JP2014044317A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of minimizing damage on a photoreceptor when the image forming apparatus is activated after generation of troubles in a driving system.SOLUTION: After driving troubles are generated in a photoreceptor drum, when a front cover of a printer body once opened and closed thereafter is detected (Step S104), it is determined that countermeasures against troubles (release efforts) are taken, and driving confirmation processing for the photoreceptor drum is first executed (Step S105). As a result of the driving confirmation processing, in the case of FLG=0 (the photoreceptor drum is normally rotated) (Step S106:Yes), surface potential reset processing of the photoreceptor drum (Step S107) and normal image creation activation processing (Step S108) are executed. On the other hand, in the case of FLG≠0 (the photoreceptor drum is not normally rotated) (Step S106:No), display of errors is performed (Step S109), and the surface potential reset processing and the normal image creation activation processing are not allowed to be executed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to control at the time of starting an apparatus after a trouble occurs in a drive system of a photosensitive member.

In general, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum is uniformly charged by a charger, and then exposed and scanned to form an electrostatic latent image, and a developer is formed on the formed electrostatic latent image. The toner is supplied from the toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording sheet to form an image.
When repeating such a series of image formation operations of charging, exposure, development, and transfer, if the next image formation operation is performed with the exposure history remaining on the photosensitive drum, the next image is displayed in the exposure history. The resulting afterimage (ghost) appears and the image quality may deteriorate.

  Therefore, conventionally, in this type of image forming apparatus, in order to remove the exposure history, the surface of the photosensitive member is irradiated with light at an appropriate timing to eliminate the charge, and the surface potential is reset to the reference potential (0 V). (For example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-191554 A

By the way, in the image forming apparatus, if some trouble occurs in the drive system of the apparatus during the image forming operation and the rotation of the photosensitive drum is stopped, the image forming operation is interrupted in the middle, so that the exposure history is not removed. There is. For this reason, it is necessary to first perform the static elimination process when the device is started after the trouble is dealt by the operator.
However, in particular, in the case of a drive system trouble, the cause may be the occurrence of a jam from the abnormality of the drive motor, the abnormality of the control system, etc. There are many cases where the device is started up only by taking a superficial countermeasure such as removal of a jam or the like without essentially solving the trouble.

  For this reason, if the static elimination process is performed mechanically during startup after recovery, for example, if the device is started without solving the trouble of the drive motor and the photoconductor cannot rotate due to the trouble, it does not rotate. There is a problem that strong light for static elimination is concentrated and irradiated on a specific portion of the photosensitive drum, causing damage due to light fatigue and shortening the life of the photosensitive drum.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing damage to a photosensitive member as much as possible upon startup after occurrence of a drive system trouble. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention uniformly charges the surface of a rotationally driven photoconductor, forms an electrostatic latent image by exposure based on image data, and develops the image. Having an image forming process means for visualizing with an agent and transferring the image to a transfer material to form an image, an abnormality detecting means for detecting that the driving of the photoconductor is abnormal, and an attempt to cancel the abnormality A release trial accepting unit that accepts the fact that it has been done, and a start control unit that controls the start of the image forming process means when accepting that the cancellation of the abnormality has been attempted by the release trial accepting unit, The activation control means has a confirmation means for confirming that the photoconductor rotates normally. When the confirmation means confirms that the photoconductor is normally rotated, the start control means Image formation including static elimination processing Activation processing of process means to execute, when is not confirmed that the photosensitive member is normally rotated by said confirmation means is characterized in that it does not perform the activation process.

In this case, it further includes a canceling person accepting unit that accepts that a person in charge of the attempt to cancel the abnormality is a specific person, and the activation control unit attempts to cancel the abnormality by the canceling person accepting unit. When the person in charge of execution of the information is accepted as a specific person, it is possible to prohibit the execution of the confirmation operation by the confirmation means and execute the start-up process.
Further, the activation control means may be configured to start neutralization of the surface of the photoconductor simultaneously with the rotation driving of the photoconductor in the activation process, and to end after rotating for one or more rounds.

  Further, the image forming process means includes a developing power supply unit that applies a developing bias to a developing roller of a developing device that supplies a developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member, and the activation control means includes the charge eliminating unit. The development bias is applied simultaneously with the start of the processing, and when the static elimination start position on the surface of the photoconductor reaches the development position where the development is performed facing the development roller, the application of the development bias is stopped. Also good.

  Further, the image forming process means includes a driving means for rotationally driving the photoconductor, and the driving means determines the rotational speed of the photoconductor from the first rotational speed at the time of image formation and the first rotational speed. Can be switched to a low second rotation speed, and the activation control means is configured so that the rotation speed of the photosensitive member becomes the second rotation speed during the execution of the confirmation operation by the confirmation means. The driving unit may be controlled to control the driving unit so that the rotation speed of the photosensitive member becomes the first rotation speed during the startup process.

  The image forming process means includes a charging power supply unit that applies a charging bias to a charger that charges the surface of the photoreceptor, and a developing roller of a developer that supplies developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor. A starting power supply unit that applies a developing bias, and the activation control unit controls the charging power source unit and the developing power source unit so that the charging bias and the developing bias are not applied during the checking operation by the checking unit. It is good also as a structure.

  The release person accepting means has a selection accepting means for accepting selection of whether or not execution of the confirmation operation by the confirmation means is prohibited, and the activation control means indicates that the execution person in charge is a specific person. Even if the confirmation operation is accepted, when the selection accepting unit accepts a selection indicating that the confirmation operation is not prohibited, the prohibition of the confirmation operation may be canceled.

