JP2011227289A - Power supply controller for fixing unit, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve safety at the time of attaching/detaching a fixing unit used for an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A fixing unit 11 comprises: a fixing heater 37; an attachable/detachable connector 43 which supplies a drive power supply to the fixing heater 37; and an RFID device 35 which transmits control information to an apparatus body. A first switch part 39 is inserted into a power supply line of the drive power supply which is supplied to the fixing heater 37 in the apparatus body. A receiving part 25 which is arranged in the apparatus body side and receives control information from the RFID device 35. A power supply control part 41 performs an interruption control of the drive power supply by turning off the first switch part 39 when the receiving part 25 does not receive the control information from the RFID device 35.

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fixing unit power control device and an image forming apparatus. For example, a fixing unit power control device suitable for use in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multi function peripheral (MFP) and the like. The present invention relates to an improvement of an image forming apparatus.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, image data is optically read from image information on a document, a toner image is formed based on the image data, transferred and fixed on a sheet, and the sheet on which the toner image is transferred is loaded. In the process of passing through the heat fixing unit, it has a printing function for printing (printing) the toner image by heating and fixing it on paper, and other processing functions.

  The heating and fixing unit includes a fixing roller including a fixing heater heated by an AC power source and a pressure roller pressed against the fixing roller, and is unitized so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. There are many.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a toner container 5 containing image transfer toner is arranged in a main body case 3 having an opening / closing door 1, and an original placed under a document holder 7 is optical (not shown). ) Is optically read and converted into electronic data. The electronic data is transferred to printing paper by the transfer unit 9 using toner from the toner container 5, fixed by the fixing unit 11, and printed. A configuration that opens and enables the toner container 5 and the fixing unit 11 to be attached and detached is well known.

  Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 6 is an operation unit for instructing the number of printed sheets, printing density, and the like. Reference numeral 15 is a display unit for displaying operation contents and instruction contents. Reference numeral SW detects whether the open / close state of the door 1 is on or off. This is a switch, and the image forming apparatus operates under the ON state of the switch SW.

  However, in the above-described image forming apparatus, since the fixing unit 11 becomes high temperature, there are few problems when all replacement and maintenance are left to a service person. However, when the user removes the fixing unit 11 directly, the power is turned off. If the fixing unit 11 is removed while the power is on, a problem is likely to occur.

  That is, since the fixing unit 11 is normally connected to the main body case 3 via a drawer connector (not shown) for inputting an AC power supply, a DC power supply, a data signal, and the like in the main body case 3, If left unchecked, the AC power supply is exposed to the main unit connector after it is removed, and there is a risk of the user touching the main unit connector to get an electric shock, so safety must be ensured. There is.

  Therefore, when an electromagnetic relay (not shown) is inserted into the power supply circuit for supplying AC power to the fixing unit 11 in the main body case 3 and the switch SW detects the open state of the door 1, the switch SW A configuration is provided in which an AC power supply is cut off by turning off a relay.

  Note that general patent documents relating to the present invention include a fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-84996 (Patent Document 1), a fixing unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-26386 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009. -69656 (Patent Document 3).

JP 2006-84996 A JP 2008-26386 A JP 2009-69656 A

  However, as described above, in the configuration in which the electromagnetic relay is operated in accordance with the open state of the opening / closing door 1 to cut off the AC power supplied to the fixing unit 11, the fixing unit is kept in a state where the user keeps the switch SW on. It is conceivable that the drive power supply cannot be shut off due to the failure of the switch SW itself, and further measures are required to ensure safety when the user contacts the main body side connector. It is.

