JP2006201608A - Image forming apparatus and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress prolonging of a first printing time and degradation in throughput by enabling a user to select the timing for executing density and color slurring adjustment. <P>SOLUTION: An adjustment execution regulating means 20 regulates one of the level of importance of always executing density the adjustment for every situation where the density and color smear adjustment becomes necessary and the level of importance capable of selecting whether the adjustment is executed or not. Either of the execution or the non-execution of the adjustment is selected regarding the situation regulating the selectable level of importance. The adjustment concerning the image quality for the situation is eventually executed in the event of occurrence of situation where the execution without fail or the execution of the adjustment is selected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transfer material that is a recording medium based on image data, and a control method therefor, and more particularly, the density and color of an image formed on the transfer material in order to maintain image quality. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of automatically adjusting image quality such as deviation and a control method thereof.

In a conventional image forming apparatus, in order to provide a stable image, when the power is turned on, when returning from sleep, when the predetermined number of printed sheets is reached, when an environmental change in the image forming apparatus main body occurs, when the door is opened, etc. Every time this situation occurs, image quality such as density and color shift is automatically adjusted.
In the case of an image forming apparatus that does not have an automatic adjustment function, the operator can perform manual adjustment by inputting a correction value from the operation panel by a test print.

The schematic operation of the image forming apparatus that automatically adjusts the image quality will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the schematic operation of the image forming apparatus.

  In FIG. 2, 1 is an image forming apparatus, 3 is an operation unit, 100 is a cassette, 101 is a transfer material, 102 is a feed roller, 103 is toner (yellow), 104 is a drum CRG (yellow), and 105 is toner (magenta). ), 106 is a drum CRG (magenta), 107 is a toner (cyan), 108 is a drum CRG (cyan), 109 is a toner (black), 110 is a drum CRG (black), 111 is an intermediate transfer member, and 112 is a transfer roller , 113 is a fixing roller, 114 is a pressure roller, 115 is a front door, 116 is a paper discharge door, and 117 is a power switch.

  The flowchart of FIG. 13 shows a control procedure of the image forming apparatus 1 by a one-chip microcomputer (CPU) that constitutes a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus provided in the image forming apparatus 1. This is stored in a ROM built in the CPU.

  In step 1201, the power-on 117 is monitored. When the power source 117 is turned on, the image forming apparatus 1 performs initial settings such as initials of the CPU 2 (not shown) in step 1202, and warms up in step 1203. Do. This is a unit that controls image formation. The presence of toner (103, 105, 107, 109), drum CRG (104, 106, 108, 110), and intermediate transfer member 111 is confirmed, and a main motor (not shown) is installed. Driving the initial operation of the unit and raising the fixing roller 113 to a predetermined temperature.

  Thereafter, a sleep timer is started at step 1204, and density adjustment and color misregistration adjustment are performed at step 1205. In the density adjustment, the density of the toner patch that is actualized on the drum or the intermediate transfer member is read by a density sensor, and development and transfer conditions are set so that the value reaches an expected value. In addition, the color misregistration adjustment is performed by reading the writing position of the toner pattern that is also manifested on the drum or the intermediate transfer member with a color misregistration detection sensor, adjusting the writing timing of exposure means such as a laser, and the like. The adjustment is made so that there is no deviation.

  In step 1206, the number of printed sheets is set to 0, and environmental information (temperature, humidity) at the time of adjustment is stored in a storage means, for example, a RAM built in the CPU or a non-volatile memory under the control of the CPU (the following) The same applies to environmental information). In step 1207, a print command from an external device is monitored. If there is a print command, it is checked in step 1208 whether the current state is a sleep state. If it is in the sleep state, the sleep state is canceled in step 1209, and the warm-up described above is performed. Thereafter, density adjustment and color misregistration adjustment are performed in step 1210, and the number of printed sheets is set to 0 in step 1211, and environmental information (temperature, humidity) at the time of adjustment is stored.

  In step 1212, environmental fluctuations are checked. If the fluctuation range is large, density adjustment and color misregistration adjustment are performed in step 1213. In step 1214, the number of printed sheets is set to 0, and environmental information (temperature, Store humidity. In step 1215, printing is executed. Each color toner image that has been made visible on the drum CRG (104, 106, 108, 110) is transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 111, synchronized with the toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 111, and transferred in the cassette 100. 101 is conveyed by the paper feed roller 102, and the toner image is transferred onto the transfer material 101 by the transfer roller 112.