  Further, here, a cancellation person accepting means for accepting that a person in charge of the attempt to cancel the abnormality is a specific person, and accepting that the person in charge of execution by the person in charge of canceling is a specific person And a count unit that counts the number of times the fact that the cancellation of the abnormality has been attempted is received by the cancellation trial reception unit, and the activation control unit receives the first reception by the cancellation trial reception unit. If there is, an image forming process including a charge removal process on the surface of the photoconductor when the confirmation unit performs the confirmation operation and the confirmation unit confirms that the photoconductor is rotating normally. When the confirmation means does not confirm that the photoconductor is rotating normally, the activation process is controlled so that the activation process is not executed. For the second and subsequent reception by, prohibits confirmation operation by the confirmation unit may be configured to execute the activation process.

  The activation control means may be configured to switch to the activation process when the confirmation means confirms that the photoconductor is rotating normally.

  According to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the activation control unit that controls the activation of the image forming process unit includes a charge removal process on the surface of the photoconductor when it is not confirmed that the photoconductor is rotating normally. Since the image forming process means is controlled so as not to start up, even if the apparatus is started up while the photoconductor is in a non-rotatable state, the neutralization of the photoconductor surface concentrates on a specific location and causes damage. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the shortening of the life of the photoreceptor due to the damage.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which expands and shows one of the image formation units which the said printer has. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the structure of the control part in the said printer, and the main component used as the control object of a control part. It is a figure which shows the structure of a photoconductor motor drive part. (A) is a time chart which shows an example of a normal image formation operation | movement start process, (b) is the schematic for demonstrating the time chart of (a). 5 is a time chart illustrating an example of a photosensitive drum drive confirmation process. (A) is a time chart which shows an example of the imaging operation starting process after a trouble process, (b) is the schematic for demonstrating the time chart of (a). It is a flowchart which shows an example of control of image formation operation starting processing after trouble processing. It is a subroutine showing a photosensitive drum drive confirmation process. 3 is a subroutine showing a photosensitive drum surface potential reset process. It is an example of the screen of the operation panel which the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment has. It is a flowchart which shows control of the imaging operation starting process after a trouble process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings by taking a tandem type color printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) as an example.
(1) Overall Configuration of Printer FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes an image forming unit 100, a paper feeding unit 200, a fixing unit 300, a control unit 400, an operation panel 500, and the like.

  When the printer 1 is connected to a network (for example, a LAN) and receives a print instruction from an external terminal device (not shown) or the operation panel 500, the toner image of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is received based on the instruction. Then, a printing process on the recording sheet is performed by forming a full-color image by multiply transferring these onto the recording sheet. Hereinafter, the reproduction colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are expressed as Y, M, C, and K, and Y, M, C, and K are added as subscripts to the numbers of the components related to the reproduction colors.

The image forming unit 100 includes image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, an exposure unit 20, an intermediate transfer belt 30, a secondary transfer roller 40, toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K, and sub hoppers 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K. Etc.
The intermediate transfer belt 30 is an endless belt, is stretched horizontally by a driving roller 31 and a driven roller 32, and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A.

  The image forming units 10 </ b> Y, 10 </ b> M, 10 </ b> C, and 10 </ b> K are arranged in this order along the circumferential direction A of the intermediate transfer belt 30. The detailed configuration of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K will be described later. The image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K have photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, respectively. Form. The toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are sequentially primary-transferred so as to be superimposed at the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 30, thereby forming a color toner image.

  The exposure unit 20 includes a print head 21 including four laser diodes, a polygon mirror, a scanning lens, and the like, and four reflection mirrors 22 inside, and is generated for each reproduction color based on image data. In accordance with a drive signal from the unit 400, each surface of the photoconductive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K is irradiated with a laser beam L for exposure scanning. By this exposure scanning, electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, and each electrostatic latent image is developed with reproduced color toner to form a toner image.

The paper feed unit 200 includes a paper feed cassette 201 that stores the recording sheets S, a paper feed roller 202 that feeds and feeds the recording sheets S one by one on the conveyance path 206, and a timing roller 203.
The timing roller 203 conveys the recording sheet S toward the secondary transfer position 41 in accordance with the timing at which the color toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 30 is conveyed to the secondary transfer position 41. At the secondary transfer position 41, the color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 30 are secondarily transferred onto the recording sheet S all at once by the action of electrostatic force by the secondary transfer roller 40.

The recording sheet S to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 300, heated and pressurized to heat and fix the toner image on the recording sheet S, and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 600.
The operation panel 500 includes a plurality of input keys and a liquid crystal display unit, and a touch panel is provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display unit. An instruction from the user is accepted by a touch input from the touch panel or a key input from an input key, and is notified to the control unit 400.

The control unit 400 controls the image forming unit 100, the paper feeding unit 200, the fixing unit 300, and the like uniformly to execute a smooth printing operation.
A front cover 90 is provided on the front side of the printer 1 (the front side of the paper). By opening the front cover 90, maintenance work such as replacement of the toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70B and jam processing can be performed. It is like that.

Further, a cover open / close detection sensor 91 including a limit switch that is turned on / off by opening / closing the front cover 90 is provided on the apparatus main body side. The control unit 400 acquires information indicating the open / closed state of the front cover 90 based on the output of the cover open / close detection sensor 91.
(2) Structure of image forming unit and image forming operation The image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K have the same structure except that the reproduced colors are different. A description will be given of one image forming unit in which a subscript representing a color is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the image forming unit 10 in an enlarged manner.
As shown in the figure, the image forming unit 10 cleans the above-described photosensitive drum 11 and the charging roller 12, the developing device 13, the primary transfer roller 14, and the photosensitive drum 11 disposed around the photosensitive drum 11. The cleaner 15 is provided.
The photosensitive drum 11 is rotationally driven by a photosensitive motor M1 via a driving force transmission mechanism (gear or the like) (not shown) (in the direction of arrow B). In the present embodiment, a DC brushless motor is used as the photoreceptor motor M1.

The charging roller 12 is disposed in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 and is rotated by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 11. The charging roller 12 is connected to the output terminal of the charging power source 51, and the charging bias V1 has a predetermined potential selected from the range of, for example, −300V to −800V from the charging power source 51 (in this embodiment, − 500V) DC voltage is applied.
The surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is charged by the action of the charging roller 12 to which the charging bias V1 is applied, and the laser beam L is irradiated from the exposure unit 20 as described above to form an electrostatic latent image.

