JP2009098391A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leak malfunction caused by heater-on while imparting transfer stability by maintaining a precharger in an appropriate state without dew condensation. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus 100 performs primary transfer of a toner image formed on a photoreceptor drum 3, to an intermediate transfer belt 61, and secondary transfer of the primarily transferred toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61 onto a recording medium. The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with the precharger 200 precharging the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61 prior to the secondary transfer; a heater for heating the precharger 200; a humidity sensor for measuring the ambient humidity of the precharger 200; and a control part for controlling high voltage application to the precharger 200 and power supply to the heater. The control part supplies power to the heater at timing when high voltage is not applied, and changes control of power supply to the heater based on the ambient humidity measured by the humidity sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus provided with a precharger that precharges a toner image primarily transferred from a photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt before secondary transfer onto a recording medium. About.

  An image for forming an image on a recording medium by primarily transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt and secondarily transferring the toner image on the transfer belt which has been primarily transferred onto the recording medium. Forming devices are well known. In such an image forming apparatus, a pre-charger is used to pre-charge the toner image that has been primarily transferred from the photosensitive drum to the intermediate transfer belt before secondary transfer onto the recording medium. Things are known. By charging the toner image on the transfer belt with such a precharger, the charge amount of the toner image before being transferred to the recording medium can be made constant, and the transferability to the recording medium can be improved. it can.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a heater is provided on the back surface of an ion generating charger substrate to control the temperature of the ion generating charger substrate. Here, the ion generator is used as a device for charging the photosensitive drum. The ion generator has means for increasing the temperature in the vicinity thereof and means for recognizing the temperature and humidity, and controls the temperature in the vicinity of the ion generator based on the information on the recognized temperature and humidity. At this time, by preventing the temperature of the photosensitive drum from being increased more than a certain level, fluctuations in image density due to changes in the sensitivity of the photosensitive member are prevented.
JP 2004-157447 A

  An ion generator used as a pre-charger generates corona discharge by a discharge electrode connected to a high voltage power source, thereby generating ions. In such an ion generator, the amount of ions generated decreases when condensation occurs due to high humidity. In particular, sufficient ions may not be generated in a state where condensation is likely to occur in the apparatus such as immediately after the power is turned on. For this reason, the structure which prevents dew condensation is provided by providing a heater in the back surface of an ion generator, and heating after power activation.

  On the other hand, when a high voltage from a high voltage power supply is applied to the discharge electrode to generate ions, if the heater is connected to a DC power supply, a part of the discharge charge enters the power supply line of the DC power supply and becomes noise. Other circuits driven by may cause malfunction. Therefore, while applying a high voltage to the ion generator, it is necessary to turn off the heater and shut off from the DC power supply.

  However, by shutting off the heater from the DC power supply, especially when images are formed continuously for a long time in a low-temperature environment, the temperature of the ion generator decreases, causing condensation on the surface, reducing the amount of generated ions. The problem of end up occurs. In other words, conventionally, there has been a problem that it is difficult to prevent a leakage malfunction due to the heater being turned on while maintaining a proper state without condensation while achieving both a condensation prevention function due to the heater being turned on and a malfunction avoidance function due to the heater being turned off. . Further, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any technical idea related to such a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in an image forming apparatus provided with a precharger that precharges a toner image on a transfer belt before secondary transfer, the precharger has no condensation. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of imparting transfer stability while maintaining an appropriate state and preventing leakage malfunction due to heater ON.

  In order to solve the above problems, the first technical means of the present invention is to primarily transfer a toner image formed on a photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer belt and to transfer the toner image on the transfer belt that has been primarily transferred to a recording medium. An image forming apparatus that performs secondary transfer on a precharger that precharges a toner image on a transfer belt before secondary transfer, a heater that heats the precharger, and an ambient humidity of the precharger. A humidity sensor to be measured, and a control unit that controls application of a high voltage to the precharger and power supply to the heater, and the control unit supplies power to the heater at a timing when no high voltage is applied. Supply is performed, and control of power supply to the heater is changed based on ambient humidity measured by a humidity sensor.

  According to a second technical means of the present invention, in the first technical means, when the toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt continuously on a plurality of recording media, the control unit is configured to transfer the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt. Each time the primary transfer area corresponding to a specific number of recording media in the primary transfer area passes through the preliminary charger, control is performed to supply power to the heater.

  According to a third technical means of the present invention, in the second technical means, when the control unit supplies power to the heater, the primary transfer region corresponding to a specific number of recording media passes through the preliminary charger. Thereafter, control is performed to supply power to the heater until the primary transfer area corresponding to the next recording medium reaches the preliminary charger.

  According to a fourth technical means of the present invention, in the second or third technical means, the control unit changes a specific number according to the ambient humidity.

