JP2005181603A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of discharging paper from the apparatus without generating paper jamming even when power supply is stopped during the operation of the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus provided with a main power supply 34 for supplying power to respective parts of an apparatus body, a second battery 35 to be charged by the main power supply 34 and a control means 36 for controlling power supply to a main motor 32 and a feed motor 33, the control means 36 controls power supply so that power is supplied from the secondary battery 35 to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 when power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped by some reason. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, and more particularly to a control function of a driving unit that drives each part of the apparatus.

  In image forming devices such as printers and copiers, power supply stops due to a power failure during operation, a user accidentally disconnecting the power outlet, or turning off the main switch. In such a case, there is a problem that paper conveyance in the apparatus is interrupted and a paper jam occurs. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to provide a rechargeable secondary battery or the like separately from the main power supply, and switch to the power supply from the secondary battery when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped. .

  Conventionally, various methods for realizing energy saving of an image forming apparatus using a secondary battery that can be charged from a solar battery have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a secondary battery that is charged by a main power source or a solar battery, and there is a method of shutting off power supply from the secondary battery when the voltage of the secondary battery drops below a certain threshold. It is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses a method of supplying power from a secondary battery limited to an operation panel unit with low power consumption.

However, in the methods of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the image forming apparatus, but when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped during the operation of the apparatus, the power is supplied from the secondary battery. It was not possible to prevent the occurrence of a paper jam.
JP 2003-29579 A JP 2003-191576 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that discharges paper in an apparatus without causing a paper jam even when power supply is stopped during operation of the apparatus.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main power supply for supplying power to each part of the apparatus main body, a secondary battery charged by the main power supply, and a drive means for driving the apparatus by power supply from the main power supply. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control power supply to the driving unit; wherein the control unit includes the secondary battery when power supply from the main power supply is stopped during operation of the apparatus. It is characterized by controlling so that electric power may be supplied to the said drive means from.

  In the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the present invention further includes a plurality of the driving units and a sheet detecting unit that detects a sheet position in the apparatus main body, and the control unit supplies power from the main power source. On the basis of the detection result of the paper detection means when the battery is stopped, control is performed so that power is supplied from the secondary battery only to the drive means required for paper discharge among the plurality of drive means.

  In the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the image forming apparatus includes a power supply unit that charges the secondary battery separately from the main power source, and the secondary battery is charged by the main power source or the power supply unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the power supply means is a solar cell.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, even when the supply of power from the main power supply is stopped for some reason during the operation of the apparatus, the power can be supplied from the secondary battery. Paper can be discharged outside the apparatus to prevent paper jams.

  According to the second configuration of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the first configuration, the position of the sheet in the apparatus main body when the supply of power is stopped is grasped, and only the driving means necessary for discharging the sheet is used. By driving the, the paper jam can be prevented and the power consumption of the image forming apparatus can be reduced.

  According to the third configuration of the present invention, the image forming apparatus having the first or second configuration further includes a power supply unit capable of charging the secondary battery, and from both the main power source and the power supply unit. Since the secondary battery can be charged, the amount of power supplied from the main power source to the secondary battery is suppressed to reduce the power consumption of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the fourth configuration of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the third configuration, the power supply means is a solar cell, so that the power consumption of the image forming apparatus can be further reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an image forming apparatus. Here, a digital multi-function peripheral is shown as an example. In the image forming apparatus 1, when performing a copying operation, in the image forming unit 3 in the multifunction machine main body 2, the small-diameter photosensitive drum 5 that rotates in the direction A in the drawing is uniformly charged by the charging unit 4, An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 5 by a laser beam from an exposure unit (laser scanning unit or the like) 7 based on the document image data read by the reading unit 6, and developed into an electrostatic latent image by the developing unit 8. An agent (hereinafter referred to as toner) is attached to form a toner image. The toner is supplied to the developing unit 8 from the toner container 9.

  The sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding mechanism 10 to the image forming unit 3 via the sheet conveying path 11 and the registration roller pair 12 toward the photosensitive drum 5 on which the toner image is formed as described above. 3, the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is transferred to the sheet by the transfer roller 13 (image transfer unit). The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 5 and conveyed to a fixing unit 14 having a fixing roller pair 14a to fix the toner image. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 14 is sent to a sheet conveyance path 15 branched in a plurality of directions, and is routed by path switching mechanisms 21, 22, and 23 having a plurality of path switching guides provided at branch points of the sheet conveyance path 15. The transport direction is sorted, and the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge section of the first discharge tray 17a, the second discharge tray 17b, or the third discharge tray 17c as it is (or after being sent to the sheet transfer path 16 and copied on both sides). .

