JP2005096088A - Line head and image forming apparatus using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a line head which is provided with a plurality of light-emitting element lines and which can be effectively utilized, and an image forming apparatus using it. <P>SOLUTION: This line head 10 is provided with the light-emitting element line 1 for a normal operation, and the light-emitting element line line 2 for a preliminary operation. Light-emitting elements D00-D23 using, for example, an organic EL element are arranged in the line 1, and light-emitting elements D50-D73 using the organic EL element are also arranged in the line 2. A positive power wire is indicated by a numeral 4, and negative power wires are indicated by a numeral 5 and a numeral 6. A changeover switch is indicated with 3. The line 1 operates when a contactor 3c is turned on to the side of a contact 3a, and the line 2 operates when the contactor 3c is turned on to the side of a contact 3b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a line head that rationally uses a plurality of light emitting element lines and an image forming apparatus using the line head.

  An image forming apparatus using a line head provided with a large number of light emitting elements in one line as an exposure means has been developed. Patent Document 1 describes that one line of EL (Electroluminesence) element is arranged in a printer head, and the lifetime of the EL element is extended by controlling the time interval of light emission pulses. Further, in Patent Document 2, in a line head in which a large number of edge-emitting EL elements are arranged in an array for one line, an auxiliary pulse is applied to the edge-emitting EL elements once during one main scan and all lights up. It is described that a predetermined light intensity can be obtained in a short time even after no light emission for a long time.

JP-A-4-363264 JP-A-3-101366

  In the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, only one light emitting element line is provided in the line head. For this reason, when an unexpected situation occurs due to a failure of one of the light emitting elements, the line head has to be replaced, and there is a problem that the replacement process is complicated and expensive.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to rationally use a plurality of light emitting element lines that can cope with unexpected situations such as failure of the light emitting elements. A line head and an image forming apparatus using the line head are provided.

  In the line head of the present invention that achieves the above object, a plurality of light emitting element lines in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in one line are provided in the sub-scanning direction, and the light emitting element lines on which the plurality of lines are formed are turned on. It has the 1st control means which switches a light emitting element line, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Thus, the line head having a plurality of light emitting element lines is provided with the first control means for switching the light emitting element lines to be lit. For this reason, even if a failure of the light emitting element occurs in the light emitting element line that is lit, the printing process can be continuously performed without replacing the line head.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that at least one of the plurality of light emitting element lines is formed by a light emitting element line for preliminary operation. As described above, the line head is provided with the light emitting element line for preliminary operation in addition to the light emitting element line for normal operation in advance. For this reason, even when an operation failure occurs in the light emitting element line for normal operation, it is possible to respond quickly.

  The present invention is characterized in that a switching transistor is used as the first control means. For this reason, switching of the light emitting element lines can be performed quickly with high accuracy.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the second control means for selecting the light emitting elements to be turned on in units of blocks by dividing the light emitting elements arranged in the light emitting element lines of the plurality of lines into blocks. . For this reason, it is possible to operate the light emitting elements of one line only in a necessary range according to the printing range without waste.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that third control means for individually selecting and lighting the light emitting elements arranged in the light emitting element lines of the plurality of lines is provided. For this reason, it is possible to easily control lighting and non-lighting of individual light emitting elements arranged in one light emitting element line.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a second control unit that divides a light emitting element arranged in each light emitting element line into a block and selects a light emitting element that emits light in block units, and the light emitting element line of the plurality of lines. And a third control means for individually selecting and lighting the light emitting elements arranged in the above. For this reason, the light emitting elements arranged in one light emitting element line can be individually controlled in units of blocks and within the blocks as necessary. Moreover, the lighting time of an individual light emitting element can be set arbitrarily.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the light emitting element of the line head is composed of an organic EL element or an LED. Since the organic EL element can be controlled statically, the control system can be simplified. Moreover, when it comprises with LED, manufacture of a light emitting element becomes easy.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the first control means switches the light emitting element lines by controlling the cathode side of the light emitting elements. Thus, since the anode side of the light emitting element switches the light emitting element line in a state where the connection of the power supply line is fixed, the switching control can be made easier than when the power line connected to the light emitting element is switched in both polarities. it can.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the first control means controls the anode side of the light emitting element to switch the light emitting element line. Thus, since the cathode side of the light emitting element switches the light emitting element line in a state where the connection of the power supply line is fixed, the switching control can be made easier than when switching between the polarities of the power supply line connected to the light emitting element. it can.

  According to the present invention, the first control means is provided corresponding to each light emitting element line, and an inversion signal of an operation signal supplied to the first control means for controlling one light emitting element line is supplied to the other light emitting element line. It supplies to the said 1st control means which controls a light emitting element line. Since the inversion signal can be formed inside the control unit, it is possible to easily form a signal for switching light emitting element lines.