The developing device 13 includes a developing roller 131, a stirring screw 134, and a supply screw 135 that are disposed in the housing 130 so as to face the photosensitive drum 11, and as a developer, a carrier that is magnetic particles and a non-magnetic carrier. A two-component developer using toner is used. Further, the carrier has a positive charging characteristic and the toner has a negative charging characteristic.
The stirring screw 134 and the supply screw 135 are rotationally driven by a developing motor M2 (for example, a DC brushless motor) via a driving force transmission mechanism (gear, etc.) (not shown), and are supplied from the toner cartridge 70 and the sub hopper 80 (see FIG. 1). The toner to be developed is supplied to the developing roller 131 side while stirring.

The developing roller 131 includes a cylindrical developing sleeve 132 that is rotatably held in the housing 130, and a columnar magnet body 133 that is fixedly disposed inside the developing sleeve 132.
The developing sleeve 132 is also rotationally driven by the developing motor M2 via a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown). On the surface of the rotating developing sleeve 132, a magnetic brush is formed by a carrier attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet body 133, and the toner is transported to the photosensitive drum 11 side by the magnetic brush.

The developing sleeve 132 is connected to the output terminal of the developing power supply unit 52. The developing bias V2 from the developing power supply unit 52 is, for example, a predetermined potential selected from a range of −150V to −650V (this embodiment). Then, a DC voltage of −350 V) is applied.
Due to the action of the developing sleeve 132 to which the developing bias V2 is applied, in other words, the electrostatic force due to the potential difference between the developing sleeve 132 and the electrostatic latent image portion on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, the toner flies and the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is statically discharged. The electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image.

  The primary transfer roller 14 has a predetermined direct current (for example, selected from a range of 5 μA to 20 μA in the direction from the primary transfer roller 14 toward the photosensitive drum 11 as a transfer current I3 from the transfer constant current power supply unit 53. In this embodiment, 10 μA) is applied. As a result, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 30 by the action of the primary transfer roller 14 to which a positive transfer bias is applied.

The toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer is scraped off by the cleaner 15 and collected in a waste toner bottle (not shown).
In this way, a series of image forming operations (image forming process) of charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning of the photosensitive drum 11 is performed.
Also, immediately after the end of a series of image forming operations for one recording sheet, until the next recording sheet arrives, or after the end of the print job, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is once discharged to erase the exposure history. In the next image formation, an afterimage due to the exposure history is prevented from occurring.

In the present embodiment, the exposure unit 20 performs exposure scanning (hereinafter referred to as “all exposure”) with a laser beam L having a predetermined intensity or more to expose the entire peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11, thereby eliminating static electricity. It adopts a configuration to do.
All or part of the image forming unit 10 configured as described above is detachably attached to the housing of the printer 1.

(3) Configuration of Control Unit FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the configuration of the control unit 400 and main components that are controlled by the control unit 400. As shown in the figure, the control unit 400 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 402, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 403, a communication interface (I / F) unit 404, an image data storage unit. 405, a timer 406, and the like.

  The CPU 401 executes a program for controlling the image forming unit 100, the paper feeding unit 200, the fixing unit 300, the operation panel 500, and the like. The ROM 402 is a storage that stores various programs executed by the CPU 401. A RAM 403 is a work area when the CPU 401 executes a program. The communication I / F unit 404 is an interface for connecting to a LAN such as a LAN card or a LAN board.

The image data storage unit 405 stores image data for printing from the external terminal received via the communication I / F unit 404.
Further, the CPU 401 rotationally drives the photoconductor motor M1 via the photoconductor motor drive unit 54, and controls the rotation of the photoconductor drums 11Y to 11K. Further, the developing motor M2 is rotationally driven via the developing motor driving unit 55 to control the rotation of the developing sleeve 132, the stirring screw 134, and the supply screw 135 of the developing devices 13Y to 13K.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the photoconductor motor drive unit 54 receives an output signal from a microcomputer 541, a rotation drive control circuit 542, and a rotor position detection sensor M11 (for example, a Hall element) provided in the photoconductor motor M1, and rotates. It comprises a rotor position detection circuit 543 that detects the child position, a rotation speed calculation circuit 544, and the like, and outputs to the CPU 401 a lock signal S1 indicating the rotation state of the photoconductor motor M1 and a pulse signal S2 indicating the rotation speed. The developing motor driving unit 55 is configured in the same manner.

In the present embodiment, the microcomputer 541 receives a drive signal from the CPU 401, sends a control signal to the rotation drive control circuit 542 so as to rotate at the instructed rotation speed, and the rotation drive control circuit 542 is controlled by an inverter circuit. A phase alternating current is generated and supplied to the photoreceptor motor M1.
On the other hand, the rotor position detection circuit 543 detects the rotation position of the rotor of the motor based on the detection signal from the rotor position detection sensor M11, and outputs the detection signal to the microcomputer 541 and the rotation speed calculation circuit 544. The rotation speed calculation circuit 544 obtains the rotation speed by counting the detection signals per unit time and outputs the rotation speed to the microcomputer 541.

The microcomputer 541 sends a lock signal S1 and a pulse signal S2 to the control unit 400 based on the outputs of the rotor position detection circuit 543 and the rotation speed calculation circuit 544.
The lock signal S1 indicates the rotation state of the motor, and is “Hi” when the motor is rotating normally (for example, within a range of ± 0.5% of the instructed rotation speed), otherwise Is output as “Low”.

  The CPU 401 confirms from the lock signal S1 of the photoconductor motor driving unit 54 whether or not the photoconductor motor M1 is rotating normally. If the lock signal S1 is Low (the rise immediately after the start of rotation drive). Excluding the time required), it is determined that a trouble has occurred in the photoconductor motor M1, an error is displayed on the operation panel 500, and the image forming operation (including the image forming operation) being executed is interrupted.

