JP2009098264A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely and reliably determine a life of a component for structuring an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus, which forms an image on a medium in accordance with a set output condition and outputs the medium, includes an operation display part for setting the output condition, a plurality of mechanisms for forming an image, a timer for measuring an operation time of the mechanism in forming the image, a storage part for storing the life of the component which is previously set, and a control part for calculating the operation time of the component for structuring the mechanism based on the measured operation time of the mechanism and the output condition, and determining that the image forming apparatus reaches an end of its life when the accumulation of the operation time of the component reaches an end of the set life of the component. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a medium according to set output conditions (color / monochrome, medium size, etc.) and outputting the medium.

Once installed, image forming devices such as copiers and printers will continue to be used regardless of the time since installation or the total operating time, etc., unless they become unusable due to a failure, etc. It is common. However, from the viewpoint of safety, although various protective circuits and safety devices are provided for safety measures in the event of an abnormality, there is a problem mainly caused by deterioration of the electrical circuit, particularly its components, at the end of its life. There aren't many things that are aggressively taken.
For this reason, use exceeding the mechanical life assumed at the time of design is accompanied by a risk of occurrence of defects due to degradation of a deteriorated component, for example, the capacitance of a capacitor or peeling of a soldered portion.

  As a device for solving the above-mentioned problem of the life of the device, for example, a power supply device proposed in Patent Document 1 can be cited. In the power supply device, according to the publication, an energization time measuring unit that cumulatively measures energization time for the power supply device that supplies power to the main body device, and a cumulative energization time measured by the energization time measurement unit. It has been proposed that a circuit operation stop means for stopping a circuit operation by blowing a fuse or the like when a predetermined time exceeds a predetermined time is made impossible to use after reaching the mechanical life.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for accumulating the cooking time of the heating cooker or the number of times the switch is operated for cooking, and turning the power off when a predetermined value is reached.
Further, Patent Document 3 is an improvement of the proposed technique described in Patent Document 2 above. Specifically, it is not only simply measuring the usage time, but also depending on the level of output during operation. A technique for correcting time is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-37461 JP 54-153353 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-80524

  However, all of the techniques shown in the background art relate to life measurement of a cooking device, and the object of measurement is substantially limited to the operating time of the drive circuit of the heating device of the cooking device. Yes. When the operation of the drive circuit is viewed electrically, it is a substantially continuous operation, which is different from the image forming process in which various operations in the image forming apparatus are combined, and is applied to the image forming apparatus as it is. I can't do it.

  In addition, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, the accumulated operating time is more dominant in terms of the lifetime than the accumulated energized time, and is further spent on actual image formation. The operating time has a closer correlation with the lifetime of the apparatus, particularly with the lifetime of the electric / electronic components constituting the apparatus. Because, in these image forming apparatuses, the electric circuit and the parts constituting the circuit that actually operate are different during standby, initial setting operation, and operation, so there is a large difference in the electrical load and power consumption applied to the circuit. Because there is. Furthermore, not only the electrical parts but also the deterioration of the parts having the strength and chemical characteristics of the machine parts depend on the time during which they are actually operated. In particular, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in a process such as operation of a high voltage power supply device for performing high voltage corona discharge for charging a photosensitive member, operation of a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a sheet, and the like. A large load is applied to electrical and electronic components such as high voltage generation and large current consumption. These processes are mainly for actual image formation.

  Therefore, in these image forming apparatuses, the product life is often determined by using the cumulative number of sheets output by the apparatus or the number of pages on which image formation has been performed as an index. It can be said that these indexes indirectly indicate the operation time of the image forming apparatus. This is because many parts of the image forming process are designed in units of forming an image on one side of one sheet. For example, a periodic replacement part such as a sheet conveying roller or a photoconductor that carries an image of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a replacement time set based on the number of output sheets and the number of output pages.

  However, as described above, the image forming process in the image forming apparatus is performed based on preset output conditions and is performed in combination with various operations. Therefore, each component in the unit in which each operation is performed is performed. Then, depending on the output specifications, the electrical load etc. will be different individually. Even when the same number of outputs are performed, the load on each component varies depending on the operating state of the image forming apparatus.

