JP2007072309A - Control device, its control method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device by which information about an abnormal state arising in any of downstream units is speedily transmitted to upstream units. <P>SOLUTION: The composing elements of an image forming apparatus 1 is separated according to functions, and a plurality of functional units, which are control units, are formed. Driver units 500 for the functional units are connected to the conforming means of relay boards 300 via interfaces 910. The relay boards 300 are connected to specific units 100 via interfaces 920. The interfaces 910 and 920 include ErrData lines 914 and 924 respectively, which are dedicated communication lines for transmitting abnormal state information indicating the contents of abnormal states arising in the driver units 500. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, a control method therefor, a program, and a storage medium, and in particular, an LBP (laser beam printer) using an electrophotographic technique, a copying machine, and a paper deck, finisher, and stacker that are applications of a copying machine. The present invention relates to a control device for a sheet conveyance device such as the control method, a program, and a storage medium.

  In a conventional control device of a copying machine or a sheet conveying device, a CPU is installed in the main control unit, and all controls in the device are integrated into the main control unit, and the main control unit directly drives each unit in the device. I was taking. For example, when the motor drive unit is located away from the main control unit, the main control unit generates a drive signal for driving the motor, and transmits the signal to the motor drive unit via the wiring. The drive unit was driven.

  Further, as a conventional control device, a control device equipped with a plurality of CPUs has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1). This control device is provided with a plurality of units, each component of which is classified by function, and each unit is configured as one control unit. A CPU for controlling the unit is mounted on each of the plurality of units. The above-described conventional control apparatus can reduce the number of connection lines other than multiplex communication by performing multiplex communication between units and controlling each unit while maintaining control consistency between the units.

  As described above, the conventional control device includes a CPU for controlling a unit in each unit, which is a control unit, and each unit performs multiplex communication of signals to control each unit. The corresponding unit is controlled while matching. As described above, in the conventional control device, it is considered to eliminate a main control unit that controls the entire device (hereinafter referred to as a main device) on which the control device is mounted.

Further, in the control device as described above, when an abnormality occurs in each unit connected via the serial communication line, it is necessary to transmit the abnormal state that has occurred to the upstream unit. In this regard, a control device is disclosed that transmits a downstream abnormality via a serial communication line that connects an upstream unit and a downstream unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-8-297436 JP 2003-309901 A

  However, in the above-described conventional control device, communication information such as control information is communicated using a serial communication line at the normal time when no abnormality occurs, and this serial communication line is used even at the time of abnormality. The detected abnormality information is transmitted. For this reason, the conventional control apparatus has a problem that the occurrence of the abnormality cannot be transmitted to the upstream unit in real time immediately after the abnormality is detected in the downstream unit. In other words, if other communication information is being transferred when an abnormality is detected, the abnormal information cannot be transmitted until the transfer of this communication information is completed, so the upstream unit detects the abnormality from the occurrence of the abnormality. There will be a delay until This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 22 is a timing chart of processing for transferring this abnormality information to the upstream unit when an abnormality occurs in the downstream unit in the conventional control apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when an abnormality is detected at the timing of T_Err during transmission of normal communication information (RxData) from the downstream unit to the upstream unit, the communication information ( RxData (RxData (Err)) is transmitted after waiting for completion of transmission. For this reason, a delay of T_Delay occurs from the occurrence of the abnormality to the transmission of the abnormality information (RxData (Err)).

  Here, in the copying machine, it is necessary to transmit abnormality information such as abnormality in the temperature of the fixing device and paper clogging in the paper conveyance unit in real time, and to quickly perform processing at the time of abnormality. This is because various problems occur in the copying machine. For example, when paper clogging occurs in the paper transport unit during continuous printing, the paper is wasted unless the paper feeding operation in the paper feeding unit is stopped immediately. In addition, when the temperature abnormality of the fixing heater occurs, the energization to the fixing heater is stopped, and the paper transport unit and the paper feeding unit motor are not immediately stopped. In some cases, paper clogging is generated at the paper transport unit, which is further deteriorated and difficult to remove. In addition, the main power supply may be shut down when the fixing heater malfunctions. Even in this case, if the error can be detected quickly, it is possible to gain time to back up necessary information before the shutdown, such as the heater temperature. It is.

  As described above, in a copying machine, it is very important to quickly transmit information on an abnormality occurring in a downstream unit to an upstream unit.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a control device, a control method, a program, and a storage medium that can quickly transmit information on an abnormality that has occurred in a downstream unit to an upstream unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, a control device according to claim 1 includes a plurality of units formed by classifying components in the device according to function, and each of the plurality of units includes an interface and the interface. And at least one of the plurality of units controls each interface to make the plurality of units communicable with each other by the communication unit via the interface. And at least one of the plurality of units has control means for controlling the apparatus, and at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units is an abnormality indicating occurrence of an abnormality in the unit having the interface It has an abnormal communication dedicated part for transmitting information.

  The control device according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the control device according to claim 1, the unit having the matching means can be connected to a plurality of different interfaces.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the control apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the unit having the alignment unit includes an alignment control unit that controls the alignment unit.

  A control device according to a fourth aspect is the control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control means includes a CPU.

  A control device according to a fifth aspect is the control device according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the matching control means includes a CPU.

  The control device according to claim 6 is the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the alignment unit includes unit information indicating information on the unit connected to the unit having the alignment unit. It has the memory | storage means to memorize | store, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The control device according to claim 7 is the control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the alignment control means is unit information indicating information of the unit connected to the unit having the alignment means. It has the memory | storage means to memorize | store.

  The control device according to claim 8 is the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the communication means is any one of serial communication means, parallel communication means, and analog communication means. And

  The control apparatus according to claim 9 is the control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the apparatus is an image forming apparatus and an apparatus connectable to the image forming apparatus. .

  The control device according to claim 10 is the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits a first value at a normal time when the abnormality does not occur, The second value is transmitted when the abnormality occurs.

  The control device according to claim 11 is the control device according to claim 10, wherein when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the upstream unit transmits the content of the abnormality to the downstream unit. An error code indicating the above is requested.

  The control device according to claim 12 is the control device according to claim 10, wherein when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the unit on the downstream side transmits the content of the abnormality to the unit on the upstream side. An error code indicating is transmitted.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the control device according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the abnormal communication dedicated unit periodically transmits the second value even when not in the abnormal state.

  The control device according to claim 14 is the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits a first value at a normal time when the abnormality does not occur, When the abnormality occurs, an error code corresponding to the content of the abnormality is transmitted to the upstream unit.

  The control device according to claim 15 is the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the matching unit converts the abnormality information transmitted from each of the downstream units into one serial code. It has the conversion means to convert into.

  17. The control method according to claim 16, comprising a plurality of units formed by classifying the components in the apparatus according to function, and each of the plurality of units communicates with another unit via the interface. And at least one unit of the plurality of units has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface. At least one of the units has control means for controlling the device, and at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units is abnormal communication for transmitting abnormality information indicating occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface A control method of a control device having a dedicated part, wherein the matching means A matching step of matching controlling the serial interface, characterized in that it comprises an abnormality information transmitting step of transmitting the abnormality and the abnormality dedicated communication unit the abnormality information through the in the event of.

  18. The program according to claim 17, comprising a plurality of units formed by classifying the constituent elements in the apparatus according to function, and each of the plurality of units communicates with another unit via the interface. And at least one unit of the plurality of units has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface, At least one of the units has control means for controlling the device, and at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units is dedicated to abnormal communication for transmitting abnormality information indicating the occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface A program for causing a computer to execute a control method of a control device. A matching module that performs matching control of the interface by the matching unit, and an abnormality information transmission module that transmits the abnormality information via the abnormal communication dedicated unit when the abnormality occurs. .

  19. The storage medium according to claim 18, comprising a plurality of units formed by classifying components in the apparatus according to function, and each of the plurality of units communicates with another unit via the interface. And at least one unit of the plurality of units has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface. At least one of the units has control means for controlling the device, and at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units is abnormal communication for transmitting abnormality information indicating occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface A program that has a dedicated unit and causes a computer to execute a control method of a control device. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a program, wherein the program transmits the abnormality information via the matching module that controls the matching of the interface by the matching unit, and the abnormal communication dedicated unit when the abnormality occurs And an abnormal information transmission module.

  According to the control device according to claim 1, the control method according to claim 16, the program according to claim 17, and the storage medium according to claim 18, a plurality of components formed by classifying components in the device according to function At least one of the units controls the alignment of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface, and at least one of the interfaces is controlled by the dedicated unit for abnormal communication. Anomaly information indicating the occurrence of anomalies in the unit having the information is transmitted. For this reason, when an abnormality occurs in the downstream unit between the upstream unit and the downstream unit via the interface, the abnormality communication dedicated unit sends the abnormality information regardless of the communication state in the interface. It can be transmitted to the upstream unit in real time. Therefore, the abnormality information of the downstream unit can be quickly transmitted to the upstream unit.