  According to a fifth technical means of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth technical means, the image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit for thermally fixing the toner image secondarily transferred onto the recording medium. In addition to the control for supplying power to the heater every time the primary transfer area corresponding to a specific number of recording media passes through the specific area, the control section supplies power to the heater at the timing of starting the warm-up of the fixing section. It is characterized by performing control for supplying.

  According to a sixth technical means, in any one of the second to fifth technical means, the image forming apparatus exposes a plurality of photosensitive drums corresponding to a plurality of color toner images and a laser to the photosensitive drums. A laser optical system, and a control unit uses a laser exposure timing for a photosensitive drum corresponding to black among the photosensitive drums corresponding to the toner images of a plurality of colors to control timing of power control to the heater. It is characterized by determining.

  The seventh technical means includes storage means for storing a table for setting a specific number according to ambient humidity in any one of the second to sixth technical means, and the control unit stores the storage means in the storage means. The timing for supplying power to the heater is determined with reference to the table.

  An eighth technical means includes a main control unit that controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh technical means, and the control unit responds to a control signal from the main control unit. This is characterized in that application control of a high voltage to the precharger and power supply control to the heater are performed.

  A ninth technical means includes a temperature sensor for measuring a difference between the temperature of the preliminary charger and the ambient temperature of the preliminary charger in any one of the first to eighth technical means, and the control unit includes a humidity sensor. Based on the humidity measured by the temperature sensor and the difference between the temperature of the precharger measured by the temperature sensor and the ambient temperature, the application of the high voltage to the precharger and the power supply to the heater are controlled. Is.

  A tenth technical means is characterized in that in any one of the first to ninth technical means, a PTC thermistor is provided as a heater.

  According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus including a precharger that precharges a toner image on a transfer belt before secondary transfer, the precharger is maintained in an appropriate state without condensation, and transfer stability is maintained. In addition, it is possible to prevent leakage malfunction due to heater ON.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is configured as a multi function printer (MFP).
The image forming apparatus 100 forms multi-color and single-color images on a predetermined recording sheet (recording medium) according to image data transmitted from the outside. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an apparatus main body 150, an automatic document processing apparatus 160, and the like. It is comprised by. The apparatus main body 150 includes an exposure unit 1, a developing device 2, a photosensitive drum 3, a cleaner unit 4, a charger 5, an intermediate transfer belt unit 6, a fixing unit 7, a paper feed cassette 81, a paper discharge tray 91, and the like. It is configured.

  A document placing table 92 made of transparent glass on which a document is placed is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 150, and an automatic document processing device 160 is attached to the upper side of the document placing table 92. The automatic document processor 160 automatically conveys the document onto the document table 92. The document processing device 160 is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow M, and the document can be placed manually by opening the document table 92.

The scanner unit 90 includes a lamp reflector assembly that exposes the document surface, an optical unit that includes a mirror that guides a reflected light image from the document to a photoelectric conversion element (CCD), and a reflected light image from the optical unit to the CCD. An optical lens for imaging is used. The scanner unit 90 causes the optical unit to travel along the document placing table 92 and sequentially forms an image of the document on the document placing table 92 on the CCD line by line to read the document image.
The image data read by the scanner unit 90 is subjected to various processes and then temporarily stored in an image memory (not shown), and an image is formed by the apparatus main body 150 according to an output instruction. In the apparatus main body 150, the image data output from the image memory is reproduced as a visible image on the photosensitive drum 3, and then an image is formed by the toner image transferred onto the recording paper.

  The image data handled in the image forming apparatus 100 corresponds to a color image using each color of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Accordingly, four developing devices 2, photosensitive drums 3, charging devices 5, and cleaner units 4 are provided to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors, and are respectively provided in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. These are set to form four image stations. Here, monochrome image formation using only black can also be supported.

  The charger 5 is a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. In addition to the charger type as shown in FIG. 1, a contact type roller type or brush type charger is used. Sometimes used.

  The exposure unit 1 is configured as a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided with a laser emitting portion, a reflection mirror, and the like. The exposure unit 1 includes a polygon mirror that scans the laser beam and optical elements such as a lens and a mirror for guiding the laser beam reflected by the polygon mirror to the photosensitive drum 3. As the exposure unit 1, a configuration using, for example, an EL or LED writing head in which other light emitting elements are arranged in an array can also be employed.

  The exposure unit 1 has a function of forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the surface thereof by exposing the charged photosensitive drum 3 according to the input image data. The developing unit 2 visualizes the electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photosensitive drums 3 with toners of four colors (Y, M, C, BK). The cleaner unit 4 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after development and image transfer.

The intermediate transfer belt unit 6 disposed above the photosensitive drum 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 61, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, an intermediate transfer roller 64, and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65. I have. Four intermediate transfer rollers 64 are provided corresponding to the respective colors for Y, M, C, and BK.
The intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, and the intermediate transfer roller 64 are driven to rotate while the intermediate transfer belt 61 is stretched. Each intermediate transfer roller 64 provides a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61.

