JP2008070776A - Image forming apparatus and its information control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely decrease communication errors without requiring high dimensional accuracy in a component or assembly in an image forming apparatus which performs radio communication between an apparatus main body and a developing device cartridge, and its information control method. <P>SOLUTION: In such a state where the developing device is positioned at a first position that is the center position in terms of design, communication is performed with a memory, and when the communication is attained, such a position is set as an optimum access position (steps S101 to S106). When the communication is not attained, it is retried by reversely rotating a developing unit so as to move the developing device to a second position, and when the communication is attained, such a position is set as the optimum access position (steps S107 to S109). When the communication is not attained yet, it is retried once more by rotating the developing unit in a forward direction so as to move the developing device to a third position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a developing rotary capable of mounting a developing unit cartridge including a storage unit and a wireless communication antenna, and an information management method in the apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus that forms an image using a developing device cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, information on the usage status is stored in order to grasp the usage status of the developing device cartridge and to properly manage the lifetime. There is a case in which a storage unit is provided in the cartridge. Among these, in a so-called rotary type image forming apparatus in which a developing device cartridge is mounted on a developing rotary that is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body, wireless communication is performed between the developing apparatus cartridge that rotates as the rotary rotates and the apparatus main body. Is configured to read / write information.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a memory tag in which a wireless communication antenna and a memory are integrated is attached to a developing device cartridge, and a wireless communication antenna is also provided on the apparatus main body side. Then, the developer cartridge is positioned at a position where the cartridge side antenna and the main body side antenna face each other, and information stored in the cartridge memory is read / written by performing wireless communication via these antennas. ing.

WO2003 / 098356

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, communication may not be performed correctly due to a relative positional shift between the cartridge side antenna and the main body side antenna. Such misalignment can be caused by causes such as misalignment when the memory tag is attached to the cartridge and play between the development rotary and the developer cartridge when the cartridge is mounted. When such a communication error occurs, there is a problem that the life management of the apparatus cannot be performed correctly. In addition, in order to suppress communication errors, it is necessary to strictly manage the dimensional accuracy in processing and assembling each part of the apparatus, which increases the manufacturing cost of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in an image forming apparatus that performs wireless communication between an apparatus main body and a developer cartridge and an information management method thereof, without requiring high dimensional accuracy for parts and assembly, And it aims at providing the technique which can reduce a communication error reliably.

In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be equipped with a developing unit cartridge having a storage unit for storing information related to the developing unit cartridge and a wireless communication antenna electrically connected to the storage unit. Positioning in which the developing rotary that is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the main body of the apparatus and the one developer cartridge mounted on the developing rotary by rotating the developing rotary is positioned at a predetermined access position. A communication means for performing wireless communication with the wireless communication antenna provided on the developing device cartridge, and a control means for controlling the positioning means. The communication means includes the wireless communication antenna provided on the developing device cartridge positioned at the access position. It is provided in a position toward, moreover, the control means is characterized by executing the position adjustment process of optimizing the access position by adjusting the developing rotary stop position by the positioning means.

  Also, the information management method of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention enables mounting of a developer cartridge having a storage unit for storing information relating to the developer cartridge and a wireless communication antenna electrically connected to the storage unit. A developing rotary configured to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the apparatus main body, and positioning means for positioning the one developing device cartridge mounted on the developing rotary by rotating the developing rotary at a predetermined access position And, in the apparatus main body, fixed to a position facing the radio communication antenna provided in the developing device cartridge positioned at the access position, and performing radio communication with the radio communication antenna And an information management method for an image forming apparatus comprising the communication means, wherein the positioning means Adjusting the stop position of the developing rotary according to the position of the developing unit, the position adjustment process for optimizing the access position is executed, and the communication means for the storage unit of the developer cartridge positioned at the optimized access position and The information is read or written via the wireless communication antenna.

  In the invention configured as described above, the positional relationship between the communication means on the apparatus main body side and the wireless communication antenna on the developer cartridge side is adjusted by changing the stop position of the developing rotary. Thus, according to the present invention, wireless communication can be performed between the communication means on the main body side and the wireless communication antenna on the cartridge side in a state where the developing device cartridge is positioned at the optimum access position. For this reason, it is possible to significantly reduce communication errors due to the relative displacement between the two. Further, even if there is a misalignment between the two at the time of assembling the apparatus, this can be corrected afterwards, so that high dimensional accuracy is not required for parts and assembly.

  In the above invention, for example, the positioning unit is configured to be able to stop and position the developing rotary at a plurality of different stop positions, and in the position adjustment process, the control unit is configured to select one of the plurality of stop positions. By selecting as the optimum stop position corresponding to the optimum access position, the access position can be optimized.

  Here, the position adjustment processing is preferably performed when a developing device cartridge is mounted on the developing rotary. Since the optimal access position changes depending on the combination of the main assembly and the developer cartridge, the position adjustment process is performed when the developer cartridge is installed, so that even when the combination of the main assembly and the developer cartridge is changed, it is stable. Communication can be performed.