  In addition, there is a proposal that the electromagnetic relay itself of the power supply circuit that supplies AC power to the fixing unit 11 is an open / close detection switch of the open / close door 1. However, for safety reasons, the distance between the contacts of the switch needs to be a specified interval. As a result, the switch itself becomes larger and the size of the device itself becomes larger.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a fixing unit power control device and an image forming apparatus that can easily improve the safety when the fixing unit used in the image forming apparatus is attached or detached. And

  In order to solve such a problem, a fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a fixing heater, a detachable connector for inputting a driving power source for driving the fixing heater from the apparatus main body, An RFID device that transmits and receives control information to and from the apparatus main body, and a fixing unit that is detachably disposed on the apparatus main body, and a drive power supply line that is inserted in the apparatus main body and supplied to a fixing heater. 1 switch unit, a receiving unit arranged on the apparatus body side for receiving control information between the RFID apparatus, and the receiving unit receiving control information from an RFID apparatus mounted at a fixed position in the apparatus body When the control information is not received, the first switch unit is turned off to control the drive power supply to the connector side. And it includes a power control unit that controls cutting off the supply, the.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing unit power supply control device having a second switch portion for detecting an open state of an open / close door disposed in the device body, wherein the power supply control portion is a second switch portion. When the open state of the door is detected, the first switch unit is turned off to control the power supply to be cut off.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the fixing unit power control device, wherein the RFID device has a function of transmitting identification information indicating the type of the fixing unit in which the RFID device is disposed, and the identification information received by the power control unit. When the operation is permitted on the apparatus main body side, the first switch unit is on-controlled.

  In the fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, the identification information transmitted by the RFID device is a voltage specification of a driving power source for heating and driving the fixing heater.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing unit power control apparatus in which the fixing unit has an RFID device arranged at a position where heat generated by the fixing heater is difficult to be transmitted.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes the fixing unit power control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and an image forming unit that forms an image based on image data.

  In such a fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, when the fixing unit is removed from the apparatus main body, transmission between the receiving unit on the apparatus main body side and the RFID apparatus on the fixing unit side becomes impossible, thereby Since the power supply control unit detects a state in which the control information is not received and the first switch unit is turned off and the drive power supply is controlled to be cut off, the safety when attaching and detaching the fixing unit used in the image forming apparatus is improved. Becomes easy.

  In the fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, the fixing unit power control apparatus has a second switch part for detecting an open state of the door disposed in the apparatus main body, and the power control part is a second switch part. When the open / close door is detected, the first switch is turned off to control the drive power supply. In addition to the above-described effects, the drive power supply to the fixing unit is cut off by opening the door. Therefore, safety can be further improved.

  In the fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, when the identification information received by the power control section is permitted to operate on the apparatus main body side, the first switch section is turned on. Therefore, when a fixing unit suitable for the apparatus is mounted, it is possible to supply driving power to the fixing unit, and it is easy to ensure proper use of the fixing unit.

  In the fixing unit power supply control device according to claim 4 of the present invention, the voltage specification of the driving power supply for heating and driving the fixing heater is used as the identification information transmitted by the RFID device. It is possible to ensure the use of the fixing unit.

  In the fixing unit power supply control device according to claim 5 of the present invention, since the fixing unit places the RFID device at a position where it is difficult for heat generated by the fixing heater to be transmitted, the fixing unit side mounted with the receiving unit on the apparatus main body side It is easy to maintain and maintain communication with the RFID device, and it is easy to ensure accurate operation.

1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit power supply control device according to the present invention. It is a figure explaining the operation panel part of FIG. It is a block diagram explaining the RFID apparatus in this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an outline of a fixing unit power supply control device according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the fixing unit power supply control device according to the present invention. 1 is an external view illustrating an external appearance of an image forming apparatus that is a reference of the present invention.

  Embodiments of a fixing unit power control device and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The fixing unit power control apparatus according to the present invention will be described in the course of describing the image forming apparatus of the present invention, and the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to the above-described configuration.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus A according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A has an image reading unit 19, a storage unit 21, an operation panel unit 23, a transmission / reception unit 25, a printing unit 27, a power supply unit 29, and a second switch unit 31 with the main control unit 17 as the center. For example, a multifunction peripheral (MFP) is configured.

  The image forming apparatus A has a configuration other than this, but since it is not the gist of the present invention, description and illustration are omitted.

  The image reading unit 19 is arranged on the upper part of the main body case (apparatus main body) 3 in FIG. 6 described above, and optically reads an image from, for example, a printed document having a plurality of pages under the control of the main control unit 17. A known scanner or the like that generates electronic print data by performing filter processing or the like, and is controlled to store image data for each page in the storage unit 21. Note that the image reading unit 19 is arranged under the document presser 7 in FIG.