  The intermediate transfer belt 61 is provided so as to be in contact with each photoconductor drum 3, and the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photoconductor drum 3 are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 61 and transferred. Further, it has a function of forming a color toner image (multicolor toner image) on the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is formed in an endless shape using, for example, a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

  Transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 61 is performed by an intermediate transfer roller 64 that is in contact with the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 61. A high-voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 64 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 64 is a roller whose base is a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm and whose surface is covered with a conductive elastic material (for example, EPDM, urethane foam, or the like). With this conductive elastic material, a high voltage can be uniformly applied to the intermediate transfer belt 61. In this embodiment, a roller shape is used as the transfer electrode, but a brush or the like can also be used.

As described above, the electrostatic images visualized according to the hues on the photosensitive drums 3 are stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 61. The laminated image information is transferred onto the recording sheet by the transfer roller 10 disposed at a contact position between the sheet and the intermediate transfer belt 61 described later by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 61.
At this time, the intermediate transfer belt 61 and the transfer roller 10 are pressed against each other at a predetermined nip, and the transfer roller 10 has a voltage (having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) for transferring the toner onto the paper. High voltage) is applied. Further, in order to obtain the nip constantly, either the transfer roller 10 or the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 62 is made of a hard material (metal or the like), and the other is a soft material such as an elastic roller (elastic rubber roller or foaming resin). A configuration such as a roller is used.

  Further, as described above, the toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 61 due to contact with the photosensitive drum 3 or the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 without being transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 10 is used in the next step. In order to cause a color mixture of toner, the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 is configured to remove and collect the toner. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 includes a cleaning blade as a cleaning member that comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 that comes into contact with the cleaning blade is supported by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63 from the back side. ing.

  The paper feed cassette 81 is a tray for storing recording paper (recording paper) used for image formation, and is provided below the exposure unit 1 of the apparatus main body 110. In addition, recording paper used for image formation can also be placed in the manual paper feed cassette 82. A paper discharge tray 91 provided above the apparatus main body 110 is a tray for collecting printed recording sheets face down.

  Further, the apparatus main body 110 has a substantially vertical sheet conveyance path S for feeding the recording sheets of the sheet feeding cassette 81 and the manual sheet feeding cassette 82 to the sheet discharge tray 91 via the transfer roller 10 and the fixing unit 7. Is provided. In the vicinity of the paper transport path S from the paper feed cassette 81 or the manual paper feed cassette 82 to the paper discharge tray 91, pickup rollers 11a and 11b, a plurality of transport rollers 12a to 12d, a registration roller 13, a transfer roller 10, and a fixing unit. 7 etc. are arranged.

The transport rollers 12 a to 12 d are small rollers for promoting and assisting the transport of the recording paper, and a plurality of the transport rollers 12 a to 12 d are provided along the paper transport path S. The pickup roller 11 a is provided near the end of the paper feed cassette 81, picks up recording paper from the paper feed cassette 81 one by one, and supplies it to the paper transport path S. Similarly, the pickup roller 11 b is provided near the end of the manual paper feed cassette 82, picks up recording paper one by one from the manual paper feed cassette 82, and supplies it to the paper transport path S.
Further, the registration roller 13 temporarily holds the recording paper conveyed through the paper conveyance path S. The recording paper is transported to the transfer roller 10 at the timing when the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 is aligned with the leading edge of the recording paper.

  The fixing unit 7 includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72, and the heat roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 rotate with the recording paper interposed therebetween. The heat roller 71 is set by the control unit so as to reach a predetermined fixing temperature based on a signal from a temperature detector (not shown). It has the function of fusing, mixing, and pressing the multicolor toner image transferred to the paper and thermally fixing it to the recording paper. Further, an external heating belt 73 for heating the heat roller 71 from the outside is provided.

The preliminary charger 200 is a pre-transfer charger that assists the charge of the toner image before transfer in order to improve the transfer characteristics of the toner image to the recording paper, and uses an ion generating charger. The precharger 200 is connected to a high voltage power supply (not shown) and supplied with a high voltage.
A humidity sensor (not shown) for measuring the humidity around the preliminary charger 200 is provided in the vicinity of the preliminary charger 200. A specific configuration example of the preliminary charger 200 will be described later.

Next, the recording paper conveyance path will be described. As described above, the image forming apparatus is provided with the paper feed cassette 81 for storing recording paper and the manual paper feed cassette 82 in advance. In order to feed the recording paper from these paper feed cassettes 81 and 82, pickup rollers 11a and 11b are respectively arranged so as to guide the recording paper one by one to the transport path S.
The recording paper transported from each of the paper feed cassettes 81 and 82 is transported to the registration roller 13 by the transporting roller 12a in the paper transporting path S, and at the timing when the leading edge of the recording paper and the leading edge of the image information on the intermediate transfer belt 61 are aligned. It is conveyed to the transfer roller 10 and image information is written on the recording paper. Thereafter, the recording paper passes through the fixing unit 7 so that the unfixed toner on the recording paper is melted and fixed by heat, and is then discharged onto the paper discharge tray 91 via the transport roller 12b disposed thereafter.