  Note that it is considered that the optimum access position for the developer cartridge once mounted on the development rotary is not changed unless the developer cartridge is taken out again. Therefore, if the optimum access position determined by the position adjustment process at the time of installing the developer cartridge is stored, the stored position is stored without needing to perform the position adjustment process again until the developer cartridge is taken out. By positioning the developer cartridge at the optimum access position, communication can be performed reliably.

  Further, as long as communication can be performed normally, position adjustment processing is not necessary. However, since an error may occur due to a later cause, the position adjustment process is executed when a communication error occurs between the developer cartridge positioned at the access position and the communication unit. You may do it. By doing so, it is possible to correct the misalignment that caused the error and eliminate the communication error.

  Further, for example, one of the plurality of stop positions is defined as a standard stop position, and the position of the developer cartridge when the developing rotary is positioned at the standard stop position is defined as an initial position of the optimum access position. Alternatively, the position adjustment process may be executed when a communication error occurs between the developing device cartridge positioned at the initial position and the communication unit. By doing so, the position adjustment process is surely executed when a communication error occurs and the position adjustment process is necessary, while the useless position adjustment process when no error occurs can be omitted.

  Further, when the positioning means is capable of rotating the developing rotary in both directions, the plurality of stop positions include the standard stop position and at least two places sandwiching the standard stop position. May be provided. That is, an optimal stop position may be selected from the standard stop position and stop positions provided before and after the standard stop position. By doing so, it is possible to appropriately cope with a positional deviation centered on a predetermined reference position, which occurs between the communication means on the main body side and the wireless communication antenna on the developing device cartridge side.

  The positioning unit may include a brake mechanism that restrains the rotation of the developing rotary to stop at an arbitrary stop position. By making it possible to stop the development rotary at an arbitrary position in this way, the access position can be optimized with higher accuracy.

  The storage unit and the wireless communication antenna may integrally form a wireless IC tag, and the wireless IC tag may be fixed to the surface of the developing device cartridge. Since such wireless IC tags are standardized and are on the market as general-purpose parts, the development and manufacturing costs of the apparatus can be reduced by using them. Further, by attaching such a tag to the developing device cartridge, it is possible to appropriately manage the life of the developing device cartridge.

  For the wireless communication antenna attached to the developer cartridge, the directivity in the circumferential direction on the substantially circular locus drawn by the antenna as the developing rotary rotates is the directivity in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction. It is preferable to make it narrower. In addition to the communication means provided on the main body side and the wireless communication antenna provided on the developer cartridge side, many electronic components are installed inside a general image forming apparatus, and electromagnetic waves are also generated from these electronic parts. ing. Therefore, if the antenna directivity or sensitivity is increased more than necessary, the risk of communication errors and malfunctions due to these electromagnetic waves increases. On the other hand, if the antenna directivity is too narrow or the sensitivity is too low, communication cannot be performed correctly.

  In the present invention, since the access position is optimized by adjusting the stop position of the developing rotary, it is possible to cope with the positional deviation in the circumferential direction in particular. In other words, in the circumferential direction, the positional relationship between the communication means on the main body side and the wireless communication antenna on the developing device cartridge side can be optimized by the position adjustment process, so the wireless communication antenna is more than the direction orthogonal thereto. It may be narrowed. By doing so, it is possible to reduce communication errors and malfunctions due to the influence of electromagnetic waves emitted from other components. In addition, in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction, communication errors due to misalignment can be reduced by extending the antenna directivity more than the circumferential direction.

  The present invention is particularly effective in an image forming apparatus in which the developing rotary can mount a plurality of the developer cartridges. In the apparatus having such a configuration, each developing device cartridge is provided with a wireless communication antenna. For this reason, the positional deviation of the antenna tends to cause a communication error due to interference from other antennas. In particular, when downsizing the apparatus, this problem is serious because the antennas provided in each cartridge are arranged close to each other. Therefore, when the present invention is applied to such an apparatus, it is possible to correct the positional deviation of the antenna by adjusting the stop position of the developing rotary and perform stable communication.

  As the position adjustment process, for example, communication is attempted between the communication unit and the wireless communication antenna in a state where the developing rotary is stopped at one stop position, and a communication error occurs in the communication. If not, the position of the developer cartridge at the stop position is set as the optimum access position. On the other hand, if a communication error occurs, the developing rotary is moved to a stop position different from the stop position for communication. It can be configured to retry. In this way, as long as normal communication can be performed, the access position at that time is set as the optimal access position. On the other hand, if a communication error occurs at the position, the access position is changed to a position where communication can be normally performed. . Therefore, unnecessary position adjustment processing is not performed while the communication is normal, and even if an error occurs once, the access position is changed and communication can be performed again.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus of FIG. This apparatus forms a full color image by superposing four color toners (developers) of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K), or only black (K) toner. The image forming apparatus forms a monochrome image using In this image forming apparatus, when an image signal is given to the main controller 11 from an external device such as a host computer, the CPU 101 provided in the engine controller 10 controls each part of the engine unit EG in response to a command from the main controller 11. Then, a predetermined image forming operation is executed, and an image corresponding to the image signal is formed on the sheet S.