  Thereafter, the transfer material 101 is nipped and conveyed by the fixing roller 113 and the pressure roller 114 and discharged in the direction of arrow A. In step 1216, the number of printed sheets is incremented by 1, and in step 1217, a sleep timer is started. In step 1218, it is checked whether the number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number of printed sheets (for example, 200 sheets). If the number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number of printed sheets, the process proceeds to step 1205 and adjustment processing is executed. If it is determined in step 1218 that the number of printed sheets has not reached the predetermined number of printed sheets, the process proceeds to step 1207 to wait for the next print command.

  If the print command is not received in step 1207, the door open is checked in step 1219. If the door is open, the door is closed in step 1220. If the door is closed, sleep is canceled in step 1221, warm-up is performed, a sleep timer is started in step 1222, and the process proceeds to step 1205. If the door is not opened in step 1219, the process proceeds to step 1223. In step 1223, it is checked whether the current state is sleeping. If it is sleeping, the process proceeds to step 1207, and if it is not sleeping, the process proceeds to step 1224. In step 1224, it is checked whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) has elapsed. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the sleep timer is shifted to sleep in step 1225.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step 1224, the process proceeds to step 1207 to wait for a print command.
As described above, in order to provide a stable image, situations such as when the power is turned on, when returning from sleep, when the predetermined number of printed sheets is reached, when the environment inside the image forming apparatus changes, when the door is opened or closed, etc. Every time, the density and color shift were automatically adjusted.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus includes a holding unit for holding execution of density and color misregistration adjustment, and a unit for releasing the state where the execution of adjustment is held by the holding unit. Some have means that can be operated by an operator (user) from the operation unit of the forming apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a unit that allows a user to set a time interval for performing adjustment from an operation unit (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-172833 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-72603

  However, in the above conventional example, it takes time for density adjustment and color misregistration adjustment, and there is a problem that even if the user wants to print immediately, if the above adjustment is once entered, a considerable waiting time is generated and the first print becomes longer. .

  Further, when a large amount of printing is performed, there is a problem that the throughput is lowered because the adjustment is frequently performed even when printing is being performed, when the predetermined number of printed sheets is reached or when the environment in the image forming apparatus main body changes. was there.

  An image forming apparatus that includes a holding unit for holding execution of density and color misregistration adjustment, and a unit for releasing a state in which the execution of adjustment is held by the holding unit, and allows a user to set a timing for adjusting density and color misregistration. In this case, if the image is continuously used in the adjustment pending state, the image quality may be deteriorated. If the image quality is deteriorated, an inferior image continues to appear until the user notices and releases the hold.

  In addition, in an image forming apparatus in which the user can set a time interval for performing density and color misregistration adjustment, it is difficult for the user to set an appropriate time interval for the image forming apparatus to maintain image quality. If the setting is short, the problem is that the first print becomes long and the throughput decreases. On the other hand, when the time interval is set long, there is a problem that the image quality is deteriorated. Further, since the adjustment execution timing is not notified to the user, there is a problem that the user is required to set adjustment execution on hold or hold release, or to set a time interval, as seen in the image forming apparatus.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a control method therefor that can suppress the lengthening of the first print and the reduction of the throughput as much as possible by allowing the user to select the execution timing of density and color misregistration adjustment. There is to do.

  In addition, the user can know the timing of adjustment execution, and the adjustment timing can be changed according to the user's purpose of use. Therefore, it is possible to further shorten the first print and reduce throughput, and to form an image. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the quality of image quality possessed by the apparatus and a control method therefor.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, it is possible to select the degree of importance for performing the adjustment for each situation that requires adjustment regarding the image quality of the image formed on the transfer material, and whether to perform the adjustment. Adjustment execution specifying means for specifying any one of the importance levels, selection means for selecting either execution or non-execution of the adjustments for the situations specifying the importance levels selectable by the adjustment execution specifying means, and the situations And means for controlling adjustment relating to the image quality for the generated situation according to the contents of the adjustment execution defining means and the selection means at the time of occurrence.

  The present invention also provides an adjustment execution frequency defining means for defining at least two adjustment frequencies for each situation that requires adjustment relating to the image quality of an image formed on a transfer material, and the adjustment execution frequency defining for each situation. A selection unit that selects one of at least two adjustment frequencies defined by the unit, and an adjustment relating to image quality for the generated situation when the condition of the adjustment frequency selected by the selection unit is satisfied when the situation occurs It is characterized by comprising means.

  Here, for each adjustment frequency defined by the adjustment execution frequency defining means and for each situation, means for informing the remaining adjustment frequency conditions until the next adjustment execution based on the current adjustment frequency condition detection result Can have.

  Furthermore, the condition of the adjustment frequency can be changed.

  According to the present invention, by enabling the user to select the execution timing of image quality adjustment such as density and color misregistration, it is possible to reduce the length of the first print and decrease the throughput, and the image forming apparatus can The image quality can be maintained.

