JP2006126252A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus with which exact correspondence can be easily made by outputting setting information, and thereby taking in the information when a user and a serviceman find a fault (manual operation), or when a machine detects the fault (automatic operation). <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is provided with an image carrier, an image forming means of forming an image on the image carrier, a transfer means of transferring the image on the image carrier to a recording material, a fixing means of fixing the image transferred to the recording material to the recording member, and an operating unit enabling a user to change various kinds of setting, wherein the setting information in the image forming apparatus is outputted from the image forming apparatus by the operation of the user from the operation unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image in a copying machine, a laser beam printer, or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image forming apparatuses having various functions have become widespread with technological progress. Each function can be selected on the operation unit of the image forming apparatus, each setting value can be changed in detail, and an image that meets the user's request can be output. Further, the structure of the image forming apparatus is complicated, and regular maintenance is regarded as important, and a function for displaying each internal setting information of the image forming apparatus is provided in order to perform an appropriate response. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the above prior art.
JP 08-262934 A

  Since various setting values can be changed by the user, when receiving a complaint from the user or obtaining an output sample during regular maintenance, it is often impossible to determine the complaint factor or the state of the machine just by looking at the image. However, although setting information at the time of image output is required, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be extracted from the user.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and outputs setting information when a user and a service person find a malfunction (manual) or when a machine detects a malfunction (automatic). Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can absorb information and easily perform an appropriate response.

  An image carrier, image forming means for forming an image on the image carrier, transfer means for transferring an image on the image carrier to a recording material, and an image transferred to the recording material on the recording material. In an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit for fixing and an operation unit in which a user can change various settings, setting information in the image forming apparatus is set by the user operation from the operation unit or according to a predetermined activation condition. It outputs from a forming apparatus. In this case, the setting information in the image forming apparatus may be setting information that can be changed from the operation unit, information related to image forming conditions, information related to image control, all or a part thereof. The predetermined activation condition can be based on an output value of a sensor used for image control. Further, the setting information in the image forming apparatus output from the image forming apparatus may not be visible.

  In addition, the output material describing the setting information in the image forming apparatus output from the image forming apparatus is written together with a questionnaire, and the output material describing the setting information and the questionnaire (with answers) is read by a reader. Information can be transmitted over a network.

  In addition, the setting information in the image forming apparatus can be transmitted directly via a network network, and the information together with the result of the questionnaire conducted on the operation unit or the result of the questionnaire conducted by the predetermined questionnaire sheet and read by the reader Can be sent. The predetermined questionnaire sheet may be output from the image forming apparatus.

(Function)
Based on the above configuration, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily perform an appropriate response to a problem of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily perform an appropriate response to a problem of the image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a digital four-color full-color image forming apparatus as an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a lower digital color image printer unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer unit”) I and an upper digital color image reader unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “reader unit”) II. For example, an image is formed on the recording material P by the printer unit I based on the image of the document D read by the reader unit II.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the printer unit I and the configuration of the reader unit II will be briefly described.

  The printer unit I has a photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier that is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R1. Around the photosensitive drum 1, the primary charger (charging means) 2, the exposure means 3, the developing device (developing means) 4, the transfer device 5, the cleaning device 6, the pre-exposure lamp 7 and the like are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction. Is arranged. Below the transfer device 5, that is, in the lower half of the printer unit I, a paper feeding / conveying unit 8 for the recording material P is disposed. Further, a separation unit 9 is disposed above the transfer device 5, and a downstream side of the separation unit 9. A fixing device 10 and a paper discharge unit 11 are disposed (on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording material P). Further, an environmental sensor (not shown) is arranged in the vicinity of the developing device 4 of the printer unit I.

  The photosensitive drum 1 includes an aluminum drum-shaped substrate 1a and an OPC (organic optical semiconductor) photosensitive member 1b covering the surface thereof, and a predetermined process speed (in the direction of arrow R1) by a driving unit (not shown). (Circumferential speed).

