JP2002341707A - Printer and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that print counting device carries out a counting carry operation by mistake at the time of switching on and off the power source in a system constituted of the print counting device for measuring the printing quantity of a printer, the printer having a circuit for driving the print counting device, and a control device for controlling the print counting device and the printer by feeding power from a power supply having a secondary side other than the printer. SOLUTION: The printer outputs a print counting device drive-enable signal from a control board of the printer, and is provided with a print counting device drive-enable circuit in order to make the signal effective only while printing operation is being executed, and receives the print counting device driving signal only when the print counting drive-enable signal is effective, to make the print counting device operate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus having a printing counter and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a printing apparatus which is divided into a controller section and an engine section and has a print counter, a printing amount during a printing operation is monitored by the controller section.
A usage counter, which is a print counter attached to the engine unit, is incremented for each predetermined amount of printing. The usage fee collected from the customer who uses the printing apparatus is determined based on the print amount measured by the usage counter.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional usage counter drive system. The operation principle of the usage counter will be described below.

A control board 31 is mounted on the controller housing, and a usage counter driving board 33 and a usage counter 34 are mounted on the engine housing. Each board is supplied with power from a different power supply on the secondary side of the controller power supply 35 and the engine power supply 36. Controller power supply 35,
The engine power supply 36 is connected to an external power supply 37 via a breaker 38. The power of the apparatus is turned on / off by a breaker 38.

[0005] The control board 31 mounted on the controller housing monitors the amount of printing when the printing operation is started, and transmits a usage counter drive signal 32 to the engine unit when a predetermined sheet is printed. Upon receiving the usage counter drive signal 32, the usage counter drive board 33 attached to the engine housing operates the internal drive circuit to cause the usage counter 34 to perform a counting up operation.

Next, details of the operation at the time of turning on / off the power will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. In FIG. 4, (1) indicates that the signal is valid, and (0) indicates that the signal is invalid.

When the power is turned on, when the breaker 38 is connected and the power supply device input voltage is applied, the power supply device operates and the controller + 5V voltage and the engine unit + 5V voltage start to rise at the same time. Generally, the controller is configured by a circuit that operates at a higher speed than the engine unit, and the controller needs a larger current capacity than the engine unit as a load as viewed from the power supply device. Due to this difference in load,
The rising speed of the + 5V voltage is faster for the engine unit and slower for the controller. At the moment when the engine unit + 5V voltage is determined and the engine unit starts operating, the controller + 5V has not been determined yet, so the controller is not operating.

Therefore, the CPC-N output from the controller
The signal (usage counter drive signal) is in an indeterminate state. There has been a problem that the engine unit erroneously receives the CPC-N signal in such an uncertain state as a valid signal, and performs an unnecessary count-up operation of the usage counter.

[0009] Similarly, when the power is turned off, the falling speed of the + 5V voltage is faster for the controller and slower for the engine due to the difference in load. Controller + 5V voltage drops,
Even after the controller stops operating, the engine + 5V
Has a fixed period, and the engine is operating. Also in this case, there is a problem that the engine unit erroneously receives the CPC-N signal in the uncertain state as a valid signal, thereby performing an unnecessary counting operation of the usage counter.

As described above, the conventional method has a problem that an unnecessary operation of counting up the usage counter is performed at the timing of determining the +5 V voltage of each of the controller and the engine unit.

[0011]

Conventionally, when the controller for generating a drive signal for the usage counter and the secondary side of the power supply device of the engine for driving the usage counter are separate systems, printing is performed. There is a problem that the counting operation of the usage counter is erroneously performed when the power is turned on or the power is turned off except during the operation.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problem by devising a method of driving a usage counter.

[0013]

The object of the present invention is to output a usage counter drive enable signal which is valid only during a printing operation from a control board of an engine unit, and when the signal is invalid, it is transmitted from a controller unit. This is achieved by suppressing the reception of the usage counter drive signal, receiving the usage counter drive signal only when this signal is valid, and operating the usage counter.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The description of the same parts as those of the prior art in FIG. 3 is omitted. It goes without saying that the signals transmitted and received between the controller and the engine are not limited to the usage counter drive signal 32.