  In addition, the user can know the timing of image quality adjustments such as density and color misregistration, and the adjustment timing can be changed according to the user's purpose of use. Is possible.

  Furthermore, when the image is used in a single color that does not require high image quality, or when multiple image forming apparatuses are connected to the network, an image forming apparatus that requires high image quality and an image forming apparatus that does not require high image quality are used separately. In this case, the user can change the setting of the adjustment timing and use the image forming apparatus properly, so that usability can be improved.

Example 1
Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is an image forming apparatus, and 2 is a one-chip micro that constitutes a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus. A computer (CPU), which controls each component constituting the image forming apparatus described later according to a control procedure stored in a ROM built in the CPU 2. The control procedure stored in the ROM built in the CPU 2 includes a control procedure as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16 described later. 3 is an operation unit, 4 is an adjustment execution setting unit, 5 is a determination unit, 6 is a printing control unit, 7 is a density adjustment unit, 8 is a color shift adjustment unit, 9 is an interface unit, 10 is a power-on detection unit, 11 is Front door opening / closing detection means, 12 is a discharge door opening / closing detection means, 13 is a toner replacement detection means, 14 is a drum CRG replacement detection means, 15 is an intermediate transfer member replacement detection means, 16 is an environmental sensor, 17 is a print number counter, 18 is a sleep timer, 20 is an adjustment execution defining means, and 50 is an external device such as a personal computer, and performs data communication with the CPU 2 via the interface unit 9. The adjustment execution setting unit 4 and the determination unit 5 can be realized as functions achieved by the CPU 2 operating according to a program.

  2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation unit 3 in detail, FIG. 4 is a table showing the importance for each situation as the adjustment execution defining means 20, and FIG. 5 is the image forming apparatus FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of execution / non-execution setting of density / color misregistration adjustment which is the adjustment execution setting means 4. Information on the execution / non-execution setting of the density / color misregistration adjustment can be stored in a RAM built in the CPU 2 or a nonvolatile memory under the control of the CPU 2.

  First, referring to FIG. 2, a method for detecting opening / closing of the front door 115 and the paper discharge door 116, and a method for detecting replacement of the toner 103, 105, 107, 109, the drums CRG104, 106, 108, 110, and the intermediate transfer member 111. Will be described.

  The front door 115 in FIG. 2 is a door that is opened when exchanging consumables. The front door 115 opens to the front with reference to the side bc by pulling the upper part of the front door 115 forward. Detection of opening / closing of the front door 115 is detected by a tact switch (not shown) which is the front door opening / closing detection means 11. When the front door 115 is opened, the toner 103, 105, 107, 109, the drum CRGs 104, 106, 108, 110 and the intermediate transfer member 111 that are consumables can be replaced. For example, when the toner 103 is replaced, the toner 103 that has reached the end of its life in the image forming apparatus is pulled out toward the front of the drawing. The toner replacement detection means 13 detects that the toner 103 has been removed. Thereafter, new toner is inserted and the replacement is completed. The same applies to other color toners.

  The drum CRGs 104, 106, 108, and 110 and the intermediate transfer member 111 are replaced in the same manner as the toner described above. The drums CRGs 104, 106, 108, 110 and the intermediate transfer member 111 detect whether or not they have been replaced by the drum CRG replacement detection unit 14 and the intermediate transfer member replacement detection unit 15, respectively.

  The paper discharge door 116 is a door that is opened when the jammed transfer material 101 is removed. The paper discharge door 116 is opened to the arrow e side with reference to the base point d by pulling the upper part of the paper discharge door 116 to the left side of the drawing. The detection of the opening / closing of the paper discharge door 116 is detected by a tact switch (not shown) which is the paper discharge door open / close detection means 12.

  The operation method of the operation unit 3 and the execution / non-execution setting method of density / color misregistration adjustment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The table in FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment execution defining means 20, which defines the situations that need to be adjusted in order to maintain the quality of the image forming apparatus 1, the importance of these situations, and the execution timing. Prepared as a table. For example, when the situation is powered on, the importance is set to “high” and the execution timing is “executed whenever the power is turned on”. The importance is determined for each situation, and the situation with the importance “high” is an essential situation for the image forming apparatus 1 to maintain high image quality, and the user cannot select non-execution. Conversely, a situation with a low importance level is a situation in which the user can select non-execution. These importance settings are determined from the characteristics and abilities of the image forming apparatus 1.

  3 shows the operation unit 3 under the control of the CPU 2 in detail. 300 is a display, 301 is a printable LED, and blinks while the image forming apparatus 1 is receiving image data from the external device 50. Lights when 1 is ready for printing. 302 is a menu key, 303 is a select key, 304 is an up arrow key, and 305 is a down arrow key. When the menu key 302 is pressed several times to move to the “Execution / Non-execution Setting for Density / Color Shift Adjustment” menu on the display 300, the title “Execution Execution / Non-execution”, the name of each situation, and The execution / non-execution selection screen appears.