  The primary charger 2 is disposed in a shield 2a having an opening at a portion facing the photosensitive drum 1, a discharge wire 2b disposed in parallel to the bus of the photosensitive drum 1 inside the shield 2a, and an opening of the shield 2a. It is a corona charger having a grid 2c for regulating the charging potential. The primary charger 2 is applied with a charging bias by a power source (not shown), thereby uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and a predetermined potential.

  The exposure unit 3 includes a laser output unit (not shown) that emits laser light based on an image signal from the reader unit II described later, a polygon mirror 3a that reflects the laser light, a lens 3b, and a mirror 3c. . The exposure means 3 is configured to expose the photosensitive drum 1 by irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with the laser light, and to remove an electric charge in the exposed portion to form an electrostatic latent image. In this embodiment, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is separated into four colors, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, based on the image of the document, and the electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color is displayed. Images are formed sequentially.

  The developing device 4 includes four developing units in order from the upstream side along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 (in the direction of the arrow R1), that is, toners of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black colors each having a resin base (development). Developer units 4Y, 4C, 4M, and 4Bk in which the agent is stored. Each of the developing devices 4Y, 4C, 4M, and 4Bk has a developing sleeve 4a that attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and has a predetermined color that is used for developing the electrostatic latent image. The developing device is alternatively arranged at a developing position close to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the eccentric cam 4b, and the toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image via the developing sleeve 4a, and a toner image (a visible image) ( A visible image). Note that the three color developing devices other than the developing device used for development are retracted from the development position.

  The transfer device 5 includes a transfer drum (recording material carrier) 5a that carries a recording material P on its surface, a transfer charger (transfer charging means) 5b that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 to the recording material P, and a recording material P. Has a suction charging device 5c for adsorbing the toner to the transfer drum 5a and a suction roller 5d, an inner charging device 5e, and an outer charging device 5f opposite to each other, and is supported by the shaft so as to be rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R5. A recording material carrying sheet 5g made of a dielectric material is integrally stretched in a cylindrical shape in the peripheral surface opening area of the drum 5a. The recording material carrying sheet 5g uses a dielectric sheet such as a polycarbonate film. The transfer device 5 is configured to adsorb and carry the recording material P on the surface of the transfer drum 5a.

  The cleaning device 6 includes a cleaning blade 6 a that scrapes off residual toner that has not been transferred to the recording material P and remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and a cleaning container 6 b that collects the scraped toner.

  The pre-exposure lamp 7 is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the primary charger 2 and removes unnecessary charges on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 cleaned by the cleaner 6.

  The paper feeding / conveying section 8 includes a plurality of paper feeding cassettes 8a for loading and storing recording materials P of different sizes, a paper feeding roller 8b for feeding the recording materials P in the paper feeding cassette 8a, a number of conveying rollers, and a resist. A recording material P having a roller 8c and the like and having a predetermined size is supplied to the transfer drum 5a.

  The separating unit 9 includes a separation charger 9a, a separation claw 9b, a separation push-up roller 9c, and the like for separating the recording material P after the toner image is transferred from the transfer drum 5a.

  The fixing device 10 includes a fixing roller 10a having a heater inside, and a pressure roller 10b that is disposed below the fixing roller 10a and presses the recording material P against the fixing roller 10a.

  The paper discharge unit 11 includes a conveyance path switching guide 11a, a discharge roller 11b, a paper discharge tray 11c, and the like disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device 10. Also, below the transport path switching guide 11a, a transport vertical path 11d, a reverse path 11e, a stacking member 11f, an intermediate tray 11g, and a transport roller for forming an image on one side of a recording material P are provided. 11h, 11i, a reverse roller 11j, and the like are disposed.

  Further, between the primary charger 2 and the developing device 4 around the photosensitive drum 1, a potential sensor S1 for detecting a charging potential on the surface of the photosensitive drum is provided, and between the developing device 4 and the transfer drum 5a, A density sensor S2 for detecting the density of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is disposed. The density sensor S2 will be described in detail later.