  In the present invention, the plurality of selection transistors may be formed of a pair of FETs having different conductive layers, and one of the conductive layers may be turned off when the one of the conductive layers is turned on. The light emitting element of the light emitting element line switched by one control means is selected and turned on by an on-side FET. For this reason, there is an advantage that the wiring of the data lines for switching the light emitting element lines is simplified.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes at least two or more image forming stations in which each of the image forming units of the charging unit, the line head, the developing unit, and the transfer unit described above is arranged around the image carrier. And the image is formed in a tandem manner when the transfer medium passes through each station. For this reason, in the tandem image forming apparatus, since the printing operation can be continued even when one light emitting element line fails, the reliability of the line head can be improved.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a rotary developing unit, and the line head, and the rotary developing unit is housed in a plurality of toner cartridges. The toner is carried on the surface thereof, and the toners of different colors are sequentially conveyed to a position facing the image carrier by rotating in a predetermined rotation direction, and between the image carrier and the rotary developing unit. A developing bias is applied to the toner, and the toner is moved from the rotary developing unit to the image carrier, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized to form a toner image. For this reason, in the image forming apparatus provided with the rotary developing unit, the printing operation can be continued even when one light emitting element line fails, so that the reliability of the line head can be improved.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an intermediate transfer member. For this reason, in the image forming apparatus provided with the intermediate transfer member, the printing operation can be continued even when the light emitting element line of the line fails, so that the reliability of the line head can be improved.

  According to the present invention, since a plurality of light emitting element lines are provided in advance in the line head, each light emitting element line can be switched and lit. For this reason, even when a failure occurs in the light emitting element line in operation, the printing operation can be continued, and the reliability of image formation can be improved.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, a plurality of light emitting element lines are provided in the sub-scanning direction of the line head, and at least one of them is formed as a light emitting element line for preliminary operation. The light emitting element line for normal operation and the light emitting element line for preliminary operation are used so that the light emitting element line for preliminary operation can be used when an unexpected situation such as a failure occurs in the light emitting element line for normal operation. It is characterized by providing switching means for switching between.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing an example of the line head of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the line head 10 is provided with a light emitting element line 1a in which a large number of light emitting elements La are formed in the main scanning direction (Y direction). A plurality of light emitting element lines are formed in the sub-scanning direction (X direction). In this example, four lines 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d are provided. As the light emitting element La, in addition to the EL element, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) can be used.

  In the example of FIG. 11, the light emitting element line 1b is formed as a light emitting element line for preliminary operation and is not normally used. When one of the light emitting elements La of the light emitting element line 1a for normal operation used in the normal printing process fails, the light emitting element line 1b for preliminary operation is used by switching means described later in detail. The light emitting element lines 1c and 1d can be used, for example, when performing multiple exposure.

  In the line head of the present invention, the light emitting element line provided for the preliminary operation is not limited to one line. The light emitting element line 1c can be formed for preliminary operation of the light emitting element line 1d. In the example of FIG. 11, four light emitting element lines are formed in the sub-scanning direction. However, two light emitting element lines are formed, one of which is a light emitting element line for normal operation and the other is a line. It can also be set as the structure switched and used as the light emitting element line for preliminary | backup operation | movement. Note that in a multiple exposure line head, an arbitrary number of light emitting element lines for normal operation can be formed.

  Thus, in the present invention, a plurality of light emitting element lines of two or more lines are provided in the sub-scanning direction of the line head, and at least one of them is formed as a light emitting element line for preliminary operation. As described above, when the two light emitting element lines are divided into the light emitting element lines for normal operation and the light emitting element lines for preliminary operation as described above, the light emitting element lines are composed of three or more lines. A case where at least one line is formed and used as a light-emitting element line for preliminary operation is included. In the latter case, two or more light emitting element lines for preliminary operation can be formed.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The line head 10 is provided with light emitting element lines 1 and 2. In the light emitting element line 1, for example, light emitting elements D00 to D23 using EL elements are arranged. The light emitting element line 2 also includes light emitting elements D50 to D73 using EL elements. 4 is a positive power line, and 5 and 6 are negative power lines.

  The positive power supply line 4 is connected in common to the anodes of the light emitting elements in the light emitting element lines 1 and 2. The negative power line 5 is connected to the cathode of each light emitting element in the light emitting element line 1, and the negative power line 6 is connected to the cathode of each light emitting element in the light emitting element line 2. The light emitting element line 1 is connected between the power supply lines 4 and 5, and the light emitting element line 2 is connected between the power supply lines 4 and 6. Although not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity, in actuality, the positive power supply line 4 is individually connected between the positive power supply line 4 and the anodes of the light emitting elements of the light emitting element lines 1 and 2. On / off switch 4 is provided. This on / off switch is constituted by an electronic switch, for example.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a changeover switch. When the contact 3c is turned on to the contact 3a side, a direct current voltage is applied between the power lines 4 and 5, and the light emitting elements D00 to D23 of the light emitting element line 1 are turned on. . Further, when the contact 3c of the changeover switch 3 is turned on to the contact 3b side, a direct current voltage is applied between the power lines 4 and 6, and the light emitting elements D50 to D73 of the light emitting element line 2 are turned on. .

  The light emitting element line 1 is provided for normal operation, and the light emitting element line 2 is provided for preliminary operation. When a failure occurs in any of the light emitting elements D00 to D23 of the light emitting element line 1, a voltage is applied to the light emitting elements D50 to D73 of the light emitting element line 2 by the changeover switch 3 to perform a light emitting operation. As described above, in the example of FIG. 1, the light emitting element lines are switched by switching the power supply lines 5 and 6 to which the cathode sides of the light emitting elements of the respective light emitting element lines are commonly connected by the changeover switch 3.