  The above-mentioned transport path is for a single-sided printing request for recording paper. On the other hand, when a double-sided printing request is made, the single-sided printing is completed and the recording paper after passing through the fixing unit 7 as described above. When the end is gripped by the final transport roller 12b, the transport roller 12b rotates in reverse to guide the recording paper to the transport rollers 12c and 12d. Then, after printing is performed on the back surface of the recording paper through the registration roller 13, the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 91.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 100 includes a main CPU 101 that controls the entire apparatus. The main CPU 101 corresponds to the main control unit of the present invention. The main CPU 101 includes an image processing unit 102, ROM 103, HDD 105, image memory 106, operation panel 107, NIC (Network Interface Card) 108, LSU (Laser Scanning Unit) 109, fixing unit 110, driving unit (motor, clutch). , Solenoid) 111, document reading unit 112, and preliminary charging unit 120 are connected.

The main CPU 101 controls each input / output device according to a program written in the ROM 103 in advance, and temporarily stores data input / output during this time in a predetermined memory area of the RAM 104. The image memory 106 stores the image data output from the image processing unit 102.
The operation panel 107 includes an input key and a liquid crystal display panel. The operation panel 107 displays the status of the apparatus, available paper size, copy magnification, and the like, and can accept an operator's operation using the input key. The liquid crystal display panel may be a liquid crystal touch panel that allows input by touching the liquid crystal screen.

  The NIC 108 is a communication unit for communicating with the client PC 130 that is an external device via a communication line. The image forming apparatus 100 performs printing based on the print data transferred from the client PC 130 or transfers the image data obtained by the original reading unit 112 to the client PC 130 via the NIC 108. The print data transmitted from the client PC 130 is stored in the HDD 105. The drive unit 111 includes a motor, a clutch, and a solenoid for driving a drive system such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt.

  The document reading unit 112 includes a CCD, a lamp reflector assembly, and the like, and reads a document image and converts it into image data. The document reading unit 112 corresponds to the scanner unit 90 configured as shown in FIG. The image data read by the document reading unit 112 is temporarily stored in the image memory 106 after various processes are performed by the image processing unit 102. Then, an image is formed in accordance with an output instruction operation on the operation panel 107. Here, the LSU 109 sensitizes the photosensitive drum according to the image data output from the image memory 106. The toner image developed by developing the photosensitive drum is transferred to an intermediate transfer belt, transferred onto a recording sheet by a transfer load, and thermally fixed by the fixing unit 110. These LSUs 109 correspond to the exposure unit 1 configured as shown in FIG. 1, and the fixing unit 110 corresponds to the fixing unit 7 configured as shown in FIG.

The preliminary charging unit 120 promotes transfer to a sheet by charging the toner on the intermediate transfer belt, and corresponds to the preliminary charger 200 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and its power supply system. The precharger 200 includes a sub CPU 121 that controls supply of high voltage to the precharger 200 and power supply to a heater provided in the precharger 200. The sub CPU 121 corresponds to the control unit of the present invention.
An example of the configuration and operation of the preliminary charger will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a precharger applicable to the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a schematic side view of the precharger, and FIG. 3B is an upper surface of the precharger. FIG. 3C is a schematic view of the lower surface of the preliminary charger. In FIG. 3, 200 is a precharger, 201 is a discharge electrode, 202 is an induction electrode, 203 is a heater electrode, 204 is a dielectric, 204a is an upper dielectric, and 204b is a lower dielectric.

  The precharger 200 includes a discharge electrode 201, and a high voltage power source is connected to the discharge electrode 201. The discharge electrode 201 is discharged by a high voltage supplied from a high voltage power source to generate ions, and applies a charge to the toner on the intermediate transfer belt. This facilitates the transfer of the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording paper. In the configuration of FIG. 3, the precharger 200 generates ions by discharge generated based on the potential difference between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 (corona discharge generated in the creeping direction of the dielectric 204 near the discharge electrode 201). generate.

The dielectric 204 has a flat plate shape in which a substantially rectangular upper dielectric 204a and a lower dielectric 204b are bonded together. The discharge electrode 201 is integrally formed with the dielectric 204 on the surface of the dielectric 204 (upper dielectric 204a).
The shape of the discharge electrode 201 may be any shape as long as it extends uniformly in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 61. However, when the electric field concentration with the induction electrode 202 is more likely to occur, even if the voltage applied between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 is low, a discharge can be performed between the two electrodes. desirable. In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the discharge electrode 201 is a rectangular electrode.