The pulse signal S2 is designed so that the transmission cycle is output at, for example, 50 pulses / rotation, and the pulse signal S2 is counted when the photosensitive drum is driven through an appropriate reduction gear. By doing so, the rotation angle of the photosensitive drum can be grasped.
That is, the CPU 401 calculates the rotation angles of the photoconductive drums 11Y to 11K based on the count value of the pulse signal S2, thereby applying the charging bias V1, the developing bias V2, and the transfer current I3 at the time of image formation. And the irradiation timing of the laser beam L is acquired. Then, the charging power supply unit 51, the development power supply unit 52, the transfer constant current power supply unit 53, and the exposure unit 20 are controlled, and the charging bias V1, the development bias V2, and the transfer current I3 are applied in accordance with the acquired timing. And image forming operations of charging, exposure, development, and transfer are executed.

In addition, the CPU 401 performs the following as a startup process (hereinafter referred to as “imaging operation start process”) that makes the image forming operation executable when the printer 1 is started up.
The image forming operation start processing is slightly different between the normal time and, for example, after the trouble of the photoconductor motor M1 as described above occurs. Hereinafter, the former is referred to as “normal image forming operation start”. The processing and the latter will be described in order as “imaging operation start processing after trouble processing”.

(4) Normal image forming operation start processing Normal image forming operation start processing is a state in which the printer 1 is turned off in a trouble-free state and then turned on and started up, or there is no trouble. This is executed when the printer enters a standby state and is started up after receiving a print job.
FIG. 5A is a time chart showing an example of a normal image forming operation start process, and shows the drive timing of the photoconductor motor and the application timing of the charging bias V1 and the developing bias V2.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 400 first starts driving the photoconductor motor M1 to rotate the photoconductor drums 11Y to 11K, and at the same time, applies a charging bias V1 (On) to turn on the photoconductor drum 11Y. Charging of each peripheral surface of ˜11K is started (time t11).
Although not shown, the developing motor M2 is driven at the same timing as the photoconductor motor M1.

  Thereafter, the developing bias V2 is applied immediately before the charged areas on the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11Y to 11K reach the position facing the developing roller 131 (the developing position P3 in FIG. 5B) ( On) (time t12). As a result, the potential difference between the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing roller is reduced (150V in this case), and the electrostatic force acting on the positively charged carrier is reduced, so that the carrier moves toward the photosensitive drum 11. The flying can be prevented by the magnetic force of the magnet body 133 of the developing roller 131, and useless consumption of the carrier can be prevented.

The timing for applying the developing bias V2 is specifically determined as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5B, when the rotation angle from the charging position P1 to the development position P3 of the photosensitive drum 11 is θ1, the photosensitive drum is determined from the transmission cycle of the pulse signal S2 of the photosensitive motor driving unit 54. The number (n1) of pulse signals S2 transmitted while the rotation angle 11 rotates by the rotation angle θ1 is calculated and stored in advance in the ROM 402, for example. The control unit 400 starts charging with the charging bias V1 simultaneously with the start of driving of the photoconductor motor M1, and determines that it is the timing to apply the developing bias V2 when the count number of the transmitted pulse signal S2 becomes n1. In FIG. 5A, the time until the count of the pulse signal S2 reaches n1 is indicated by Ta.

Note that the timing of the above application is not necessarily limited to the counting of the pulse signal S2, and may simply be the time Ta.
Thus, by charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 and applying a developing bias, the next exposure, development, and transfer operations can be performed immediately.
The above is the normal image forming operation start processing. Since the surface potential reset process is completed by all exposures at the end of the previous print job, it is not necessary to execute the surface potential reset process in this normal image forming operation starting process.

(5) Image formation operation start processing after trouble processing Image formation operation start processing after trouble processing includes drive confirmation processing of the photoconductive drum 11, surface potential reset processing of the photoconductive drum 11, and the normal image forming operation described above. And startup processing.
Here, the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum 11 is performed because the image forming operation is interrupted when a trouble occurs, and there is a high possibility that the previous exposure history remains. This is because it is necessary to erase the exposure history before.

  Further, when the user performs a primary response when a trouble occurs, for example, in the case of the trouble of the photoconductor motor M1 as described above, there is a possibility that the photoconductor drum 11 is started up in a non-rotatable state. is there. As a result, there is a disadvantage in that all exposure for erasing the exposure history concentrates on a specific portion of the photosensitive drum 11 whose rotation is stopped and causes damage.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the driving confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11 is performed before the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum 11 and it is determined that the photosensitive drum 11 is normally rotated. Only the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum 11 and the normal image forming operation start process are performed.
First, the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the timing of driving of the photoconductor motor M1 and the application of each bias during the drive confirmation processing of the photoconductor drum 11.
As shown in the figure, in the drive confirmation process of the photoconductor drum 11, the control is performed so that only the photoconductor motor M1 is driven, and the charging bias V1 and the development bias V2 are not applied and exposed at all. Note that in this embodiment, control is performed so as to drive at the same rotational speed as during image formation.

Thus, only the rotation state of the photoconductor motor M1 is checked, and if it cannot be rotated, charging and exposure are not concentrated on a specific portion of the photoconductor drum 11 to cause damage. .
In the present embodiment, the time Tb for driving confirmation is equal to or longer than the time required for the photoreceptor motor M1 to reach a preset rotational speed if it is normal (preliminarily obtained through experiments), and After reaching the rotational speed, it is a length of time for the lock signal S1 to be output at least once from the photoconductor motor drive unit 54.

Note that when the portion where the charge on the surface of the photoconductive drum 11 remains due to the rotation of the photoconductive motor M1 reaches the development position P3, the carrier may adhere to the portion, so the time Tb is a time satisfying the above condition. It is desirable to make it as short as possible.
In the present embodiment, the output cycle of the lock signal S1 from the photoconductor motor drive unit 54 is about 300 ms, the time required to reach a preset rotation speed is about 200 ms, and the time Tb is 1000 ms. If the lock signal S1 from the photoconductor motor driving unit 54 becomes Hi within this time Tb, it is determined that the photoconductor drum 11 is normally driven to rotate, and otherwise, it is determined that it is abnormal. Yes.