  Therefore, if the parts replacement time is set based on the number of output sheets and the number of output pages as in the past, it is difficult to replace the parts accurately according to the life of the parts, and the replacement of the parts is delayed. May cause problems. In response to this, it is conceivable to replace the parts early, but there is a problem that the use time of the parts must be shortened and the cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above circumstances, taking into account the output conditions, using as an index the actual operating time having a closer correlation with the deterioration of each component constituting the device, Providing an image forming device that can accurately and reliably measure the life of each part, issue a warning when it is determined that the life has been reached, stop the operation, and disable subsequent use The purpose is to do.

  That is, among the image forming apparatuses of the present invention, the first invention forms an image on a medium according to a set output condition, and the operation display unit sets the output condition in the image forming apparatus that outputs the medium. A plurality of mechanisms that perform image formation, a timer that measures the operating time of the mechanism when performing image formation, a storage unit that stores a preset life of the component, and the measured operating time of the mechanism When the operation time of the parts constituting the mechanism is calculated based on the output condition and the cumulative operation time of the parts reaches the set part life, the image forming apparatus has reached the life And a control unit for determining.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the control unit determines that the image forming apparatus has reached the end of its life, it stops energizing the image forming apparatus and uses it thereafter. It is characterized by disabling.

  In the image forming apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the control unit determines that the image forming apparatus has reached the end of its life, it displays a warning on the operation display unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the operation time is measured by mechanically driving a medium transport unit that transports a medium on which an image is formed. It is characterized by the measurement of the time spent.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the operation time is measured by mechanically driving an image carrier that carries a toner image transferred to a medium. It is the measurement of the time which is doing.

  In the image forming apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the measurement of the operation time is a time during which the fixing device that fixes the toner image on the medium is mechanically driven. It is the measurement of this.

  An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the output condition includes a distinction between color and monochrome.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, wherein the output condition includes a medium amount and a size.

  An image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the output condition includes the number of pixels of the output image.

  According to the present invention, the operating time of the mechanism that operates during image formation is measured by the timer. Examples of the mechanism include a medium conveyance unit that conveys a medium on which an image is formed, an image carrier that carries a toner image transferred to the medium, and a fixing device that fixes the toner image on the medium. The present invention is not limited to these, and can be used for operations that require life determination in operations during image formation. One or more mechanisms may be used for the measurement, and in the case of a plurality of mechanisms, the operating time of each mechanism can be measured. Further, the operation time of a series of operations in image formation may be measured, the unit of the mechanism can be set as appropriate, and a series of operations related to the entire image formation may be measured. The unit of the mechanism is preferably determined as one mechanism that is related to the operation. The timer can be controlled by a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus.

Further, in the image forming apparatus, the lifetime of the image forming apparatus is determined based on each component constituting the mechanism. Therefore, the life of the image forming apparatus may be different in different parts. The following are examples of parts for setting the service life. These are examples, and do not determine the scope of the present invention.
・ High voltage generation circuit for applying electric charge to the photoconductor or transferring the toner image from the photoconductor to paper ・ Power supply circuit for heater of fixing device ・ Motors for driving mechanical parts (especially brush motor)
・ Main unit power supply that supplies power to these circuits

In addition, the following are mentioned as a problem which generate | occur | produces in the said electric circuit.
・ Capacitors decrease in capacitance due to repeated charge accumulation and discharge.
・ Semiconductors are usually housed in packages such as resin, but they absorb moisture over time, resulting in performance degradation.
・ In the soldered area, cracks and delamination occur in addition to changes in the resistance value due to changes in the solder material.
・ In the connector, contact resistance increases due to surface oxidation.
-Regarding the motor, in the case of a so-called brush type motor, the wear of the brush occurs with use.
In addition, in each circuit part, the withstand voltage of various insulating parts decreases due to the adhesion and accumulation of dust.

In the measurement of the operation time, even when the energization time is other than the operation time or the operation time, for example, data transfer to the printer, detection of the type / size of the loaded paper, or toner Checking the remaining amount of the product or returning the mechanical operating unit to the initial state has little influence on the life of the electrical / electronic components constituting the apparatus, and does not correspond to “operation time”. Furthermore, even if it is the operation time, for example, when there is no output paper or toner, image formation is not performed until these are replenished. Not applicable.
Here, the energization time is the time from when the image forming apparatus is turned on until it is turned off, and the operation time is the time when the copy switch of the image forming apparatus is pressed or the output instruction signal is sent to the printer. It can be said that the time until the output operation is completed after being emitted. Therefore, it can be said that the above three parties have the following relationship: energization time> operation time> operation time

The operation time is a time during which image formation is actually performed, and more specifically indicates the following time.
For a series of image forming operations, it can be said that this is a part or all of the time from when the conveyance of the medium is started until the last medium on which the image is formed is discharged.
For example, as the operation time, from the time when a process directly required to form a toner image transferred to a medium on an image carrier for image formation is started, the last time an image is formed The time until the other medium is ejected can coincide or be included.

