether components of a process cartridge can be reused.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art From the viewpoint of environmental protection and resource saving, the recycling of a process cartridge, which is a consumable item that is frequently replaced, has become widespread as a component of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine. ing. Here, the "process cartridge" is a unit in which at least an electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive drum or the like) and a developing unit adjacent thereto are integrated, and in addition, a charging unit, a cleaning unit, and a toner hopper are also integrated. Include the case to be made.

[0003]

However, in many cases, the state of the process cartridges collected in the regeneration step is not always constant depending on the use environment of the user. Therefore, in the process of regenerating the process cartridge, it is difficult to determine whether or not the components constituting the process cartridge can be reused. In particular, when a cartridge that has been once recycled is further recycled, it is often difficult to make a determination because the histories of parts are often different.

Conventionally, "this part can be used without replacement, but the function is slightly reduced (for example, the charged potential of the photosensitive drum is reduced, the amount of toner on the developing sleeve is increased, etc.).
In such a case, the process cartridge is often replaced with emphasis on the function. As an example of a means for dealing with this inconvenience, the use history of the process cartridge is printed on a barcode, and this barcode label is attached to each process cartridge. Then, there is a proposal in which a reading device of the image forming apparatus reads the use history data of the barcode, and obtains a good image by performing an appropriate correction (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-171329).
However, this method has a drawback that the barcode must be reprinted every time the process cartridge is reproduced, and the use history of the process cartridge is not reflected when the reproduction process is performed more than once.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it easy to judge whether or not parts constituting a process cartridge can be reused.
An object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge reproducing system of an image forming apparatus which improves the efficiency of a reproducing step. Also,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge reproducing system for an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image under a control condition reflecting a use history up to that point, even when using a process cartridge which has undergone a plurality of reproduction processes. It is to provide.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, when a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus is used, a part history information of the process cartridge together with a lot number of the process cartridge is transmitted to a network. When the process cartridge is to be stored in the storage unit via the storage unit, the component history information and the lot number of the process cartridge are read out from the storage unit via the network, and the reproduction process is performed based on the read information. It is characterized by the following. According to this configuration, in the case of the process of reproducing the process cartridge, the component history information and the like are read out from the storage unit via the network, and the reproduction process can be performed according to the stored contents, so that the reproduction process can be performed efficiently.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, control condition correction information for using the process cartridge under proper conditions is used together with the component history information and the lot number of the process cartridge during the process of reproducing the process cartridge. And performing a reproduction process. By doing so, in the case of the reproduction process, the reproduction process can be performed using the control condition correction information in addition to the component history information and the like, so that an efficient and optimal image can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the process cartridge regenerated by the regenerating process is further subjected to the regenerating process, the component before the process cartridge is started to be used together with the information on the process cartridge and the lot number. It is characterized in that part history information after use is added to history information and stored, and a reproduction process is performed. With this configuration, the control conditions of the image forming apparatus can be set to the conditions reflecting the control condition correction information of the process cartridge and the component history information up to that time, so that an efficient and good image can be obtained. It becomes possible.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the process cartridge reproduced by the reproduction process is mounted on an image forming apparatus and used, at least one of component history information and control condition correction information of the process cartridge is used. The control condition of the image forming apparatus is adapted based on the With this configuration, the control condition of the image forming apparatus can be set to the condition reflecting the control condition correction information of the process cartridge and the component history information up to that time, so that an efficient and good image can be obtained. be able to.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. (1) Configuration and Schematic Operation of Mechanical System First, the configuration and schematic operation of a mechanical system of an image forming apparatus applied to each embodiment described below will be described. FIG.
1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus GK applied to each of the following embodiments. Apparatus body 1 that forms the outer casing of the image forming apparatus
An image reading device 2 for reading an image of the document D is mounted on an upper part of the image reading device, and a printing device 3 is provided below the image reading device 2. A paper transport path 4 for guiding the paper S is formed below a process cartridge 3a which is a main constituent unit of the printing device 3.