  In the engine unit EG, the photosensitive member 22 is provided to be rotatable in the arrow direction D1 in FIG. A charging roller 23, a rotary developing unit 4 and a cleaning unit 25 are arranged around the photosensitive member 22 along the rotation direction D1. The charging roller 23 is applied with a predetermined charging bias, and charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 22 to a predetermined surface potential. The cleaning unit 25 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive member 22 after the primary transfer, and collects it in a waste toner tank provided inside. The photosensitive member 22, the charging roller 23, and the cleaning unit 25 integrally constitute the photosensitive member cartridge 2, and the photosensitive member cartridge 2 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body as a whole.

  Then, the light beam L is irradiated from the exposure unit 6 toward the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 22 charged by the charging unit 23. The exposure unit 6 exposes the light beam L onto the photosensitive member 22 in accordance with an image signal given from an external device, and forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal.

  The electrostatic latent image thus formed is developed with toner by the developing unit 4. That is, in this embodiment, the developing unit 4 is configured as a support frame 40 that is rotatably provided about a rotation axis center orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. A yellow developing device 4Y, a cyan developing device 4C, a magenta developing device 4M, and a black developing device 4K are provided. The developing unit 4 is rotationally driven by a developing unit drive motor 47 that is a stepping motor controlled by the engine controller 10. Further, the apparatus main body is provided with a rotary lock 45 that comes into contact with and separates from the developing unit 4. If necessary, the rotary lock 45 abuts on the outer peripheral portion of the support frame 40 of the developing unit 4 to act as a brake and lock mechanism that restrains the rotation of the developing unit 4 and stops and positions the developing unit 4 at a predetermined position. .

  Then, based on a control command from the engine controller 10, when the developing unit 4 is driven to rotate, the developing devices 4Y, 4C, 4M, and 4K are selectively positioned at predetermined positions facing the photoconductor 22. A developing roller 44 that is provided in the developing unit and carries toner of a selected color is disposed to face the photosensitive member 22 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and the surface of the photosensitive member 22 from the developing roller 44 at the opposed position. Toner is applied. As a result, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 22 is visualized with the selected toner color.

  The toner image developed by the developing unit 4 as described above is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 71 of the transfer unit 7 in the primary transfer region TR1. The transfer unit 7 includes an intermediate transfer belt 71 stretched between a plurality of rollers 72 to 75, and a drive unit (not shown) that rotates the intermediate transfer belt 71 in a predetermined rotation direction D2 by rotationally driving the roller 73. It has. When a color image is transferred to the sheet S, the color toner images formed on the photosensitive member 22 are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 71 to form a color image, and the color image is taken out from the cassette 8 and conveyed. The color image is secondarily transferred onto the sheet S conveyed to the secondary transfer region TR2 along the FF.

  The secondary transfer region TR2 is a nip portion where the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 stretched over the roller 73 and the secondary transfer roller 86 that contacts and separates from the belt surface. The sheets S stacked and stored in the cassette 8 are taken out one by one by the rotation of the pickup roller 88 and placed on the transport path FF. Then, the feed rollers 84 and 85 and the gate roller 81 are rotated and conveyed to the secondary transfer region TR2 along the conveyance path FF.

  At this time, in order to correctly transfer the image on the intermediate transfer belt 71 to a predetermined position on the sheet S, the timing of feeding the sheet S to the secondary transfer region TR2 is managed. Specifically, it is as follows. A gate roller 81 is provided on the front side of the secondary transfer region TR2 on the transport path FF, and a pre-gate sheet detection sensor 801 is further provided on the front side thereof. When the pre-gate sheet detection sensor 801 detects that the sheet S conveyed on the conveyance path FF has arrived, the conveyance of the sheet S is temporarily stopped and synchronized with the timing of the circumferential movement of the intermediate transfer belt 71. By restarting the rotation of the gate roller 81, the sheet S is fed into the secondary transfer region TR2 at a predetermined timing. In this way, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 71 is secondarily transferred onto the surface of the sheet S passing through the secondary transfer region TR2.

  The sheet S on which the color image is thus formed is fixed with the toner image by the fixing unit 9 and is conveyed to the discharge tray portion 89 provided on the upper surface portion of the apparatus main body via the pre-discharge roller 82 and the discharge roller 83. Further, when images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, when the rear end portion of the sheet S on which the image is formed on one side as described above is conveyed to the reversal position PR behind the pre-discharge roller 82. The rotation direction of the discharge roller 83 is reversed, whereby the sheet S is conveyed in the direction of the arrow D3 along the reverse conveyance path FR. Then, it is placed again on the transport path FF before the gate roller 81. At this time, the image is transferred first on the surface of the sheet S that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 71 and transfers the image in the secondary transfer region TR2. It is the opposite surface. In this way, images can be formed on both sides of the sheet S.