Next, the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum 11 will be described.
FIG. 7A is a time chart showing an example of the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum 11.
In the figure, it is assumed that it is determined to be normal in the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11 at time t31 (time t31 is the time from time t21 to time t22 in FIG. 6). ).

At the time t31, the control unit 400 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with the laser light L from the exposure unit 20 to start full exposure (static elimination) (On), and simultaneously applies the development bias V2 (On). ) Although not shown, the development motor M2 is driven simultaneously with the application timing of the development bias V2.
By performing the entire exposure for at least the time Td during which the photosensitive drum 11 is rotated once or more, the potential of the entire photosensitive region on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is reset.

  Here, the developing bias V2 is also applied at the timing of time t31 because the charge of the photosensitive drum 11 is applied until the fully exposed area on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 reaches the developing position P3. This is to prevent the remaining portion of the toner from passing through the developing position P3 and attaching the carrier. Then, at the timing (time t32) when the fully exposed region passes the developing position P3, the application of the developing bias V2 is stopped (Off), and this time, the toner is prevented from adhering to the fully exposed region. I am doing so.

  The timing for stopping the development bias V2 and the entire exposure is performed by counting the pulse signal S2 or monitoring the elapsed time, as in the case of determining the timing for applying the development bias V2 in FIG. Is called. Here, when the count number of the pulse signal S2 reaches n2, the exposure scanning is stopped, and the elapsed time until the count number reaches n2 is Tc.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the control of “imaging operation start processing after trouble processing”.
This process is performed as a subroutine of a main flowchart (not shown) for controlling the entire printer 1.
When the lock signal S1 from the photoconductor motor drive unit 54 changes from Hi to Low during execution of the print job, the control unit 400 determines that the photoconductor drum 11 does not rotate normally, that is, a trouble has occurred. (Step S101: Yes), the image forming operation is immediately stopped (Step S102), and an error message is displayed on the operation panel 500 (Step S103).

Thereafter, the user confirms this error message, and the user himself / herself or a serviceman called by the user opens the front cover 90 to deal with the trouble.
The main causes of the rotation trouble of the photosensitive drum 11 are a failure of the photosensitive motor M1 and a poor connection with a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) for transmitting the rotational driving of the photosensitive motor M1 (for example, a poor meshing of the gear). Can be mentioned.

In the case of the former motor failure, a serviceman needs to deal with it, but in the latter case, the connection failure is solved by reattaching the image forming unit 10 including the photosensitive drum 11 to the housing of the printer 1 again. The possibility is high, and there are many cases where users can handle it themselves.
After such troubleshooting is performed, the front cover 90 is closed.
In this embodiment, if the control unit 400 detects that the front cover 90 is closed from the opened state (step S104: Yes), it is determined that some trouble has been dealt with, and the photosensitive drum drive confirmation is made. Processing is performed (step S105).

The open / closed state of the front cover 90 can be detected by the output signal of the cover open / close detection sensor 91.
FIG. 9 is a subroutine showing the contents of the “photosensitive drum drive confirmation process” in step S105.
As shown in the figure, the control unit 400 first sends a drive signal to the photoconductor motor drive unit 54 to drive the photoconductor motor M1 (step S201), and acquires the lock signal S1 from the photoconductor motor drive unit 54. (Step S202).

If the lock signal S1 is Hi (step S203: Yes), it is determined that the photoconductor motor M1 is normal and the photoconductor drum 11 is rotating normally, and FLG = 0 is set (step S202). S204), the process returns to the image forming operation start process after the trouble process in FIG.
Otherwise (step S203: No), the above steps S202 and S203 for obtaining and checking the lock signal S1 are repeated until the time Tb elapses after the start of driving of the photoconductor motor M1 (step S205: No). .

If the time Tb elapses while the lock signal S1 is not Hi (step S205: Yes), it is determined that the photoconductor motor M1 cannot rotate or is abnormal in speed, and FLG = 1 is set (step S206). Then, the process returns to the image forming operation start process after the trouble process in step 8.
Then, it is determined whether or not FLG = 0 in step S106 of FIG. 8. If FLG = 0 is not satisfied (step S106: No), an error is displayed on the operation panel 500 (step S109), which is not shown. Return to the main flowchart.

On the other hand, if FLG = 0 (step S106: Yes), it is determined that the photosensitive drum 11 is rotating normally, and the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum is performed (step S107).
FIG. 10 is a subroutine showing the contents of the “photosensitive drum surface potential reset process”.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 400 first starts full exposure (starts static elimination) and drives the developing motor M2 to apply the developing bias V2 (step S301).
If the time Tc has elapsed from the start of exposure scanning (step S302: Yes), first, the application of the developing bias V2 is stopped (step S303).
Next, if the time Td required for one rotation of the photosensitive drum 11 has elapsed since the start of the entire exposure (step S304: Yes), the entire exposure is stopped (static discharge is stopped) (step S305), and after the trouble processing in FIG. Return to the image forming operation start process.

Then, after the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum in step S107 in FIG. 8, a normal image forming operation start process is performed (step S108), and the process returns to the main flowchart (not shown).
Since the normal image forming operation starting process has been described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the description thereof is omitted here.

Thus, the image forming operation start process after the trouble process is completed.
According to the printer 1 having the above-described configuration, at the time of start-up after trouble processing, first, it is confirmed whether or not the photosensitive drum 11 is rotating normally. The body drum 11 is neutralized to reset the surface potential, and then the image forming operation is started.