  Next, the reader unit II will be described. The reader unit II disposed above the printer unit I further reflects the reflected light from the original D, the original table glass 12a on which the original D is placed, the exposure lamp 12b that exposes and scans the image surface of the original D while moving. A plurality of mirrors 12c, a lens 12d that collects the reflected light, a full color sensor 12e that forms a color separation image signal based on the light from the lens 12d, and the like. The color-separated image signal is processed by a video processing unit (not shown) through an amplifier circuit (not shown) and sent to the printer unit I described above.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration will be briefly described while adding some configurations. In the following description, it is assumed that four full-color images are formed in the order of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.

  The image of the document D placed on the document table glass 12a of the reader unit II is irradiated with an exposure lamp 12b and subjected to color separation. First, a yellow image is read by a full-color sensor 12e, subjected to predetermined processing, and subjected to an image signal. To the printer unit I. The predetermined processing includes a color space correction circuit for improving color reproduction, a circuit for converting luminance information read by the full color sensor 12e into density information, and density processing and scaling processing set by the user. This is done by a circuit or the like. The density processing is a function that can adjust the density of the output image from the operation unit of the image forming apparatus, and the user can arbitrarily change the setting to obtain a desired density.

  In the printer unit I, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow R1, and the surface is uniformly charged by the primary charger 2. Based on the image signal sent from the reader unit II, laser light is irradiated from the laser output unit of the exposure unit 3, and the charged photosensitive drum 1 surface is exposed with the optical image E through the polygon mirror 3a and the like. To do. Charges are removed from the exposed portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed. In the developing device 4, the yellow developing device 4Y is disposed at a predetermined developing position, and the other developing devices 4C, 4M, and 4Bk are retracted from the developing position. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 has a yellow toner attached thereto by the developing device 4Y and is visualized to become a toner image. The yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the recording material P carried on the transfer drum 5a. As for the recording material P, a recording material P having a size suitable for an original image is supplied from a predetermined paper feeding cassette 8a to the transfer drum 5a at a predetermined timing via a paper feeding roller 8b, a conveying roller, a registration roller 8c, and the like. It is a thing. The recording material P thus supplied is adsorbed so as to be wound around the surface of the transfer drum 5a and rotated in the direction of the arrow R5, and the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred by the transfer charger 5b. .

  On the other hand, the residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer of the toner image is removed by the cleaning device 6, and unnecessary charges are removed by the pre-exposure lamp 7, and the photosensitive drum 1 is used for the next image formation starting from primary charging.

  Each of the processes from reading the original image by the reader unit II to transferring the toner image onto the recording material P on the transfer drum 5a, further cleaning the photosensitive drum 1, and removing the static electricity, other colors other than yellow, The same process is performed for cyan, magenta, and black, and toner images of four colors are transferred onto the transfer material P on the transfer drum 5a so as to overlap each other.

  The recording material P that has been transferred with the four color toner images is separated from the transfer drum 5a by the separation charger 9a, the separation claw 9b, and the like, and is conveyed to the fixing device 10 with an unfixed toner image supported on the surface. The The recording material P is heated and pressed by the transfer roller 10a and the pressure roller 10b of the fixing device 10, and the toner image on the surface is fused and fixed. The recording material P after fixing is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 11c by the discharge roller 11b. When forming images on both sides of the recording material P, the recording material P discharged from the fixing device 10 is immediately driven to the conveyance path switching guide 11a, and once led to the reverse path 11e via the conveyance vertical path 11d. After that, by reverse rotation of the reverse roller 11j, the rear end when the paper is fed is used as the head, and the paper is retracted in the direction opposite to the fed direction and is stored in the intermediate tray 11g. Thereafter, an image is formed again on the other surface by the above-described image forming process, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 11c.