  At this time, the positive power supply line 4 is commonly connected to the anode of the light emitting element of each light emitting element line. In the example of FIG. 1, the one-polarity power supply line 4 is maintained in a state of being commonly connected by two light-emitting element lines, and only the other-polarity power supply lines 5 and 6 are switched. For this reason, the configuration of the switching means can be simplified as compared with the case where both bipolar power lines are switched. Further, the switching operation can be performed smoothly.

  The change-over switch 3 can be configured to use an electronic switch such as a transistor in addition to the mechanical switch as shown in FIG. Also, one of the light emitting element lines 1 and 2 is used for normal operation and the other is used for preliminary operation, and the light emitting element line 2 can be used for normal operation and the light emitting element line 1 can be used for preliminary operation.

  In the present invention, a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in one light emitting element line are divided into blocks and operated in units of blocks, or individual light emitting elements in each light emitting element line are selected to emit light. Control can be performed. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of performing such control, FIG. 3 is a timing chart thereof, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram. In the circuit diagram of FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG.

  Reference numerals 11, 12, and 13 in FIG. 2 denote shift registers for controlling the light emitting elements D00 to D23 in units of blocks, and the output signal C0 of the shift register 11 controls the block A including the light emitting elements D00 to D03. The output signal C1 of the shift register 12 controls the block B including the light emitting elements D10 to D13, and the output signal C2 of the shift register 13 controls the block C including the light emitting elements D20 to D23.

  SP is a start pulse input to the data terminal D of the shift register 11 from the signal line 17, and CK is a clock signal input to the shift registers 11 to 13 from the signal line 18. 7 is a signal line for supplying data signals Dat0 to Dat3 to each light emitting element, Tr2 is a drive transistor connected to the anode side of each light emitting element, and Tr1 is a control transistor whose source is connected to the gate of the drive transistor Tr2. The control transistor Tr1 and the drive transistor Tr2 are formed by, for example, an FET (Field Effect Transistor).

  The output signal C0 output from the output terminal Q of the shift register 11 is applied to the gate of each control transistor Tr1 connected to the light emitting elements D00 to D03 via the signal line C0a. C1 is an output signal of the shift register 12, and is applied to the gate of each control transistor Tr1 connected to the light emitting elements D10 to D13 via the signal line C1a. C2 is an output signal of the shift register 13, and is applied to the gate of each control transistor Tr1 connected to the light emitting elements D20 to D23 via the signal line C2a.

  Thus, the shift register 11 selects the light emitting elements D00 to D03 of the block A from the light emitting elements of the light emitting element line 1. The shift register 12 selects the light emitting elements D10 to D13 in the block B, and the shift register 13 selects the light emitting elements D20 to D23 in the block C. That is, the shift registers 11 to 13 function as a block selection unit for light emitting elements. When each of the output signals C0 to C2 is at a high level (hereinafter abbreviated as H level), a signal is applied to the gate of each control transistor Tr1 that controls the light emitting element of the block. Each light emitting element is connected in parallel between the power supply line 4 to which the positive voltage VDD is applied and the negative power supply line 5. In the example of FIG. 2, the light emitting elements of the light emitting element line 1 are divided into blocks, and the lighting operation is performed in units of blocks. For this reason, the printing operation can be performed within a necessary range.

  Next, the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 of the data line 7 will be described. This data signal is supplied to the drain of each control transistor Tr1. Accordingly, when the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 are supplied to the control transistor Tr1 of the light emitting element selected by the block selection signal, the drive transistor Tr2 connected to the control transistor Tr1 becomes conductive and the corresponding light emitting element operates. . For example, for the block A, the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 are supplied to the control transistor Tr1 that controls the light emitting elements D00 to D03, respectively. That is, the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 act as selection signals for selecting individual light emitting elements in the same block. As described above, in the line head of the present invention, individual light emitting elements can be selected and lit.

  A specific operation of each light emitting element will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. It is assumed that a DC voltage is applied between the positive and negative power supply lines 4-5 connected to each light emitting element in FIG. In this timing chart, the operation time of the light emitting element is divided into 8 intervals (small main scanning periods). The length of this interval is set to 10 μs, for example. In a series of shift registers having the numbers 11 to 13 shown in the figure, a start pulse (SP) is input to the data terminal D of the leftmost shift register 11. The SP is taken in synchronization with the rising edge of the clock signal (CK) and sequentially transferred between the shift registers 11-13.

  Here, the interval of the signal SP is set so that only one of the outputs of the shift register is at the H level. For example, in the interval of time 1, SP is input to the shift register 11 at time 0. At this time, CK is at H level (u) and the output signal C0 of the shift register 11 is at H level. At the timing (v) when the next CK is at the H level, SP is transferred to the shift register 12, and the output signal C1 becomes the H level. Furthermore, SP is transferred to the shift register 13 at the timing (w) when the next CK is at the H level, and the output signal C2 becomes the H level.

  The output of each shift register is connected to the gate of the control transistor Tr1 group of each block. As shown in FIG. 3, the signals of C0 to C2 for selecting each block are applied to the control transistor Tr1 with a time difference. For this reason, when the switch of the control transistor Tr1 group of a certain block is turned on, the switch of the control transistor Tr1 group of the remaining other block is turned off.