  The determination of the lifetime of the image forming apparatus based on each of the above components is stored as setting data in a storage unit such as a flash memory, and can be appropriately read. Reading of data in the storage unit can be performed via the control unit.

  In the present invention, by measuring the “operation time” defined above, the operation time of each mechanism involved in the image forming process is comprehensively measured. Since the operation time of each part is individually determined based on the image forming sequence, even if the operation time of the mechanism is measured even if it is a partial or intermittent operation, The time is actually measured. In practice, a result equivalent to the case where the operation time of each component is measured individually will be obtained. Therefore, the lifetime of each component can be determined based on the measurement of the operating time.

  However, the sequence of image formation varies depending on the usage mode and usage environment by the user. That is, there is a difference in the high-voltage discharge, the heating interval of the fixing roller, and the power supply amount between the case where the output is mainly one to several and the case where the output is several tens to several hundreds. As a result, the operating time of each mechanism takes various values. Thus, depending on the mode of use by the user, which component will initially reach the end of its life varies. Also, the image forming process may be changed depending on the usage environment of the device, such as reducing the processing speed during output when the temperature of the fixing roller is below the specified value in a low temperature environment. In addition, it is not possible to measure the burden of parts or the like only by an image sequence based on the set output conditions.

In addition, when copying is interrupted due to the user's convenience, or when a paper jam occurs, a process for discharging paper in the middle of image formation or white paper outside the machine is required in addition to the regular output. However, with regard to the operation of the apparatus in these processes, it is not possible to measure the load of components or the like only by the image forming sequence based on the set conditions.
Therefore, in the present invention, the operation time of each component is calculated in consideration of the output condition in the measured operation time of the mechanism.
Here, as is apparent from the above, the output conditions include not only preset output conditions but also output conditions changed with operation.

  That is, in the present invention, for each of the above parts, the operation time is calculated by the control unit based on the operation time of the mechanism including these parts and the output conditions executed during image formation. The control unit retains data such as parameters for obtaining the operation time of each component in relation to the output specification based on the operation time of the mechanism including the component. The data is stored in a storage unit such as a flash memory.

The following examples can be given as output conditions.
Separate color and monochrome:
In the case of color, since the image forming process of each color is performed, charging, exposure, development, and transfer processes are required for each color as compared to the case of monochrome, and even if one page of the same size is output, the image The load applied to the component parts in forming becomes large. Therefore, for a component whose load is increased due to the color output with respect to the measured operation time of the mechanism, the operation time is increased by using a predetermined coefficient or the like when calculating the component operation time. To correct.

Differences by output media:
For example, a large amount of paper such as so-called thick paper has a large heat capacity, so that more heat must be supplied from the heat roller of the fixing device. Therefore, for a component whose load increases due to a large amount of paper with respect to the measured operation time of the fixing device, the operation time is calculated using a predetermined parameter or the like when calculating the operation time of the component. Increase.

Difference due to the number of pixels in the output image:
In order to output a high-resolution image, the number of pixels per unit area must be increased. For this reason, the time required for image formation is longer than in the case of the normal number of pixels. Therefore, even if one page of the same size is output, the operation time of the component parts during image formation becomes longer, leading to a shortened life. Therefore, for a component whose load increases due to a large number of pixels with respect to the measured operation time of the mechanism, the operation time is increased using a predetermined parameter or the like when calculating the component operation time. In addition, regarding the component parts that are not affected by the load due to the large number of pixels, the operation time can be reduced by assuming that the operation time is relatively short.

  The operation time of the component is calculated by the control unit. The control unit can be constituted by a CPU and a program for operating the CPU. In addition to this, the control unit may include a RAM for temporarily storing data and a work area.

  The control unit accumulates the calculated operation time of the parts. The accumulated operation time is accumulated every time the operation time is calculated, and is stored in a storage unit such as a flash memory. When a new operation time is calculated, it is added and stored. Can do. In the control unit, it is determined whether or not the cumulative operation time of the parts has reached the preset life of each part.