  In addition to the above-mentioned pre-gate sheet detection sensor 801, sheet detection sensors 802 to 804 for detecting whether or not a sheet has passed on the path are provided at positions on the sheet conveyance path FF and the reverse conveyance path FR. The sheet conveyance timing is managed based on the outputs of these sensors, and jam detection is performed at each position.

  A cleaner 76 is disposed in the vicinity of the roller 75. The cleaner 76 includes a cleaner blade 761 that can be moved toward and away from the roller 75 by an electromagnetic clutch (not shown), and a waste toner tank 762. Then, the cleaner blade 761 abuts on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 stretched over the roller 75 in a state of moving to the roller 75 side, and the toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 after the secondary transfer is removed. Remove by scraping. The toner scraped off is stored in a waste toner tank 762. The waste toner tank 762 is provided with a waste toner sensor 763 for detecting that the tank is full.

  The cleaner blade 761 is controlled to be separated and abutted so as to remove the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 71 in the same rotation when the image is transferred to the sheet S in the secondary transfer region TR2. The Therefore, for example, when the apparatus continuously forms monochrome images, the image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 71 in the primary transfer region TR1 is immediately transferred to the sheet S in the secondary transfer region TR2, and thus the cleaner blade 761. Is held in contact. On the other hand, when forming a color image, it is necessary to keep the cleaner blade 761 away from the intermediate transfer belt 71 while the toner images of the respective colors are superimposed on each other. Then, the toner images of the respective colors are superimposed on each other to complete a full-color image, and the cleaner blade 761 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 71 in order to remove residual toner in the same rotation as the secondary transfer onto the sheet S. The Rukoto.

  Further, a density sensor 60 and a vertical synchronization sensor 77 are arranged in the vicinity of the roller 75. The density sensor 60 is provided to face the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 and measures the image density of the toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 as necessary. Based on the measurement results, this apparatus adjusts the operating conditions of each part of the apparatus that affects the image quality, for example, the developing bias applied to each developing device, the intensity of the light beam L, and the like. The density sensor 60 is configured to output a signal corresponding to the image density of a region of a predetermined area on the intermediate transfer belt 71 using, for example, a reflection type photosensor. The CPU 101 can detect the image density of each part of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 71 by periodically sampling the output signal from the density sensor 60 while rotating the intermediate transfer belt 71.

  The vertical synchronization sensor 77 is a sensor for detecting the reference position of the intermediate transfer belt 71 and is used to obtain a synchronization signal output in association with the rotational drive of the intermediate transfer belt 71, that is, a vertical synchronization signal Vsync. Functions as a sensor. In this apparatus, the operation of each part of the apparatus is controlled based on the vertical synchronization signal Vsync in order to align the operation timing of each part and accurately superimpose the toner images formed in the respective colors.

  Further, memory tags 49Y, 49C, 49M, and 49K are respectively attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the developing devices 4Y, 4C, 4M, and 4K that correspond to the side surfaces of the developing unit 4 that has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole. For example, a memory tag 49Y attached to the yellow developing device 4Y is electrically connected to the memory 491Y for storing data relating to the manufacturing lot and usage history of the developing device, the remaining amount of built-in toner, and the like. Loop antenna 492Y. In addition, memory chips 491C, 491M, and 491K and loop antennas 492C, 492M, and 492K are also provided in the memory tags 49C, 49M, and 49K provided in the other developing devices, respectively.

  On the other hand, a wireless communication antenna 109 is also provided on the apparatus main body side. The wireless communication antenna 109 is driven by a transceiver 105 connected to the CPU 101, and by performing wireless communication with the wireless communication antenna on the developing device side, the CPU 101 and a memory provided in the developing device Various data such as consumables management related to the developing device are managed by transmitting and receiving data between them.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, this apparatus includes a display unit 12 that is controlled by the CPU 111 of the main controller 11. The display unit 12 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display, and in accordance with a control command from the CPU 111, the operation guidance to the user, the progress of the image forming operation, the occurrence of an abnormality in the apparatus, the replacement timing of any unit, etc. A predetermined message for notification is displayed.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 113 denotes an image memory provided in the main controller 11 for storing an image given from an external device such as a host computer via the interface 112. Reference numeral 106 is a ROM for storing a calculation program executed by the CPU 101, control data for controlling the engine unit EG, and the like. Reference numeral 107 is a RAM for temporarily storing calculation results in the CPU 101 and other data. is there.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the stop position of the developing unit 4. The developing unit 4 is positioned and fixed at three kinds of positions shown in FIG. 3 by a developing unit drive motor 47 and a rotary lock 45. The three types of positions are: (a) home position; (b) development position; (c) attachment / detachment position. Among these positions, (a) the home position is a position that is positioned when the image forming apparatus is in a standby state in which no image forming operation is performed. As shown in FIG. Each of the provided developing rollers 44 is in a position separated from the photosensitive member 22.

  Further, (b) the development position is a position that is positioned when the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 22 is visualized with a selected toner color. As shown in FIG. 3B, a developing roller provided in one developing device (the developing roller 44 provided in the yellow developing device 4Y in the example shown in FIG. 3) is disposed to face the photosensitive member 22, and has a predetermined value. By applying a developing bias, the electrostatic latent image is visualized with toner.