  In the present embodiment, among the above-mentioned tables showing the importance for each situation, the situation of importance “high” in which the user cannot be involved is not displayed on the display 300, and the situation of importance “low” is used. For every predetermined number of printed sheets, 4 situations are displayed when returning from sleep, when opening and closing the door, and when the environment changes.

  A circle is given next to the situation name on the display 300, and when the up arrow key 304 or the down arrow key 305 is pressed, the black circle moves up or down. A portion to which a black circle is added is a portion that can be selected, and in the example of FIG. 3A, a predetermined number of printed situations are selected. When the select key 303 is pressed in this state, as shown in FIG. 3B, the back color of the execution / non-execution portion displayed on the right side of the predetermined number of prints is changed, and the execution / non-execution portion is selected. It becomes possible. By pressing the up arrow key 304 or the down arrow key 305, execution / non-execution is switched, and the select key 303 is pressed in a state to be set. Thereafter, the process proceeds to situation selection processing.

  Execution / non-execution of other situations is set in the same manner, and when all the settings are completed, the menu key 302 is pressed to exit from the “execution / non-execution setting of density / color misalignment adjustment” menu.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation for setting execution / non-execution of adjustment of the image forming apparatus 1 based on a table showing the importance for each situation and the setting result of the operation unit 3. This is processing performed when initial setting of the image forming apparatus 1 to be described later and when execution / non-execution setting of density / color misregistration adjustment of the operation unit 3 is changed. The data can be stored in a RAM built in the CPU 2 or a nonvolatile memory under the control of the CPU 2.

  In step 601, the importance level at the time of power-on in the table showing the importance level for each situation is checked. If the importance level is set to “high”, the process proceeds to step 602 and execution is set. In step 601, if the importance is set to “low”, the process proceeds to step 603 to check the execution / non-execution of density / color misregistration adjustment in the operation unit 3 and set to execute. If YES in step 602, the process proceeds to step 602 and execution is set. If NO execution is set, the process proceeds to step 604 and non-execution is set.

  Similarly, from step 606 to step 608 for the importance check for each predetermined number of printed sheets in step 605, and from step 610 to step 612 for the importance check at the time of return from sleep of step 609, the door opening / closing of step 613 Step 614 to Step 616 for the importance level check, Step 618 to Step 620 for the importance level check at the time of environmental change in Step 617, and Step 622 to Step 624 for the importance level check when replacing the consumables in Step 621 Since this is the same as steps 602 to 604 described above, description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 12, steps 501 to 510 are added to the flowchart of FIG. 12 used for explaining the conventional example, and the same operation as the conventional image forming apparatus is performed. Is only a brief explanation.

  In step 1201, when the power-on detection means 10 detects that the power source 117 is turned on, the process proceeds to step 1202. In step 1202, initial setting of the image forming apparatus 1 and initial setting of execution / non-execution of adjustment in each situation are performed. After warming up in step 1203, the sleep timer 18 is started in step 1204.

  In step 501, the determination means 5 determines whether or not to perform adjustment when the power is turned on. If it is determined that the adjustment is to be executed, density adjustment by the density adjustment means 7 and color deviation adjustment by the color deviation adjustment means 8 are executed in step 1205. In step 1206, the print number counter 17 is set to 0, and the environmental sensor 16 Read and store temperature and humidity. If it is determined in step 501 that the adjustment is not to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1207 (in this embodiment, the importance is set to a high level that cannot be changed when the power is turned on and when consumables are replaced, so the adjustment is executed. There is no processing that does not, but an example of processing that does not perform adjustment when the importance can be changed is described.

  In step 1207, the print command from the external device 50 is monitored by the interface unit 9, and when the print command is received, the process proceeds to step 1208 to check whether the current state of the image forming apparatus 1 is the sleep state. If the sleep state is determined, the sleep state is canceled in step 1209 and warm-up is performed. If it is not in the sleep state, the process proceeds to step 1212.

In step 502, the determination means 5 determines whether or not to perform adjustment when returning from sleep. If the adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1210. If the adjustment is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1212.
In step 1212, the temperature and humidity read by the environmental sensor 16 are compared with the previously stored environmental information (temperature and humidity), and the temperature is a predetermined value (for example, ± 5 ° C.) or the humidity is a predetermined value ( For example, when it fluctuates by ± 5%) or more, the process proceeds to step 503. As described above, the environment information can be stored in a RAM built in the CPU 2 or a nonvolatile memory under the control of the CPU 2.