  In the above determination, when it is determined that the lifetime has been reached, a warning can be displayed on the display unit provided in the image forming apparatus. Even before reaching the end of the service life, if the time until the service life is less than the set time, a warning notice can be displayed on the display unit. The set time related to the time until the end of the life is stored in advance in a storage unit such as a flash memory, and when the life is determined by the control unit, it is determined whether to read out the data related to the set time and display a warning notice. It can be performed.

  Further, when it is determined that the lifetime has been reached as a result of the determination, the operation of the image forming apparatus can be forcibly stopped. At this time, it is also possible to set whether or not to forcibly stop depending on the type of part that has reached the end of its life. As a result, the operation of the apparatus can be stopped only for reaching the end of life with more danger. The above setting can be stored in a storage unit such as a flash memory, and when the control unit determines that the life has been reached, it can be determined whether to perform a forced stop by reading the setting.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus that forms an image on the medium according to the set output condition and outputs the medium, the operation display unit that sets the output condition A plurality of mechanisms that perform image formation, a timer that measures the operating time of the mechanism when performing image formation, a storage unit that stores a preset life of the component, and the measured operating time of the mechanism When the operation time of the parts constituting the mechanism is calculated based on the output condition and the cumulative operation time of the parts reaches the set part life, the image forming apparatus has reached the life And a control unit to determine the life of each component accurately and reliably without measuring the operation time of each component by comprehensively measuring the operation time of each mechanism involved in the image forming process But There is a kill effect.

Hereinafter, a case where the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic copying machine which is an example of an image forming apparatus will be described.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the mechanical configuration of the electrophotographic copying machine.
The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a scanner unit 111 and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 112 on the upper side thereof, and the image reading unit 110 is configured by these configurations. In the vicinity thereof, an operation display unit 130 capable of displaying various settings and information of the image forming apparatus is provided, and output conditions can be set and various information can be displayed.

  Also, on the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1, a paper feed unit 150 including a plurality of paper feed trays for storing and feeding paper as a medium is disposed. Further, a paper feed unit 160 having a manual paper feed tray is disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper feed units 150 and 160 are connected to a first transport unit 170 including a paper feed roller, a transport roller, and a transport path.

  The printer unit 140 corresponds to the image forming unit of the present invention, and includes an LD unit 141 for each color, a photoconductor 142 for each color, a secondary transfer belt 143, a fixing device 144, and the like. The LD unit 141 constitutes an image writing unit, the photoconductor 142 and the secondary transfer belt 143 constitute an image carrier, and the fixing device 143 constitutes a fixing device. Further, a second transport unit 180 is provided on the downstream side of the printer unit 140 to transport the paper on which the image has been formed. The first transport unit 170 and the second transport unit 180 constitute a medium transport unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the image forming apparatus 1 as a functional block diagram.
That is, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10 that controls the entire image forming apparatus, an image reading unit 110, an operation display unit 130, a printer unit 140, paper feeding units 150 and 160, a first transport unit 170, and a second transport unit. 180 as a main configuration.

  The control unit 10 includes, for example, a CPU and a program that operates the CPU, a ROM that stores the program, a RAM, and the like, and can control the entire image forming apparatus 1 and determine the life of each component. .

The control unit 10 is connected to a storage unit 11 composed of a flash memory or the like. The storage unit 11 stores parameter data for calculating the operation time of each component based on the operation time of each mechanism and the output condition, and further stores a preset lifetime of each component. Accordingly, the storage unit 11 has a function of determining the lifetime of the image forming apparatus.
The control unit 10 is connected to a timer 12 that measures time, and measures the operating time of each unit that operates during image formation.

  An operation display unit 130 is connected to the control unit 10. The operation display unit 130 is controlled by the control unit 10 so that the operator can perform a predetermined operation on the image forming apparatus 1 or set an output condition. In the operation display unit 130, display and operation may be performed independently, or an operation may be performed on a display screen like an LCD touch panel. The operation display unit 130 displays a screen and various information.

  Further, the control unit 10 is connected to an image reading unit 110 for acquiring image data from a document. The image reading unit 110 includes a scanner unit 111, an automatic document feeder 112, and the like.

  A printer unit 140 is further connected to the control unit 10. The printer unit 140 forms a latent image on the photoconductor 142 by the LD unit 141 according to each color based on the image data, develops the latent image with toner, and forms the latent image on the sheet via the secondary transfer belt 143. To form an image. The toner image transferred onto the paper is heated and fixed by the fixing device 144 and conveyed by the second conveyance unit to be output (printed).