  Further, (c) the attach / detach position is a position that can be taken only when the attach / detach operation of the developing device is performed. When the developing unit 4 is positioned at this attaching / detaching position, as shown in FIG. 3C, one developing device appears in the opening 124 provided on the side surface of the external housing of the apparatus and is taken out through the opening 124. Will be able to. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the black developing device 4 </ b> K appears in the opening 124. In addition, a developing device can be newly attached to the support frame 40 to which the developing device is not attached. In this attaching / detaching position, the developing roller provided in any developing device is placed at a position separated from the photosensitive member 22. In this way, only one developing device that appears in the opening 124 when the developing unit 4 is positioned at the attachment / detachment position can be taken out. That is, when the developing unit 4 is positioned at the home position shown in FIG. 3A or the developing position shown in FIG. 3B, none of the developing devices can be taken out from the opening 124. Therefore, the user does not inadvertently attach and detach the developing device and damage the apparatus. In this image forming apparatus, the development position and the attachment / detachment position described above are set for each of the four developing devices 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K.

  When the developing unit 4 is positioned at the developing position, as shown in FIG. 3B, the wireless communication antenna provided in one developing unit is positioned at a position facing the main body side wireless communication antenna 109. Is done. 3B, the developing roller 44 of the developing device 4Y is adjacent to the downstream side in the rotation direction D3 of the developing unit 4 when viewed from the developing device 4Y. The wireless communication antenna 492K provided in the developing device 4K at the position is positioned at a position facing the main body side wireless communication antenna 109. That is, in this state, wireless communication is performed between the main body side wireless communication antenna 109 and the developing device 4K side wireless communication antenna 492K, and the information stored in the memory 491K provided in the developing device 4K is stored. Read out. Also, new information is written in the memory 491K.

  FIG. 4 shows the structure of the developing device. FIG. 5 shows the structure of the memory tag. Here, the structure of the black developing device 4K will be described, but the other developing devices 4Y, 4C, and 4M have the same structure. As described above, the memory tag 49K is affixed to the surface 401a of the housing surface of the developing device 4K that becomes the outer peripheral surface when the developing unit 4 is mounted. The loop antenna 492K provided in the memory tag 49K has a flat rectangular shape in which the side along the rotation direction D3 of the developing unit 4 is a short side and the side along the direction Dx perpendicular to the side is a long side. . Therefore, the directivity of the antenna 492K is narrow in the rotation direction D3 of the developing unit 4 and wide in the direction Dx orthogonal thereto. As such a memory tag, a product manufactured as an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag can be used.

  When a developing unit having such a memory tag is attached to the developing unit, the main body side antenna is caused by variations in the mounting position of the memory tag to the developing unit or backlash when the developing unit is attached to the developing unit. There is a possibility that the distance between the antenna and the developing device side antenna is not sufficiently shortened and wireless communication between the two is not established, and a communication error is likely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a developing device is newly attached to the developing unit 4, a developing process described below is executed, and a developing unit capable of correctly communicating between the apparatus main body and the developing device. 4 stop position is found. Hereinafter, a case where the black developing device 4K is mounted will be described as an example.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the developing device is mounted. When it is detected that one developing device is attached to the developing unit 4 that is stopped and positioned at the attachment / detachment position via the opening 124, the CPU 101 executes processing at the time of attachment shown in FIG. In this mounting process, the developing unit 4 is rotated until the newly mounted developing device 4K moves to a predetermined access position (steps S101 and S102), and is stopped at that position by the rotary lock 45. This access position is the position of the developing device 4K shown in FIG. 3B, and in this access position, the wireless communication antenna 492K provided in the developing device 4K is disposed at a position facing the main body antenna 109. Is done. In the following description, this position is referred to as a “first position”.

  When one developing device is in this first position, the developing unit 4 is stopped at the above-described developing position (FIG. 3B), and at this time, the other developing device is in a position facing the photosensitive member 22. It is in. In the developing device manufacturing process, when the developing device is stopped and positioned at the first position, the memory tag is set so that the wireless communication antenna provided in the developing device comes close to the main body side antenna 109. Is pasted. Therefore, if the memory tag is attached to the central position in the design, communication between the main body side and the developing device side should be possible at this position.

  Therefore, the CPU 101 outputs an electromagnetic wave from the antenna 109 driven by the transceiver 105, and attempts wireless communication with the developing device side antenna 492K (step S103). Here, it is determined whether or not communication is established (step S104). If communication is established, the read data and information indicating that the communication is established at the first position are stored in the RAM 107 on the main body side ( In step S105, the developing unit 4 is moved to the home position (step S106), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when communication is not established, that is, when a communication error occurs, the relative positional relationship between the main body antenna 109 and the memory tag may be shifted. Therefore, the developing unit drive motor 47 rotates the developing unit 4 by a predetermined amount (for example, 1 degree at the rotation angle) in the direction opposite to the normal rotation direction D3, and stops at the position by the rotary lock 45 (step S107). At this time, the developing device 4K is stopped at a position returned by a predetermined amount (here, 1 degree) in the direction opposite to the normal movement direction as seen from the first position. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a “second position”. In this state, communication is attempted again from the transceiver 105 (step S108). If the communication is established (step S109), the read data and information indicating that the communication is established at the second position are stored in the RAM 107 on the main body side (step S105), and the developing unit 4 is set as the home. After moving to the position (step S106), the process is terminated.