  According to the control device of the tenth aspect, the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the first value at the normal time when no abnormality occurs and transmits the second value at the abnormal time when the abnormality occurs. For this reason, the upstream unit can detect the occurrence of the abnormality in the downstream unit in real time by detecting the second value transmitted from the abnormal communication dedicated unit.

  According to the control device of the eleventh aspect, when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the upstream unit requests an error code indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the downstream unit. For this reason, the upstream unit can perform an appropriate process for the abnormality by receiving the error code and recognizing the content of the abnormality of the downstream unit from the error code. Also, by sending error codes as serial data, even if the types of errors that occur in the downstream unit increase, error codes corresponding to all types can be sent upstream without increasing the number of signal lines in the dedicated section for abnormal communication. Can be sent to the side unit. Therefore, the versatility of the dedicated unit for abnormal communication can be improved.

  According to the control device of the twelfth aspect, when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the downstream unit transmits an error code indicating the content of the abnormality to the upstream unit. As a result, the upstream unit can detect in real time that an abnormality has occurred in the downstream unit by detecting the second value transmitted from the dedicated unit for abnormal communication, and at this time, receive it. It is possible to recognize that the information thus obtained is an error code indicating the content of the abnormality. Further, the type of abnormality of the downstream unit can be recognized from the received error code, and appropriate processing for the abnormality can be performed. Also, by sending error codes as serial data, even if the types of errors that occur in the downstream unit increase, error codes corresponding to all types can be sent upstream without increasing the number of signal lines in the dedicated section for abnormal communication. Can be sent to the side unit. Therefore, the versatility of the dedicated unit for abnormal communication can be improved.

  According to the control device of the thirteenth aspect, the abnormal communication dedicated unit periodically transmits the second value even when it is not abnormal. As a result, it is possible to regularly confirm that the abnormal communication dedicated unit has not failed. For this reason, when an abnormality occurs in the downstream unit, it is possible to prevent the upstream unit from overlooking the occurrence of this abnormality.

  According to the control device of claim 14, the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the first value in a normal state where no abnormality has occurred, and an error code corresponding to the content of the abnormality when an abnormality has occurred. To the upstream unit. For this reason, when the first unit receives the first value from the abnormal communication dedicated unit, the upstream unit can recognize that no abnormality has occurred in the downstream unit. On the other hand, when an error code is received from the abnormal communication dedicated unit, it is possible to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the downstream unit. In addition, the content of the abnormality of the downstream unit can be recognized from the received error code, and appropriate processing for the abnormality can be performed. Also, by sending error codes as serial data, even if the types of errors that occur in the downstream unit increase, error codes corresponding to all types can be sent upstream without increasing the number of signal lines in the dedicated section for abnormal communication. Can be sent to the side unit. Therefore, the versatility of the dedicated unit for abnormal communication can be improved.

  According to the control device of the fifteenth aspect, the matching means converts the abnormality information transmitted from each of the downstream units by the converting means into one serial code. As a result, the unit having the matching means can transmit an abnormal state occurring in a plurality of connected downstream units to the upstream unit through one communication line. In addition, the unit having the matching means can transmit the abnormality information to the upstream unit by one communication even when the abnormality occurs simultaneously in the plurality of downstream units.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an image forming apparatus as a main body apparatus including a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 employs an electrophotographic system, reads an image of a document with the optical system 1R shown in FIG. 1, and images based on the image information read with the optical system 1R in the image output unit 1P. It forms on the transfer material P. In the image forming apparatus 1, a plurality of image forming units to which the control device of the present invention can be applied particularly effectively are arranged in parallel in the image output unit 1P. The image forming apparatus 1 is a color image output apparatus that employs an intermediate transfer method.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the optical system 1R of the image forming apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the optical system 1R, the image of the original 1204 placed on the original platen glass 1203 illuminated by the original illumination lamp 1201 includes a first mirror 1205, a second mirror 1206, a third mirror 1207, The image is formed on the color CCD 1209 via the lens 1208, and the color CCD 1209 reads the line image of the original 1204. A reading unit 1210 including a document illumination lamp 1201 and a first mirror 1205 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 and sequentially reads line images of the document 1204. At this time, the second mirror 1206 and the third mirror 1207 also move in the direction of arrow A, and are driven by a drive system (not shown) so that the distance (optical path length) from the document surface to the color CCD 1209 is constant.

  Next, a procedure for reading a document image of the document 1204 using the configuration of the optical system 1R shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

  First, when a user inputs a document reading command by, for example, pressing a copy button (not shown), the optical system 1R places the reading unit 1210 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as a home position). 2 is moved in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 by a drive system (not shown), and the reading position is arranged directly below the shading correction plate 1211. Next, the optical system 1R turns on the original illumination lamp 1201, illuminates the shading correction plate 1211, and guides the line image of the shading correction plate 1211 to the color CCD 1209 via the mirror 1205, the mirror 1206, the mirror 1207, and the lens 1208. .

  The output signal for each pixel of the line image of the shading correction plate 1211 read by the color CCD 1209 is corrected by an image processing circuit (not shown) so that the output level of all the pixels becomes a predetermined level. By this image processing (shading correction processing), the illuminance unevenness of the original illumination lamp 1201, the peripheral light amount drop of the lens 1208, and the sensitivity unevenness for each pixel of the color CCD 1209 are corrected, and the uneven reading of the original image is corrected. When the shading correction process is completed, the reading unit 1210 is further moved in the direction of arrow B by a drive system (not shown), and is disposed immediately below a flow reading window 1212 described later.

  Immediately below the flow reading window 1212 is a document image reading start position, from which the drive system (not shown) is accelerated in the reading unit 1210 in the direction of arrow A. The reading unit 1210 is controlled so as to be driven at a constant speed at a predetermined speed until the reading position is pressed by the pressure plate 1213 and reaches the leading end of the original 1204 where flatness is maintained.

  When the reading position of the reading unit 1210 reaches the leading end of the original 1204, the color CCD 1209 starts reading line images of the original 1204, and sequentially reads the line images.

  The drive system (not shown) moves the reading unit 1210 in the arrow A direction at a constant speed and stops reading the reading unit 1210 after the reading to the end of the original 1204 is completed. Next, the drive system moves the reading unit 1210 in the direction of arrow B to return to the home position, ends a series of image reading operations, and waits for the next reading.

  The above is the description of the basic image reading operation of the optical system 1R. As described above, the image reading is performed in the optical system 1R.

  By the way, in recent years, it is not unusual that an auto document feeder (ADF) is attached to the optical system 1R as described above as a standard. The ADF has a function of automatically and continuously exchanging a large number of documents, so that the user can save time and effort for replacing the documents one by one, and the copying time can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, the reading operation in the optical system 1R using the ADF will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an optical system 1R using ADF. The optical system 1R in FIG. 3 differs from the optical system 1R in FIG. 2 only in that the pressure plate 1213 is replaced with an ADF 1300 and mounted.

  The optical system 1R in FIG. 3 performs an image reading operation when a reading command is input by the user, for example, by pressing a copy button (not shown) when the reading unit 1210 is at the home position. Start.

  First, after a driving system (not shown) and an image processing circuit (not shown) execute the shading correction described above with reference to FIG. 2, the components are moved so that the components are arranged as shown in FIG. The position of is fixed. This position corresponds to the same position as the start position described in FIG. A flow reading window 1212 is provided at the start position, and in the case of ADF reading executed in the optical system 1R of FIG. When reading is started, the original is fed one by one by the feed rollers 1302 and 1303, and passes through the guides 1304, 1307, 1306 and the slits of the transport roller 1305 by the transport roller 1305 rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 1308.

  The rotation speed of the conveying roller 1305 is determined by the reading magnification. An image of the original conveyed by the conveyance roller 1305 is read by the reading unit 1210 via the flow reading window 1212.

  As described above, the line image data of the original read by the optical system 1R having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 is sequentially transmitted to the image output unit 1P, and the read image is formed by the image output unit 1P. The

  Next, the image output unit 1P of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  The image output unit 1P is roughly divided into an image forming unit 10, a paper feeding unit 20, an intermediate transfer unit 30, a fixing unit 40 shown in FIG. 1, and a control device 80 according to the present embodiment described later with reference to FIG. . In the image forming unit 10, four stations 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are arranged side by side, and the configuration of each station is the same. Hereinafter, each unit will be described in detail.

  The image forming unit 10 is configured as described below. Photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d as image carriers are pivotally supported at their centers and are driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Opposing to the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d, the primary chargers 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, the optical system exposure units 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d, and the folding mirrors 16a, 16b, and 16c are sequentially arranged in the rotation direction. 16d, and developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are provided.