  The storage unit 21 is a readable / writable hard disk, for example, which stores read print data from the image reading unit 19 and permission information for determining identification information to be described later, and stores an operation program of the main control unit 17.

  The permission information related to the identification information is determination information for determining the authenticity of the input identification information, and is for operating the image forming apparatus A when the input identification information is correct by comparison. It is set in advance.

  The operation panel unit 23 is arranged on the upper part of the main body case 3 in FIG. 6, and is a known liquid crystal display panel unit as a display unit 15 capable of displaying various operation states under the control of the main control unit 17. It has a function as the operation unit 13 that receives an operation by touching a place where an image related to the operation of the apparatus is displayed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel unit 23 includes a selection key 23a, a numeric keypad 23b, and a start key 23c for performing various operation instructions and selection such as printing (copying) processing, printing processing, scanner processing, and facsimile transmission / reception processing. In addition, it has a display panel unit 23d for displaying the operation status of the apparatus. An error display 45 described later is displayed on the display panel unit 23d.

  When the fixing unit 33 (described later) is attached to the main body case 3, the transmission / reception unit 25 performs a high-frequency operation on an RFID device (radio frequency identification) 35 disposed in the fixing unit 33 (described later) under the control of the main control unit 17. It has a function of transmitting a signal in a non-contact manner, receiving a control signal of a high-frequency signal from the RFID device 35 in a non-contact manner, decoding and decoding it, and outputting the decoded control information to the main control unit 17.

  The RFID device 35 is an IC wireless tag configured such that various information related to products and users can be read and written on the IC chip, and details will be described later.

  The printing unit 27 is arranged in the main body case 3 of FIG. 6 described above, and develops a plurality of sheet feeding units (not shown) on which sheet materials having different sizes are set, and print data to print image data. And a transfer unit 9 as an image forming unit for developing the toner with the toner in the toner container 5 and transferring the toner image to the sheet material, and a fixing unit 33 (11) for fixing the transferred image of the transferred sheet material. A color or monochrome print engine.

  The fixing unit 33 includes a fixing roller including a fixing heater 37 that is heated by an AC power source and a pressure roller (none of which is shown) that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller 37, and includes the above-described RFID. The device 35 is disposed at a position where the heat generated by the fixing heater 37 is not easily transmitted, and is detachably disposed on the main body case 3 via a connector (not shown in FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID device 35 is controlled in operation by a power source that is demodulated and rectified by the communication unit 35b, and is received from the antenna unit 35a. The identification information is read from the storage unit 35d that stores the identification information indicating the voltage specification of the drive power supply for the fixing unit 33 attached to the apparatus 35, and the identification information is formed into a predetermined format signal by the control unit 35c. The format signal has a function of modulating a high-frequency signal by the communication unit 35b and emitting it from the antenna unit 35a.

  The voltage specification of the driving power supply is information such as a driving power supply voltage value such as AC 100 V and a voltage standard such as 100 system for driving the fixing heater 37 disposed in the fixing unit 33 to be heated.

  1 has a function of supplying a general commercial AC power supply (AC 100 V) to the fixing heater 37 of the fixing unit 11 via the first switch unit 39, and steps down and rectifies the commercial AC power supply. For example, it has a function of supplying, for example, 5V DC power obtained by smoothing to the main control unit 17, the image reading unit 19, the storage unit 21, the operation panel unit 23, the transmission / reception unit 25, the printing unit 27, and the like.

  The first switch unit 39 is, for example, an electromagnetic relay inserted in series in a power supply line that supplies commercial AC power to the fixing heater 37 of the fixing unit 11, and is ON / OFF controlled by the main control unit 1 as will be described later. .

  The second switch unit 31 is disposed in the main body case 3 in FIG. 6 and corresponds to the above-described switch SW that detects the open / close operation by detecting the closed state of the open / close door 1. It has a function of outputting a detection signal to the main controller 17 when the open state is detected.

