JP2013189009A - Image forming apparatus and method for controlling image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus having an energy saving effect, which reduces the probability of a signal error and to provide a method for controlling the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveying mechanism for supplying a sheet; an image forming part for forming an image on the supplied sheet; a first shift register for inputting a signal from a first sensor and a signal from a second shift register which inputs a signal of a second sensor whose input level is not changed if the input level of a first sensor does not change and outputting an input signal from the second sensor following the input signal from the first sensor as a serial signal; and a control part for skipping a signal from the second sensor if the input level of the first sensor of the serial signal does not change.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus control method.

  Image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers have many sensors. Outputs from these sensors are input to a shift register in parallel, and the shift register outputs a serial signal based on an instruction from the CPU.

  When the number of sensors is large, a plurality of shift registers are connected and used. In this case, a load signal from the CPU, that is, a signal instructing output is transmitted to a plurality of shift registers at different timings, and the uppermost shift register includes a serial signal from the subsequent shift register as a serial signal to the CPU. Output.

  By the way, the sensors included in the image forming apparatus may have a logical dependency that, depending on the installation location, if the state of one sensor does not change, the other does not change.

  The conventional image forming apparatus confirms the input of all the sensors even when there is such a logical dependency.

  Therefore, there is a possibility of a signal error, and there is a point to be improved in terms of energy saving.

JP 2004-274231 A

  Accordingly, there is a need for an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus control method that reduce the probability of signal error and have an energy saving effect.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an embodiment of the present invention includes a sheet conveyance mechanism that supplies a sheet, an image forming unit that forms an image on the supplied sheet, a signal from a first sensor, and a first If the input level of the second sensor does not change, the signal from the second shift register that inputs the signal of the second sensor whose input level does not change is input, and the second signal is input following the input signal from the first sensor. An image comprising: a first shift register that outputs an input signal from the sensor as a serial signal; and a control unit that skips the signal from the second sensor if there is no change in the input level of the first sensor of the serial signal. A forming apparatus is provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the connection of a shift register. It is a figure which shows the example of the serial signal input into the main CPU from the 1st shift register.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus and a method for controlling the image forming apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, a sheet conveying mechanism that supplies a sheet, an image forming unit that forms an image on the supplied sheet, a signal from a first sensor, and an input level of the first sensor change. Otherwise, the signal from the second shift register for inputting the signal of the second sensor whose input level does not change is input, and the input signal from the second sensor is input as the serial signal following the input signal from the first sensor. And a control unit for skipping the signal from the second sensor if there is no change in the input level of the first sensor of the serial signal.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an automatic document feeder 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a paper feeding unit 16, a sheet conveying mechanism 18, and a control unit 19. Including.

  The automatic document feeder 11 is installed at the top of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be openable and closable. The automatic document feeder 11 includes a document conveyance mechanism that takes out documents one by one from a paper feed tray and conveys them to a paper discharge tray.

  The automatic document feeder 11 conveys documents one by one to the document reading unit of the image reading unit 12 by the document conveying function. It is also possible to open the automatic document feeder 11 and place the document on the document table of the image reading unit 12.

  The image reading unit 12 includes an exposure lamp that exposes a document and a carriage including a first reflection mirror, a plurality of second reflection mirrors that move in accordance with the movement of the carriage, a lens block, and a CCD ( Charge Coupled Device).

  The carriage rests on the document reading unit or reciprocates under the document table to reflect the light of the exposure lamp reflected by the document to the first reflecting mirror. The plurality of second reflection mirrors reflects the reflected light of the first reflection mirror to the lens block. The lens block changes the magnification of the reflected light and outputs it to the CCD. The CCD converts incident light into an electrical signal and outputs it as an image signal to the image forming unit 13.

  The image forming unit 13 includes a registration roller 13A that corrects the orientation of the sheet so that the side in the width direction of the sheet conveyed obliquely is parallel to the sheet conveyance direction.

  The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on the sheet whose orientation is corrected by the registration roller 13 </ b> A by the image forming unit 13.

  The image forming method of the image forming unit 13 does not matter. The image forming method of the image forming unit 13 can be selected from methods such as an electronic method and an ink jet method.

  In the case of the electronic system, the image forming unit 13 includes, for each of yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K, a laser irradiation unit 13D, a photosensitive drum 13B that is an electrostatic latent image carrier, and a developer supply unit. 13C and the transfer part 14 are provided.

  The laser irradiation unit 13D irradiates the photosensitive drum 13B with laser light based on the image signal, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 13B. The developer supply unit 13C supplies the developer to the photosensitive drum 13B and forms a developer image from the electrostatic latent image.

  The paper feed unit 16 takes out the sheets one by one from the paper feed cassette and delivers them to the paper transport mechanism. The paper transport mechanism transports the sheet to the transfer unit 14.

  The transfer unit 14 includes a transfer belt 14B and a transfer roller 14A. The transfer belt 14B as an image carrier receives and carries the developer image on the photosensitive drum 13B. The transfer roller 14A applies a voltage to transfer the developer image on the transfer belt to the conveyed sheet.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a fixing device 14 </ b> C downstream of the transfer unit 14 in the sheet conveyance direction. The fixing device 14C heats and pressurizes the developer image to fix it on the sheet.

  In the case of an ink jet type, the image forming unit 13 includes a head that sprays ink onto a sheet.

  The head has an ink supply chamber in which piezo elements of different polarities are attached in the longitudinal direction, and the set of the attached piezo elements are arranged in a comb tooth shape, an ink discharge hole, and covers the ink supply chamber A cover is provided. The image forming unit 13 deforms the ink supply chamber by alternately applying a voltage to the head, and repeats the suction of the ink and the discharge from the ink discharge hole. The ejected ink adheres to the sheet and image formation is performed.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is connected to the client computer 20.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed cassette opening / closing sensor 51 that is installed in the paper feed cassette and detects opening / closing of the paper feed cassette, and a size sensor 52 that detects the size of sheets accumulated in the paper feed cassette.