  The primary chargers 12a to 12d give a uniform charge amount to the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d, respectively. Next, the exposure units 13a to 13d expose the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d by exposing light beams, such as laser beams, modulated according to the recording image signal onto the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d via the folding mirrors 16a to 16d, respectively. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  Further, the electrostatic latent images are visualized by developing devices 14a to 14d each containing developer of four colors such as yellow, cyan, magenta and black (hereinafter referred to as toner). Next, the visualized visible image (developed image) is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31 that is an intermediate transfer member in the image transfer regions Ta, Tb, Tc, and Td.

  After the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d rotate and pass through the image transfer areas Ta to Td, they are not transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31 by the cleaning devices 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d and remain on the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d. The drum surface is scraped off to clean the drum surface. By the above-described processing, image formation with each toner is sequentially performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed unit 20 includes cassettes 21a and 21b, a manual feed tray 27, pickup rollers 22a, 22b, and 26, a pair of paper feed rollers 23, a paper feed guide 24, and registration rollers 25a and 25b. The In the paper supply unit 20, cassettes 21a and 21b store transfer material P (paper), and pickup rollers 22a, 22b and 26 feed the transfer material P one by one in the cassettes 21a and 21b or from the manual feed tray 27. The pair of paper feed rollers 23 and the paper feed guide 24 convey the transfer material P sent out by the pickup rollers 22a, 22b, and 26 to the registration rollers 25a and 25b. The registration rollers 25a and 25b send the transfer material P to the secondary transfer region Te in accordance with the image forming timing of the image forming unit.

  Next, the intermediate transfer unit 30 will be described in detail. The intermediate transfer belt 31 is a winding roller, a driving roller 32 that transmits a driving force to the intermediate transfer belt 31, a driven roller 33 that is driven by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 31, and the secondary transfer region Te across the belt 31. It is wound around the opposing secondary transfer counter roller 34. Among these, a primary transfer plane A is formed between the driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33. The drive roller 32 is coated with rubber (urethane or chloroprene) having a thickness of several millimeters on the surface of the metal roller to prevent slippage with the belt 31. The drive roller 32 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 by a pulse motor (not shown).

  The primary transfer plane A faces the image forming units 10 a to 10 d, and the photosensitive drums 11 a to 11 d are arranged so as to face the primary transfer surface A of the intermediate transfer belt 31. As a result, the primary transfer areas Ta to Td are positioned on the primary transfer surface A. In primary transfer regions Ta to Td where the photosensitive drums 11 a to 11 d and the intermediate transfer belt 31 face each other, primary transfer chargers 35 a to 35 d are disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 31.

  In the intermediate transfer unit 30, a secondary transfer roller 36 is disposed to face the secondary transfer counter roller 34, and the secondary transfer roller 36 forms a secondary transfer region Te by a nip with the intermediate transfer belt 31. The secondary transfer roller 36 is urged with an appropriate pressure against the intermediate transfer belt 31. Further, downstream of the secondary transfer region Te on the intermediate transfer belt 31, a cleaning blade 51 for cleaning the image forming surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 and a waste toner box 52 for storing waste toner are provided. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 40 includes a fixing roller pair 41, a guide 43, an inner paper discharge roller 44, an outer paper discharge roller 45, and the like. The fixing roller pair 41 includes a fixing roller 41a having a heat source such as a halogen heater therein, and a fixing roller 41b that is pressed against the roller 41a. In the fixing roller pair 41, the fixing roller 41b also includes a heat source therein. The fixing roller 41b may not have a heat source inside. The guide 43 guides the transfer material P to the nip portion of the fixing roller pair 41. The inner discharge roller 44 and the outer discharge roller 45 further guide the transfer material P discharged from the fixing roller pair 41 to the outside of the apparatus.

  As will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, the control device 80 includes a control unit 100, and the control unit 100 includes a CPU 101 for controlling the operation of the mechanism in each unit, a driver board (substrate) 200, and the like. . In the image output unit 1P, when an image forming operation start signal is issued from the control unit 100, feeding of the transfer material P is started from a paper feeding stage selected according to the selected paper size or the like.

  Next, the operation of the image output unit 1P will be described.

  When an image forming operation start signal is issued from the control unit 100, first, the transfer material P is sent out one by one from the cassette 21a by the pickup roller 22a. The transfer material P is guided between the paper feed guides 24 by the paper feed roller pair 23 and is conveyed to the registration rollers 25a and 25b. At that time, the registration rollers 25a and 25b are stopped, and the leading edge of the transfer material P hits the nip portion of the registration rollers 25a and 25b. Thereafter, the registration rollers 25a and 25b start to rotate in synchronization with the timing at which the image forming units 10a to 10d start to form an image. The rotation of the registration rollers 25a and 25b is performed so that the transfer material P and the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31 in the image forming unit 10 coincide at a predetermined position in the secondary transfer region Te. Is set.

  On the other hand, in the image forming unit 10, when an image forming operation start signal is issued from the control unit 100, on the photosensitive drum 11d located on the most upstream side in the rotation direction B (FIG. 1) of the intermediate transfer belt 31 according to the procedure described above. The formed toner image (development image) is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31 in the primary transfer region Td by the primary transfer charger 35d to which a high voltage is applied.

  The primarily transferred toner image is conveyed to the next primary transfer region Tc. In the primary transfer region Tc, image formation is delayed by the time during which the toner image is transported between the image forming units 10d and 10c, and the next toner is aligned with the registration (image position) on the previous toner image. The image will be transferred. In the primary transfer regions Tb and Ta, the same process is repeated by the image forming units 10 b and 10 a, and eventually the four color toner images are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31.

  Thereafter, when the transfer material P enters the secondary transfer region Te and contacts the intermediate transfer belt 31, a high voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 36 in accordance with the passing timing of the transfer material P. Then, the four color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 31 by the above-described procedure are collectively transferred onto the surface of the transfer material P. Thereafter, the transfer material P is accurately guided to the nip portion of the fixing roller pair 41 by the conveyance guide 43. The toner image is fixed on the surface of the transfer material P by the heat of the fixing roller pair 41 and the pressure of the nip. Thereafter, the transfer material P is conveyed by the inner and outer discharge rollers 44 and 45, and the transfer material P is discharged outside the apparatus.

  In this type of image forming apparatus 1, it depends on a mechanical attachment error between the photosensitive drums 11 a to 11 d, an optical path length error of the laser beam light generated by each exposure unit 13 a to 13 d, an optical path change, and an environmental temperature of the LED. Due to warp or the like, there may be a registration shift of each color image formed on each of the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d, that is, a color shift (registration shift). In order to correct this misregistration, in this type of image forming apparatus 1, the belt 31 is folded back by the driving roller 32 at a position downstream of all the image forming units 10 a to 10 d on the transfer area A surface. A registration sensor 60 for detecting a registration error is provided at a position before the registration.

  Next, the control device 80 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control device 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a characteristic part of the control device 80 according to the present embodiment. Each component of the image forming apparatus 1 is classified by function, and a unit (board) configured with each function-specific component as one control unit. ).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 80 includes a control unit (specific unit) 100 that is a CPU board and a driver board 200 that drives a DC load. The specific unit 100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, and an ASIC 104. The driver board 200 is a driver board that includes an ASCI 201 and a driver 202 that drives the motor M1 and includes an I / O circuit such as an input circuit of the sensor S1 and a driver circuit.

  The specific unit 100 and the driver board 200 are respectively connected between the ASIC 104 and the ASIC 201 by high-speed serial communication means. In the present embodiment, the specific unit 100 and the driver board 200 perform high-speed serial communication using an ASIC as described above, but the CPU 101 on the specific unit 100 directly communicates with the ASIC 201 on the driver board 200 and serial communication. The structure to do may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 80 includes a relay board 300 having a matching unit and a driver unit (driver board) 500. The relay board 300 is a matching unit having an interface to which a plurality of different units can be connected.

  Next, the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the relay board 300 is an alignment unit having an interface to which a plurality of different driver units can be connected, and absorbs the difference between the I / F of each driver unit and the I / F of a specific unit. This is a unit that enables matching and fine control according to the characteristics of each driver unit. The driver unit 500 is a unit for driving each functional unit classified by function in the image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. In the present embodiment, the components of the image forming apparatus 1 are classified into four functional units according to function. The driver unit 500a is a driver unit of a paper feed unit (functional unit), and the driver unit 500b is a paper transport unit. It is assumed that the driver unit is a (functional unit), the driver unit 500c is a driver unit of a double-sided conveyance unit (functional unit), and the driver unit 500d is a driver unit of a paper discharge unit (functional unit). Although there are other functional units classified in the image forming apparatus 1, they are omitted here for the sake of simplicity.