  In step 503, the determination means 5 determines whether or not to perform adjustment when the environment changes. If the adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1213. If the adjustment is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1215. In step 1215, printing is executed by the printing control means 6. In step 1216, the print number counter 17 is incremented by 1. In step 1217, the sleep timer 18 is started.

  In step 1218, it is checked whether or not the value of the print sheet counter 17 has reached a predetermined print sheet number (for example, 200 sheets). If not, the process proceeds to step 1207.

  In step 504, the determination means 5 determines whether or not the adjustment is executed for every predetermined number of printed sheets. If the adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the adjustment is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1207.

  If no print command is received in step 1207, in step 1219, the front door opening / closing detection means 11 and the discharge door opening / closing detection means 12 are checked for opening of the door. At 505, it is determined whether any of the consumables has been replaced by the toner replacement detection unit 13, the drum CRG replacement detection unit 14, or the intermediate transfer body replacement detection unit 15. If the consumable is replaced, 1 is set in the consumable replacement flag in step 506, and if the consumable is not replaced, 0 is set in the consumable replacement flag in step 507.

  In step 1220, the front door opening / closing detection means 11 and the paper discharge door opening / closing detection means 12 check that both doors are closed. If it is determined that all doors are closed, the process proceeds to step 1221 to cancel the sleep state. Then, warm-up is performed, and the sleep timer 18 is started at step 1222.

In step 508, the determination means 5 determines whether or not to perform adjustment when the door is opened and closed. If the adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the adjustment is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step 509. In step 509, the consumable item replacement flag is checked. If it is 1, in step 510, it is determined whether or not adjustment is performed by the determining means 5 when the consumable item is replaced. If the adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the adjustment is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1207.
If the door is not open in step 1219, the process shifts to step 1223 to check whether the current state is sleeping. If it is sleeping, the process shifts to step 1207, and if not sleeping, the process shifts to step 1224. In step 1224, it is checked whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) has elapsed. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process goes to sleep in step 1225.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step 1223, the process proceeds to step 1207 to wait for a print command.
The configuration of the operation unit 3 may be a configuration in which a situation of importance “high” is also displayed on the display 300 and the user is not allowed to change.

  The execution / non-execution setting may be set by a command from the external device 50. In addition, the environment change situation may be performed separately for temperature and humidity. Further, the adjustment execution defining means may be separately prepared for density adjustment and color misregistration adjustment.

(Example 2)
In the first embodiment described above, an explanation has been given regarding the image forming apparatus in which importance is assigned to each situation that needs adjustment, and the situation where the importance is “low” can be selected by the user to execute / not execute adjustment. .

  In the second embodiment, an image forming apparatus in which a normal adjustment frequency and a minimum necessary adjustment frequency are determined for each situation and a user can select normal adjustment / minimum adjustment will be described.

  Hereinafter, it demonstrates using drawing. A description of the same parts as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and the CPU 2 executes control procedures as shown in FIGS. In FIG. 7, 700 is an adjustment execution frequency defining means, 701 is an adjustment execution frequency setting means, 702 is a second determination means, 703 is a third determination means, and 704 is a sleep stay timer. The adjustment execution frequency setting unit 701, the second determination unit 702, and the third determination unit 703 can be realized as functions achieved by the CPU 2 operating according to a program.

  8 is a diagram showing the operation unit 3 in detail, FIG. 9 is a table showing the contents of normal adjustment and minimum adjustment for each situation, which is the adjustment execution frequency defining means 700, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the normal / minimum adjustment setting for density / color misregistration adjustment, which is the adjustment execution frequency setting means 701.

  The operation method of the operation unit 3 and the setting method of the normal adjustment / minimum adjustment setting of the density / color misregistration adjustment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The table of FIG. 9 shows the adjustment execution frequency defining means 700, which defines two levels: situations that require adjustment in the image forming apparatus 1, normal adjustment frequency when those situations occur, and minimum adjustment frequency. This is stored in a ROM or RAM built into the CPU 2 or a non-volatile memory under the control of the CPU 2. For example, when a situation is powered on, “executed whenever power is turned on” is set during normal adjustment, and “executed first time and every 7 times” is set when the minimum adjustment is performed.

  FIG. 8 shows the operation unit 3 under the control of the CPU 2 in detail, and 800 is a display. On the display 800, a “Density / Color Shift Adjustment Frequency Setting” menu is displayed.

  Since the selection method of the “Density / Color Shift Adjustment Frequency Setting” menu and the situation selection method are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

  When the situation to be set is selected, the color of the back of the normal / minimum portion changes, and the normal / minimum is switched by pressing the up arrow key 304 or the down arrow key 305, and the select key 303 is pressed in the state to be set.