The image reading device 2 has a reading section 5 for reading an image of the document D, and a document transport mechanism 5a for transporting the document D toward the reading section 5. A document tray 6 on which a document D is placed is provided at an upper portion of the apparatus main body 1.
The process cartridge 3a is configured such that a photosensitive drum 9 is rotatably provided on a unit main body 8 formed in a case shape, and a charging member 10 and a developing unit 11 are arranged and attached around the photosensitive drum 9. It is formed and can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1 through guide grooves 1b provided on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body. A transfer unit 12 is provided below the photosensitive drum 9 so as to face the photosensitive drum 9 with the sheet conveyance path 4 interposed therebetween.

The developing unit 11 includes a developer container 13 formed integrally with the unit main body 8 and a rotatable stirrer 1 for stirring the developer contained in the developer container 13.
4, a developing roller 15 that comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 9, and a supply roller 16 that supplies a developer to the developing roller 15.
And a blade 17 that contacts the developing roller 15. Further, an upper part of the process cartridge 3a is a component of the printing device 3, and forms an electrostatic latent image by scanning a charged portion of the photosensitive drum 9 with a laser beam modulated based on an image signal. A latent image forming unit 18 is provided. Further, on one side of the apparatus main body 1, a tray 19 that supports the document D read by the reading unit 2 and supports the sheet S in an obliquely mounted state is provided. The sheet is transported to the sheet transport path 4.
A fixing unit 25 that fixes an image transferred onto the sheet S is disposed downstream of the sheet transport path 4. The apparatus main body 1 is provided with an opening / closing cover 1a at one end, and a paper discharge roller 30 is disposed near an end of the apparatus main body 1 on the side opposite to the tray 19, and the paper S discharged from the fixing unit 25 is disposed. Is discharged in a horizontal direction between the lower end of the opening and closing cover 1a.

Next, an image reading operation and a printing operation will be described. The document D supplied from the document tray 6 is read by the reading unit 5.
, The image is read and is supported on the upper part of the tray 19 in a leaning state. The image read in this way is
When the image forming apparatus is used as a "copier", a sheet S is fed from the tray 19 and a read image is printed on the sheet S. When the image forming apparatus is used as a "facsimile", the image can be transmitted to the outside. When used as a facsimile, an image transmitted from outside can be printed on the paper S.

In printing, in FIG. 1, the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 is charged by the charging member 10 in the process of rotating the photosensitive drum 9 clockwise, and a latent image is formed based on a read image of the document D or an image received from outside. The unit 18 forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged portion of the photosensitive drum 9. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 11. This developed image is transferred to the sheet S fed from the tray 19 by the sheet feeding roller 20. The sheet S on which the image has been transferred is fixed when passing through the fixing unit 25, and is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 1 from the discharge port 28.

(2) First Embodiment FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit 31 of an image forming apparatus (an example of a multi-function device). In the control unit 31, a CPU 32 having a ROM 33 and a RAM 34
An image reading device 35, a latent image forming unit 36, an image forming high-voltage power supply 37, a fixing unit 38, a driving unit 39, a paper feeding unit 40, an operation panel unit 41, and a PC (personal computer) interface 4.
2, a network interface 43 and a modem 44 are connected. Among them, PC interface 42
Is connected to a user's PC (personal computer) outside the image forming apparatus main body, a network interface 43 is connected to an office LAN or the like, and a modem 44 is connected to a telephone line. The CPU 32 controls the above input / output devices according to a control program written in the ROM 33 in advance. Then, data input / output in this control is temporarily stored in the RAM 34.

First, when a user purchases a process cartridge and newly installs it in the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to make the image forming apparatus recognize the cartridge lot number before performing a printing operation. Recognition methods include a method in which a user makes a key input from an operation device of the image forming apparatus, a method in which a bar code sticker of lot number information is attached to a cartridge, and a dedicated reading device in the image forming apparatus reads the cartridge. A method of reading the sheet on which the lot number information is printed by the image reading device of the image forming apparatus may be considered.
Any of the methods is preferred. Any of these three methods can form a process cartridge at low cost.

The cartridge lot number recognized by the image forming apparatus by any one of the above-described methods is stored in the area 34a in the RAM 34 allocated for the lot number. Usually, the image forming apparatus has a function of counting the number of prints, and the counter value is stored in a RAM in the control unit.
The counter value is incremented by one each time one sheet is printed. In this example, a counter value storage area 34b for a process cartridge is provided separately from a print number counter (not shown) from the start of use of the image forming apparatus. When a new process cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, the print number counter of the image forming apparatus itself holds the same value, but the counter for the process cartridge is cleared to zero.
When an image is output from the image forming apparatus using the cartridge, the process cartridge counter stores the number of used process cartridges.