  Although not shown, a static elimination device that removes residual charges on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is provided on the downstream side of the cleaning device 18. Further, the paper feed mechanism 10 is detachably attached to the multifunction machine main body 2 and includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 10a and 10b for storing paper and a stack bypass (manual feed tray) 10c provided above the paper feed cassettes 10a and 10b. These are connected to the image forming unit 3 including the photosensitive drum 5 and the developing unit 8 by the paper transport path 11.

  Specifically, the sheet conveyance path 15 first branches into a left and right fork on the downstream side of the fixing roller pair 14a, and one path (a path branching rightward in FIG. 1) communicates with the first discharge tray 17a. It is configured as follows. The other path (the path that branches in the left direction in FIG. 1) branches into the upper and lower forks via the conveying roller pair 19, and the other path (the path that branches in the upward direction in FIG. 1) is the second discharge. It is configured to communicate with the tray 17b. On the other hand, the other path (the path branched in the downward direction in FIG. 1) is bifurcated immediately below the branch point, and one path passes through the discharge roller pair 20 to the third discharge tray 17c. The other path is configured to communicate with the paper transport path 16.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This image forming apparatus is roughly composed of a power supply circuit unit 30 including a main power supply and a secondary battery, a commercial power supply 31, a main motor 32, and a feed motor 33.

  Next, the power supply circuit unit 30 will be described. The power supply circuit unit 30 includes a main power supply 34, a secondary battery 35, and control means 36. The main power supply 34 is a switching power supply that rectifies the AC voltage from the commercial power supply 31 and generates a DC voltage to supply power to each part of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The secondary battery 35 is charged by the main power supply 34 and generates a DC voltage when the supply of power from the main power supply 34 is stopped. The control means 36 controls the supply of electric power to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 which will be described later.

  The main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 are driving means for receiving power supplied from the main power supply 34 to drive each part of the apparatus. The main motor 32 is the photosensitive drum 5 or the fixing unit of the image forming unit 3 shown in FIG. 14, the developing roller 8a in the developing unit 8 and the like are driven, and the feed motor 33 is a pair of conveying rollers provided in the registration roller pair 12 and the sheet conveying paths 11, 15, 16, and 42 shown in FIG. , A paper transporting means comprising a pair of paper feed rollers 43, 44, a pair of discharge rollers 20, 45, and the like is driven.

  When the supply of power from the main power supply 34 is stopped for some reason during the operation of the apparatus, the control means 36 switches the power supply source to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 from the main power supply 34 to the secondary battery 35. As a result, even in a sudden power stop due to a power failure or erroneous operation, all the sheets in the apparatus can be discharged to the outside, and the occurrence of a paper jam can be prevented.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Portions common to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, the solar battery 37 is provided in addition to the main power supply 34 as power supply means to the secondary battery 35, and the secondary battery 35 can be charged using the main power supply 34 or the solar battery 37. It is said. The solar cell 37 generates electric power according to the irradiation level of sunlight or indoor lighting irradiated at daytime, and charges the secondary battery 35.

  Therefore, if the secondary battery 35 is charged only by the solar battery 37 without using the main power supply 34, power supply from the main power supply 34 to the secondary battery 35 becomes unnecessary, and the consumption of the image forming apparatus is reduced. Power can be saved. For example, when the installation location of the image forming apparatus is bright, the secondary battery 35 is charged with the solar battery 37 in preference to the main power supply 34, and the solar battery 37 is charged only with the solar battery 37 with little irradiation light such as sunlight and room lighting. If this is not sufficient, the solar battery 37 and the main power supply 34 are charged together, and when the light is turned off at night, the main power supply 34 is used for charging so that the secondary battery 35 can be charged quickly. Further, the above charging method can be appropriately selected by the user.

  FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state in which a solar cell is installed in the image forming apparatus. Reference numeral 38 denotes an operation panel, which includes an operation key 38a for a user to set device functions, printing conditions, and the like, and a display unit 38b for displaying setting conditions, device states, and the like. Reference numeral 39 denotes a document presser for pressing the document on the image reading unit 6 in FIG. 1, and is supported so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction (paper surface direction in the drawing) via a hinge portion (not shown). A document transport unit 40 for automatically transporting a set sheet document to the image reading unit 6 is attached to the upper part of the document presser 39.

  The solar cell 37 can be placed at any location on the image forming apparatus as long as it can receive sunlight and room lighting. Here, the light receiving surface 37a receives light when the image forming apparatus is installed near a window. The image forming apparatus is arranged on the back side (right side in the drawing) of the image forming apparatus that is easy to perform and that does not hinder the user from operating the operation panel 38 or opening and closing the document presser 39. For example, in a digital image forming apparatus, a cover 50 for a control board such as a control unit is often provided on the back side, and can be disposed on the upper surface thereof. Further, the light receiving surface 37a of the solar cell 37 is rotatable in the vertical direction (arrow A direction) and the horizontal direction (arrow B direction) with respect to the installation surface.