  First, the relay board 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the relay board 300 includes a CPU 301, an ASIC 302 including a matching unit, and I / F connectors 310, 311, 312, 313, and 314. The CPU 301 is a so-called 1-chip CPU with a built-in ROM / RAM, and exchanges commands with the specific unit 100 and performs load control corresponding to the commands with the connected driver unit. The CPU 301 also functions as an alignment control unit that controls the alignment unit, as will be described later. The ASIC 302 is connected to the CPU 301 via a CPU bus, and generates an I / F signal with each driver unit. The I / F connector 310 is an I / F unit (connector) that is connected to the specific unit 100 and is connected to the CPU 301. The I / F connector 310 transfers data by a serial method. An I / F signal generated in the ASIC 302 is input / output via the I / F connectors 311, 312, 313, and 314. The I / F signal generated in the ASIC 302 is a signal for driving each load connected to each driver unit, and is connected by serial I / O. The I / F connectors 311, 312, 313, and 314 have the same configuration.

  Next, the driver unit 500 will be described with 500a as a representative. In FIG. 5, a driver unit 500 a is a driver unit in the paper feeding unit of the image forming apparatus 1, and is connected to the I / F connector 311 of the relay board 300 via the I / F connector 501. An I / F signal from the relay board 300 is input to the ASIC 502. Further, the ASIC 502 is connected to the I / F connectors 504a and 505a. The ASIC 502 converts the serial signal input from the relay board 300 to parallel, and outputs the result to each I / F connector. The ASIC 502 converts the input signal from parallel to serial. And a parallel / serial (P / S) converter 507 for transmitting to the relay board 300 (see FIG. 7). In addition, the driver unit 500a includes an ID setting unit 503, and has a function of transmitting ID information set so that the driver unit 500a can be recognized to the relay board 300 via the ASIC 502. Here, as the ID setting means 503, a 4-bit DIP switch or the like is applied. The I / F connector 501 is common to all four driver units 500a to 500d. Also, the ASIC 502 is common to all four driver units 500a to 500d.

  Next, a signal flow in the driver unit 500a will be described. The I / F signal transmitted / received to / from the relay board 300 is a serial signal as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B). A signal (Tx) transmitted from the relay board 300 to the driver unit 500a is a 16-bit serial signal (see FIG. 6A). The signal (Rx) transmitted from the driver unit 500a to the relay board 300 is a 20-bit serial signal (see FIG. 6B). The driver unit 500a converts the received Tx signal into a parallel signal composed of 16-bit signals of 1 bit each. This is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the parallel signal obtained by parallel-converting the Tx signal by the S / P converter 506, the phase signal of the stepping motor 511 as a load to which the 4-bit parallel signal of bits 15 to 12 is connected to the driver unit 500a Assigned to. In the parallel signal, the 4-bit parallel signal of bits 11 to 8 is assigned to the phase signal of the stepping motor 512 as a load connected to the driver unit 500a, and the remaining 8-bit parallel signal is reserved. .

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the P / S conversion unit 507 sets the output signal of the sensor 513 to bit 15 with the 4-bit parallel signal of the ID information signal transmitted from the ID setting unit 503 at the head, and the remaining 14 A parallel signal with reserved bits is serially converted into a 20-bit serial signal. Then, the ASIC 502 transmits the converted serial signal to the relay board 300 as an Rx signal.

  In this way, the driver unit 500a realizes an I / F between the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500a. The driver units 500b, 500c, and 500d have the same basic structure as that of the driver unit 500a although there is a difference in the connected load and the ID information set in the ID setting means 503. To do.

  Next, the operation in which the relay board 300 receives a command from the specific unit 100 and drives the driver unit 500 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  The relay board 300 stores information indicating the content of the ID information of the driver unit 500. This information is stored in a storage device such as a ROM of the CPU 301 or a storage device provided in the ASIC 302.

  First, the ID information of the driver unit 500 a is converted into a serial signal by the ASIC 502 and transmitted to the relay board 300 by communication immediately after the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on. Thereby, the relay board 300 can detect in the ASIC 302 that the unit connected to the I / F connector 311 is the driver unit 500a of the sheet feeding unit.

  Further, when another driver unit is connected to the relay board 300, the ID information of the connected unit is detected, and the ASIC 302 switches the communication channel, thereby controlling each driver unit appropriately. It can be carried out. Specifically, since all the I / F connectors 311 to 314 have a common configuration, any driver unit can be connected. Depending on the connection state of the driver unit, the driver unit can be appropriately controlled. It is thought that it is not possible However, the relay board 300 can recognize the ID of the driver unit connected as described above, control the I / F according to the recognized ID, and switch the connection with the driver unit. Therefore, the present control device 80 can appropriately control the connected driver units regardless of which I / F connectors 311 to 314 are connected to the driver units 500a to 500d. As described above, the relay board 300 is configured to operate properly regardless of which I / F connector 311 to 314 is connected to the driver units 500a to 500d. Note that the I / F connector included in the relay board 300 is not limited to the above-described I / F connectors 311 to 314, and may be a larger number of I / F connectors. The units connected to the relay board 300 are not limited to the driver units 500a to 500d described above, and may be other driver units or various units, and the number of connected units is not limited to this. . Even in this case, as described above, the relay board 300 controls the I / F according to the IDs of the plurality of units to be connected regardless of the I / F connector to be connected. Can be controlled.

  Next, the operation of the relay board 300 will be described by taking as an example a case where a command “perform paper feeding” is received from the specific unit 100.

  The CPU 301 on the relay board 300 stores a program for controlling a load such as a motor connected to the driver unit 500a of the sheet feeding unit at an appropriate timing and by giving an appropriate drive signal. This signal is output as a serial signal from the I / F connector 311 and input to the ASIC 502 via the I / F connector 501 on the driver unit 500a. The serial signal is converted from serial to parallel by the ASIC 502, and the stepping motors 511 and 512 are driven via the I / F connectors 504a and 505a, respectively. Further, a detection signal in a sensor 513 (see FIG. 5) for detecting a paper feeding operation is input to the ASIC 502 via the I / F connector 505a. In the ASIC 502, the input detection signal of the sensor 513 is converted from parallel to serial and transferred to the relay board 300 via the I / F connector 501. In this way, the driver unit 500a informs the relay board 300 of the paper conveyance timing in the paper feeding operation.

  According to the configuration of the control device 80 described above, for example, when the stepping motor 511 is changed to another stepping motor, fine adjustment such as optimization of the driving method of the changed motor is performed by the program of the CPU 301 on the relay board 300. It is possible only by changing. For this reason, the change in the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 does not affect the entire control apparatus 80. In the present embodiment, the motor connected to the dry unit 500a is a stepping motor, but the same applies when the stepping motor is replaced with a DC motor. That is, even in this case, the image forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately operated only by rewriting the hardware of the driver unit 500a and the CPU 301 program on the relay board 300, and the hardware of the relay board 300 and the specific unit 100 can be changed. do not have to. The same applies when the configuration of the paper feed unit is changed and the number of sensors is increased. Further, even when the number of driver units increases with the configuration change of the image forming apparatus 1, it can be dealt with by increasing the number of I / F connectors on the relay board 300 and changing the program in the CPU 301. As described above, according to the control device 80 according to the present embodiment, even if the configuration of the main device is changed, the hardware and software are not changed at all for the specific unit that controls the entire device. 80 versatility can be improved.

  Next, for the I / F control processing according to the ID information of the connected driver unit, which is executed in the matching means of the relay board 300 as described above, the connection between the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500 (see FIG. 5). An example will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the CPU 301 is mounted on the relay board 300, and the CPU 301 functions as an alignment control unit that controls the alignment unit. The relay board 300 has an ASIC 302 mounted thereon, and the ASIC 302 includes a matching unit.

  The ASIC 302 converts the parallel signal input from the specific unit 100 into a serial signal by serial conversion, and converts the serial signal input from the driver unit 500 into a parallel signal by parallel conversion. A para-conversion block 303 is provided. Further, ID information is input to the para-siri / siri-para conversion block 303 from the driver units 500a to 500d via the I / F connectors 311, 312, 313, and 314, respectively. A signal indicating the ID information is assigned to the first pin of each of the I / F connectors 311, 312, 313, and 314.

  The ASIC 302 includes a connection / change block 304 that can connect and change input / output signals in a programmable manner. The CPU 301 which is the matching control means determines the I / F connector to which the driver units 500a to 500d are connected based on the ID information received from the driver units 500a to 500d, and the input / output signal is programmable by the connection / change block 304. Connect / change. Specifically, the CPU 301 determines an I / F connector to which the driver units 500a to 500d are connected based on the ID information received from the driver units 500a to 500d. Based on the determination result, the CPU 301 controls the connection / conversion block 304 to appropriately transmit each command in the image forming process or the like to the driver unit 500 to be controlled, or to properly communicate between the units. Or the signal input from the driver unit 500 is appropriately changed and output to the specific unit 100. Thereby, the control device 80 can appropriately control the entire main body device even if various driver units 500 (functional units) are connected to the relay board 300.