Engine part control means 3 which is a feature of the present invention
9 outputs a usage counter drive permission signal 41. A usage counter drive permission circuit 40 composed of an AND gate is provided in the usage counter drive board 33. The usage counter drive signal 32 is received only when the usage counter drive permission signal 41 is valid, and the counting up operation is performed. Configuration.

The engine unit control means 39 includes a microcomputer, R
It is composed of an OM, a RAM, a signal processing circuit (CPLD), a signal input / output circuit (TTLIC), and the like.

At the time of printing operation, C
A paper feed instruction signal called a PF signal is transmitted to the engine unit,
When the engine control unit 39 receives the CPF signal, it starts paper feeding and enters a printing operation state. The engine control means 39 enables the usage counter drive permission signal 41 only when the printing operation is being performed.
Invalidate.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an electrophotographic printing apparatus equipped with the printing counting apparatus of the present invention.

The printing apparatus comprises a controller unit 1 and an engine unit 20. The engine unit control means 3
9 is included in the engine unit control device 2, but may be provided as a separate substrate.

The controller 1 receives print data from a higher-level device (not shown) and controls the control unit 2 of the engine unit 20.
To send a print signal and a control command separated into dot data. The engine controller 2 controls the operation of each part of the engine 20 according to the received control command, and reports the state of the engine 20 to the controller 1 as needed. When performing a printing operation, a print command is transmitted from the controller 1 to the engine unit 20, and the engine unit 20 starts the printing operation. Controller 1
When a print command and a print signal are transmitted from the
And the laser beam scans the surface of the photosensitive drum 4. The surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is uniformly charged by the charger 5, and the charge of the portion irradiated with the laser beam escapes, so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 6 and is conveyed before the transfer device 7. The paper 19 sent from the paper hopper 17 by the tractor 9 travels at a constant speed in front of the transfer unit 7 while being tensioned by the transport puller 8, and is pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 by the retractor 10. .

The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 carried before the transfer unit 7 is transferred to a sheet 19 by the transfer unit 7.

After the paper 19 to which the toner image has been transferred passes through the buffer 11, the paper 19 passes between the heat roll 12 having a built-in heater lamp and the backup roll 13, and is fixed by heat and pressure. The fixed paper 19 is the fixing puller 1
4 sequentially feeds into the paper stacker 18. The printed sheets 19 are folded by the swinging operation of the swing fins 15 according to the folding perforations, and then stacked in the sheet stacker 18 while being folded by the rotating T-belt 16.

Although the printing apparatus of the present invention is exemplified by a printer or a copier using an electrophotographic system, other printing systems such as an ink jet printing can be used.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the usage counter drive signal transmitted from the controller is received by the engine unit only when the printing operation is performed and the usage counter drive permission signal is enabled from the engine control board. Is done. As a result, a difference occurs in the power supply voltage determination timings of the controller and the engine unit when the power is turned on and when the power is turned off. Incorrect counting-up operation can be avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a usage counter drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a continuous paper printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional usage counter drive system.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart when power is turned on / off according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

34: Usage counter, 39: Engine unit control means, 40: Usage counter drive permission circuit, 41: Usage drive permission signal.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP04 AQ06 AS07 HK11 HK15 HN15 2H027 DA45 EE10 EH06 EJ17 ZA01 ZA09

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus having a printing counter for measuring a printing amount, comprising: a controller for generating a driving signal for the printing counter;
An engine unit having a drive circuit for driving the print counting device, and a controller and a secondary side of a power supply device of the engine unit are separate systems, and a drive permitting operation of the print counting device provided in the engine unit is permitted. A printing apparatus comprising: a circuit; and control means for outputting a drive permission signal. 2. A control method for a printing apparatus, wherein the drive permission signal enables the operation of the print counting apparatus during the printing operation of the printing apparatus and invalidates the operation during the non-printing operation.