  Thereby, the light receiving surface 37a can be installed in a direction in which as much light as possible is irradiated, and the secondary battery 35 is efficiently charged by the solar battery 37. If the solar cell 37 is configured to be removable from the apparatus main body by connecting the solar cell 37 and the apparatus main body with a wiring cord, even if the image forming apparatus main body cannot be installed near the window, the solar cell 37 is the most sunlight. It is more preferable because it can be installed in a place where

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus of the first and second embodiments. First, when printing is started by the user (step 1), power is supplied from the main power supply 34 to each part of the apparatus (step 2), and conveyance of the paper is started (step 3).

  Next, it is determined in the control means 36 whether or not the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped (step 4). When it is determined that the power supply from the main power supply 34 has been stopped, the control means 36 switches the power supply source from the main power supply 34 to the secondary battery 35 and the supply of power from the secondary battery 35 is started (step). 5). The main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 are driven by the power from the secondary battery 35 (step 6), and the paper is discharged to the outside of the apparatus (step 7). On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4 that the power supply from the main power supply 34 does not stop, the power is continuously supplied from the main power supply 34 as it is, and the sheet is discharged after image formation is performed (step 6). 7).

  Thus, even when the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped for some reason during the image forming operation, the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 can be driven because the power is continuously supplied from the secondary battery 35. Thus, all the paper moving inside the apparatus is discharged outside the apparatus without causing a paper jam.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Portions common to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, a paper detection unit 41 that detects the paper position inside the image forming apparatus is provided. Further, the control means 36 can separately control power supply to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33.

  When the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped during the image forming operation, before the power supply from the secondary battery 35 is started, the paper position inside the apparatus is detected by the paper detection means 41 and the detection signal is controlled by the control means. 36. The control means 36 controls the supply of power to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 according to the detected paper position.

  For example, when the paper is in a position where it can be ejected by driving either the main motor 32 or the feed motor 33, power is supplied to only one of the main motor 32 or the feed motor 33, and both the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 are supplied. In a position where it is necessary to drive the power, power is supplied to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33. With this configuration, the sheet can be discharged by supplying the minimum amount of power when the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped, which contributes to a reduction in running cost and energy saving of the image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the third embodiment, a main power source 34 and a solar cell 37 are provided as means for supplying power to the secondary battery 35 as in the second embodiment. The secondary battery 35 can be charged using the battery 37. According to this configuration, the amount of power supplied from the main power supply 34 to the secondary battery 35 can be suppressed by preferentially charging the secondary battery 35 with the solar battery 37, and an image compared to the third embodiment. It is more preferable because the power consumption of the forming apparatus can be reduced.

  The operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third and fourth embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 and the flowchart of FIG. First, when printing is started by the user (step 1), power is supplied from the main power supply 34 to each part of the apparatus (step 2), and conveyance of the paper is started (step 3). Next, it is determined in the control means 36 whether or not the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped (step 4). If it is determined that the power supply from the main power supply 34 has not been stopped, the main power supply 34 continues to supply power as it is, and the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 are driven (step 9). After forming, the paper is discharged (step 10).

  If it is determined in step 4 that the power supply from the main power supply 34 has been stopped, the paper position inside the apparatus is detected by the paper detection means 41 (step 5). The detected paper position is transmitted to the control means 36, and the control means 36 determines whether or not the main motor 32 needs to be driven to discharge the paper (step 6). If it is determined that the main motor 32 needs to be driven, it is next determined whether or not the feed motor 33 needs to be driven (step 7). When it is determined that the feed motor 33 needs to be driven, power supply from the secondary battery 35 to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 is started (step 8).

  Then, the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 are driven by the power from the secondary battery 35 (step 9), and the paper is discharged outside the apparatus (step 10). On the other hand, when it is determined in step 7 that driving of the feed motor 33 is not necessary, supply of power from the secondary battery 35 to the main motor 32 is started (step 11). Then, only the main motor 32 is driven by the power from the secondary battery 35 (step 12), and the paper is discharged outside the apparatus (step 10).

  If it is determined in step 6 that driving of the main motor 32 is not necessary, it is determined whether driving of the feed motor 33 is necessary (step 13). When it is determined that the feed motor 33 needs to be driven, power supply from the secondary battery 35 to the feed motor 33 is started (step 14), and only the feed motor 33 is driven by the power from the secondary battery 35. (Step 15), and the sheet is discharged outside the apparatus (Step 10). If it is determined in step 13 that the feed motor 33 is not required to be driven, no paper remains in the apparatus, and power is supplied from the secondary battery 35 to the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33. Otherwise, the process is terminated without performing the discharging operation.