  When communication is not established in the second communication (step S109), the developing unit 4K is rotated in the normal rotation direction D3 by a certain amount (for example, 2 degrees at the rotation angle), thereby moving the developing device 4K to the first position. Is stopped at a position beyond (step S110). At this time, the developing device 4K stops at a position advanced by a predetermined amount (here, 1 degree) from the first position described above along the normal movement direction. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a “third position”. Then, another communication is attempted in this state (step S111). If the communication is established (step S112), the read data and information indicating that the communication is established at the third position are stored in the main body RAM 107 (step S105), and the developing unit 4 is set to the home. After moving to a position (step S106), the process is terminated.

  As described above, in the process at the time of mounting in this embodiment, the position of the developing unit at the time of reading / writing the memory, that is, the access position is shaken by a predetermined amount (in this example, once each) around the first position defined in advance. Thus, a position where communication can be performed correctly is found. As a result, even when communication cannot be performed at the first position due to a relative displacement between the memory tag 49K and the main body antenna 109, a new access position can be found and communication can be performed correctly. .

  On the other hand, if the communication tried for the third time is not established, the mounting position of the memory tag may be greatly deviated from the normal position, or the developing device or the memory tag itself may be defective, and normal operation is expected. Since this is not possible, predetermined error processing is performed (step S113). As error processing here, for example, a warning indicating that there is a problem in the quality of the developing device is notified to the user to prompt replacement, and the subsequent image forming operation can be prohibited.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the developing device is taken out. In this apparatus, when the user performs a predetermined operation for designating a developing device to be taken out with respect to an operation input unit (not shown), the following processing at the time of taking out is executed. In this take-out operation, the information on the usage status of the developing device stored in the memory of the developing device is updated to the latest information managed on the apparatus main body side. That is, the developing unit 4 is rotated to move and position the developing device designated by the user to the access position (steps S201 and S202), and wireless communication from the transceiver 105 via the main body side antenna 109 and the developing device side antenna 492K. New information is written in the memory 491K (step S203).

  The access position here is one of the first to third positions described above, which is stored in the RAM 107 as a position that has been successfully communicated as a result of the mounting process executed when the developing device is mounted. For example, if communication is not established at the first position and communication is established at the second position in the process at the time of attachment when the developing device 4K is attached, the fact that communication was successful at the second position is stored in the RAM 107. In step S202, the developing device 4K is positioned at the second position. As long as the same developing device is continuously attached to the developing unit 4, the access position suitable for the developing device should not change greatly. Therefore, by storing the position at which communication was successful at the time of mounting as the optimum access position and positioning the developing device at this optimum access position, communication can be performed smoothly without having to adjust the access position again. it can. When a communication error occurs at the stored optimum access position, the optimum access position may be obtained again in the same manner as in the process at the time of mounting.

  After updating the memory in this way, the developing unit 4 is rotated and stopped at the attaching / detaching position (FIG. 3C) corresponding to the black developing device 4K (steps S204 and S205). At this time, the end face of the black developing device 4K is exposed to the opening 124 provided on the side surface of the apparatus, and the user can pull out the developing device and remove it.

  Thereafter, when there is an operation input for taking out other developing devices, the above steps S201 to S205 are repeated, whereby each developing device is taken out with the memory of each developing device updated. It will be. In addition, when a developing device is newly attached after the developing device is taken out, the above-described mounting process is executed each time.

  As described above, this embodiment is an image forming apparatus that forms an image using a developing device including a memory that is read and written by wireless communication with the main body. In this embodiment, when a developing device 4K or the like is attached to the developing unit 4, information on the memory attached to the developing device is read and managed on the apparatus body side, and before the developing device is taken out, Update information. At this time, the developing unit 4 is rotated to move the developing device 4K and the like to an access position where the wireless communication antenna 109 provided on the main body side and the wireless communication antenna 492K on the developing device side face each other. This access position is not fixed and is changed according to the communication trial result. This position change is made by changing the stop position of the developing unit 4 that holds the developing device. More specifically, when an error occurs in communication attempted at the first position that is predetermined as the standard access position, the position of the developing device is set to the first position by rotating the developing unit 4. Move a little before and after and retry communication, and the position where communication was successful is set as the optimum access position.

  By doing this, communication errors caused by relative positional deviation between the main body side wireless communication antenna 109 and the developing device side wireless communication antenna 492K, etc. can be greatly reduced, and stable data communication can be performed. Can do. Further, since the tolerance for the mounting position deviation of the developing device side wireless communication antenna 492K and the like is increased, the requirements for the processing and mounting accuracy of the memory tag 49K including the antenna 492K and the like are moderated. It becomes possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the container.