  In the present embodiment, digital signals are input / output between the relay board 300 and the driver board 500. However, in the same manner as digital signal input / output depending on the presence / absence of an analog signal, The CPU 301 can perform I / F control processing for analog signals. Specifically, by configuring the connection / change block 304 using, for example, an analog switch, the CPU 301 connects the driver units 500a to 500d based on the ID information received from the driver units 500a to 500d. And analog input / output signals can be connected or changed in a programmable manner.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the control device 80 includes a high-voltage control matching unit 400 that is a relay board and a high-voltage power supply function unit 600 that is used in an image forming process that is a driver unit. The high-voltage control matching unit 400 has an interface that allows a plurality of high-voltage power supply function units 600 to be connected. Hereinafter, the high voltage control matching unit 400 and the high voltage power supply functional unit 600 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

  9 is a glock diagram showing a schematic configuration of the high-voltage control matching unit 400 in the control device of FIG. 4, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the high-voltage power supply function unit 600 in the control device of FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 9, the high voltage control matching unit 400 includes a communication control block 401, a high voltage operation control block 402, a high voltage stabilization control block 403, connection connectors 404a, 404b, 404c,. 405, 406 and A / D conversion means 407, 408.

  The communication control block 401 performs communication with the specific unit 100. The high-voltage operation control block 402 is composed of a CPU or the like, receives a command from the specific unit 100 via the communication control block 401, and sequentially performs each operation of the high-voltage power supply function unit 600 connected to the high-voltage control matching unit 400. To control. The high-voltage stability control block 403 performs stabilization control on the output signal of each high-voltage power supply functional unit 600 in accordance with a sequential command from the high-voltage operation control block 402. The connection connectors 404a, 404b, 404c,... 400n have the same configuration, and high-voltage power supply function units having the same or different functions are connected one-on-one. The multiplexers 405 and 406 select a connection connector corresponding to the desired signal in order to select a desired signal from the analog signals input from the respective connection connectors 404a, 404b, 404c,. The A / D conversion means 407 and 408 digitally convert the analog signals selected by the multiplexers 405 and 406, respectively.

  Next, the operation in the high-pressure control matching unit 400 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, when the communication control block 401 receives mode information including information such as a color mode, a printing magnification, and a printing paper size from the specific unit 100 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1, the high-pressure operation control block 402 receives this mode. Communicate information. When the high voltage operation control block 402 receives mode information from the communication control block 401 and further receives a print start signal, the high voltage operation control block 402 causes each high voltage power supply functional unit 600 to perform mode control based on the received mode information. The control unit 403 is sequentially instructed. Here, the mode control includes control such as print setting, print timing setting, and period setting.

  On the other hand, the high voltage stabilization control block 403 controls the multiplexers 405 and 406 to switch the selection signal for selecting the connection connector to time division, and controls the A / D conversion means 407 and 408 to obtain a desired analog signal. To do. Then, the high voltage stabilization control block 403 obtains the signal level of the desired analog signal obtained, and compares the obtained signal level with the set value based on the received mode information. Depending on the comparison result, the high voltage stabilization control block 403 outputs drive information for output control to the selected high voltage power supply functional unit.

  The control up to the switching of the multiplexers 405 and 406, the acquisition of the signal level, and the output of the drive information is repeated at predetermined intervals for each high-voltage power supply functional unit. For this reason, the high voltage signal from each high voltage power supply functional unit is controlled to a predetermined output value. Further, each high-voltage power supply functional unit is controlled by an output operation in accordance with a predetermined image forming process based on the mode information from the specific unit 100 described above, so that a desired image formation is executed.

  Next, an example of the configuration of the high-voltage power supply functional unit 600 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the high-voltage power supply functional unit 600 includes a high-voltage driver connector 601, a drive block 602, a transformer block 603, a signal smoothing block 604, a voltage detection block 605, and a current detection block 606. .

  The high voltage driver connector 601 is a connector for connecting to the high voltage control matching unit 400. The drive block 602 performs a switching operation based on the drive information transmitted from the high-voltage control matching unit 400. The transformation block 603 is configured with a transformer or the like, and amplifies the drive signal generated in the drive block 602. The signal smoothing block 604 smoothes the drive signal amplified by the transformer block 603 to a predetermined polarity. The voltage detection block 605 monitors the voltage value of the voltage signal converted into a direct current by the signal smoothing block 604. The current detection block 606 monitors the current value of the voltage signal in the same manner as the voltage detection block 605.

  The high-voltage power supply function unit 600 includes an output terminal 607 that outputs a high-voltage signal converted into a direct current by the signal smoothing block 604, and a ground terminal 608 that constitutes a return path for the high-voltage signal.

  Next, the operation in the high voltage power supply functional unit 600 having the above configuration will be described.

  In the high voltage power supply functional unit 600, the drive block 602 receives drive information in the form of a PWM signal or the like from the high voltage control matching unit 400 via the high voltage driver connector 601. When the drive information is received, the drive block 602 generates a drive signal having a desired power by a switching operation based on the received drive information. The transformation block 603 receives a drive signal of desired power generated by the drive block 602 and outputs an AC signal obtained by voltage-amplifying the drive signal. The smoothing block 604 rectifies the voltage-amplified AC signal received from the transformer block 603 to a predetermined polarity and outputs the rectified signal to the output terminal 607 as a DC signal. The DC signal output to the output terminal 607 is divided by the voltage detection block 605 so that the voltage level can be converted by the A / D conversion block 407 or 408 in the matching unit 400 for high voltage control, and the high voltage driver Is output to the high-voltage control matching unit 400 via the connector 601.

  As described above, the load current due to the DC signal output to the output terminal 607 flows into the ground terminal 608 through the connected load, passes through the current detection block 606, and passes to the smoothing block 604 and further to the transformation block 603. Returned. At this time, the current detection block 606 processes the load current into a voltage level that can be converted by the A / D conversion block 407 or 408 in the high voltage control matching unit 400, and the high voltage control matching via the high voltage driver connector 601. Transmit to unit 400.

  According to the above-described operation, for example, when each control block in the high voltage control matching unit 400 requires a high voltage DC voltage of a desired constant voltage, each control block in the high voltage control matching unit 400 is a multiplexer. Using 405 or 406, the voltage detection signal of the desired high-voltage power supply functional unit 600 is read out in a time-sharing manner. Based on the read voltage detection signal, the high voltage control matching unit 400 switches the driving state of the high voltage power supply function unit 600 at predetermined time intervals. By repeatedly executing the above-described control in the high voltage control matching unit 400 and the high voltage power supply function unit 600, the output voltage of the selected high voltage power supply function unit 600 can be controlled to a desired voltage value.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 80 includes a laser scanner board 700, a controller 800, and a reader unit 1R. The controller 800 issues a copy start instruction to the reader unit 1R and the driver board 200. Specifically, the controller 800 receives the RGB signal of the document image from the reader unit 1R via the I / F-S, converts it into a YMCK signal, and converts it into a laser scanner via the I / F-V of the controller 800. The image signal is transferred to the board 700. In addition, the controller 800 transmits an instruction such as a copy start to the reader unit 1 </ b> R or the CPU 101 of the driver board 200 via the I / FD.

  Here, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be mounted with various external devices as external configurations. Examples of the external device include a paper deck for paper feeding, and a configuration example of the image forming apparatus when a plurality of paper decks are mounted as the external device will be described below with reference to FIGS. Note that a paper deck as an external device has a plurality of paper feed units therein, and each paper feed unit has a CPU or a relay board. In the deck, the configuration of the CPU or relay board can be changed. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that there is one paper deck mounted as an external device.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of a paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 as an external configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the paper deck of this configuration example, one CPU at the entrance of the paper deck is connected to a main body configuration communication line that is a communication line with the main body configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 via a LAN configuration. A CPU for managing each paper feed unit is arranged under the CPU. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 main body may communicate with the one CPU instead of the plurality of CPUs in the paper deck. For this reason, this configuration can most reduce the burden on the image forming apparatus 1 main body side. This configuration example is limited to the configuration of a plurality of CPUs in the paper deck. The communication mode among the CPUs connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, the LAN configuration, and the CPUs under the control of the CPUs. It is not limited. In this configuration, the CPU connected to the LAN configuration may be changed to a relay board.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of a paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 as an external configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the paper deck of this configuration example has a configuration in which CPUs for controlling the respective paper feeding units are connected in parallel to each other in a LAN configuration, and the LAN configuration is connected to a main body configuration communication line. For this reason, according to this configuration example, each CPU in the paper deck can directly communicate with the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, and high-speed communication with the main body can be realized. As in the first configuration example, this configuration example limits the configuration of a plurality of CPUs in the paper deck, and does not limit the communication mode between the image forming apparatus 1 main body and each CPU. In this configuration, the CPU of each paper feed unit may be changed to a relay board.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third configuration example of a paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 as an external configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the paper deck of this configuration example is connected to a LAN configuration in which one of the CPUs that control each unit is connected to the main unit configuration communication line, and the CPU connected to this LAN configuration is connected from the main unit. Is transmitted to the CPU for controlling each unit. In the present configuration, unlike the first configuration example, the CPU connected to the LAN configuration is not configured to dominate other CPUs. Note that this configuration example limits the configuration of a plurality of CPUs in the paper deck as in the above configuration examples, and does not limit the communication mode between the image forming apparatus 1 main body and each CPU. In this configuration, the CPU of each paper feed unit may be changed to a relay board.