  The induction electrode 202 is formed inside the dielectric 204 (upper dielectric 204a). As shown in FIG. 3B, the induction electrode 202 is a solid electrode provided so as to surround the discharge electrode 201. One end of the induction electrode 202 is connected to a ground potential (ground) by a ground connection terminal (ground connection end).

  The insulation resistance between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 is preferably uniform, and the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 are preferably parallel. With such an arrangement, the distance between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 (distance between the electrodes) becomes constant, so that the discharge state between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202 is stable, and ions are preferably generated. It becomes possible.

The preliminary charger 200 is provided with a heater electrode 203 for heating the preliminary charger 200. The heater electrode 203 is provided inside the dielectric 204 separately from the induction electrode 202. One end of the heater electrode 203 is connected to the heater power supply, and the other end is set to the ground potential. The heater electrode 203 is configured to generate heat due to Joule heat when a predetermined voltage is applied to the heater electrode 203 by the heater power supply.
As the heater electrode 203, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) thermistor can be used. A PTC thermistor is a semiconductor having a positive temperature coefficient in which electric resistance increases remarkably in a certain temperature range, and can be used as a heater having a temperature control function. By using the PTC thermistor, temperature control applied to a general heater can be made unnecessary.

  By causing the heater electrode 203 to generate heat, the dielectric 204 is heated (for example, about 60 ° C.), and condensation on the surface of the dielectric 204 can be suppressed. Therefore, ions can be stably generated even in a high humidity environment. If the surface of the dielectric 204 is condensed, the discharge characteristics are deteriorated. Therefore, it is effective to prevent the condensation due to the heat generated by the heater electrode 203 or to eliminate the condensation. Further, if the dielectric 204 has a hygroscopic material, the hygroscopic property of the dielectric 204 can be suppressed by the heat generation of the heater electrode 203.

  The heater electrode 203 is formed separately from the induction electrode 202 so that no heater current flows through the induction electrode 202. Due to such a configuration, the resistance value of the induction electrode 202 does not affect the heater electrode 203. Therefore, the induction electrode 202 can be set to an appropriate size and shape as the induction electrode 202 according to various conditions. Further, the heater electrode 203 can warm the preliminary charger 200 and reduce adsorbed moisture without affecting the discharge characteristics between the discharge electrode 201 and the induction electrode 202. The heater electrode 203 can be adjusted in electrode width and length so as to have a desired input power at a voltage (for example, 12 V or 24 V) shared with a voltage used for discharge for generating ions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration example of a heater power supply unit that supplies power to the heater electrode of the preliminary charger. By applying a predetermined voltage (12 V in this case) from the DC power source to the heater electrode 203, the heater electrode 203 generates heat due to Joule heat.
Terminals T3 and T4 on the circuit shown in FIG. 4 are connected to terminals T3 and T4 of the heater electrode 203 shown in FIG. In this configuration, the voltage from the DC power supply is supplied to the heater electrode 203 and the solenoid 212 of the relay 211. Then, the energization of the solenoid 212 is controlled in accordance with the heater control signal input to the transistor 213, whereby the relay 211 is turned on / off. Thereby, energization to the heater electrode 203 is controlled. The heater control signal is output from the sub CPU 121 (FIG. 2).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration example of a high-voltage power supply that applies a voltage to the discharge electrode of the precharger. The terminals T1 and T2 on the circuit shown in FIG. 5 are connected to the terminal T1 of the discharge electrode 201 and the terminal T2 of the dielectric electrode shown in FIG. The sub CPU 121 (FIG. 2) outputs a high voltage control signal for on / off control of the high voltage power supply 220. In the high voltage power supply 220, the oscillator 221 oscillates in response to the ON signal of the high voltage control signal. The oscillation voltage is boosted by the high-voltage transformer 222, converted to a high-voltage DC voltage by the smoothing circuit 223, and applied to the discharge electrode 201. Thereby, ON / OFF of the voltage applied to the discharge electrode 201 of the precharger 200 is controlled.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a control unit (sub CPU) that performs application control of a high voltage to the discharge electrode and power supply control to the heater. The sub CPU 121 is provided in the preliminary charging unit 120 shown in FIG. 2, and controls the application of a high voltage to the discharge electrode 201 and the power supply to the heater electrode 203. Here, the sub CPU 121 appropriately outputs a high voltage control signal for controlling the high voltage power source and a heater control signal for controlling the heater power source unit based on the control signal from the main CPU 101. The sub CPU 121 receives an output signal from a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity around the preliminary charger 200. By sharing the control between the main CPU 101 and the sub CPU 121, the preliminary charger can be easily controlled.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example in the sub CPU. This will be described below with reference to the configuration of FIG.
When the user instructs the start of printing by operating the operation panel 107 of the image forming apparatus 100 (step S1-YES), the main CPU 101 notifies the sub CPU 121 of the start of printing, and the sub CPU 121 uses the humidity sensor to make a backup. The ambient humidity of the charger is measured (step S2). Then, the sub CPU 121 refers to the sheet number interval table based on the measured humidity, and sets the print sheet number interval for supplying power to the heater electrodes (heater on) (step S3). The set print number interval determines the number of specific recording sheets (recording media) for turning on the heater, and an example of this number interval table will be described later.