  A plurality of sheets of the same size are accumulated in the paper feed cassette. Therefore, if the sheet cassette is not opened, the size of the sheet inside the sheet cassette is not changed. That is, if the input level of the paper feed cassette opening / closing sensor 51 does not change, the input level of the size sensor does not change.

  Hereinafter, the second sensor is said to logically depend on the first sensor, so that if the input level of the first sensor does not change, the input level of the second sensor cannot change. . The size sensor 52 logically depends on the paper feed cassette open / close sensor 51.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a main CPU 201 that is a control unit 19 that performs overall control of the entire image forming apparatus 1, a ROM and RAM 202 that are memories, a storage device 215, and image processing that performs image processing. And a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F) for communicating information with an external device.

  The main CPU 201 is connected to a print CPU 205 that controls each part of the image forming system, a scan CPU 209 that controls each part of the image reading system, and a drive controller 212 that controls the drive unit.

  In the case of an electronic system, the print CPU 205 controls a print engine 206 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 20B and a process unit 207 that forms a developer image.

  The scan CPU 209 controls the CCD drive circuit 210 that drives the CCD 211. A signal from the CCD 211 is output to the image forming unit 13.

  The drive controller 212 is connected to the drive unit 213.

  The client computer 20 includes a CPU 301 that is an arithmetic device, a memory 302 such as a ROM and a RAM, an input / output device 303 such as a display, a keyboard, and a mouse, and a communication I / F 304.

  The client computer 20 is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via the communication I / F 304 and the communication I / F 214.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating connection of shift registers. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of shift registers connected to each other. In the present embodiment, an image forming apparatus including two shift registers will be described, but three or more may be provided.

  The first shift register 101 has a plurality of SI terminals for inputting signals from the first sensor, a DI terminal for inputting signals from the second shift register 102, and a load that is a signal output command from the main CPU 201. An LD terminal for inputting a signal and a CK terminal for inputting a clock signal from the main CPU 201 are provided.

  The second shift register 102 includes a plurality of SI terminals for inputting signals from the second sensor, a DI terminal for inputting signals from the third shift register, and a load signal that is a signal output command from the main CPU 201. And an CK terminal for inputting a clock signal from the main CPU 201.

  Sensors that logically depend on the first sensor are connected to the plurality of SI terminals that input signals from the second sensor.

  For example, the paper feed cassette open / close sensor 51 is connected to the SI terminal for inputting the output of the first sensor, and the SI terminal for inputting the output of the second sensor logically depends on the paper feed cassette open / close sensor 51. A size sensor 52 is connected.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a serial signal input from the first shift register 101 to the main CPU 201. As shown in FIG. 4, the serial signal of the second shift register 102 is output from the DO terminal of the first shift register 101 following the serial signal of the first shift register 101.

  Therefore, the input signal from the second sensor is output after being connected to the input signal from the first sensor.

  The image forming apparatus 1 stores the already received input level of the first sensor in the RAM 202. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 1 stores the default value of the input level of the first sensor in the ROM 202.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the main CPU 201 stores the input level of the first sensor newly input and the input level of the first sensor already input and stored in the RAM 202 or stored in the ROM 202. When the input level of the serial signal from the first shift register is not changed, the serial signal from the second shift register is skipped.

  Therefore, even if an error occurs in a signal input from the second sensor to the main CPU 201 via the second shift register 102, the image forming apparatus 1 does not malfunction.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a sheet conveyance mechanism that supplies a sheet, an image forming unit that forms an image on the supplied sheet, a signal from the first sensor, and the first sensor. If the input level of the second sensor does not change, a signal from the second shift register 102 for inputting the signal of the second sensor whose input level does not change is input, and the second sensor is input following the input signal from the first sensor. A first shift register that outputs the input signal from the first sensor as a serial signal, and a control unit that skips the signal from the second sensor if there is no change in the input level of the first sensor of the serial signal.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the probability of signal error and save energy consumption.

  Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

13: Image forming unit 19: Control unit 20: Client computer 101: First shift register 102: Second shift register

Claims (5)

A sheet conveying mechanism for supplying a sheet;
An image forming unit that forms an image on the supplied sheet;
A signal from a second shift register that inputs a signal from a first sensor and a signal from a second sensor that does not change if the input level of the first sensor does not change is input, and the first sensor A first shift register that outputs an input signal from the second sensor as a serial signal following an input signal from the second sensor;
A control unit for skipping the signal from the second sensor if there is no change in the input level of the first sensor of the serial signal;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The first shift register includes:
A plurality of first SI terminals for inputting a signal from the first sensor;
A first DI terminal for inputting a signal from the second shift register;
A first LD terminal for inputting a load signal from the control unit;
A first CK terminal for inputting a clock signal from the control unit,
The second shift register is
A plurality of second SI terminals for inputting signals from the second sensor;
A second LD terminal for inputting a load signal from the control unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a CK terminal that inputs a clock signal from the control unit. The first sensor is a paper cassette opening / closing sensor that detects opening / closing of the paper cassette.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second sensor is a size sensor that detects a size of a sheet. The controller is
The input level from the first sensor that has already been read is stored in a storage device, and the input level from the first sensor that has been newly read is compared with the input level from the first sensor that has already been read. Item 4. The image forming apparatus according to Item 3. The controller is
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a default value of an input level from the first sensor is stored in a storage device in advance, and the newly read input level from the first sensor is compared with the default value.

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