  In the transfer drum 5a after the separation of the recording material P, in order to prevent the powder from adhering to the recording material carrying sheet 5g and the oil from adhering to the recording material P, the transfer drum 5a is interposed via the recording material carrying sheet 5g. Cleaning is performed by the fur brush 13a and the backup brush 13b, and the oil removing roller 14a and the backup brush 14b that face each other. Such cleaning is performed before image formation or after image formation, and at any time when a jam (paper jam) occurs.

  The above-described concentration sensor is an optical sensor having a light emitting unit 51, a light receiving unit 52, and a CPU 53, as shown in FIG. Irradiation light generated from the light emitting unit 51 is reflected by the patch image A formed on the photosensitive drum 1, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit 52. The amount of reflected light at this time is converted into an output voltage via the CPU 53. The above-described patch image A is formed outside the image area B on the photosensitive drum 1. The patch image A is obtained by exposing the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 1 with laser light from the exposure unit 3 to form a patch latent image, and a developer (toner) is attached to the patch latent image by the developing device 4. is there.

  The developing device of this embodiment uses a two-component developer containing toner and carrier as main components, and the toner is consumed every time an image is formed, and the developer concentration (toner / carrier) in the developing device changes. . Therefore, a technique for accurately detecting the developer concentration is important in order to keep the developer concentration constant. Therefore, a patch latent image is formed on the charged photosensitive drum (image carrier) with a predetermined latent image contrast, and this patch latent image is developed by a developing device having a two-component developer to obtain a patch image. The patch image is irradiated with light by a density sensor, the density of the developer is detected based on the magnitude of reflected light at that time, the toner replenishment amount is adjusted, and the developer density is controlled.

  Next, the part which outputs the setting information which is the characteristic of this invention is demonstrated.

  The operation unit of the image forming apparatus is provided with a setting information output button that can be used by the user. When the setting information output button is pressed, the printer unit of the image forming apparatus is activated, and the laser beam of the exposure unit 3 is irradiated based on the setting information, and an image is output through the above-described process. Setting information is written in the output image. The setting information includes all setting information that can be changed from the operation unit by the user or service person such as the density processing, and output values of the environmental sensor and the potential sensor. The image forming condition information such as the charging bias and the developing bias, and the information relating to each image control such as the output value of the density sensor and the information relating to the developer density control. With this information, the service person can grasp the state of the image forming apparatus in detail and can take appropriate measures.

  The setting information on the image is encrypted so that it cannot be read by the user. The encryption may be performed, for example, by barcode, or a method of embedding a yellow image at a level that cannot be visually recognized, such as a tracking pattern, in a general image. Since the confidentiality is maintained by encryption, more detailed information of the image forming apparatus can be output. In addition, since the user cannot judge the situation by looking at the setting information, the only way to know the situation is to pass it to a service person, so that the information can be easily sucked up and an appropriate treatment can be performed at an early stage. Also, enormous information can be compressed by encryption, and a sufficient amount of information can be obtained with one image output.

  Setting information can be output when a service person performs maintenance work, or when the user periodically outputs the setting information, but the efficiency of maintenance work can be improved. Is output when a defect is recognized in the image. This solves the problem that the state of the image forming apparatus is changed between the time when a defect occurs in an image and the time when a service person comes to take action, and an appropriate treatment cannot be performed. be able to.

  In this embodiment, a case where setting information is automatically output when a problem occurs in an image or an image forming apparatus in the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the output voltage of the density sensor used for developer density control and the patch density. As can be seen from this figure, the sensitivity of the patch density is the best at 0.8, but it has been found from past studies that it can be sufficiently detected between 0.4 and 1.2. The patch density is a value measured with a reflection type density measuring apparatus (X-Rite 404) (registered trademark) after being transferred onto paper. The relationship between the patch density and the developer density is known to change by 1% when the patch density changes by 0.2. Therefore, the output level of the patch image is determined so that the patch density becomes 0.8 when the developer density is appropriate, the toner replenishment amount is adjusted by the change in density from the patch density 0.8, and the developer density control is performed. Is going.