  Next, the sub CPU 121 supplies power to the heater electrode 203 of the preliminary charger 200 to turn on the heater and heat the preliminary charger 200 (step S4). The main CPU 101 waits until a control signal indicating that the warm-up of the fixing unit 110 has been completed is transmitted (step S5). When the warm-up of the fixing unit 110 is completed, the power supply to the heater electrode 203 of the preliminary charger 200 is turned off (heater off) (step S6). That is, here, the heater is turned on at the timing of the warm-up start of the fixing unit. Thereby, the heater can be turned on in the idle time before image formation, and the heating time can be secured.

  The main CPU 101 counts how many sheets have been printed by a page counter. The sub CPU 121 acquires information on the number of printed pages N from the main CPU 101, and determines whether N is a multiple of the value N (specific number of sheets) acquired in the number interval table (step S7). When the number of printed sheets becomes a multiple of N, a subroutine described later is executed (step S8). After executing the subroutine, the process returns to step S7. If the number of printed sheets is not a multiple of N, it is determined whether or not printing has been completed (step S9). If not, the process returns to step S7, and if printing has been completed, this process is terminated. The subroutine execution process is repeated until all pages are printed in this way.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of the subroutine shown in FIG. The sub CPU 121 determines whether it is the BK laser off timing based on the signal indicating the BK laser off from the main CPU 101 (step S11). The timing of the signal indicating BK laser off coincides with the end of the toner image for one page of the recording paper.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus corresponds to a color image using each color of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Four developing units 2, photosensitive drums 3, chargers 5, and cleaner units 4 are provided to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors, and are set to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. ing. Laser light sources for exposure while scanning the photosensitive drum 3 for each color are prepared for each color, and the BK laser is a laser that exposes the photosensitive drum 3 for black (black (BK)). Shall point to.

  When the BK laser is turned off (step S11—YES), the sub CPU 121 waits for a time t1 (WAIT) (step S12). At time t1, the photosensitive drum 3 makes a half turn from the irradiation position of the BK laser from the time when the BK laser is turned off, and the preliminary charger 200 starts from the contact position (primary transfer position) between the photosensitive drum 3 and the intermediate transfer belt 61. This corresponds to the time required for the intermediate transfer belt 61 to move. That is, it corresponds to the time until the position where the BK laser is turned off on the photosensitive drum 3 reaches the preliminary charger 200. The arrival at the preliminary charger 200 means that a specific position on the intermediate transfer belt 61 reaches a position on the intermediate transfer belt 61 facing the preliminary charger 200.

When the time t1 has elapsed (step S12—YES), the sub CPU 121 performs control to turn off the high voltage to the discharge electrode 201 and turn on the power supply to the heater electrode 203. That is, the high pressure is turned off and the heater is turned on (step S13).
That is, here, when the toner image is continuously transferred onto the recording sheet on the intermediate transfer belt, the primary transfer area corresponding to the recording sheet passes through the preliminary charger 200 and the trailing edge of the primary transfer area is When the preliminary charger 200 is reached, the heater is turned on.

Next, the sub CPU 121 waits for a time t2 (WAIT) (step S14). The time t2 is a time when the intermediate transfer belt corresponding to the length between the recording paper passes through the preliminary charger 200 when the image forming apparatus 100 performs printing (image formation) on the recording paper. Equivalent to. This can be defined as, for example, the time required for the intermediate transfer belt having a length between recording sheets to pass through a specific area in front of the preliminary charger 200.
When the time t2 has elapsed (YES in step S14), the sub CPU 121 performs control to turn on the discharge electrode 201 again and turn off the heater electrode 203 (high voltage on, heater off) (step S15).

  That is, here, the heater electrode 203 is turned on after the primary transfer area corresponding to the recording medium passes through the preliminary charger 200 and before the primary transfer area corresponding to the next recording medium reaches the preliminary charger 200. Thus, the control to turn off the discharge electrode 201 is performed.

The above control example will be described more specifically. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of ON / OFF timing control of the BK laser, the high voltage control signal, and the heater control signal.
Timing P1 is the off timing of the BK laser corresponding to the trailing edge of the toner image. When the time t1 has elapsed from the timing P1, the sub CPU 121 turns off the high voltage control signal to turn off the application of the high voltage to the discharge electrode 201 and turns on the heater control signal to supply power to the heater electrode 203. (Timing P2).

  Further, the sub CPU 121 turns on the high voltage control signal to turn on the application of the high voltage to the discharge electrode 201 again when the time t2 elapses from the timing P2, and turns off the heat control signal to turn off the power to the heater electrode 203. Is turned off (timing P3).