When the image forming apparatus detects the end of toner,
When the use of the process cartridge is completed, the value of the process cartridge counter is stored in a buffer (not shown), and the counter itself is cleared to zero. Then, the counter value stored in the buffer is transmitted / stored together with the lot number of the process cartridge used so far to the database server 70 (see FIG. 3) constituting the service base device SK installed at the service base or the like. Is done.

FIG. 3 shows a method of transmitting data to the database.
A) Using a telephone line to access the database server directly. b) Connect to the Internet using a telephone line,
Access via network. c) Access via a network using a network interface. d) Using the PC interface, access via the user's PC, through a telephone line or network connected to the PC.

(3) Second Embodiment FIG. 4A shows an example of a "conventional" process cartridge regeneration process related to the present invention. First, disassembly and cleaning process 5
In step 1, the cartridge is disassembled to remove parts, and the remaining toner and the discharged toner are cleaned and removed. Next, in the component selection process 52, the components removed from the cartridge are inspected to determine whether or not they can be reused. Components determined to be unreusable are discarded, and new components are put on the process instead. In the next reassembly step 53, the cartridge is returned to its original state using the parts sent from the previous step. The filling of the toner and the like are also performed in this step. In the image inspection step 54, a jig image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus for inspection)
A test image is output with a cartridge installed in the printer, and the presence or absence of an abnormal image is checked. When there is an abnormality, the abnormality is sent to the repairing process 55, where the cause of the abnormality is analyzed, the component causing the abnormality is replaced or repaired, and the process is returned to the image inspection process again. Finally, in the packing / shipping process 56, the history of the process up to that time is checked, and if there is no problem, packing / shipping is performed.

FIG. 4B shows a process cartridge regeneration process according to the present embodiment. First, in the disassembling / cleaning step 61, the cartridge is disassembled to remove parts, and the remaining toner and the discharged toner are cleaned and removed. In the component selection process 62, a means (client PC) 71 for accessing the database server 70 and displaying the obtained information is prepared (FIG. 3). Here, access via a network is preferable in terms of efficiency and the like. At the time of cartridge reproduction, the information printed on the lot number sticker is read by a handy scanner or the like connected to the client PCs 71 and 72 (FIG. 3), and the lot number is recognized. Then, the unique information of the lot number is obtained from the database server 70 and displayed. Based on the displayed information (for example, the number of prints of the cartridge),
It is determined whether the cartridge can be reproduced.

In some cases, it is not possible to judge whether or not the cartridge can be reproduced by only the number of used cartridges. This is the case where the life of each component is different, or where the life of the component is earlier than expected due to some external factor. In order to prepare for such a case, it is conceivable to subdivide the above-mentioned "printout number of cartridges" counter for each component. If a counter for each part is prepared in advance, only the counter for the replaced part
It is only necessary to clear the information in the database and rewrite the information in the database, so that the accurate use history of the parts can be tracked. If an abnormality is found in the subsequent image inspection process, there is a possibility that a component that was not replaced at the time of component selection may be replaced in the repair process 65, so it is necessary to reflect that information. In step 65, it is necessary to provide a means for accessing the database.

In the characteristic value measuring step 66 after reproduction, characteristic values relating to image formation, which will be described next, are also measured. The characteristic value that cannot be measured in the state of the finished product is a reassembly step 63.
Measure each time. This is because even if the degree of function deterioration due to reuse is a little in each part, it is possible that the function will deteriorate more than expected because several parts are used in combination,
In order to prepare for such a case, the image forming apparatus stores information necessary for correcting the control conditions described below in a database together with the above-described component history.
As the characteristic values to be measured in the present embodiment, there are three possible values of the photoconductor charging potential, the photoconductor exposure sensitivity, and the amount of toner on the developing roller.

The "control condition correction information" may be a characteristic value itself measured after reproduction, or a correction amount for correcting each characteristic value to an optimum value. In the present embodiment, regarding the photoconductor charging potential,
Instead of the charging potential itself, "information for optimizing the charging potential to a standard value (such as increasing the applied voltage by 100 V)" may be used, and the photoconductor exposure sensitivity is calculated from the sensitivity value (desired exposure). It may be replaced with a laser beam power value (necessary for obtaining a post-potential).
The “control condition correction information” thus obtained is transmitted and stored in the database server 70 each time.

