JP2002148998A - Electrophotographic printer and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the optimum fixation control over a cartridge. SOLUTION: A storage means 13 attached to the cartridge 12 which contains toner and is loaded in an eletrophotographic printer main body 11 is stored with temperature control information characteristic of the toner fixed to an object body of fixation, and a fixing device 17 of the electrophotographic printer main body 11 has a temperature detection unit which detects the temperature of a heat roller 18, detects the temperature of the heat roller 18 by the temperature detection unit 20, and controls the heat roller 18 to necessary temperature according to the temperature control information in the storage means 13 to fix the toner to fix the toner to the object of fixation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic printer using storage means for storing fixing control information in a cartridge which contains toner and is mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic printer, and a control method therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional electrophotographic printer is
The image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic printer main body, and a cartridge that accommodates toner and that is detachably attached to the electrophotographic printer main body. The main body of the electrophotographic printer includes a fixing device having a heating roller for heating the toner transferred to the fixing object and fixing the toner on the fixing object.

The fixing control information of the electrophotographic printer is built in the main body of the electrophotographic printer. For an electrophotographic printer once shipped, it is necessary to change the fixing control information contained in the main body of the electrophotographic printer.

The prior art is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-2000.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 227750 discloses a process cartridge, a cartridge, and a multifunctional member in which a cleaning blade, a developing blade, and a charging roller can be recycled.

[0005]

However, in the prior art, even if the toner in the cartridge, which is a consumable, is changed for the electrophotographic printer once shipped in order to reduce the cost and the like, the resin and the toner of the toner are not changed. If the external additives are changed, the thermal conditions for fixing the toner will also change, and it will be necessary to change the fixing control information built in the electrophotographic printer itself. It is difficult to change the toner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic printer having a fixing device that can be sufficiently satisfied irrespective of the specific conditions of the toner in the cartridge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic printer capable of storing, in a cartridge, fixing control information so that the cartridge can have optimum thermal conditions for fixing toner.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic printer main body, and a cartridge which contains toner and is removably mounted on the electrophotographic printer main body. An electrophotographic printer including a fixing device having a heating roller for heating the toner transferred to a fixed material and fixing the toner on the fixed material, comprising: a storage unit attached to the cartridge; Stores the toner-specific temperature control information for fixing the toner to the fixing object, and the fixing device controls the heating roller to a required temperature based on the temperature control information of the storage unit. A temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the heating roller so as to fix the toner on the fixing object. Printer can be obtained.

According to the present invention, there is further provided an electrophotographic printer main body, and a cartridge which contains toner and is detachably mounted to the electrophotographic printer main body, wherein the electrophotographic printer main body is transferred to an object to be fixed. A method of controlling the temperature of the heating roller at a predetermined temperature so that the toner is heated by a heating roller provided in a fixing device to fix the toner on the object to be fixed.
The temperature control information specific to the toner for fixing the toner to the fixing object is stored in a storage unit attached to the cartridge, and the temperature of the heating roller is monitored by a temperature detection unit provided in the fixing device. Detecting a temperature of the heating roller, controlling the heating roller to a required temperature based on temperature control information of the storage unit attached to the cartridge, and fixing the toner to the fixing object. A method for controlling a photographic printer is obtained.

[0010]

According to the electrophotographic printer of the present invention and the control method therefor, the temperature control information is stored in the cartridge, and the temperature control information is changed without changing the main body of the electrophotographic printer. The change of the toner of the cartridge is simplified.

Further, the main body of the electrophotographic printer according to the present invention operates based on the fixing control information stored in the cartridge. Therefore, the fixing device can perform optimal fixing control for each cartridge, and can easily change the toner.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fixing device for an electrophotographic printer and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electrophotographic printer according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electrophotographic printer as an image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic printer main body (hereinafter referred to as a printer main body) 11, a cartridge 12, and a storage means 13 attached to the cartridge 12. have.

The cartridge 12 is separate from the printer main body 11, and the cartridge 12 is detachably mounted on the printer main body 11. As the storage means 13,
As a read-only memory, a ROM (Read On)
ly Memory). Storage means 13
Stores temperature control information unique to the toner contained in the cartridge 12 (hereinafter, referred to as fixing temperature control information).

That is, the storage means 13 stores the cartridge 12
For each cartridge 12, fixing temperature control information such as thermal conditions for fixing the toner to the fixing object at a required temperature is stored in accordance with the type of the resin or the external additive contained in the toner. .

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the printer main body 11 shown in FIG. With reference to FIG. 1 and the drawings, the printer main body 11 includes a registration unit 14 which is a transport unit for transporting a film, paper, or the like as a fixing target,
A transfer roller 15 for performing image formation by transfer, an OPC drum (organic photoconductor layer) 16 which is a photosensitive drum as a rotating cylindrical latent image carrier, and an image formed by the transfer roller 15 is applied to an object to be fixed. And a fixing device 17 for fixing.