  The main control unit 17 includes a CPU and a ROM that stores an operation program for the CPU. The main control unit 17 includes the above-described image reading unit 19, storage unit 21, operation panel unit 23, transmission / reception unit 25, printing unit 27, While controlling the power supply part 29, the 2nd switch part 31, etc., it has a function as the power supply control part 41. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the transmission / reception unit 25 receives control information from the RFID device 35, the power supply control unit 41 turns on the first switch unit 39 to control supply of drive power to the connector side. When the signal is not received, the first switch unit 39 is turned off and the drive power supply is controlled to be cut off.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the outline of the fixing unit power supply control device according to the present invention in the image forming apparatus A of the present invention. Reference numeral 43 in the drawing is arranged on the fixing unit 11 side. The connector is a drawer connector or the like which is detachably disposed on the main body case 3 and used for inputting an AC power source, a DC power source and a data signal. Although the other connector connected to the connector 43 is on the main body case (power supply unit 31) side, the illustration is omitted.

  In addition, when the identification information received from the RFID device 35 is permitted to operate on the device body side, the power supply control unit 41 controls the first switch unit 39 to be turned on, and the received identification information When the operation is not permitted on the apparatus main body side, the first switch unit 39 is not controlled to be turned on, and the display panel unit 23d of the operation panel unit 23 displays a “correct fixing unit as shown in FIG. It has a function of displaying an error display 45 such as “Not installed”.

  For example, the specification is such that the fixing heater 37 of the fixing unit 11 mounted on the image forming apparatus A is operated with an AC drive power of AC 100V, and the control information from the actually mounted fixing unit 11 indicates a 200V system. An example is equivalent.

  In addition, the power control unit 41 has a function of controlling the shut-off of the driving power by turning off the first switch unit 39 when the second switch unit 31 detects the open state of the door 1 of the main body case 3. ing.

  Next, the operation procedure of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 5, when the opening / closing door 1 of the main body case 3 is opened in step S1, the second switch unit 31 detects the open state in step S2, and the first switch unit 39 is turned off in step S3. Then, the AC drive power supply to the fixing unit 11 is shut off.

  Subsequently, when the fixing unit 11 is removed from the main body case 3 in step S4, the interval between the RFID device 35 and the transmission / reception unit 25 is separated in step S5, and mutual communication is disabled. In step S6, the first switch unit is set. The 39 off state is maintained.

  In steps S1 to S6, when the opening / closing door 1 of the main body case 3 is opened and the fixing unit 11 is removed, the second switch unit 31 detects the original open state and cuts off the AC driving power to the fixing unit 11. This is an operation procedure.

  On the other hand, when removing the fixing unit 11 with the second switch portion 31 kept closed by using a tool or the like even when the door 1 of the main body case 3 is opened, the step S4 follows the step S1. In step S6, the first switch unit 39 is turned off in step S6, and the AC drive power to the fixing unit 11 is shut off.

  In either case, when the fixing unit 11 is removed, the AC drive power to the fixing unit 11 is cut off.

  As described above, the fixing unit power control device of the present invention provides control information to the fixing heater 37, the detachable connector 43 for inputting the driving power for driving the fixing heater 37 from the apparatus main body, and the inside of the apparatus main body. A fixing unit 11 having an RFID device 35 for transmitting, a first switch unit 39 inserted in a power source line of a driving power source supplied to a fixing heater 37 in the device main body, and an RFID device arranged on the device main body side When the transmission / reception unit 25 receives the control information from the transmission / reception unit (reception unit) 25 that receives the control information from and to the RFID device 35 that is mounted at a fixed position in the apparatus body, the first switch unit When the control power is supplied to the connector 43 side and control information is not received, the first switch unit 39 is turned off to turn on the drive power. A power control unit 41 for controlling disconnection, and a second switch unit 31 for detecting the open state of the door 1 disposed in the apparatus main body, the power control unit 41 being the second switch unit 31. When the open state of the door 1 is detected, the first switch unit 39 is turned off to control the drive power supply to be shut off.

  Therefore, if the opening / closing door is opened when the fixing unit 11 used in the image forming apparatus is attached / detached, the supply of AC driving power to the fixing unit 11 is cut off, and the supply of AC driving power is cut off even if the fixing unit 11 is removed. Even when the fixing unit 11 is removed, the AC drive power source is hardly exposed in the live state on the apparatus main body side.