  Further, as a configuration of the paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 as an external configuration, a configuration that can be selectively changed to any one of the first configuration to the third configuration can be adopted. Specifically, the CPU connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 or each CPU in the paper deck communicates with the main body with respect to an error or the like generated in each terminal paper feeding unit, or in the paper deck. It is also possible to configure so that the above three configurations are appropriately selected while determining whether to solve the problem.

  Next, communication control of abnormality information executed by the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a schematic structure of an interface 910 that connects each of the I / F connectors 311 to 314 of the relay board 300 and the I / F connector 501 of the driver unit 500 in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 14, the interface 910 has a left side connected to the I / F connector of the relay board 300 and a right side connected to the I / F connector of the driver unit 500.

  The interface 910 includes a Vcc line 911, a TxData line 912, an RxData line 913, an ErrData line 914, and a GND line 915. The Vcc line 911 is a power supply line that supplies power from the relay board 300 to the driver unit 500. Electric power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). The TxData line 912 is a serial interface and is a data transfer line for transmitting a Tx signal (TxData) (see FIG. 6A) from the relay board 300 to the driver unit 500. The TxData line 912 transmits a signal for driving a load such as the motor 511 connected to the driver unit 500 converted into a serial signal in the para-serial / serial-parallel conversion block 303 of the relay board 300. The RxData line 913 is a data transfer line for transmitting an Rx signal (RxData) (see FIG. 6B) from the driver unit 500 to the relay board 300. The RxData line 913 transmits the ID information of the driver unit 500 converted to a serial signal and the detection signal of the sensor 513 connected to the driver unit 500.

  The ErrData line 914 is a dedicated communication line for notifying the relay board 300 of an abnormality that has occurred in the driver unit 500, and includes abnormality information (ErrData) that is information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the driver unit 500. The data is transmitted from the driver unit 500 to the relay board 300. Specifically, a code (error code) defined in advance for each abnormal state that has occurred is transferred to the relay board 300. The error code is converted into a serial signal by the P / S conversion unit 507 (see FIG. 7) of the driver unit 500 and then transferred to the relay board 300 via the ErrData line 914. For example, as shown below, an error code indicating an abnormal state is defined as a 4-bit serial signal.

  (1) “0001” is defined as an error code when an abnormality occurs in which the sensor 513 does not detect paper feed within a predetermined time after the motor 511 is activated.

  (2) “0010” is defined as an error code when an abnormality occurs in which the paper stays at the detection position of the sensor 513 for a predetermined time or more.

  Error code information indicating the contents of such an error code is stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM of the CPU 301.

  In the interface 910, a GND line 915 connects the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500 to the ground.

  Next, abnormality information communication control will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 15A is a diagram showing a state of the interface 910 communication state in a normal state in which no abnormality has occurred in the driver unit 500, and FIG. 15B is an interface in an abnormal state in which an abnormality has occurred in the driver unit. It is a figure which shows the mode of the communication state of 910. FIG.

  In the normal state, as shown in FIG. 15A, the TxData line 912 transmits TxData which is 16-bit serial data from the relay board 300 to the driver unit 500 at a predetermined interval. The RxData line 913 transmits RxData, which is 20-bit serial data, from the driver unit 500 to the relay board 300 at a predetermined interval. Since no abnormality has occurred in the driver unit 500, the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 is fixed to a high level signal (hereinafter simply referred to as Higt signal).

  Next, the operation when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 15B, even when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500 at the timing T1, the TxData line 912 and the RxData line 913 transmit TxData and RxData, respectively, as in the normal state. The ErrData line 914 transfers abnormality information (ErrData) from the driver unit 500 to the relay board 300 at the timing T1 when the abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500. When the relay board 300 detects that the transmission information of the ErrData line 914 has changed from the High signal to ErrData, the relay board 300 recognizes that an abnormality has occurred on the driver unit 500 side.

  Next, the relay board 300 can recognize the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the driver unit 500 by receiving ErrData that is serial data. For example, when serial data “0010” is received as ErrData from the ErrData line 914, the paper stays at the detection position of the sensor 513 for a predetermined time or longer in the driver unit 500 a by searching the error code information stored in the storage device. It is possible to recognize that a malfunction has occurred. Thereafter, as will be described later, the relay board 300 transfers the abnormality information to the specific unit 100 further upstream. The specific unit 100 can notify the user that an abnormality has occurred by displaying, for example, “Paper is jammed in the paper feeding unit” on the display unit. By displaying the countermeasure method and the like, it is possible to notify the user of the abnormality canceling method.

  Next, an interface 920 for connecting the specific unit 100 and the relay board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a schematic structure of an interface 920 that connects the specific unit 100 in FIG. 4 and the I / F connector 310 of the relay board 300.

  Similarly to the interface 910 in FIG. 14, the interface 920 includes a Vcc line 921 that supplies power from the relay board 300 to the specific unit 100, a TxData line 922 that transmits TxData from the specific unit 100 to the relay board 300, and the relay board 300. The RxData line 923 for transmitting RxData to the specific unit 100 and the GND line 925 are provided.

  The interface 920 includes an ErrData line 924 that is a dedicated communication line for notifying the specific unit 100 of an abnormality that has occurred in the driver unit 500 from the relay board 300. Similarly to the ErrData line 914, the ErrData line 924 transmits a High signal when it is normal, and transmits abnormality information (ErrData) indicating the content of the abnormality when an abnormality occurs. The error code as the abnormality information is transmitted from the relay board 300 when an abnormality occurs in any of the driver units 500 connected to the relay board 300. Specifically, as described above, when the relay board 300 receives abnormality information from the driver unit 500 in which an abnormality has occurred via the ErrData line 914 of the interface 910, the relay board 300 transmits this information via the ErrData line 924. It transmits to the specific unit 100. Further, the format of error codes transmitted from the relay board 300 to the specific unit 100 is such that error codes transmitted from the driver units 500a to 500d connected to the relay board 300 are arranged in order as shown in FIG. It will be a thing. In the error code transmitted from the relay board 300 to the specific unit 100, the relay board 300 sets the serial data “0000” as an error code for the driver unit 500 in which no abnormality has occurred. For example, if an error with the error code “0001” occurs in the driver unit 500a, and an error with the error code “0101” occurs at the same time in the driver unit 500b, and the driver units 500c and 500d are normal, the relay board 300 and the specific unit 16-bit serial data “0001010100000000” is transmitted to 100 as ErrData. The error code transmitted to the specific unit 100 is generated in the ASIC 302 of the relay board 300, for example.

  The specific unit 100 stores error code information indicating the contents of the error code in a storage device such as a ROM of the CPU 101 in advance, and determines the driver unit 500 connected to the relay board 300 from the ID information of the driver unit 500. Can be recognized. Therefore, the specific unit 100 can recognize which abnormal state has occurred in which driver unit 500 by receiving this error code. For this reason, as described above, the specific unit 100 can notify the user that an abnormality has occurred by performing a display such as “paper is jammed in the paper feeding unit” on the display unit. By displaying the content of the abnormality, the location where the abnormality occurred, and the countermeasure method, it is possible to notify the user of the abnormality canceling method.

  As described above, in the control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the constituent elements of the main body apparatus (image forming apparatus 1) are divided by function to form a plurality of functional units as control units. The driver units 500 of the functional units are connected through matching means provided in the relay board 300 via the interface 910. The relay board 300 is connected to the specific unit 100 via the interface 920. The interfaces 910 and 920 include ErrData lines 914 and 924, which are dedicated communication lines for transmitting abnormality information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the driver unit 500, respectively.