  Further, in the conventional apparatus in which the access position is fixed, a developing device in which communication has failed at the access position cannot be used, and can only be handled as an unqualified product. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the access position is variable and a communicable position is found and used, even a developing device that could not be used in a conventional apparatus may be usable. Thus, the yield rate of the developing device can be greatly improved.

  In this embodiment, the access position is optimized by adjusting the stop position of the rotary developing unit 4. Therefore, the displacement of the outer peripheral surface of the developing unit 4 having a substantially cylindrical shape, that is, the positional deviation between the main body side antenna 109 and the developing device side antenna 492K along the circumferential direction can be corrected. It is difficult to correct the position shift in the orthogonal direction, that is, in the rotation axis direction of the developing unit 4 by adjusting the stop position of the developing unit 4. In this embodiment, this problem is addressed by making the directivity anisotropic by the shape of the loop antenna 492K. In other words, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the loop antenna 492K is long along the rotation axis direction Dx of the developing unit 4 and short along the circumferential direction D3 of the developing unit 4. For this reason, with respect to the longitudinal direction Dx, communication is possible even if there is a slight misalignment between the main body antenna 109 and the developing device antenna 492K. That is, since the antenna 492K has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction Dx, the tolerance for the positional deviation is relatively large in this direction, so that a communication error due to the positional deviation hardly occurs.

  On the other hand, for the circumferential direction D3, it is desirable to narrow down the directivity of the antenna 492K as much as possible. This is because if the directivity in this direction is too wide, it is easy to receive interference from electromagnetic waves from other components in the apparatus. In particular, there is a case where normal communication cannot be performed due to mutual interference with memory tags provided in other adjacent developing devices. In this embodiment, since the positional deviation in the circumferential direction is compensated by adjusting the stop position of the developing unit 4, such interference can be suppressed by reducing the directivity of the antenna in this direction. .

  As described above, in this embodiment, the developing devices 4Y, 4C, 4M, and 4K function as “developing device cartridges” of the present invention. Further, the rotary developing unit 4 functions as the “developing rotary” of the present invention, while the developing unit drive motor 47 and the rotary lock 45 that rotationally drive the rotary developing unit 4 integrally function as the “positioning means” of the present invention. The rotary lock 45 functions as the “brake mechanism” of the present invention. In this embodiment, the CPU 101 functions as the “control unit” of the present invention.

  Further, in this embodiment, the radio communication antenna 109 provided on the main body side corresponds to the “communication means” of the present invention, while the radio communication antenna 492K and the like provided in each developing device include the “wireless communication antenna” of the present invention. It corresponds to “antenna”. Further, the memory chip 491 or the like functions as a “storage unit” of the present invention. In addition, the memory tag 49K and the like that are integrated and attached to each developing device function as the “wireless IC tag” of the present invention. Further, the process at the time of mounting in the above embodiment corresponds to the “position adjustment process” of the present invention. Furthermore, the stop position of the developing device when the developing device is stopped at the first position in the above embodiment corresponds to the “standard stop position” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, when a developing device is newly attached to the developing unit 4, information stored in a memory provided in the developing device is read, and information in the memory is updated when the developing device is taken out. I am doing so. However, the read / write timing of the memory is not limited to this, but at other timing, for example, immediately after the apparatus is turned on, when a certain period of time has elapsed, or when a series of image forming jobs have ended. Reading and writing may be performed.

  At this time, it is not always necessary to optimize the access position every time as in the above-described process at the time of mounting. Rather, if this is done, various operations will take time, and the first print time and image formation throughput may be deteriorated. Therefore, for example, in basic read / write operations, communication is performed at the optimum access position obtained first, and when communication is not established at this position, an operation for finding a new optimum access position May be executed. The operation at this time may include steps S107 to S113 in the mounting process shown in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, when communication is not established in the state where the developing device is positioned at the first position, which is the design center position of the developing device at the time of memory reading and writing, the developing unit 4 is first rotated in the reverse direction, and then forwardly. By rotating, the position of the developing device is swung around the first position. On the other hand, for example, if the following operation is performed, the access position can be optimized without rotating the developing unit 4 in the reverse direction.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another example of the process at the time of mounting. In this example, when a developing device is newly installed, the developing unit 4 is first rotated to stop the developing device at the second position (steps S301 and S302). If communication is established in this state, this position is set as the optimum access position (steps S303 to S306). On the other hand, when communication is not established, the development unit 4 is rotated in the same direction as the normal rotation direction D3, the development unit is moved from the first position to the third position, communication is attempted, and communication is established. Is the optimum access position. In this way, it is possible to optimize the access position as in the above-described embodiment, and it is not necessary to reversely rotate the developing unit 4.