  In addition, a plurality of paper feeding units 150 and 160 are connected to the control unit 10. The sheet feeding units 150 and 160 store sheets of different sizes and sizes, and the control unit 10 feeds the sheet by controlling selection of a sheet feeding unit to be used, sheet feeding timing, and the like.

  Furthermore, a first transport unit 170 and a second transport unit 180 are connected to the control unit 10. The first transport unit 170 feeds paper on which image formation is performed from the paper feed unit 150 or the paper feed unit 160 and transports the paper to the printer unit 140, and the second transport unit 180 performs image formation on the printer unit 140. Transport the paper to the paper output destination.

The basic operation of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described below.
Image data acquired by the image reading unit 110 or the like is sent to the control unit 10 and stored in a RAM or the like.

  At the time of image formation, the control unit 10 sends image data to the printer unit 140, and the LD unit 141 irradiates the photoconductor 142 with laser light corresponding to the image data according to each color, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. By developing this electrostatic latent image, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 142. The toner image is transferred onto the secondary transfer belt 143.

  On the other hand, the control unit 10 issues a paper feed command to the paper feed unit 150 or the paper feed unit 160 selected based on information such as the designated paper feed unit or the paper size related to the job. The fed paper is transported to the printer unit 140 by the first transport unit 170. The toner image on the secondary transfer belt 143 is transferred to the paper sent to the printer unit 140, and the paper on which the toner image is transferred is sent to the fixing device 144, and the toner on the paper is heated and pressured. The image is fixed and an image is formed. Thereafter, it is transported by the second transport unit 180 and discharged.

When the image is formed, the operation time of each part is measured, and the lifetime of the parts constituting each part is determined.
The flow of the control program is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a flow associated with the image forming apparatus and the timer included therein.

The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a control program, a timer for measuring operation time, a circuit for stopping energization of the apparatus, and the like.
When the image forming apparatus 1 is installed and the power is turned on for the first time, execution of a control program provided in the control unit 10 is started (step s1). The control unit 10 stores data set in advance as the upper limit of the operating time until the apparatus reaches the end of its life in the variable a. In this embodiment, the lifetime of the paper feed motor is used. Next, the upper limits of the operation time of the circuit component 1 and the circuit component 2 that have a large influence on the lifetime of the device are stored in the variables b and c, respectively. The variables a, b, and c are stored as data in the storage unit 11 (step s2).

  Thereafter, the user inputs output conditions for copying (paper size, double-sided copy or single-sided copy, number of copies, etc.) through the operation display unit 130, places the document on the image reading unit 110, and starts copying ( Step s3). By setting the output conditions, the operation times of the circuit component 1 and the circuit component 2 based on the image forming sequence are calculated and stored in the variables v and w (step s4). The variable can be temporarily stored in a RAM provided in the control unit. Further, the operation time of each component according to the image forming sequence may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 11 and read as appropriate.

When copying is started, the control unit 10 issues a signal for starting the operation to the timer 12 for measuring the operation time (step s5).
When the operation start signal is received, the timer 12 starts operating, measures the operation time of the paper feed motor, and transmits it to the control unit 10 (step s6).

The control unit 10 refers to the output conditions set by the user before the start of copying and other machine states, acquires the output condition change associated with the operation (step s7), and accumulates the operating time received from the timer 12 And the operation time of the circuit component 1 and the circuit component 2 are calculated based on the output condition and the total is obtained.
That is, the control unit 10 periodically acquires the measurement data measured by the timer 12, acquires the time since the paper feed motor is operated, and changes the output condition (interruption by the user or change of the image process). Etc.), the respective variables v and w relating to the operation time of the circuit component 1 and the circuit component 2 obtained by the calculation are corrected and calculated (step s8), and the operation time of the paper feed motor is set to the variable u ′, The operating time of the corrected circuit component 1 is stored in the variable v ′, and the operating time of the corrected circuit component 2 is stored in the variable W ′ (step s9). Since various conditions for copying are not determined until copying is started, the operation time of the circuit component is calculated after copying is started.