  On the other hand, if it is not confirmed that the photosensitive drum 11 is rotating normally, the surface potential is reset by discharging the photosensitive drum 11 and the image forming operation is controlled so as not to start. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the exposure for resetting the surface potential from being concentrated on a specific portion of the photosensitive drum 11 whose rotation is stopped and causing damage. As a result, the life of the photosensitive drum 11 can be prevented from being shortened, and the maintenance load and cost can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, when the control unit 400 executes the image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing (when executing the corresponding steps in FIGS. 8 to 10), the image forming process in the present invention is performed. It functions as an activation control means for controlling the activation of the means. In addition, in the image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing, the control unit 400 confirms whether or not the photosensitive drum 11 is normally rotated based on the lock signal S1 from the photosensitive motor driving unit 54. In addition, during the image forming operation, it functions as a photosensitive member drive abnormality detecting means for checking whether or not the photosensitive drum 11 is normally rotated based on the lock signal S1, and detecting that it is abnormal when it is not normal. .

Furthermore, when the front cover 90 is once opened after the trouble has occurred and then is closed by the cover opening / closing detection sensor 91 after the trouble has occurred, it is determined that the trouble has been dealt with. The cover open / close detection sensor 91 functions as a release trial accepting unit that accepts that an attempt has been made to cancel the abnormality in driving the photosensitive member.
<Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the contents of the image forming operation starting process after the trouble processing are different depending on whether the trouble handling is performed by the user or a specific person such as a serviceman. This is different from the first embodiment.

As mentioned above, when a user handles a problem, there is a risk that the printer will start up without being able to solve the problem.However, since a service person has expertise in the printer, there is little possibility of such a risk. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum.
Further, during the confirmation of the driving of the photosensitive drum, no developing bias is applied in order to prevent development, so that the carrier flies and adheres to the portion where the charge on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 remains. there is a possibility. Therefore, if the photosensitive drum 11 rotates normally, it is desirable to execute the surface potential reset process and the normal image forming operation start process without performing the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the service person performs troubleshooting and cancels the trouble, it is assumed that the photoconductor drum 11 is normally rotated normally, and when the printer 1 is started up, The configuration is such that the surface potential reset process and the normal image forming operation start process are performed without performing the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11.
Since the rest is basically the same as that of the printer 1 of the first embodiment, the following description will mainly focus on different parts of the flowchart.

FIG. 11 is a screen example of the operation panel 500 included in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, and shows an input screen 510 for maintenance staff.
The maintenance staff input screen 510 is a screen that is set to be accessible by, for example, inputting an administrator code that is unknown to the user from a menu screen (not shown) of the operation panel 500 when the service person handles a trouble. It is.

The maintenance staff input screen 510 is provided with input areas such as a date 511 for performing maintenance such as troubleshooting, an operator ID 512, a work CD (code) 513, and a work completion button 514.
In the input area of the work CD 513, for example, an alphanumeric code provided corresponding to each work such as toner cartridge replacement, photoconductor drum replacement, photoconductor motor replacement, jam handling, photoconductor motor maintenance, and the like is provided. Entered. If the work is completed successfully, the completion button 514 is turned on. The completion button 514 also functions as a trouble release acceptance button indicating that the trouble after the trouble handling by the service person has been released.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the service person first accesses the maintenance staff input screen 510 and enters at least the date 511 and the worker ID 512 before entering the work when troubleshooting.
When the work is completed, the service person inputs the work CD 513 and turns on the completion button 514. The various pieces of information 511 to 513 and the ON information of the completion button 514 that are input are stored in a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory provided in the control unit 400, for example.

In the present embodiment, when the completion button 514 is turned on from the maintenance staff input screen 510 in the image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing, the surface confirmation process is not performed without performing the driving confirmation processing of the photosensitive drum 11. It is characterized in that a potential reset process and a normal image forming operation start process are executed.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control of “imaging operation start processing after trouble processing” executed by the control unit 400 in the present embodiment. The same processing as in FIG. is there.

When a trouble occurs, the image forming operation is stopped and an error message is displayed on the operation panel (steps S101 to S103).
When the control unit 400 detects in step S104 that the front cover 90 is closed from the opened state (Yes), the control unit 400 checks whether or not an input to the maintenance staff input screen 510 is next performed. (Step S110).

When the input to the maintenance person input screen 510 is made (step S110: Yes), it is confirmed whether or not the completion button 514 is turned on (step S111).
When the completion button 514 is turned on (step S111: Yes), a drive signal is sent to the photoconductor motor drive unit 54 to drive the photoconductor motor M1 (step S112), and at the same time, the surface of the photoconductor drum The potential reset process is started (step S113). Thereafter, normal image forming operation start processing is performed (step S114), and the process returns to a main flowchart (not shown).

Here, the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum in step S113 is the same process as the surface potential reset process of the photosensitive drum in step S107, and the normal image forming operation start process in step S114 is the normal process in step S108. This is the same process as the image forming operation start process.
On the other hand, when the completion button 514 is not turned on (step S111: No), the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process is performed (step S105), and the subsequent steps S106 to S109 are executed.

In the present embodiment, assuming that there is a case where the service person wishes to confirm driving of the photosensitive drum just in case, the photosensitive drum driving confirmation processing is executed depending on whether or not the completion button 514 is turned on. It is possible to select whether or not.
Of course, it may be configured to mechanically skip the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process when step S111 is deleted and a serviceman handles the trouble.

In step S110, if there is no input to the maintenance staff input screen 510 (No), it is determined that the trouble has not been dealt with by the service person, and the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process is performed as in the first embodiment. (Step S105), the subsequent steps S106 to S109 are executed.
The image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing in the present embodiment has been described above.

  According to the present embodiment, if the completion button 514 indicating that the trouble has been released by the service person is turned on, it is assumed that the photosensitive drum 11 rotates normally, and the photosensitive drum 11 is driven. Since the confirmation process is not performed, useless consumption of the carrier that inevitably occurred in the drive confirmation process can be eliminated. Thereby, compared with 1st Embodiment, it has the advantage that the replacement | exchange time of a carrier can be extended and a maintenance load and cost can be reduced. Further, in this case, the image forming operation start process after the trouble process can be shortened by the amount that the drive confirmation process of the photosensitive drum 11 is not performed.