  As described above, the switch of the control transistor Tr1 group is turned on in the selected block, and the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 are supplied to the gates of the drive transistor Tr2 group of the selected block. For this reason, the potential of the gate of the drive transistor Tr2 group is determined in the state of the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 (H level or L level), and the on / off state of the switch of the drive transistor Tr2 group of the selected block is determined.

  When a block is not selected after a certain block is selected, the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 are not supplied to the gates of the drive transistors Tr2 group of the selected block. However, since the potential of the gate of the drive transistor Tr2 group is maintained at the block selection potential due to the parasitic capacitance, the on / off state of the switch of the drive transistor Tr2 group is maintained. Such a state of the drive transistor Tr2 group is maintained until the next block is selected.

  When the block is selected at the next timing from the non-selected state, the on / off state of the switches of the drive transistor Tr2 group in the block is determined again in the state of the data signals Dat0 to Dat3. The above operation is sequentially repeated for all blocks. Therefore, it is possible to perform time modulation in units of repetition periods, that is, control of the lighting time, for the lighting operation of each light emitting element.

  In FIG. 3, block A is selected at time 0 within the time 1 interval. Next, block B is selected at time ta, and block C is selected at time tc. Similarly, in the interval of time 2 to 8, when the output signals C0 to C2 of the shift registers 11 to 13 are at the H level, any of the corresponding blocks A to C is selected. In FIG. 3, such a block selection state is displayed by vertical shading.

The data signals Dat0 to Dat3 select individual light emitting elements in the blocks A to C as described above. For example, in the block A, the correspondence between the data signal and the light emitting element is Dat0 (D00), Dat1 (D01),
Dat2 (D02) and Dat3 (D03). A thin line (F) indicates the correspondence between such a data signal and a light emitting element. Similarly, for blocks B and C, the correspondence between each data signal and the light emitting element is indicated by a thin line.

  For the block A, within the time 1 interval, when the block selection signal C0 is at the H level at time 0, the data signals Dat0 and Dat3 are at the H level and the light emitting elements D00 and D03 are lit. Even when the block selection signal C0 becomes low level (hereinafter abbreviated as L level) at time ta, the voltage is held by the parasitic capacitance between the gate and source of the control transistor Tr1. For this reason, the light emitting elements D00 and D03 maintain lighting.

  At time tc, the block selection signal C0 and the data signal Dat3 become L level, the block selection signal C1 becomes H level, and the block B is selected. However, as described above, the drive transistor Tr2 is kept conductive by the parasitic capacitance between the gate and the source of the control transistor Tr1, and the light emitting element D03 maintains the lighting state.

  At time ts, the block selection signal C0 becomes H level, and the drive transistor Tr2 connected to the light emitting element D03 is turned on / off depending on the state of the data signal Dat3. At time ts, the data signal Dat3 is L level, the control transistor Tr1 is turned off, the drive transistor Tr2 is also turned off, and the light emitting element D03 is turned off.

  At time te, the block selection signal C0 and the data signal Dat2 become H level, and the light emitting element D02 is turned on. The data signal Dat2 becomes L level at time tr, but remains on until the time ts at which the block selection signal C0 next becomes H level. At time ts, the light emitting element D03 is also turned off as described above.

  In the interval of time 6, Dat0 becomes L level at time tu, and the light emitting element D00 is turned off. Here, as shown in an enlarged view of the operation (E) portion of the light emitting element D00 at time tu, the on / off switching (b) of the light emitting element D00 is performed during the selection period (a) of the block selection signal C0. Is called. Similarly, other light emitting elements are switched on and off during the selection period of the block selection signal.

  Next, referring to the operation of the block B, in the interval of time 1, when the block selection signal C1 is at the H level at the time ta, the data signal Dat0 is at the H level, so the light emitting element D10 is turned on. The light emitting element D10 is in an indefinite state between time 0 and ta, but is lit as described above at time ta.

  In the interval of time 3, at time tf, the block selection signal C1 becomes H level and the data signal Dat1 becomes H level, and the light emitting element D11 is turned on. Further, since the data signal Dat3 is at the H level at the time tf, the light emitting element D13 is also turned on. Since the block selection signal C1 becomes H level at time th, the light emitting element D13 is turned on or off in the state of the data signal Dat3. Since the data signal Dat3 at this time is at the L level, the light emitting element D13 is not lit.

  At time tr, the block selection signal C1 is at the H level and the data signal Dat1 is at the L level, so the light emitting element D11 is turned off. Since the data signal Dat3 is at the H level at time tr, the light emitting element D13 is lit. At time tu, the block selection signal C1 becomes L level and the data signal Dat0 also becomes L level. However, as described above, the drive transistor Tr2 is kept conductive, and the lighting state of the light emitting element D10 is as shown in FIG. Continue until time tv.

  Description of the operation of each light emitting element of the block C is omitted. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the timing chart of FIG. 3 in a table format. In FIG. 4, time intervals 1 to 8 and time are set in the (a) column. In the (b) column, selection blocks A, B, and C are set. A circle indicates a state selected at a certain time. The column (c) shows the state of the data signal, where “1” indicates the H level and “0” indicates the L level. In the (d) column, the lighting state of each light emitting element is shown.