  With this configuration, according to the control device according to the present embodiment, regardless of the communication state between the driver unit 500 and the relay board 300, the driver unit 500 can connect via the ErrData line 914 when an abnormality occurs. Thus, the abnormality information can be transmitted to the relay board 500 in real time. Also, regardless of the communication state between the relay board 300 and the specific unit 100, when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500, the relay board 300 sends the abnormality information to the specific unit 100 in real time via the ErrData line 924. Can be sent. Therefore, the abnormality information of the downstream unit can be quickly transmitted to the upstream unit. Thereby, the subsequent process with respect to abnormality can be performed rapidly.

  According to the control device according to the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500, the transmission information of the ErrData lines 914 and 924 is switched from the High signal to ErrData. Therefore, the relay board 300 and the specific unit 100 detect the occurrence of an abnormality in the driver unit 500 in real time by detecting that the transmission information of the ErrData lines 914 and 924 is switched from the High signal to ErrData, respectively. can do. Further, the relay board 300 and the specific unit 100 can recognize the content of the abnormality of the downstream driver unit 500 from the received error code, respectively, and can perform appropriate processing for the abnormality.

  In addition, since the error code as the error information (ErrData) transmitted by the ErrData lines 914 and 924 is transmitted as serial data, the ErrData line 914 and / or the error code generated even in the downstream driver unit 500 increases. Error codes corresponding to all types can be transmitted to the upstream relay board 300 and the specific unit 100 without increasing the number of communication lines 924. Therefore, the versatility of the ErrData line 914 can be improved.

  According to the control device according to the present embodiment, relay board 300 arranges error codes transmitted from driver units 500 connected to relay board 300 in order and converts them into one serial code, which is converted into an error code. To the specific unit 100. As a result, the relay board 300 can transmit the contents of the abnormality that has occurred in the downstream driver unit 500 to the upstream specific unit 100 through one communication line. In addition, the relay board 300 can transmit abnormality information to the upstream specific unit 100 by one communication even when abnormality occurs simultaneously in the plurality of downstream driver units 500.

  Further, according to the control device according to the present embodiment, the driver units 500 of a plurality of functional units formed by classifying the components in the main body device (image forming apparatus 1) by function can communicate with each other. As described above, each interface is controlled by the matching means of the relay board 300. For this reason, this control apparatus can connect arbitrary functional units as a functional unit to control, without changing the structure of the specific unit 100 and the relay board 500. FIG. Therefore, even if the functional unit of the main device is changed, the present control device can be easily used as a control device for the main device after the change. Specifically, a common relay board, a specific unit, and a driver unit can be easily used among a plurality of types of main body devices. This facilitates the development of each functional unit in the main unit and the diversion of the functional units of other main units, so that the development efficiency of the main unit can be improved and the total development cost of the main unit can be reduced.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, all the interfaces 910 between the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500 are provided with the ErrData line 914. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the relay is not limited thereto. At least one of the interfaces 910 between the board 300 and the driver unit 500 may include an ErrData line 914. Similarly, not all of the interfaces 920 between the specific unit 100 and the relay board 300 are provided with the ErrData line 924, but at least one of the interfaces 920 between the specific unit 100 and the relay board 300 is the ErrData line. 924 may be provided.

  Further, the control device according to the present embodiment includes the specific unit, the relay board, and the driver unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, any one of the main body devices The driver unit may include a specific unit and / or a relay board.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the flow of abnormality information communication control when an abnormality occurs in the fixing heater of the copying machine will be specifically described.

  In FIG. 18, when the driver unit 551 as the heater controller of the heater in the fixing unit of the copying machine detects an abnormal temperature of the heater, for example, an excessive temperature rise detection error, the heater controller 551 detects the ErrData line 914 simultaneously with the detection of the abnormal temperature. Then, abnormal information (ErrData) indicating an excessive temperature rise detection error is transmitted to the relay board 351 in the fixing unit. At this time, normal communication is performed on the TxData line 912 and the RxData line 913. The relay board 351 transmits a motor stop signal to the driver unit 552 as a motor controller of the fixing unit, and at the same time, transmits abnormal information of an excessive temperature rise detection error to the specific unit 350 using the ErrData line 924. . When the specific unit 350 receives the abnormality information of the excessive temperature rise detection error, simultaneously with this, the specific unit 350 issues a command to stop the paper feeding operation to the relay board 352 in the paper feeding unit and the paper to the relay board 353 in the paper transport unit. Send a command to stop the transfer operation. Next, the relay boards 352 and 353 stop the motor and the like via the connected driver units 553, 554, and 555.

  As described above, the subsequent processing can be quickly performed by transmitting the abnormality occurring in the downstream driver unit to the upstream relay board and the specific unit in real time. In this embodiment, since the temperature abnormality of the fixing heater is detected and the abnormality can be transferred to the upstream specific unit 350, the motor controlled by another relay board in the copier is quickly stopped. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize paper clogging in the paper feed unit and the paper transport unit.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The present embodiment differs from the control device according to the first embodiment described above in abnormality information communication control. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the control device according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted, and only different portions will be described.

  When the driver unit 500 is normal, the ErrData line 914 transmits a low level pulse signal at a predetermined interval (Tp) in the interface 910 between the relay board 300 and the driver unit 500, as shown in FIG. To do. This is to enable the relay board 300 to recognize that the ErrData line 914 is operating normally.

  On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500 at the timing (T1), an error code as abnormality information (ErrData) indicating the abnormality content is transferred to the relay board 300 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, this error code is repeatedly transferred until a request for error cancellation is received from the relay board 300. Next, when an error release command is transmitted from the relay board 300 via the TxData line 912 at the timing shown in FIG. 19, the driver unit 500 recognizes the error cancellation command at timing (T2) and transmits an error code. To stop. Thereafter, the communication returns to normal communication, and the ErrData line 914 transmits a low-level pulse signal at a predetermined interval (Tp).

  As described above, according to the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the ErrData line 914 periodically outputs a low-level pulse signal even when there is no abnormality in the driver unit 500. Send. As a result, the relay board 300 can periodically confirm that the ErrData line 914 has not failed. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the downstream driver unit 500, it is possible to prevent the upstream relay board 300 from overlooking the occurrence of the abnormality.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The present embodiment differs from the control device according to the first embodiment described above in abnormality information communication control. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the control device according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted, and only different portions will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the communication of the interface 910 is the same as that of the first embodiment when the driver unit 500 is normal. When an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500, the ErrData line 914 switches the transmission signal from a High signal to a Low level signal (hereinafter referred to as a Low signal), interrupts the data transfer in the RxData line 913, and abnormal information (ErrData) Is transferred to the relay board 300. In the relay board 300, since the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 is a Low signal, it is possible to recognize that the data transferred through the RxData line 913 is an error code as abnormality information. The error code is continuously transferred until an error cancel command from the relay board 300 is received. When the error release command is transmitted from the relay board 300 via the TxData line 912 at the timing shown in FIG. 20, the driver unit 500 recognizes the error cancellation command at the timing (T2) and sets the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 to Low. While returning from the signal to the High signal, the RxData line 913 also shifts to the normal communication mode.

  As described above, according to the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, when the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 is switched from the high signal to the low signal, the downstream driver unit 500 relays the upstream side. An error code indicating the content of the abnormality is transmitted to the board 300. Accordingly, the driver unit 500 can detect in real time that an abnormality has occurred in the driver unit 500 by detecting the switching of the transmission signal transmitted from the ErrData line 914 to the Low signal. It can be recognized that the information received via the RxData line 913 is an error code indicating the content of the abnormality.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  This embodiment differs from the control device according to the first embodiment described above in the way of generating an error code of the relay board 300 in the abnormality information communication control. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the control device according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted, and only different portions will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the error code for each driver unit transmitted via the ErrData line 914 is redefined for each driver unit by the relay board 300 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and this is re-defined as the specific unit. 100 is transmitted. As described above, this embodiment makes it possible to reduce the number of bits of an error code.

  For example, the relay board 300 redefines the error code as 6-bit serial data. Specifically, as shown below, a 4-bit error code received from the driver unit 500a is prefixed with a “00” code, and an error code received from the driver unit 500b is The code “01” is added to the head of the code, the code “10” is added to the error code of the driver unit 500c, the code “11” is added to the error code of the driver unit 500d, and the error code is defined again. To do.

(1) Error code “0001” → “000001” from 500a
(2) Error code “0101” from 500b → “010101”
(3) Error code “0011” from 500c → “100011”
(4) Error code “1011” from 500d → “111011”
For example, when an abnormality with the error code “0010” occurs in the driver unit 500c, the relay board 300 transmits an error code “100010” to the specific unit 100 as abnormality information (ErrData). Based on the received error code (serial data), the specific unit 100 may recognize that an abnormality with the error code “0010” has occurred in the driver unit 500 connected to the relay board 300 in 500c. it can. If this error code is defined as, for example, “the paper stays at the entrance of the double-sided conveyance unit”, a message to that effect may be displayed on the display unit and the user may be instructed how to deal with it. It becomes possible. The information for defining the error code redefinition method in the relay board 300 is stored in, for example, the storage device of the CPU 301, and the information indicating the content of the redefined error code is stored in the CPU 101, for example. Stored in the device.