(4) Third Embodiment FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a control unit according to this embodiment (an example of a multi-function device). When the process cartridge reproduced in the reproducing step is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus recognizes the lot number of the cartridge by the method described in the embodiment of claim 1,
The number is stored in the cartridge lot number area 34a in the RAM 34. The image forming apparatus is connected to the database server 7 through the route described in the first embodiment.
0, and obtains the unique information of the lot number. The unique information includes the control condition correction information and
The RAM 34 includes component history information described next.
Each information is stored in a data storage area (control correction information area 34c, component history counter 34d).

If the control condition correction information is the characteristic value itself, it is necessary to calculate the correction amount by a program in the ROM 33. If the control amount correction information is the correction amount information, the information is used to determine the bias control condition and the like. Optimize laser writing conditions, etc. As for the part history information, the counter value of each part of the cartridge stored in the RAM 34 is counted up according to the number of sheets used. At the end of use of the cartridge, the counter value of each component is transmitted to the database server 70 together with the lot number. The main purpose of this counter is to "understand the use history of each part" as mentioned in the second embodiment, but in combination with the control correction information, "control condition correction according to the number of sheets used"
Can also be used.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. The use history information of each component in the recycle process cartridge is stored in a storage means (for example, a database), and in the cartridge recycle process, the use history information is obtained from the database, thereby making it possible to easily judge whether the components in the cartridge can be reused. can do. "Control condition correction information" required to form an optimal image for each reproduction process cartridge
Is stored in a database, and when attached to an image forming apparatus, the control condition correction information is extracted from the database,
By optimizing control conditions based on that information,
A good image can always be obtained. "Use history information" of each part in the process cartridge
Is stored in a database, and in the cartridge regenerating step, the usage history information is obtained from the database, thereby making it possible to easily determine whether or not the parts in the cartridge can be reused.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus applied to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of a process cartridge reproducing system applied to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowcharts for explaining the second embodiment, in which FIG. 4A is a conventional example and FIG. 4B is a case of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control unit according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 D Document GK Image forming device NW Network S Paper SK Service base device 1 Device body 1a Opening / closing cover 1b Guide groove 2 Image reading device 3 Printing device 3a Process cartridge 4 Paper transport path 5 Reading unit 5a Document transport mechanism 6 Document tray 8 Unit body Reference Signs List 9 photoreceptor drum 10 charging member 11 developing unit 12 transfer unit 13 developer container 14 stirrer 15 developing roller 16 supply roller 17 blade 18 latent image forming unit 19 tray 20 paper feed roller 25 fixing unit 28 discharge port 30 discharge roller Reference Signs List 31 control unit 32 CPU 33 ROM 34 RAM 34a area allocated for lot number 34b counter value storage area 34c control correction information area 34d part history counter area 35 image reading device 36 latent image forming unit 37 image forming high-voltage power supply 38 Fixing unit 3 Driver 40 paper feed unit 41 an operation panel unit 42 PC interface 43 network interface 44 modem 70 database server 71 Client PC

Claims (4)

[Claims] When a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus is used, part history information of the process cartridge together with a lot number of the process cartridge is stored in a storage unit via a network, and the process cartridge is reproduced. A process cartridge reproducing system for an image forming apparatus, wherein component history information and a lot number of the process cartridge are read from the storage unit via a network, and a reproduction process is performed based on the read information. 2. The reproduction process is performed by using control condition correction information for using the process cartridge under appropriate conditions, together with the component history information and the lot number of the process cartridge during the reproduction process of the process cartridge. 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the process cartridge is reproduced. 3. When the process cartridge reproduced by the reproduction process is further subjected to a regenerating process, the process cartridge information and the lot number are used together with the component history information before the process cartridge is started. 3. The process cartridge reproducing system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the part history information after the start is additionally stored, and a reproducing process is performed. 4. When the process cartridge reproduced by the reproduction process is mounted on an image forming apparatus for use, the process cartridge is controlled based on at least one of component history information and control condition correction information of the process cartridge. 4. The process cartridge reproducing system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control conditions of the image forming apparatus are adapted.