  The shaded portion formed in the vertical direction of the column (d) corresponds to the lighting state of each light emitting element described in FIG. * Indicates the indefinite state of the light emitting element D10 at time 0 in FIG. ← indicates a state in which lighting / non-lighting of the light emitting element is determined by turning on / off the data signal. No mark indicates a state in which the previous state is maintained. As described above, in the present invention, a light emitting element line in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in one line is divided into blocks, and individual light emitting elements in each block are selected, and lighting control is performed for an appropriate time. . That is, since the double selection means is provided for the individual light emitting elements in the light emitting element line, it is possible to cope with various forms of printing processing. Therefore, the use of the line head can be expanded.

  FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same portions as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the example of FIG. 5, the block selection shift registers 11 to 13 described in FIG. 2 are provided, and the data signals Dat0 to Dat3 for selecting individual light emitting elements are supplied to the control transistor Tr1. . In the following embodiments, the data terminals D and output terminals Q of the shift registers 11 to 13 are not shown for simplicity. FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which the light emitting element lines 1 and 2 are switched by the changeover switch 3 in the above-described configuration. In the example of FIG. 5, switching is performed on the negative power supply lines 5 and 6 connected to the light emitting elements of the light emitting element lines 1 and 2, that is, on the cathode side of the light emitting elements.

  As described above, in the present invention, the switching means (first control means) for switching the light emitting element lines as shown in FIG. 1, and the light emitting elements arranged in each of the plurality of light emitting element lines are divided into blocks. Then, the second control means (shift registers 11 to 13 for forming the block selection signals C0 to C2 in FIG. 2) for selecting the light emitting elements to emit light in block units, and the light emission arranged in the light emitting element lines of a plurality of lines. There is provided third control means (control transistor Tr1 in FIG. 2) for individually selecting the elements to emit light. In FIG. 5, since the shift registers 11 to 13 can be formed on the same substrate together with the light emitting element lines 1 and 2, the control transistor Tr1, and the drive transistor Tr2, in this case, the line head can be configured compactly.

  FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an example of another embodiment according to the present invention. In FIG. 6, Tr3 and Tr4 are light-emitting element line switching transistors connected in series to a drive transistor Tr2 common to the light-emitting element lines 1 and 2, respectively. 8 and 9 are signal lines to which select signals Sel1 and Sel2 of the light emitting element lines are supplied, and INV is an inverter provided so that the select signal Sel2 does not flow backward from the signal line 9 side to the signal line 8 side.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the positive power supply line 4 is connected in common to the anodes of the light emitting elements in the light emitting element lines 1 and 2. The negative power line 5 is connected to the cathode of each light emitting element in the light emitting element line 1, and the negative power line 6 is connected to the cathode of each light emitting element in the light emitting element line 2. Each light emitting element maintains a state of being connected to the negative power supply lines 5 and 6 at a common potential.

  When the select signal Sel1 is supplied from the signal line 8 to the gate of the switching transistor Tr3 to switch the light emitting element line, each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1 is turned on. At this time, since the select signal Sel2 is not supplied from the signal line 9, the light emitting elements of the light emitting element line 2 are not lit. When the select signal Sel1 of the signal line 8 is stopped and the select signal Sel2 is supplied from the signal line 9, the light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1 is turned off and the light emitting element of the light emitting element line 2 is turned on.

  As described above, in the example of FIG. 6, the transistors Tr3 and Tr4 operate to perform switching control on the anode side of each light emitting element line 1 and 2. That is, the transistors Tr3 and Tr4 to which the select signals Sel1 and Sel2 are supplied function as first control means for switching the light emitting element lines. Note that the select signal Sel2 can be formed as an inverted signal of the select signal Sel1.

  As described above, in the example of FIG. 6, the first control means for switching the light emitting element lines is constituted by the transistors Tr3 and Tr4. For this reason, the switching operation can be performed quickly and the reliability of switching of the light emitting element lines can be increased as compared with the mechanical switch. When the light emitting element is an organic EL element and the switching transistors Tr3 and Tr4 are formed by TFT (Thin Film Transistor), the switching transistor and the light emitting element are manufactured in the line head using the same manufacturing technology. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an example of another embodiment according to the present invention. In FIG. 7, Tr5 is a driver transistor of the light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1, Tr6 is a driver transistor of the light emitting element of the light emitting element line 2, and Tr7 and Tr8 are serially connected to the control transistor Tr1 common to the light emitting element lines 1 and 2. It is a transistor for switching the connected light emitting element line.

  In the example of FIG. 7, one of the selection signals Sel1 and Sel2 of the signal lines 8 and 9 is supplied to the light emitting element line switching transistor Tr7 or Tr8. At this time, the driver transistor Tr5 or Tr6 connected to the transistor Tr7 or Tr8 operates to light up each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1 or the light emitting element line 2.

  In FIG. 7, the selection signal Sel1 or Sel2 of the light emitting element line in which the light emitting element is formed is set to the H level for each period in which each light emitting element is selected by the block selection signal. The Sel2 signal can be created inside the control unit as an inverted signal of the Sel1 signal. When the number of light emitting element lines is three or more (n lines), n selection signals are formed. As described above, the lighting operation can be switched for each light emitting element of the light emitting element line. In this case, the light emitting element unit can be switched by changing the light emitting element line to be turned on in units of one small main scanning period. For example, in the first small main scanning period, the light emitting element line of the first line is selected, and pixel data to be turned on on the first line is sequentially written in the period. In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, when there is a failure in a specific block of the light emitting element line 1, it can be switched to another block when the block is selected.