  In this way, by using the exposure timing of the BK laser to the BK photosensitive drum 3 to determine the heater-on timing, the timing can be controlled in either the color mode or the monochrome mode. .

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the times t1 and t2 used for the control of the high-voltage control signal and the heater control signal, and shows the configuration of the main part including the photosensitive drum 3 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 shown in FIG. It is.
The time t1 measured from the timing of turning off the BK laser is expressed by t1 = L1 ÷ V. As shown in FIG. 10A, L1 is a length L3 corresponding to a half circumference of the photosensitive drum 3, and a contact position (primary transfer position) between the photosensitive drum 3 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 to the preliminary charger 200. And the distance L4. The distance to the preliminary charger 200 is the distance to reach the position facing the preliminary charger 200 on the intermediate transfer belt 61 as described above. V is the process speed, that is, the rotational linear speed of the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 = the moving speed of the intermediate transfer belt 61.

  The time t2 is represented by t2 = L2 ÷ V. As shown in FIG. 10B, L2 corresponds to the time for which the intermediate transfer belt 61 corresponding to the length L2 between the recording sheets passes through the preliminary charger 200. The passage of the preliminary charger 200 is a time for passing through the region facing the preliminary charger 200 on the intermediate transfer belt 61. Furthermore, with regard to the heater on / off timing, it is preferable to turn on the heater with a delay of 100 msec from the high voltage on (induction electrode on), and to turn off the heater 100 mmsec before the high voltage off.

  That is, the position where the BK laser is turned off on the photosensitive drum corresponds to the trailing edge of the recording sheet, and no toner image is formed up to the leading edge of the next recording sheet thereafter. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the recording paper reaches the preliminary charger 200, the heater control signal is turned on and the high voltage control signal is turned off. The reason why the high voltage is turned off when the heater is on is to prevent a part of the discharge charge from being mixed into the power line of the heater power source and causing noise when the discharge electrode 201 is discharged as described above. . When the position corresponding to the front end of the next recording sheet reaches the preliminary charger 200 after the elapse of time t2, the heater control signal is turned off and the high voltage control signal is turned on.

  As described above, in the above control example, the discharge electrode 201 is turned off and the heater electrode 203 is turned on only for the time during which the area between the recording sheets passes through the preliminary charger 200 by sewing between the toner images to be imaged. it can. As a result, the heater can be turned on without lowering the image formation (printing) speed without affecting the image formation. Further, since the number of on / off operations can be minimized, deterioration of the relay contacts can be suppressed.

  As described above, the ON / OFF control of the discharge electrode 201 and the heater electrode 203 is performed for each multiple of the sheet interval setting value N indicating a specific number. That is, when the toner image is continuously primary-transferred onto a plurality of recording media onto the intermediate transfer belt, each time the primary transfer region corresponding to a specific number N of recording media passes through the preliminary charger 200, the heater electrode 203. Control to turn on the power supply to.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sheet number interval table. As described above, when the sub CPU 121 is notified of the start of printing from the main CPU 101, the ambient humidity of the preliminary charger is measured by the humidity sensor, and the number interval table is referred to based on the measured humidity. The sheet number interval table records the number of recording sheets for controlling the discharge electrode 201 and the heater electrode 203 in accordance with the ambient humidity, and is stored in a storage unit such as a ROM provided in the image forming apparatus. Then, the sub CPU 121 sets a sheet number interval setting value N for applying a voltage to the heater electrode (heater on) according to the reference result.

  In the example of FIG. 11, when the relative humidity is 10% or less, the heater is not turned on and the heater is turned off, and when the relative humidity is 11 to 20%, the heater is turned on every time 50 sheets are printed. Thereafter, as the relative humidity rises, the sheet interval value at which the heater is turned on gradually decreases. When the relative humidity is 70% or more, the heater is turned on every time one sheet is printed. Thus, by changing the control of the power supply to the heater according to the relative humidity, the heater on / off control can be appropriately executed with the minimum number of times, and the preliminary charger 200 is not condensed. Will be able to maintain.

Condensation actually occurs according to the ambient humidity (relative humidity) and the difference between the temperature of the preliminary charger 200 and the ambient temperature. For example, even if the ambient humidity is high, condensation does not occur if there is almost no difference between the temperature of the preliminary charger 200 and the ambient temperature. Even if the ambient humidity is low, condensation occurs if the difference between the temperature of the preliminary charger 200 and the ambient temperature is large.
In the number interval table of FIG. 11, in order to simplify the control, the heater-on interval is determined on the assumption that the difference between the temperature of the preliminary charger 200 and the ambient temperature is the largest (worst case).