The registration unit 14 sandwiches the object to be fixed between two rollers so as to convey the sheet as the object to be fixed. In the registration unit 14, at least one roller is driven, and both rollers rotate in the direction of transporting the sheet. The transfer roller 15 and the OPC drum 16 are located in front of the registration unit 14 in the transport direction, rotate in the direction of transporting the object to be fixed, and transport the sheet to the fixing device 17.

The fixing device 17 includes a heating roller 18 for heating the toner transferred to the object to be fixed by the transfer roller 15 by heat and fixing the toner to the object to be fixed, and a pressing roller for pressing the object to be fixed to the heating roller 18. 19 and the heating roller 18
And a temperature detection unit 20 for monitoring the temperature of the heating roller 18 and controlling the heating roller 18 to a required temperature.

The fixing device 17 is built in the printer main body 11. That is, the fixing device 17 operates so as to control the heating roller 18 to a required temperature based on the fixing temperature control information in the storage unit 13 built in the cartridge 12.

Since the configuration of the electrophotographic printer and the transfer and fixing processes are described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-227750 mentioned above, further description is omitted. .

In the fixing device 17, the temperature of the heating roller 18 is detected by a thermistor constituting a part of the temperature detecting unit 20. The thermistor in this embodiment is located on the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 18, and detects the surface temperature of the heating roller 18 by contacting the outer periphery.

The heating roller 18 is a storage unit 13 for storing fixing temperature control information attached to the cartridge 12.
Is controlled to a required temperature based on In such a control method of the fixing device 17, the storage means 13 of the cartridge 12 is provided with fixing control information for the heating roller 18 so that when the cartridge 12 is mounted on the printer main body 11, the fixing is performed using the cartridge 12 as a medium. The fixing temperature control information in the device 17 can be varied.

That is, for the electrophotographic printer once shipped, the fixing temperature control information can be changed by the storage means 13 of the cartridge 12, so that the printer main body 11 does not change the fixing temperature control information without changing the printer main body 11. The toner can be fixed.

The storage means 13 attached to the cartridge 12 can be replaced with an external storage medium (for example, a ROM alone).

[0025]

In the electrophotographic printer according to the present invention and the control method therefor, the fixing device operates according to the fixing control information stored in the cartridge. Fixing control can be performed, and simple changes can be made to toner changes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an electrophotographic printer according to the present invention and showing an entire configuration.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of the electrophotographic printer shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Electrophotographic printer main body 12 Cartridge 13 Storage means 14 Registration unit 15 Transfer roller 16 OPC drum 17 Fixing device 18 Heating roller 19 Pressure roller 20 Temperature detection unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electrophotographic printer main body, comprising: a cartridge containing toner and detachably mounted on the electrophotographic printer main body, wherein the electrophotographic printer main body includes:
An electrophotographic printer comprising a fixing device having a heating roller for heating the toner transferred to the fixing object and fixing the toner on the fixing object, comprising: a storage unit attached to the cartridge; The means stores temperature control information unique to the toner for fixing the toner on the fixing object, and the fixing device sets the heating roller to a required temperature based on the temperature control information of the storage means. An electrophotographic printer, comprising: a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the heating roller so as to control the fixing of the toner to the fixing object. 2. An electrophotographic printer according to claim 1, wherein said storage means is a storage medium built in said cartridge or an external storage medium provided outside said cartridge. 3. The electrophotographic printer according to claim 1, wherein said temperature detecting unit includes a thermistor installed near said heating roller so as to detect a temperature of said heating roller. 4. An electrophotographic printer body, comprising: a cartridge containing toner and detachably attached to the electrophotographic printer body, wherein the electrophotographic printer body includes:
A method for controlling an electrophotographic printer, wherein the temperature of the heating roller is controlled at a predetermined temperature so that the toner transferred to the object to be fixed is heated by a heating roller provided in a fixing device and fixed to the object to be fixed. The toner-specific temperature control information for fixing the toner to the fixing object is stored in a storage unit attached to the cartridge, and the temperature of the heating roller is monitored by a temperature detection unit provided in the fixing device. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising: detecting a temperature of a heating roller, controlling the heating roller to a required temperature based on temperature control information of the storage unit attached to the cartridge, and fixing the toner to the fixing object. How to control the printer. 5. The electrophotographic printer according to claim 4, wherein said storage means is a storage medium built in said cartridge or an external storage medium provided outside said cartridge. How to control the printer. 6. The control method for an electrophotographic printer according to claim 4, wherein the temperature detecting unit includes a thermistor installed near the heating roller, and detects the temperature of the heating roller by the thermistor. Control method for an electrophotographic printer.