  Next, in the second small main scanning period, the light emitting element line of the second line is selected, and pixel data to be lit on the second line is sequentially written in the period. In the third small main scanning period, the light emitting element line of the first line is selected again, and pixel data to be lit on the first line is sequentially written in the period. Such a process is repeated. The time difference between lighting / non-lighting between adjacent pixels is about one small main scanning period, and there is almost no problem even if the above processing is performed.

  FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an example of another embodiment according to the present invention. Also in FIG. 8, the light-emitting element line switching transistors Tr7 and Tr8 are connected in series to the control transistor Tr1 common to the light-emitting element lines 1 and 2. Select signals Sal1 to Sel4 for selecting each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1 are supplied to the signal line 15. The signal line 16 is supplied with inverted signals of select signals Sal1 to Sel4 for selecting each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 2.

  Any one of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 is supplied to the drain of the switching transistor Tr7 corresponding to each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1. The inverted signal of any one of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 is supplied to the drain of the switching transistor Tr8 corresponding to each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 2. Therefore, one of the signal lines 15 and 16 is activated, and either one of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 or an inverted signal of each of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 is supplied to the switching transistors Tr7 and Tr8. Two individual light emitting elements can be selected to emit light.

  FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing an example of another embodiment according to the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. In FIG. 9, Tr9 and Tr10 are light emitting element line switching transistors. The switching transistor Tr9 in FIG. 9 has a gate connected to the signal line 15 and a drain connected to the source of the control Tr1. The switching transistor Tr10 has a gate connected to the signal line 16 and a drain connected to the source of the control Tr1. The transistors Tr9 and Tr10 for switching the light emitting element lines are composed of the same conductive layer (channel), in this example, an N-channel FET.

  Therefore, also in this example, the switching transistors Tr9 and Tr10 of the light emitting element line are connected in series with the control transistor Tr1. Either the signal line 15 or 16 is activated, and each of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 or an inverted signal of each of the select signals Sal1 to Sel4 is supplied to the switching transistors Tr9 and Tr10. By performing such control, it is possible to select individual light emitting elements of the light emitting element lines 1 and 2 to emit light.

  FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an example of another embodiment according to the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 10, the transistors Tr9 and Tr11 for switching the light emitting element lines use FETs having different conductive layers. In this example, the transistor Tr9 is composed of an N-channel FET, and the transistor Tr10 is composed of a P-channel FET.

  Signals Sel1 to Sel4 of the same data line are supplied to the gates of the pair of transistors Tr9 and Tr11. Therefore, when one transistor Tr9 is on, the other transistor Tr11 is off, and when the transistor Tr11 is on, the transistor Tr9 is off. That is, when the signals Sel1 to Sel4 are on, each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 1 is turned on, and each light emitting element of the light emitting element line 2 is not turned on. When the signals Sel1 to Sel4 are off, the light emitting elements on the light emitting element line 1 are not lit, and the light emitting elements on the light emitting element line 2 are lit.

  As described above, the example of FIG. 10 has an advantage that a data line for supplying an inverted signal of the signals Sel1 to Sel4 is unnecessary. However, since the transistors Tr9 and Tr11 for switching the light emitting element lines are formed of different conductive layers, the FET manufacturing process becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 9, a data line for supplying the inverted signals of the signals Sel1 to Sel4 is required. However, since the transistors Tr9 and Tr10 for switching the light emitting element lines are formed of the same conductive layer, the manufacturing process is performed. Becomes easier.

  The above description is directed to a line head used in an image forming apparatus such as a monochrome printer. However, in the present invention, the line head is naturally applied to a four-cycle color printer or a tandem color printer. In these color printers, the configuration of the present invention makes it possible to rationally use a plurality of light emitting element lines formed on the line head.

  FIG. 12 is a longitudinal side view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus using an organic EL as a light emitting element. This image forming apparatus includes four organic EL array exposure heads 101K, 101C, 101M, and 101Y having the same configuration and corresponding four photosensitive drums (image carriers) 41K, 41C, and 41M having the same configuration. , 41Y, respectively, and is configured as a tandem image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 12, this image forming apparatus is provided with a driving roller 51, a driven roller 52, and a tension roller 53. The tension roller 53 applies tension to the image forming apparatus and stretches it in the direction indicated by the arrow (counterclockwise). ) Is circulated and driven. Photosensitive members 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y having photosensitive layers are arranged on the outer peripheral surface as four image carriers arranged at predetermined intervals with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 50.

  K, C, M, and Y added after the reference sign mean black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively, and indicate that the photoconductors are black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. The same applies to other members. The photoreceptors 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y are rotationally driven in the direction indicated by the arrow (clockwise) in synchronization with the driving of the intermediate transfer belt 50.

  Around each photoconductor 41 (K, C, M, Y), charging means (corona charger) 42 (K) for uniformly charging the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 41 (K, C, M, Y), respectively. , C, M, Y) and the outer peripheral surface uniformly charged by the charging means 42 (K, C, M, Y) are synchronized with the rotation of the photoconductor 41 (K, C, M, Y). In addition, the organic EL array exposure head 101 (K, C, M, Y) as described above of the present invention for sequentially scanning the lines is provided.