  Other situations are set in the same way (the setting information can be stored in the RAM built in the CPU 2 or the non-volatile memory under the control of the CPU 2). When all the settings are completed, when the menu key 302 is pressed, Exit from the “Density / Color shift adjustment frequency setting” menu.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for setting the execution frequency of adjustment of the image forming apparatus 1 based on the setting content of the operation unit 3. This is a process that is performed when the image forming apparatus 1 is initially set and when the setting of the density / color misregistration adjustment frequency is changed in the operation unit 3. It can be stored in a non-volatile memory under the control of the CPU 2.

  In step 1101, the frequency of adjustment at power-on is checked. If normal execution is set, the process proceeds to step 1102, and normal execution is set. In step 1101, if the frequency is set to the minimum, the process proceeds to step 1103, and the minimum execution is set.

  Similarly, Steps 1105 and 1106 for checking the adjustment frequency for each predetermined number of printed sheets in Step 1104, Steps 1108 and 1109 for checking the adjustment frequency when returning from sleep in Step 1107, and the door opening / closing time in Step 1110 Steps 1111 and 1112 for checking the adjustment frequency, Steps 1114 and 1115 for checking the adjustment frequency when the environment changes in Step 1113, and Steps 1117 and 1118 for checking the adjustment frequency when replacing consumables in Step 1116 Is the same as steps 1102 and 1103 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIGS. 10 and 11 (which constitute a set of flowcharts) are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. Compared to the flowchart of FIG. 5 used for explaining the first embodiment, step 1001, 1003, 1005, 1007, 1009, 1010 to 1012, 1014, 1016, 1017 are added, step 1002 is replaced with step 1001, step 1004 is replaced with step 502, step 1006 is replaced with step 503 Instead of Step 1008 and Step 508, Step 1013 and Step 1015 are used instead of Step 510. The operation similar to that of the conventional image forming apparatus will be described briefly.

  In step 1001, the power-on count is incremented by one. In step 1002, the second determination means 702 determines whether or not normal adjustment is executed when the power is turned on. When executing the normal adjustment, the process proceeds to step 1205. When performing the minimum adjustment, the process proceeds to step 1003. In step 1003, the third determining means 703 determines whether the power-on count is the first time or a multiple of 7, and if it is the first time or a multiple of 7, the procedure goes to step 1205. In this case, the process proceeds to step 1207.

  In step 1004, the second determination means 702 determines whether or not to perform normal adjustment when returning from sleep. If the normal adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1210, and if the minimum adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1005. In step 1005, the third determination means 703 determines whether the sleep stay timer exceeds a predetermined time (for example, 3 hours). If it exceeds the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step 1210. Goes to step 1212.

  In step 1006, the second determination means 702 determines whether normal execution is possible when the environment changes. If the normal adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1213. If the minimum adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1007. In step 1007, the temperature and humidity read by the environmental sensor 16 by the third determination means 703 are compared with the previously stored environmental information (temperature and humidity), and the temperature is a predetermined value (for example, ± 20 ° C.). Alternatively, the process proceeds to step 1213 when the humidity changes by a predetermined value (for example, ± 20%) or more, and the process proceeds to step 1215 when the humidity has not changed.

  In step 1008, the second determination means 702 determines whether or not to perform normal adjustment when the predetermined number of printed sheets is reached. If the normal adjustment is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the minimum adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1009. In step 1009, the third determination means 703 checks whether the number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number of printed sheets (for example, 1000 sheets). If reached, the process proceeds to step 1205. If not, step 1207 is performed. Migrate to

  After setting the consumables replacement flag to 1 in step 506, it is determined in step 1010 whether or not the drum CRG has been replaced by the drum CRG replacement detection means 14. If the drum CRG has been replaced, the drum CRG replacement flag is set to 1 in step 1011. If the drum CRG has not been replaced, the drum CRG replacement flag is set to 0 in step 1012.

  In step 1013, the second determination means 702 determines whether or not to perform normal adjustment when the door is opened and closed. When executing the normal adjustment, the process proceeds to step 1205. When performing the minimum adjustment, the process proceeds to step 1014. In step 1014, it is checked that the front door 115 is closed. If the front door 115 is closed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the front door 115 is not closed, the process proceeds to step 509.

  In step 1015, the second determination means 702 determines whether or not to perform normal adjustment when exchanging consumables. If the normal adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the minimum adjustment is to be performed, the process proceeds to step 1016. In step 1016, the drum replacement flag is checked. If it is 1, the process proceeds to step 1205. If it is 0, the process proceeds to step 1207.

  After shifting to sleep in step 1225, the sleep stay timer 703 is started in step 1017.