  Also in the present embodiment, if it is not confirmed by the serviceman that the trouble has been released, it is first confirmed whether the photosensitive drum 11 is rotating normally, and is rotating normally. If confirmed, the photosensitive drum 11 is neutralized, the surface potential is reset, and the image forming operation is started. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the maintenance staff input screen 510 of the operation panel 500 functions as a cancel person accepting means for accepting that the person in charge of the attempt to cancel the photosensitive member drive abnormality is a specific person. In this embodiment, a service person is described as a specific example of a specific person. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the specific person is a printer administrator who has expertise in a printer, I do not care.

In the present embodiment, the completion button 514 of the maintenance staff input screen 510 functions as a selection receiving unit that receives a selection as to whether or not execution of the photosensitive drum drive confirmation operation is prohibited. When the completion button 514 is on, the driving confirmation process is not executed (prohibited), and when the completion button 514 is off, the driving confirmation process is executed.
<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following modifications can be considered.

(1) The above embodiment shows a configuration in which the charge removal for resetting the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 11 is performed by irradiating the exposure unit 20 with the laser light L (the exposure unit 20 is also used as a charge removal device). However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, a configuration in which a dedicated static elimination device such as a static elimination lamp or a static elimination charger is provided may be used. In this case, by providing the static eliminator between the charging roller 12 and the cleaner 15, there is an advantage that the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after transferring the toner image can be continuously cleaned, neutralized, and charged. Have.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration using the DC brushless motor as the photoconductor motor M1 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a stepping motor may be used.
In this case, for example, by attaching an encoder to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor, it is possible to check whether the motor is rotating normally by the output signal (pulse signal) of the encoder. It can be determined whether or not the rotation is normally performed.

(3) In the above embodiment, in the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process (step S203 in FIG. 9), the photosensitive drum 11 is normally rotated based on the lock signal S1 from the photosensitive motor drive unit 54. Although the configuration for confirming whether or not there is shown, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, when an encoder is attached to the rotating shaft of the photosensitive drum 11, it can be directly confirmed whether or not the photosensitive drum 11 is normally rotated by an output signal (pulse signal) of the encoder.

(4) In the above embodiment, when the front cover 90 of the printer 1 is closed from the opened state, the image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing is started (see step S104 in FIGS. 8 and 12). Although shown, it is not limited to this.
For example, the printer 1 may be provided with a push button for instructing the start of the image forming operation activation process. In this way, it is possible to prevent the image forming operation starting process from being started due to the user inadvertently closing the front cover 90 during troubleshooting.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the release trial accepting unit that accepts the attempt to cancel the abnormality in the photosensitive member drive is configured by the control unit 400 and the cover open / close detection sensor 91 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the printer 1 may be provided with a button that is pressed when a user or a service person responds to a trouble, that is, a button that accepts an attempt to cancel the abnormality in driving the photosensitive member.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration using the two-component developer composed of the carrier and the toner is shown as the developer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a one-component developer consisting only of the toner may be used. I do not care.
In this case, since there is no problem of carrier adhesion, there are no advantages such as suppression of carrier adhesion and reduction of maintenance load and cost in the second embodiment. Since the processing is not performed, it is possible to shorten the image forming operation start processing after the trouble processing.

(7) In the above embodiment, in the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process, the rotational speed of the photosensitive drum 11 is controlled to rotate at the same speed as that at the time of execution of the print job, but this is not necessarily the same. Also good.
For example, the rotation speed of the photoconductor motor M1 can be switched between the first rotation speed when the print job is executed and the second rotation speed lower than the rotation speed via the photoconductor motor drive section 54 by the control section 400. While the print job is being executed, the photosensitive drum 11 is rotated at the first rotation speed in consideration of productivity, while in the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process, the photosensitive drum 11 is rotated at the second low speed. By rotating at a speed, the amount of rotation of the photosensitive drum 11 required for driving confirmation (rotation angle within the driving confirmation time Tb) can be reduced compared to the case of the first rotational speed, and accordingly. The effect that carrier adhesion can be suppressed is obtained.

In this case, the photoconductor motor driving unit 54 outputs the lock signal S1 according to whether or not the photoconductor motor M1 is rotating within a range of a specified speed (first or second rotation speed). Output to the control unit 400.
Depending on the specifications of the photosensitive drum, the developer (carrier), and the printer, the rotational speed of the photosensitive drum 11 in the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process may be the same as the rotational speed during execution of the print job.

(8) In the second embodiment, when a specific person such as a service person copes with a trouble, whether or not to execute the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process depending on whether or not the completion button 514 is turned on. Although configurations that can be selected are shown, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as described in the description of the second embodiment, when a specific person having printer expertise, such as a service person, handles a problem, there is almost no possibility of starting up the printer without solving the problem. Therefore, in this case, the selection of whether or not to execute the driving confirmation process of the photosensitive drum is eliminated (the execution of the driving confirmation process is prohibited), and the reset process of the surface potential of the photosensitive drum and the normal process are performed. The image forming operation activation process may be executed. Even if the printer may start up without being able to solve the problem, the frequency is very low compared to the case where the user responds, so damage to the photosensitive drum can be suppressed and the lifespan shortened. This is because it can be prevented. Therefore, in this case, the completion button 514 may not be provided on the maintenance staff input screen 510.

Contrary to this, it is configured that the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process is executed in consideration of an emergency while there is no possibility that the service person can start up the printer without solving the problem. It doesn't matter.
In this case, if it is determined that the rotation is not normally performed in the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process, it is necessary to deal with the trouble again, but the serviceman confirms the operation of the drive confirmation process at this time. As a result, the cause of the problem can be identified and resolved almost certainly, so there is very little need to check the drive of the photosensitive drum when starting up the printer again in response to the problem. It has become. Therefore, when starting up the printer after troubleshooting again, the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process may not be executed (prohibited).