  As described above, according to the control device of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the relay board 300 redefines the error code as the received abnormality information for each driver unit 500, and this is specified as the specific unit. Therefore, the data capacity of the error code transmitted to the specific unit 100 can be reduced.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The control device according to the present embodiment differs from the control device according to the first embodiment described above in abnormality information communication control. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the control device according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted, and only different portions will be described.

  When the control apparatus according to the present embodiment has only one type of abnormality to be transmitted to the upstream side of the abnormality occurring in the driver unit 500, for example, the rotation of the motor 511 in the driver unit 500a of FIG. This is optimal when it is sufficient to detect only anomalies. If there is only one type of abnormality information to be transmitted, it is not necessary to transmit the abnormality information as a serial code, and it is only necessary to change the value (level) of the transmission signal on the ErrData line 914.

  An example of the operation in the interface 910 with the driver unit 500a in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the TxData line 912 and the RxData line 913 perform normal communication, and no abnormality has occurred, so the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 is held at a high level. When the rotation abnormality of the motor 511 connected to the driver unit 500a is detected at the timing (T_Err), the driver unit 500a switches the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 to the low level. When the relay board 300 detects that the abnormality information (ErrData) received from the driver unit 500a via the ErrData line 914 has become a Low signal, the rotation abnormality of the motor 511 connected to the unit 500a has occurred. Can be recognized.

  As described above, according to the control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, when there are few abnormal states to be detected, a simple ON / OFF signal is not used as abnormality information, but a serial signal is used. By using it, it is possible to simplify the configuration of a circuit that generates abnormality information and a circuit (or software) that receives the abnormality information and recognizes its contents.

  The control device according to each embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the one used in the image forming apparatus 1, for example, an LBP using an electrophotographic technique, a copying machine, and a paper deck or finisher that is an application of a copying machine. In addition, it can also be used as a control device for a sheet conveying device such as a stacker.

  In the control device according to each of the above embodiments, when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500, the downstream driver unit 500 or the relay board 300 is connected to the upstream relay board 300 via the ErrData line 914 or 924, respectively. Alternatively, the error code is transmitted to the specific unit 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the driver unit 500, the transmission signal of the ErrData line 914 or 924 is switched to a low level, and the upstream relay board 300 or the specific unit 100 responds accordingly to the downstream driver unit 500 or In response to this request, the downstream driver unit 500 or the relay board 300 sends an error to the upstream relay board 300 or the specific unit 100 via the ErrData line 914 or 924 in response to this request. Each code may be transmitted.

  Although the control device according to each of the above embodiments includes the specific unit, the relay board, and the driver unit, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, any one of the main body devices is provided. One driver unit may include a specific unit and / or a relay board.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus (or CPU, MPU, or the like). Is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. .

Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, and a DVD. -RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, etc. can be used. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code Includes a case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by performing part or all of the actual processing.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is expanded based on the instruction of the next program code. This includes the case where the CPU or the like provided in the expansion board or expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an image forming apparatus as a main body apparatus including a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an optical system in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the optical system of FIG. 2 using ADF. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a relay board and a driver unit of the control device of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an I / F signal transmitted and received between the relay board and the driver unit in FIG. 5, FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a signal transmitted from the relay board to the driver unit, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the signal transmitted to a relay board from a driver unit. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a driver unit. It is a block diagram explaining the control process of I / F according to ID of the connected unit performed in a relay board. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the matching unit for high voltage | pressure control in the control apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the high voltage power supply functional unit in the control apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st structural example of the paper deck with which the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is mounted | worn as an external structure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of a paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 as an external configuration. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third configuration example of a paper deck mounted on the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1 as an external configuration. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the interface which connects each of the I / F connector of the relay board in FIG. 5, and the I / F connector of a driver unit. It is a figure explaining abnormality information communication control of the control apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, FIG. 15 (A) shows the mode of the interface communication state in the normal state where abnormality has not generate | occur | produced in the driver unit. FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating a state of the communication state of the interface in an abnormal state in which an abnormality has occurred in the driver unit. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the interface which connects the specific unit and relay board in FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the error code transmitted from each driver unit connected to the relay board. It is a figure which shows one Example of the control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the abnormality information communication control performed in the control apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the abnormality information communication control performed in the control apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the abnormality information communication control performed in the control apparatus which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart of the process which transfers this abnormality information to the upstream unit when abnormality occurs in the downstream unit in the conventional control device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Image forming part 20 Paper feed unit 30 Intermediate transfer unit 40 Fixing unit 80 Control apparatus 100,350 Specific unit 300,351,352,353 Relay board 500,551,552,553,554,555 Driver unit 910 , 920 Interface 912, 922 TxData line 913, 923 RxData line 914, 924 ErrData line

Claims (18)

Provided with a plurality of units formed by classifying the components in the device by function,
Each of the plurality of units includes an interface and a communication unit that communicates with another unit via the interface, and at least one of the plurality of units is connected to the plurality of units by the communication unit via the interface. Alignment means for aligning and controlling each interface to enable communication with each other, wherein at least one of the plurality of units has control means for controlling the apparatus, and at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units is A control apparatus comprising an abnormality communication dedicated unit for transmitting abnormality information indicating occurrence of abnormality in a unit having the interface.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the unit having the matching unit can connect a plurality of different interfaces.   3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit having the alignment unit includes an alignment control unit that controls the alignment unit.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a CPU.   5. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the matching control unit includes a CPU.   6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the matching unit includes a storage unit that stores unit information indicating information of the unit connected to the unit having the matching unit. .   6. The control according to claim 3, wherein the matching control unit includes a storage unit that stores unit information indicating information of the unit connected to the unit having the matching unit. apparatus.   8. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit is any one of a serial communication unit, a parallel communication unit, and an analog communication unit.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an image forming apparatus and an apparatus connectable to the image forming apparatus.   10. The abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits a first value at a normal time when the abnormality does not occur, and transmits a second value at an abnormal time when the abnormality occurs. The control device according to any one of the above.   The control according to claim 10, wherein, when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the upstream unit requests an error code indicating the content of the abnormality from the downstream unit. apparatus.   11. The control according to claim 10, wherein when the abnormal communication dedicated unit transmits the second value, the downstream unit transmits an error code indicating the content of the abnormality to the upstream unit. apparatus.   The control device according to claim 12, wherein the abnormal communication dedicated unit periodically transmits the second value even when the abnormal communication is not performed.   The dedicated unit for abnormal communication transmits a first value in a normal state where the abnormality has not occurred, and transmits an error code corresponding to the content of the abnormality to the upstream unit when the abnormality has occurred. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein:   The control according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the matching unit includes a conversion unit that converts the abnormality information transmitted from each of the downstream units into one serial code. apparatus. A plurality of units formed by classifying components in the apparatus according to function, each of the plurality of units having an interface and communication means for communicating with other units via the interface; At least one unit of the unit has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface, and at least one of the plurality of units includes the device Control means for controlling the control device, wherein at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units has an abnormal communication dedicated unit for transmitting abnormality information indicating the occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface A method,
A matching step for matching control of the interface by the matching means;
A control method comprising: an abnormality information transmission step of transmitting the abnormality information via the abnormality communication dedicated unit when the abnormality occurs. A plurality of units formed by classifying components in the apparatus according to function, each of the plurality of units having an interface and communication means for communicating with other units via the interface; At least one unit of the unit has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface, and at least one of the plurality of units includes the device Control means for controlling the control device, wherein at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units has an abnormal communication dedicated unit for transmitting abnormality information indicating the occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface A program for causing a computer to execute a method,
A matching module for matching control of the interface by the matching means;
A program comprising: an abnormality information transmission module that transmits the abnormality information via the abnormality communication dedicated unit when the abnormality occurs. A plurality of units formed by classifying components in the apparatus according to function, each of the plurality of units having an interface and communication means for communicating with other units via the interface; At least one unit of the unit has alignment means for performing alignment control of each interface so that the plurality of units can communicate with each other by the communication means via the interface, and at least one of the plurality of units includes the device Control means for controlling the control device, wherein at least one of the interfaces of the plurality of units has an abnormal communication dedicated unit for transmitting abnormality information indicating the occurrence of abnormality in the unit having the interface Computer storing a program that causes a computer to execute the method A look take a storage medium,
The storage comprises: a matching module that performs matching control of the interface by the matching unit; and an abnormality information transmission module that transmits the abnormality information via the abnormal communication dedicated unit when the abnormality occurs. Medium.

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