  Further, a developing device 44 (K) that applies toner as a developer to the electrostatic latent image formed by the organic EL array exposure head 101 (K, C, M, Y) to form a visible image (toner image). , C, M, Y) and a primary transfer roller 45 as transfer means for sequentially transferring the toner image developed by the developing device 44 (K, C, M, Y) to the intermediate transfer belt 50 as a primary transfer target. (K, C, M, Y) and a cleaning device 46 (K, C, Y) as a cleaning unit for removing the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 41 (K, C, M, Y) after being transferred. M, Y).

  Here, in each organic EL array exposure head 101 (K, C, M, Y), the array direction of the organic EL array exposure head 101 (K, C, M, Y) is the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M). , Y) along the bus. The light emission energy peak wavelength of each organic EL array exposure head 1 (K, C, M, Y) and the sensitivity peak wavelength of the photoconductor 41 (K, C, M, Y) are set so as to substantially match. ing.

  The developing device 44 (K, C, M, Y) uses, for example, a non-magnetic one-component toner as a developer, and the one-component developer is conveyed to the developing roller by a supply roller, for example, and adheres to the surface of the developing roller. The film thickness of the developed developer is regulated by a regulating blade, and the developing roller is brought into contact with or increased in thickness by the photosensitive body 41 (K, C, M, Y), whereby the photosensitive body 41 (K, C, M, Y). The toner is developed as a toner image by attaching a developer according to the potential level.

  The black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toner images formed by the four-color single-color toner image forming station are intermediated by the primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 45 (K, C, M, Y). The toner image, which is sequentially primary transferred onto the transfer belt 50 and sequentially superposed on the intermediate transfer belt 50 to become a full color, is secondarily transferred to a recording medium P such as paper by a secondary transfer roller 66, and serves as a fixing unit. The toner is fixed on the recording medium P by passing through the fixing roller pair 61, and is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 68 formed in the upper part of the apparatus by a paper discharge roller pair 62.

  In FIG. 12, reference numeral 63 denotes a paper feed cassette in which a large number of recording media P are stacked and held, 64 denotes a pickup roller for feeding the recording media P one by one from the paper feed cassette 63, and 65 denotes a secondary transfer roller. A pair of gate rollers for defining the supply timing of the recording medium P to the secondary transfer portion 66, a secondary transfer roller 66 as a secondary transfer means for forming a secondary transfer portion with the intermediate transfer belt 50, 67 Is a cleaning blade as a cleaning means for removing the toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 50 after the secondary transfer.

  As described above, since the image forming apparatus of FIG. 12 uses the organic EL array as the writing means, the apparatus can be made smaller than when the laser scanning optical system is used.

  Next, another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a vertical side view of the image forming apparatus. In FIG. 13, the image forming apparatus 160 includes, as main constituent members, a rotary developing device 161, a photosensitive drum 165 functioning as an image carrier, and an image writing means (exposure head) 167 provided with an organic EL array. In addition, an intermediate transfer belt 169, a paper conveyance path 174, a fixing roller heating roller 172, and a paper feed tray 178 are provided.

  In the developing device 161, the developing rotary 161a rotates in the arrow A direction about the shaft 161b. The inside of the development rotary 161a is divided into four, and image forming units for four colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) are provided. Reference numerals 162a to 162d are arranged in the image forming units for the four colors. The developing rollers rotate in the arrow B direction, and the toner supply rollers 163a to 163d rotate in the arrow C direction. Reference numerals 164a to 164d are regulating blades that regulate the toner to a predetermined thickness.

  As described above, reference numeral 165 denotes a photosensitive drum that functions as an image carrier, 166 denotes a primary transfer member, 168 denotes a charger, and 167 denotes an image writing unit, which is provided with an organic EL array. The photosensitive drum 165 is driven in the direction of arrow D opposite to the developing roller 162a by a drive motor (not shown), for example, a step motor.

  The intermediate transfer belt 169 is stretched between the driven roller 170b and the drive roller 170a, and the drive roller 170a is connected to the drive motor of the photosensitive drum 165 to transmit power to the intermediate transfer belt. By driving the drive motor, the drive roller 170 a of the intermediate transfer belt 169 is rotated in the arrow E direction opposite to the photosensitive drum 165.

  The paper conveyance path 174 is provided with a plurality of conveyance rollers, a pair of paper discharge rollers 176, and the like, and conveys the paper. An image (toner image) on one side carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169 is transferred to one side of the paper at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The secondary transfer roller 171 is separated from and brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 169 by a clutch, and is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 169 when the clutch is turned on, so that an image is transferred onto the sheet.

  The sheet on which the image has been transferred as described above is then subjected to a fixing process by a fixing device having a fixing heater H. The fixing device is provided with a heating roller 172 and a pressure roller 173. The sheet after the fixing process is drawn into the discharge roller pair 176 and proceeds in the arrow F direction. When the paper discharge roller pair 176 rotates in the opposite direction from this state, the paper reverses its direction and advances in the double-sided printing conveyance path 175 in the arrow G direction. 177 is an electrical component box, 178 is a paper feed tray for storing paper, and 179 is a pickup roller provided at the outlet of the paper feed tray 178.