  Further, as a method for setting the execution frequency of density / color misregistration adjustment (including a change method), a numerical value is directly input as in the display 1301 of the operation unit 3 shown in FIG. It can also be stored in a non-volatile memory under the control of the CPU 2. Furthermore, the execution / non-execution setting may be set by a command from the external device 50. Furthermore, the adjustment execution rule described in the first embodiment and the adjustment execution frequency rule may be combined.

(Example 3)
A method for notifying the content of adjustment execution and the next adjustment execution time will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. In this embodiment, the case where the adjustment frequency described in the second embodiment is selected will be described as an example.

  Since the selection of the adjustment frequency and the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 are the same as those in the second embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 15 shows the operation unit 3 in detail, and 1400 is a display. Since other parts are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 15 shows an example in which normal adjustment is executed when all situations occur.

  When the menu key 302 is pressed several times to move to the “Display density / color misalignment adjustment execution time” menu on the display 1400, the title “Situation setting contents next execution time”, the situation name, and the current name are set on the display 1400. And the next adjustment execution time are displayed. For example, 200 sheets are displayed in the setting contents and 10 sheets are displayed at the next execution time. This means that for the setting to make adjustments every time 200 sheets are printed, after the previous adjustment, 190 sheets have been printed so far, and the remaining 10 sheets have been printed and then the adjustment is performed. .

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing processing executed when the “display density / color misalignment adjustment execution time display” menu is selected on the operation unit 3.

  In step 1501, if it is set to execute normally when the power is turned on, the process proceeds to step 1502, "every time" is displayed in the setting contents in step 1502, and "every time" is displayed at the next execution time in step 1503. indicate. If the frequency is set to the minimum in step 1501, the process proceeds to step 1504. In step 1504, “First time, every 7 times” is displayed in the setting contents, and in step 1505, the next execution time is 7 times. Displays the value obtained by subtracting the current power-on count from.

  If it is set in step 1506 that normal execution is performed every predetermined number of printed sheets, the process proceeds to step 1507. In step 1507, "200 sheets" is displayed in the setting contents, and in step 1508, 200 is set at the next execution time. Displays the value obtained by subtracting the current number of copies from the sheet. If the frequency is set to the minimum in step 1506, the process proceeds to step 1509, “1000 sheets” is displayed in the setting contents in step 1509, and the current execution time is changed from 1000 sheets to the current execution time in step 1510. Displays the value minus the number of prints.

  In step 1511, if it is set to execute normally when returning from sleep, the process proceeds to step 1512. In step 1512, “every time” is displayed in the setting contents, and in step 1513, “every time” Is displayed. In step 1511, if the frequency is set to the minimum, the process proceeds to step 1514. In step 1514, “Sleep stay time is 3 hours or more” is displayed in the setting contents, and in step 1515, the next execution time is displayed. The value obtained by subtracting the current sleep time from 3 hours is displayed.

  If it is set in step 1516 that normal execution is performed when the door is opened and closed, the process proceeds to step 1517, and in step 1517, “all” is displayed as the setting content and “all” is displayed at the next execution time. If the frequency is set to the minimum in step 1516, the process proceeds to step 1518. In step 1518, “front door” is displayed as the setting content, and “front door” is displayed at the next execution time.

  If it is set in step 1519 that normal execution is performed when the environment changes, the process proceeds to step 1520. In step 1520, “± 5” is displayed in the setting contents. In step 1521, the current temperature is set at the next execution time. Subtract the temperature at the previous adjustment from, and if the value is positive, display the value obtained by subtracting the value from 5. If the value is negative, the value obtained by subtracting the value from -5 is displayed. Furthermore, if the humidity at the previous adjustment is subtracted from the current humidity at the next execution time and the value is positive, a value obtained by subtracting the value from 5 is displayed. If the value is negative, the value obtained by subtracting the value from -5 is displayed.

  In step 1519, if the frequency is set to the minimum, the process proceeds to step 1522. In step 1522, “± 20” is displayed in the setting contents. If the temperature at the previous adjustment is subtracted and the value is positive, the value obtained by subtracting that value from 20 is displayed. If it is negative, the value minus -20 is displayed. Furthermore, when the humidity at the previous adjustment is subtracted from the current humidity at the next execution time and the value is positive, a value obtained by subtracting the value from 20 is displayed. If it is negative, the value minus -20 is displayed.

  If it is set in step 1524 that normal execution is performed at the time of consumable replacement, the process proceeds to step 1525, and “all” is displayed as the setting content in step 1525, and “all” is displayed at the next execution time. If the frequency is set to the minimum in step 1524, the process proceeds to step 1526, where “drum replacement” is displayed as the setting content in step 1526, and “drum replacement” is displayed at the next execution timing.

  In this embodiment, the user is notified by displaying on the display 1400 of the operation unit 3. The same effect can be obtained by printing the setting contents and the next adjustment execution time or notifying the external device 50 via the interface unit 9.