This configuration can be realized as follows.
For example, the control unit 400 includes a counter that counts the number of times the front cover 90 is closed from the opened state after the maintenance person input screen 510 is input by the service person (after reception by the release person accepting means). When the count number of the counter is the first time, the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process is executed, and when the counter number is the second or later, the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process is not executed.

(9) In the second embodiment, the photosensitive drum surface potential reset process (see step S113 in FIG. 12), which is performed without executing the photosensitive drum drive confirmation process, and the photosensitive drum drive confirmation. Although the surface drum reset process (step S107) of the photosensitive drum performed after the process has been described as having the same process contents, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, in the process of resetting the surface potential of the photosensitive drum (step S113) that is performed without executing the driving confirmation process of the photosensitive drum, Low is detected by checking the lock signal S1 of the photosensitive motor driving unit 54. In this case, it is more preferable that the surface potential reset process is interrupted. In this case, even if the photosensitive drum 11 does not rotate normally due to an unexpected trouble by the service person, the surface potential reset process can be interrupted immediately, so that exposure for the surface potential reset process is performed. However, it is possible to minimize damage concentrated on a specific portion of the photosensitive drum 11.

(10) In the above embodiment, the tandem type color printer is used as the image forming apparatus. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum is provided. Thus, the present invention can be applied to a tandem type color copying machine, a monochrome copying machine, a monochrome printer, a facsimile machine, and the like.
Further, the contents of the above-described embodiment and modification examples may be combined as much as possible.

  The present invention can be used as a control technique at the time of starting the apparatus after a trouble has occurred in the drive system of the photosensitive drum of the image forming apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 10 Image forming unit 11 Photosensitive drum 12 Charging roller 13 Developing device 14 Primary transfer roller 20 Exposure unit 30 Intermediate transfer belt 51 Charging power source unit 52 Development power source unit 53 Transfer constant current power source unit 54 Photoconductor motor driving unit 90 Front cover 91 Cover Open / Close Detection Sensor 100 Image Forming Unit 131 Developing Roller 200 Paper Feeding Unit 300 Fixing Unit 400 Control Unit 500 Operation Panel 500 Operation Panel 510 Maintenance Person Input Screen 512 Worker ID
514 Completion button M1 Photoconductor motor S1 Lock signal V1 Charging bias V2 Development bias I3 Transfer current P1 Charging position P2 Exposure position P3 Development position

Claims (9)

The surface of the rotationally driven photoconductor is uniformly charged and exposed based on the image data to form an electrostatic latent image, which is visualized with a developer and transferred to a transfer material to form an image. An image forming apparatus having an image forming process means,
An abnormality detecting means for detecting that the driving of the photosensitive member is abnormal;
Cancellation trial accepting means for accepting that the cancellation of the abnormality has been attempted;
An activation control means for controlling the activation of the image forming process means when accepting that the cancellation of the abnormality has been attempted by the cancellation trial accepting means,
The activation control means includes
Confirmation means for confirming that the photoreceptor rotates normally;
When it is confirmed by the confirmation means that the photoconductor is rotating normally, the start-up process of the image forming process means including the charge removal process on the surface of the photoconductor is executed,
If the confirmation means does not confirm that the photoconductor is rotating normally,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the startup process is not executed. A person in charge of canceling accepting that the person in charge of the attempt to cancel the abnormality is a specific person;
The activation control means prohibits execution of the confirmation operation by the confirmation means when the person in charge of the attempt to cancel the abnormality is accepted by the person in charge of cancellation as a specific person. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the startup process is executed. The activation control means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein neutralization of the surface of the photosensitive member is started simultaneously with rotation of the photosensitive member in the start-up process, and is ended after rotating for one or more rounds. The image forming process means includes a developing power supply unit that applies a developing bias to a developing roller of a developing device that supplies a developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor.
The activation control means includes
The development bias is applied simultaneously with the start of the neutralization process, and when the neutralization start position on the surface of the photoreceptor reaches a development position where the development is performed facing the development roller, the application of the development bias is stopped. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The image forming process means includes a driving means for rotating the photoreceptor.
The drive means can switch the rotation speed of the photoconductor between a first rotation speed and a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed,
The activation control means includes
During the execution of the confirmation operation, the driving means is controlled so that the rotation speed of the photoconductor becomes the second rotation speed,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is controlled so that a rotation speed of the photoconductor becomes a first rotation speed during the activation process. 6. The image forming process means includes: a charging power supply unit that applies a charging bias to a charger that charges the surface of the photoreceptor; and a developing roller of a developer that supplies developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor. Including a development power supply for applying a development bias;
The activation control means includes
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging power source unit and the developing power source unit are controlled so that a charging bias and a developing bias are not applied during the checking operation by the checking unit. 5. . The cancellation person accepting means is
Selection accepting means for accepting selection as to whether or not execution of the confirmation operation by the confirmation means is prohibited;
The activation control unit prohibits the confirmation operation when the selection accepting unit accepts a selection indicating that the confirmation operation is not prohibited, even if the execution person in charge receives a specific person. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is released. A canceling person accepting means for accepting that the person in charge of the attempt to cancel the abnormality is a specific person;
Counting means for counting the number of times that the cancellation trial accepting means accepts that the cancellation of the abnormality has been received after accepting that the person in charge of execution by the canceling person accepting means is a specific person;
Further comprising
The activation control means includes
When there is a first acceptance by the release trial acceptance means,
The confirmation operation by the confirmation unit is executed, and when the confirmation unit confirms that the photoconductor is rotating normally, the image forming process unit starts up including the charge removal process on the surface of the photoconductor. And when the confirmation means does not confirm that the photoconductor is rotating normally, control is performed so that the start-up process is not executed.
For the second and subsequent acceptances by the cancellation trial acceptance means,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a confirmation operation by the confirmation unit is prohibited and the activation process is executed. The activation control means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the confirmation unit confirms that the photosensitive member is rotating normally, the image forming apparatus is switched to the activation process.

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