  As another control method, two additional temperature sensors for measuring the difference between the temperature of the precharger 200 and the ambient temperature of the precharger 200 are additionally provided, and the heater on timing and interval are set according to the temperature difference and humidity. You may decide. For example, the heater may be controlled to be off when the humidity is 30% or less and the temperature difference is 5 ° C. or less. As a result, the heater ON / OFF count can be further reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a preliminary charger applicable to the image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the circuit structural example of the heater power supply part which supplies electric power to the heater electrode of a preliminary charger. It is a figure which shows the circuit structural example of the high voltage power supply which applies a voltage to the discharge electrode of a preliminary charger. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the control part (sub CPU) which performs application control of the high voltage to a discharge electrode, and electric power supply control to a heater. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process example in sub CPU. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process example of the subroutine shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining an example of timing control of ON / OFF of BK laser, a high voltage | pressure control signal, and a heater control signal. It is a figure for demonstrating time t1, t2 used for control of a high voltage | pressure control signal and a heater control signal. It is a figure which shows an example of a number interval table.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Exposure unit, 2 ... Developing device, 3 ... Photoconductor drum, 4 ... Cleaner unit, 5 ... Charger, 6 ... Intermediate transfer belt unit, 7 ... Fixing unit, 10 ... Transfer roller, 11a, 11b ... Pickup roller, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d ... conveying roller, 13 ... registration roller, 15 ... intermediate transfer belt, 30 ... humidity, 61 ... intermediate transfer belt, 62 ... intermediate transfer belt drive roller, 63 ... intermediate transfer belt driven roller, 64 ... Intermediate transfer roller 65 ... Intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 71 ... Heat roller 72 ... Pressure roller 73 ... External heating belt 81, 82 ... Paper feed cassette 90 ... Scanner unit 91 ... Paper discharge tray 92 ... Document placement table, 100 ... image forming apparatus, 101 ... main CPU, 102 ... image processing unit, 103 ... ROM, 104 ... AM, 105 ... HDD, 106 ... image memory, 107 ... operation panel, 108 ... NIC, 109 ... LSU, 110 ... fixing part, 111 ... drive part, 112 ... document reading part, 120 ... preliminary charging part, 121 ... sub CPU , 130 ... client PC, 150 ... apparatus main body, 160 ... automatic document processing apparatus, 200 ... preliminary charger, 201 ... discharge electrode, 202 ... induction electrode, 203 ... heater electrode, 204 ... dielectric, 204a ... upper dielectric, 204b, lower dielectric, 211, relay, 212, solenoid, 213, transistor, 220, high voltage power supply, 221, oscillator, 222, high voltage transformer, 223, smoothing circuit.

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus that primarily transfers a toner image formed on a photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt, and secondarily transfers the primary transferred toner image on the intermediate transfer belt onto a recording medium,
A preliminary charger that precharges the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt before the secondary transfer, a heater that heats the preliminary charger, a humidity sensor that measures the ambient humidity of the preliminary charger, and the preliminary A control unit that performs application control of a high voltage to the charger and power supply control to the heater;
The control unit supplies power to the heater at a timing when the high voltage is not applied, and changes control of power supply to the heater based on ambient humidity measured by the humidity sensor. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt continuously on a plurality of recording media, the control unit is configured to perform a primary transfer region of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt. An image forming apparatus characterized in that control is performed to supply power to the heater each time a primary transfer area corresponding to a specific number of recording media passes through the preliminary charger.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the controller supplies power to the heater, a primary transfer region corresponding to a specific number of recording media passes through the preliminary charger, and then An image forming apparatus that performs control to supply power to the heater until the primary transfer area corresponding to the recording medium reaches the preliminary charger.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes the specific number according to the ambient humidity.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit for thermally fixing a toner image secondarily transferred onto the recording medium, and the control unit includes: In addition to the control for supplying power to the heater every time the primary transfer area corresponding to the specific number of recording media passes through the specific area, the heater is supplied to the heater at the timing of the warm-up start of the fixing unit. An image forming apparatus that performs control to supply power.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive drums corresponding to a plurality of color toner images, and a laser that exposes the photosensitive drums with a laser. An optical system, and the control unit uses the exposure timing of the laser to the photosensitive drum corresponding to black among the photosensitive drums corresponding to the toner images of the plurality of colors, to control the power to the heater. An image forming apparatus characterized by determining timing.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit that stores a table for setting the specific number of sheets according to the ambient humidity, and the control unit stores the storage unit in the storage unit. An image forming apparatus that determines timing for supplying power to the heater with reference to the table.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a main control unit that controls an operation of the entire image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit is configured to control the operation according to a control signal from the main control unit. An image forming apparatus, wherein application control of a high voltage to a precharger and power supply control to the heater are performed.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor that measures a difference between a temperature of the preliminary charger and an ambient temperature of the preliminary charger, and the control unit includes the humidity sensor. The application of high voltage to the precharger and the power supply control to the heater are performed based on the difference between the humidity measured by the temperature sensor and the temperature of the precharger measured by the temperature sensor and the ambient temperature. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a PTC thermistor as the heater.

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