  Further, in the process at the time of mounting in the above-described embodiment, when communication is established at one position, communication at another position is not tried. This is because as long as communication is established at at least one position, it is not always necessary to know whether communication is possible at other positions. However, instead of this, for example, whether or not communication is possible is confirmed in advance at all positions, and a position where communication can be performed under the best conditions may be set as the optimum access position.

  In the above-described embodiment, the second and third positions are provided on both sides of the first position, which is the central position in design, and a position at which good communication can be performed is selected, and the optimum access position is set. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, more positions may be provided as candidates for the access position, or the stop position of the developing unit 4 may not be made discrete and may be found steplessly so as to find the position with the best communication conditions. .

  In the above embodiment, the memory tag attached to the surface of each developing device is attached at a position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the developing unit 4 having a substantially cylindrical envelope shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the memory tag may be attached to a position corresponding to the end face of the cylinder, that is, the end face 401b shown in FIG. Regarding the shape of the antenna in this case, it is desirable that the directivity is narrow in the rotation direction of the developing unit 4, that is, the circumferential direction, and the directivity is wide in the radial direction orthogonal thereto.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus using YMCK four-color toner, but the application target of the present invention is not limited to this, and the types of colors and the number of colors The present invention can also be applied to different image forming apparatuses.

1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a stop position of the developing unit 4. The figure which shows the structure of a developing device. The figure which shows the structure of a memory tag. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the developing device is mounted. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the developing device is taken out. The flowchart which shows the other example of the process at the time of mounting | wearing.

Explanation of symbols

  4 ... development unit (development rotary), 4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K ... developer (developer cartridge), 45 ... rotary lock (positioning means, brake mechanism), 47 ... development unit drive motor (positioning means), 49Y, 49M, 49C, 49K ... Memory tag (wireless IC tag), 101 ... CPU (control means), 109 ... (main body side) Wireless communication antenna (communication means), 491Y, 491M, 491C, 491K ... Memory chip (storage unit) ), 492Y, 492M, 492C, 492K (Developer side) Wireless communication antenna

Claims (12)

A developing unit cartridge having a storage unit for storing information related to the developing unit cartridge and a wireless communication antenna electrically connected to the storage unit can be mounted, and is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the apparatus main body. Development rotary,
Positioning means for rotationally driving the developing rotary to position one developing device cartridge mounted on the developing rotary at a predetermined access position;
A communication means fixed to the apparatus main body and performing wireless communication with the wireless communication antenna provided in the developer cartridge;
Control means for controlling the positioning means,
The communication means is provided at a position facing the radio communication antenna provided in the developer cartridge positioned at the access position,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a position adjustment process for optimizing the access position by adjusting a stop position of the developing rotary by the positioning unit. The positioning means can stop and position the development rotary at a plurality of different stop positions,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the position adjustment process, the control unit optimizes the access position by selecting one of the plurality of stop positions as an optimal stop position corresponding to an optimal access position. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the position adjustment processing when a developing device cartridge is mounted on the developing rotary.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the position adjustment process when a communication error occurs between the developing device cartridge positioned at the access position and the communication unit.   The control means defines one of the plurality of stop positions as a standard stop position, and defines the position of the developer cartridge when the developing rotary is positioned at the standard stop position as an initial position of the optimum access position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position adjustment process is executed when a communication error occurs between the developing device cartridge positioned at the initial position and the communication unit.   The positioning means is capable of rotating the developing rotary in both directions, and the plurality of stop positions are provided so as to include the standard stop position and at least two places sandwiching the standard stop position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit includes a brake mechanism that restrains the rotation of the developing rotary to stop at an arbitrary stop position.   The image according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit and the wireless communication antenna integrally form a wireless IC tag, and the wireless IC tag is fixed to the surface of the developing device cartridge. Forming equipment.   The wireless communication antenna has a directivity in a circumferential direction narrower than a directivity in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction in a substantially circular locus drawn by the rotation of the developing rotary. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developing rotary is capable of mounting a plurality of the developer cartridges. A developing unit cartridge having a storage unit for storing information related to the developing unit cartridge and a wireless communication antenna electrically connected to the storage unit can be mounted, and is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the apparatus main body. Development rotary,
Positioning means for rotationally driving the developing rotary to position one developing device cartridge mounted on the developing rotary at a predetermined access position;
Communication for performing wireless communication with the wireless communication antenna, which is fixed to a position facing the wireless communication antenna provided in the developing device cartridge positioned at the access position in the apparatus main body. And an information management method for an image forming apparatus comprising:
Performing a position adjustment process for optimizing the access position by adjusting the stop position of the developing rotary by the positioning means;
The information of the image forming apparatus, wherein the information is read or written to the storage unit of the developing device cartridge positioned at the optimized access position via the communication unit and the wireless communication antenna. Management method.   In the position adjustment process, communication between the communication unit and the wireless communication antenna is attempted in a state where the developing rotary is stopped at one stop position, and no communication error occurs in the communication. The position of the developing device cartridge at the stop position is set as the optimum access position, and when a communication error occurs, the development rotary is moved to a stop position different from the stop position and communication is retried. 11. An information management method for an image forming apparatus according to 11.

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