  As described above, copying may be canceled halfway due to user's convenience. Therefore, the calculated and accumulated values (u, v) based on only the set output conditions are the actual operating hours. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate and correct the operation time of the circuit component based on the measurement of the actual operation time of the device. In calculating the operation time of the circuit component, it is possible to take into account conditions inside the apparatus (not shown), for example, changes in current and voltage values taking into account the temperature and humidity around the apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the operating time of each component is calculated (estimated) according to the image forming sequence based on the input output condition, and the operating time of each component is corrected according to the change of the operating condition and the measurement of the operating time of the mechanism. As a result, the operating time of each part was calculated based on the operating time and output conditions of the operating mechanism. However, without taking such a procedure, the operating time and output conditions of the mechanism (input and operating conditions entered) Accordingly, the operation time of each component may be directly calculated with reference to a parameter for calculating the operation time of each component based on the condition change.

  Next, the control unit 10 compares the variables u ′, v ′, and w ′ of the acquired data with the reference values a, b, and c (steps s10 to s12), and among u ′, v ′, and w ′. If it is determined that any one of them has reached the reference value, a device stop signal is issued assuming that the lifetime has been reached (step s13). The apparatus stop signal is transmitted to a predetermined circuit for stopping energization provided in the image forming apparatus, for example, a stop circuit for cutting off power supply to the power supply apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is deenergized (step s14). If any part has not reached the end of its service life, the routine for obtaining the regular operation time, calculating the correction, and comparing the operation time is repeated.

By the way, when the copying operation is continued, if the operation is immediately stopped by satisfying the above conditions, the user cannot obtain the desired copy, which is inconvenient. Further, there is a possibility that the sheet is left inside the apparatus, or each mechanism inside the apparatus stops without returning to the standby position. Therefore, in such a case, it is more convenient to issue an apparatus stop signal after a series of copying operations are completed. In this case, it is desirable to display a warning to the effect that the apparatus becomes unusable after the series of copying operations is completed on the operation display unit.
In addition, when the life is near, it is also preferable from the viewpoint of user friendliness to display the above warning from the time when the number of copies to the end of the life becomes a predetermined value or less. The predetermined value can be stored in the storage unit 11 and can be read by the control unit 10 as necessary.
As described above, the stop portion for stopping energization provided in the image forming apparatus is a circuit that cuts off the power supply to the power supply device. As a specific structure thereof, a fuse or an excessive current flows. In such a case, a breaker or the like that cuts off energization can be used.

In the present embodiment, the operation time measurement target is the operation time of the paper feed motor. The operation time of the paper feed motor has an advantage that not only the number of sheets passed but also the paper size is reflected. However, the object of the operation time measurement is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a method for measuring the operation time of a clutch or the like of a paper conveyance system, or a dedicated rotary encoder for measuring the operation time is installed in the drive roller. A method of measuring the output provided on the shaft can also be used.
Alternatively, as an operation time measurement required for image formation, it is conceivable to measure the operation time of the photosensitive member carrying the toner image.
In addition, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus generally includes a fixing device using a heat roller for fixing a so-called toner image on a sheet. A motor for driving the heat roller of the fixing device It is also possible to measure the operating time or the output of a dedicated rotary encoder provided to measure the operating time for the roller as described above.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the content of the above description, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanical structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is a block diagram. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the flowchart which shows the procedure which performs lifetime determination.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Control part 11 Storage part 12 Timer 130 Operation display part 140 Printer part 141 LD part 142 Photoconductor 143 Secondary transfer belt 144 Fixing device 170 1st conveyance part 180 2nd conveyance part

Claims (9)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium according to set output conditions and outputs the medium,
An operation display unit for setting the output condition;
A plurality of mechanisms that perform image formation; a timer that measures the operating time of the mechanism when performing image formation;
A storage unit for storing the lifetime of a preset part;
Based on the measured operating time of the mechanism and the output condition, the operating time of the parts constituting the mechanism is calculated, and when the cumulative operating time of the parts reaches the set part life, the image An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that determines that the forming apparatus has reached the end of its life.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit determines that the image forming apparatus has reached the end of its life, the control unit stops energization of the image forming apparatus and disables subsequent use.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a warning on the operation display unit when it is determined that the image forming apparatus has reached the end of its life.   The image formation according to claim 1, wherein the measurement of the operation time is measurement of a time during which a medium transport unit that transports a medium on which an image is formed is mechanically driven. apparatus.   The image according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measurement of the operation time is a measurement of a time during which an image carrier that carries a toner image transferred to a medium is mechanically driven. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation time is measured by measuring a time during which a fixing device that fixes a toner image on a medium is mechanically driven.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output condition includes color / monochrome distinction.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output condition includes a medium amount and a size of the medium.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output condition includes the number of pixels of an output image.

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