  FIG. 17 shows another form of the operation unit 3. Reference numeral 1600 denotes a display, and other parts and operation methods are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. In the selected “density / color misregistration adjustment execution time setting” menu, the user can variably set the setting value based on the situation name, the contents of the adjustment execution, the display of the next adjustment execution time, and these contents. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when a predetermined number of prints is selected, the background color of the 200-content portion of the setting contents changes, and the setting value can be arbitrarily changed. Here, if 1000 sheets are set as the setting contents, the next execution time changes after 810 sheets accordingly. The setting contents can be stored in a RAM built into the CPU 2 or a nonvolatile memory under the control of the CPU 2.

  According to such a configuration, the adjustment execution schedule of the image forming apparatus 1 can be grasped before the user prints. Therefore, printing can be started after arbitrarily adjusting the adjustment execution time according to the printing purpose of the user. Therefore, usability can be significantly improved.

  In the second and third embodiments described above, when a single color that does not require high image quality is used, or when an image forming apparatus that connects a plurality of image forming apparatuses on a network and requires high image quality, When the image forming apparatus that is not so is used properly, the user can change the setting of the adjustment timing and use the image forming apparatus properly, so that the usability can be improved.

  The operation panel, display menu, and flowchart used in the description of the present embodiment are merely examples, and are not particularly limited, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an operation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a table showing the importance for each situation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of execution / non-execution setting of density / color misregistration adjustment according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure of the operation part which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is the table which showed the content of the normal adjustment and the minimum adjustment for every situation which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a flowchart showing operations of normal adjustment / minimum adjustment setting of density / color misregistration adjustment according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an image forming apparatus according to a conventional example. It is a figure of the display of the operation part which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram of an operation unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation for displaying a next adjustment execution time for density / color misregistration adjustment according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram of another form of the operation unit according to the third example of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming device 2 One-chip microcomputer (CPU)
3 Operation unit 4 Adjustment execution setting unit 5 Determination unit 6 Print control unit 7 Density adjustment unit 8 Color misregistration adjustment unit 9 Interface unit
10 Power-on detection means
11 Front door open / close detection means
12 Output door open / close detection means
13 Toner replacement detection means
14 Drum CRG replacement detection means
15 Intermediate transfer member replacement detection means
16 Environmental sensor
17 Print count counter
18 Sleep timer
20 Adjustment execution regulation means
50 External devices such as personal computers

Claims (8)

  Adjustment execution that specifies either the importance that must be adjusted for each situation that needs to be adjusted for the image quality of the image to be formed on the transfer material, or the importance that can be selected to perform the adjustment Definition means, selection means for selecting either execution or non-execution of adjustments for situations in which importance levels selectable by the adjustment execution definition means are selected, and the adjustment execution definition means and the selection means when the situation occurs An image forming apparatus comprising: means for controlling adjustment related to image quality for the generated situation according to the content of the image.   Adjustment execution frequency defining means for defining at least two adjustment frequencies for each situation requiring adjustment regarding the image quality of the image formed on the transfer material, and at least 2 defined by the adjustment execution frequency defining means for each situation Selection means for selecting one of the two adjustment frequencies, and means for executing adjustment relating to image quality for the generated situation when the condition of the adjustment frequency selected by the selection means is satisfied when the situation occurs An image forming apparatus. In claim 2,
For each adjustment frequency defined by the adjustment execution frequency defining means and for each situation, there is provided means for informing the condition of the remaining adjustment frequency until the next adjustment execution based on the current adjustment frequency condition detection result. An image forming apparatus. In claim 2 or 3,
An image forming apparatus comprising means for changing the condition of the adjustment frequency.   Defines and selects either the importance level that must be adjusted for each situation that needs to be adjusted for the image quality of the image to be formed on the transfer material, or the importance level that allows you to select whether or not to perform the adjustment. With regard to a situation that defines a possible importance, it is possible to select either execution or non-execution of adjustment, and to control adjustment related to image quality for the generated situation according to the content of the definition and the selection when the situation occurs. A control method for an image forming apparatus.   At least two adjustment frequencies are defined for each situation that requires adjustment relating to the image quality of an image formed on a transfer material, and one of the at least two adjustment frequencies defined above is selected for each situation. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: adjusting an image quality for a generated situation when the selected adjustment frequency condition is satisfied at the time of occurrence. In claim 6,
A control method for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that, for each of the specified adjustment frequencies and for each situation, a remaining adjustment frequency condition until the next adjustment execution time is notified based on a detection result of a current adjustment frequency condition. . In claim 6 or 7,
The method of controlling an image forming apparatus, wherein the adjustment frequency condition is changeable.

Images