  Therefore, there is no fear of the user touching the connector on the main body side, and it is easy to improve safety and the operation is also simple.

  However, in the fixing unit power supply control device of the present invention, the second switch unit 31 is not essential, and the power supply control unit 41 turns off only the first switch unit 39 to control the drive power supply. The object of the invention can be achieved.

  Further, the identification information received from the fixing unit 11 side is discriminated by the power supply control unit 41, and if the control information permits the operation of the apparatus main body side, the first switch unit 39 is turned on. In this case, when a fixing unit suitable for the apparatus is mounted, it becomes possible to supply driving power to the fixing unit, and it is easy to ensure appropriate use.

  For example, if the voltage specification of the driving power source for heating and driving the fixing heater 37 is used as the identification information, in particular, it is possible to ensure the use of the fixing unit in accordance with the power source specification related to the fixing unit 11, and to stabilize the image forming apparatus A. It is possible to make it operate.

  Further, in the fixing unit 11, if the position where the RFID device 35 is disposed is a position where the heat generated by the fixing heater 37 is difficult to be transmitted, for example, a position farthest from the fixing heater 37, a position having the smallest heat conduction, etc. Thus, it is easy to maintain and ensure transmission and reception between the RFID 25 and the RFID device 35 on the fixing unit 11 side, and an accurate operation can be ensured.

  Note that the arrangement form of the RFID device 35 in the fixing unit 11 is arbitrary, such as being affixed or embedded in the surface of the main body of the fixing unit 11.

  In the fixing unit power supply control device according to the present invention, the place where the first switch unit 39 is inserted may be any place as long as it is a power supply line of a driving power supply supplied to the fixing unit 11. The main power switch of the image forming apparatus A or a separate switch may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Opening / closing door 3 Main body case 5 Toner container 7 Document holding 9 Transfer part (image formation part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Fixing unit 13 Operation part 15 Display part 17 Main control part 19 Image reading part 21 Storage part 23 Operation panel part 23a Selection key 23b Ten key 23c Start key 23d Display panel part 25 Transmission / reception part 27 Printing part 29 Power supply part 31 2nd switch Unit 33 fixing unit 35 RFID device 35a antenna unit 35b communication unit 35c control unit 35d storage unit 37 fixing heater 39 first switch unit 41 power supply control unit 43 connector 45 error display A image forming apparatus (multifunction device)
SW switch

Claims (6)

The apparatus has a fixing heater, a detachable connector for inputting a driving power source for heating the fixing heater from the apparatus main body, and an RFID apparatus for transmitting / receiving control information to / from the apparatus main body, and is detachable from the apparatus main body A fixing unit arranged in
A first switch unit inserted in a power line of the drive power source that supplies the fixing heater in the apparatus body;
A receiving unit arranged on the apparatus main body side for receiving the control information with the RFID apparatus;
When the receiving unit receives the control information from the RFID device mounted at a fixed position in the apparatus body, the first switch unit is turned on to control the supply of the driving power to the connector side, When not receiving the control information, a power control unit that performs an off operation of the first switch unit to control the supply of the drive power; and
A fixing unit power control apparatus comprising:   A second switch unit that detects an open state of the door that is disposed in the apparatus main body; and the power control unit detects the first switch when the second switch unit detects the open state of the door. The fixing unit power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is controlled to be cut off by turning off a switch unit.   The RFID device has a function of transmitting identification information indicating the type of the fixing unit in which the RFID device is disposed, and the power supply control unit is one in which the received identification information is permitted to operate on the device body side. The fixing unit power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the first switch unit is turned on.   The fixing unit power control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the identification information transmitted by the RFID device is a voltage specification of the driving power source that heats and drives the fixing heater.   The fixing unit power supply control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixing unit is configured such that the RFID device is disposed at a position where heat generated by the fixing heater is difficult to be transmitted.   6. An image forming apparatus comprising: the fixing unit power control device according to claim 1; and an image forming unit that forms an image based on image data.

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