  In this embodiment, the read value of the patch density by the density sensor used for the developer density control is used for defect detection. In this embodiment, as shown in the flow of FIG. 4, when the patch density is 0.4 or less or 1.2 or more, it is assumed that a problem has occurred in the image forming apparatus, and setting information is automatically output.

  When the patch density is 0.4 or less or 1.2 or more, that is, when it is detected that the developer density has changed by 2% or more.

  When the developer concentration changes by 2% or more, the difference in density becomes clear and causes fogging and scattering. It is also known that the developer overflows when increased by 4% or more.

  In some cases, it may be detected that the developer concentration has changed by 2% or more even though the developer concentration has not changed. In this case, an abnormality of the density sensor, deterioration of the photosensitive drum, or the like can be considered.

  Accordingly, it is important in maintenance work to check the state of the image forming apparatus in these cases, and appropriate measures can be taken before the image forming apparatus is fatally damaged by the early detection of the problem.

  For the defect detection, not only the density sensor but also the output value of the above-described potential sensor or various image control sensors such as a color sensor installed after fixing may be used.

  In the present embodiment, a case where a questionnaire is attached to an output product on which setting information in Embodiments 1 and 2 is placed will be described.

  In this embodiment, when outputting the setting information in the first and second embodiments, a simple questionnaire is described on the same output. The contents of the questionnaire are the usage status of the image forming apparatus and opinions on usage. For example, if a user outputs a defective image, information necessary for maintenance work is described, such as the content of the defect, the output image, or the usage status before the defect occurs. The output that contains the setting information and questionnaire is collected after the user enters the answer.

  If the image forming apparatus is connected to a communicable network, the output may be read by a scanner and information may be sucked up through the network. Furthermore, if a questionnaire is carried out on the operation unit, the questionnaire information and the setting information may be directly downloaded via the network without outputting the setting information on paper. Alternatively, only the questionnaire may be performed on paper, and the questionnaire result may be downloaded through the network together with the setting information at the time of scanning.

Vertical sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus The figure which shows the composition of the density sensor (light sensor) Diagram showing the relationship between patch density and density sensor output voltage Flow chart of control in embodiment 2

Explanation of symbols

A patch image B image area 1 photosensitive drum 2 primary charger 3 exposure means 4 developing device 51 light emitting part 52 light receiving part 53 CPU

Claims (11)

  An image carrier, image forming means for forming an image on the image carrier, transfer means for transferring an image on the image carrier to a recording material, and an image transferred to the recording material on the recording material. An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit for fixing and an operation unit that allows a user to change various settings, wherein setting information in the image forming apparatus is output from the image forming apparatus by a user operation from the operation unit. An image forming apparatus.   An image carrier, image forming means for forming an image on the image carrier, transfer means for transferring an image on the image carrier to a recording material, and an image transferred to the recording material on the recording material. An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit for fixing and an operation unit capable of changing various settings by a user, wherein setting information in the image forming apparatus is output from the image forming apparatus according to a predetermined activation condition. Image forming apparatus.   3. The image according to claim 1, wherein the setting information in the image forming apparatus is setting information that can be changed from an operation unit, information about image forming conditions, information about image control, or all or a part thereof. Forming equipment.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined activation condition is based on an output value of a sensor used for image control.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information in the image forming apparatus output from the image forming apparatus cannot be visually recognized. 6.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a questionnaire is written together with an output matter in which setting information in the image forming apparatus is output from the image forming apparatus.   2. An output object in which setting information and a questionnaire (with answers) written in the image forming apparatus output from the image forming apparatus are read by a reading device, and the information is transmitted via a network. 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 6.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information in the image forming apparatus is directly transmitted via a network network.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a questionnaire is conducted on the operation unit and the information is transmitted together with setting information via a network network.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus performs a questionnaire using a predetermined questionnaire sheet, reads a questionnaire on which an answer is described, and transmits the information together with setting information via a network network. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined questionnaire sheet is output from the image forming apparatus.

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