  For example, a low-speed brushless motor is used as a drive motor for driving the transport roller in the paper transport path. The intermediate transfer belt 169 uses a step motor because it requires color misregistration correction. Each of these motors is controlled by a signal from a control means (not shown).

  In the state shown in the drawing, a yellow (Y) electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 165, and a high voltage is applied to the developing roller 62a, whereby a yellow image is formed on the photosensitive drum 165. When all of the yellow back side and front side images are carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169, the development rotary 161a rotates 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A.

  The intermediate transfer belt 169 rotates once and returns to the position of the photosensitive drum 165. Next, two images of cyan (C) are formed on the photosensitive drum 165, and this image is carried on the yellow image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169. Thereafter, the 90-degree rotation of the development rotary 161 and the one-rotation process after the image is carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169 are repeated in the same manner.

  For carrying four color images, the intermediate transfer belt 169 rotates four times, and then the rotation position is further controlled to transfer the image onto the sheet at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The paper fed from the paper feed tray 178 is transported by the transport path 174, and the color image is transferred to one side of the paper at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The sheet on which the image is transferred on one side is reversed by the discharge roller pair 176 as described above, and stands by on the conveyance path. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer roller 171 at an appropriate timing, and the color image is transferred to the other side. The housing 180 is provided with an exhaust fan 181.

  The line head of the present invention and the image forming apparatus using the same have been described based on the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to these examples, and various modifications are possible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a line head that can rationally use a plurality of light emitting element lines and an image forming apparatus using the line head.

It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the basic composition of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of FIG. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows embodiment of this invention. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a tandem image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a vertical side view of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Light emitting element line (for normal operation), 2 ... Light emitting element line (for preliminary operation), 3 ... Changeover switch, 4 ... Positive power supply line, 5, 6 ... Negative Power line, 7 ... Data line, 8, 9 ... Select line, 11-13 ... Shift register, D00-D23, D50-D73 ... Light emitting element, 41 (K, C, M, Y) ) ... photosensitive drum (image carrier), 42 (K, C, M, Y) ... charging means (corona charger), 44 (K, C, M, Y) ... developing device, 45 (K, C, M, Y) ... primary transfer roller, 46 (K, C, M, Y) ... cleaning device, 50 ... intermediate transfer belt, 66 ... secondary transfer roller, 101K, 101C, 101M, 101Y ... organic EL array exposure head (line head), 161 ... developing device, 165 · Photosensitive drum, 167 ··· Exposure head (line head), 169 ··· Intermediate transfer belt, 171 ··· Secondary transfer roller, P · · · Recording medium, Tr1 · · · Control transistor, Tr2, Tr5, Tr6 ... Drive transistors, Tr3, Tr4, Tr7 to Tr11 ... Switching transistors

Claims (14)

A plurality of light emitting element lines in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in one line are provided in the sub-scanning direction, and a first control unit that switches a light emitting element line to be lit with respect to the light emitting element line on which the plurality of lines are formed is provided. A line head characterized by that. 2. The line head according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of light emitting element lines is formed as a light emitting element line for preliminary operation. The line head according to claim 1, wherein a switching transistor is used as the first control unit. The light emitting elements arranged in the light emitting element lines of the plurality of lines are divided into blocks, and second control means for selecting light emitting elements to be lit in units of blocks is provided. Item 4. The line head according to any one of Items 3. 4. The third control unit according to claim 1, further comprising a third control unit that individually selects and lights the light emitting elements arranged in the light emitting element lines of the plurality of lines. 5. Line head. A second control unit that divides the light emitting elements arranged in each of the plurality of light emitting element lines into blocks and selects a light emitting element to be lit in a block unit; and the light emitting elements arranged in the plurality of light emitting element lines The line head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising third control means for individually selecting and lighting the lamps. The line head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light emitting element is configured by an organic EL element or an LED. The line head according to claim 7, wherein the first control means controls a cathode side of the light emitting element to switch the light emitting element line. The line head according to claim 7, wherein the first control means controls the anode side of the light emitting element to switch the light emitting element line. The first control means is provided corresponding to each light emitting element line, and an inverted signal of an operation signal supplied to the first control means for controlling one light emitting element line is controlled for the other light emitting element line. The line head according to claim 9, wherein the line head is supplied to the first control means. The plurality of select transistors are formed by a pair of FETs having different conductive layers, and one FET is turned off when the FET of the other conductive layer is on, and is switched by the first control means. 10. The line head according to claim 9, wherein a light emitting element of the light emitting element line is selected and turned on by an on-side FET. 12. At least two image forming stations in which image forming units including a charging unit, a line head according to any one of claims 1 to 11, a developing unit, and a transfer unit are arranged around an image carrier. An image forming apparatus provided as described above, wherein a transfer medium passes through each station and forms an image by a tandem method. An image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a rotary developing unit, and the line head according to claim 1, wherein the rotary developing unit includes a plurality of toner cartridges. The toner stored in the toner is carried on the surface, and toners of different colors are sequentially conveyed to a position facing the image carrier by rotating in a predetermined rotation direction, and the image carrier, the rotary developing unit, An image forming method characterized in that a developing bias is applied between the toner and the toner is moved from the rotary developing unit to the image carrier to visualize the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an intermediate transfer member.

Images