  As a result, even if the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped for some reason during the image forming operation, only the motor necessary for discharging the paper from the secondary motor 35 to the main motor 32 or the feed motor 33 is used. Since the power is continuously supplied, all the sheets that are moving inside the apparatus are discharged to the outside of the apparatus simply by supplying the minimum necessary power. That is, even when the main power supply suddenly stops, it is possible to prevent paper jams, eliminating the need for paper jam processing, and contributing to reduction in running cost and energy saving of the image forming apparatus.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, the image forming apparatus including the main motor 32 and the feed motor 33 as the driving unit has been described. For example, the feed motor 33 includes a plurality of stepping motors with low power consumption. It is also possible to do. Such an image forming apparatus is shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the feed motor 33 includes a plurality of stepping motors 33a, 33b,. . . Each stepping motor 33a, 33b,. . . Drives the paper feed rollers disposed in the registration roller pair 12a and the paper transport paths 11, 15, and 16 of FIG.

  The control means 36 can separately control the power supply to each stepping motor, and is necessary for discharging the paper according to the detection result of the paper detection means 41 when the power supply from the main power supply 34 is stopped. Electric power is supplied from the secondary battery 35 only to the stepping motor. As a result, paper jam prevention when the main power supply 34 is stopped can be realized with the minimum necessary power consumption. Since the specific control operation of each stepping motor can be performed in the same manner as in FIG. 8, description thereof is omitted here.

  In this example, the feed motor 33 is constituted by a plurality of stepping motors, but the main motor 32 is similarly constituted by a plurality of stepping motors so that each stepping motor can be controlled separately. This is advantageous in reducing power consumption. Although the secondary battery 35 is charged by the main power supply 34, it is needless to say that a solar battery 37 can be provided as power supply means as in the second and fourth embodiments.

  In the second and fourth embodiments, the solar battery 37 is provided in addition to the main power supply 34 as the power supply means for the secondary battery 35. However, the power supply means is limited to the solar battery. Instead, it is also possible to use a wind power generator using wind power, for example. Although only the monochrome digital multifunction peripheral has been described here as the image forming apparatus, the present invention is not limited to other types of copiers such as tandem color copiers and monochrome copiers, or facsimiles, scanners, laser printers, etc. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to other image forming apparatuses.

  The present invention controls a main power source that supplies power to each part of the apparatus main body, a secondary battery that is charged by the main power source, a drive unit that drives the apparatus by supplying power from the main power source, and a power supply to the drive unit The control unit controls the power supply from the secondary battery to the drive unit when the supply of power from the main power supply is stopped during the operation of the apparatus. As a result, even if the power supply from the main power supply is stopped for some reason during the operation of the device, the power can be supplied from the secondary battery, and the paper being conveyed is discharged outside the device. It is possible to prevent paper jams.

  In addition, it is possible to supply the minimum necessary power by grasping the paper position in the apparatus main body when the power supply is stopped using the paper detection means and driving only the drive means required for paper discharge. It is possible to reduce the power consumption of the image forming apparatus and contribute to a reduction in running cost and energy saving.

  In addition, by enabling the secondary battery to be charged by the main power source or the power supply means, the power supply amount from the main power source is reduced to promote energy saving of the image forming apparatus. Further, if the power supply means is a solar battery, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus can be further reduced by preferentially charging the secondary battery with the solar battery.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. These are block diagrams which show the power supply part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of an image forming apparatus provided with a solar cell panel. These are flowcharts showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first and second embodiments. These are the block diagrams which show the power supply part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. These are the block diagrams which show the power supply part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. These are flowcharts showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third and fourth embodiments. These are the block diagrams which show the power supply part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Apparatus main body 3 Image forming part 5 Photosensitive drum 11,15,16 Paper conveyance path 14 Fixing part 21,22,23 Path switching mechanism 30 Power supply circuit part 31 Commercial power supply 32 Main motor 33 Feed motor 33a, 33b Stepping motor 34 Main power source 35 Secondary battery 36 Control means 37 Solar battery 37a Light receiving surface 38 Operation panel 39 Document presser 41 Paper detection means

Claims (4)

A main power supply for supplying power to each part of the device body;
A secondary battery charged by the main power source;
Driving means for driving the apparatus by supplying power from the main power source;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls power supply to the driving unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to supply power from the secondary battery to the driving unit when supply of power from the main power supply is stopped during operation of the apparatus.   A plurality of driving means; and a paper detecting means for detecting a paper position in the apparatus main body, wherein the control means detects the paper detecting means when the supply of power from the main power supply is stopped. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on the result, control is performed so that power is supplied from the secondary battery to only a driving unit required for paper discharge among the plurality of driving units.   The power supply means for charging the secondary battery is provided separately from the main power supply, and the secondary battery is charged by the main power supply or the power supply means. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power supply unit is a solar battery.

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