JP2016102927A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform accurate fixation temperature control according to an environmental temperature even when an environmental temperature sensor is affected from a heat source inside an apparatus, while suppressing an increase in cost and space.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming part 12, fixing part 13, environmental temperature sensor 80, fixing part temperature sensor 81, environmental temperature storage part 101, environmental level storage part 102, and fixation temperature control part 104. Under a situation where a temperature detected by the fixing part temperature sensor 81 is lower than a predetermined temperature, when a temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 has been increased from a stored temperature, the fixation temperature control part 104 uses an environmental level corresponding to an environmental temperature newly detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80, and in other cases, uses a previous environmental level and perform temperature control of the fixing part 13 on the basis of a fixation temperature and drive time associated with the environmental level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for controlling a fixing temperature according to an environmental temperature.

  In image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and multifunction machines having these functions, the fixing temperature when fixing the toner image transferred onto the paper onto the paper is an important factor that affects the print quality. It is. However, the environment in which the image forming apparatus is installed varies, and the actual fixing temperature may change depending on the environmental temperature even if the same fixing temperature control is performed. Therefore, in order to cope with such a problem, in Patent Document 1 below, the fixing temperature is controlled according to the external environmental conditions, and the fixing temperature is stably maintained regardless of changes in the environmental conditions. Further, in Patent Document 2 below, when the environmental temperature detection unit fails, the fixing temperature is set to an intermediate value between a value with correction and a value without correction.

JP 2014-95818 A JP-A-10-161469

  In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the fixing temperature is controlled based on the environmental temperature detected by the temperature sensor. However, depending on the installation position of the fan for discharging the heat generated from the heat source such as the fixing unit, the warmed air may enter the temperature sensor that detects the environmental temperature, and the environmental temperature may not be detected correctly. In this case, the fixing temperature is controlled based on the erroneously detected environmental temperature, and the print quality may be deteriorated.

  In order not to be affected by the airflow of the fan, it is necessary to use a temperature sensor with high accuracy or to provide a structure that prevents the airflow of the fan from flowing into the temperature sensor. It is disadvantageous in terms. In particular, in a small image forming apparatus, it may be physically difficult to secure a structure that prevents the airflow of the fan from flowing into the temperature sensor.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. Even if a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature is affected by the heat source in the machine while suppressing an increase in cost and space, the ambient temperature is not affected. The purpose is to perform accurate fixing temperature control according to the above.

An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an image forming unit that performs an image forming operation for forming a toner image on a fed sheet.
A fixing unit that performs a fixing process for fixing the toner image on the paper by nipping the paper with a heating roller having a heater and a pressure roller;
A first temperature sensor for detecting environmental temperature;
A second temperature sensor for detecting a fixing temperature of the fixing unit;
An environmental level storage unit that classifies the environmental temperature into a plurality of predetermined environmental levels, and stores a fixing temperature associated with each environmental level;
A fixing temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the fixing unit with a fixing temperature stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the environmental temperature detected by the first temperature sensor belongs as a target temperature And
The fixing temperature controller is
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor is the same as or lower than the previous environmental temperature, it is associated with the environmental level to which the newly detected environmental temperature belongs. The temperature of the fixing unit is controlled with the fixing temperature stored in the environment level storage unit as a target temperature,
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor is higher than the previous environmental temperature, the fixing temperature detected by the second temperature sensor at this time is a predetermined temperature. If the temperature is less than, the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled using the fixing temperature stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the newly detected environmental temperature belongs as a target temperature, and When the fixing temperature detected by the second temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, it is stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the previous environmental temperature belongs. The temperature control of the fixing unit is continued with the fixing temperature as a target temperature.

  According to the present invention, even if the temperature sensor for detecting the environmental temperature is affected by the heat source in the apparatus, it is possible to perform accurate fixing temperature control according to the environmental temperature without being influenced by the influence. . The present invention does not require the use of an expensive high-accuracy temperature sensor and does not require a structure that prevents the airflow of the fan from flowing into the temperature sensor, thereby increasing the cost and size of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to perform accurate fixing temperature control according to the environmental temperature without being influenced by the influence of the heat source.

1 is a front sectional view showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 10 is a table showing an example of a correspondence relationship between an environmental level and a fixing temperature and driving time associated therewith. It is a flowchart of the determination process of an environmental level.

  An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing the structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  An image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 11 that includes an operation unit 47, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a paper feeding unit 14, a document feeding unit 6, a document reading unit 5, and the like.

  The operation unit 47 receives instructions such as an image forming operation execution instruction and a document reading operation execution instruction from the operator regarding various operations and processes that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 47 includes a display unit 473 that displays operation guidance to the operator.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 performs a document reading operation, the document reading unit 5 optically reads a document fed by the document feeding unit 6 or a document placed on the document placing glass 161, Generate image data. Image data generated by the document reading unit 5 is stored in a built-in HDD or a network-connected computer.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 performs an image forming operation, it is based on image data generated by the document reading operation, image data received from a computer connected to a network, image data stored in a built-in HDD, or the like. Then, the image forming unit 12 forms a toner image on the recording paper P as a recording medium fed from the paper feeding unit 14. When performing color printing, the magenta image forming unit 12M, the cyan image forming unit 12C, the yellow image forming unit 12Y, and the black image forming unit 12Bk of the image forming unit 12 respectively A toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 121 by charging, exposure, and development processes based on an image composed of each color component constituting data, and the toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 125 by the primary transfer roller 126. Let them transcribe.

  The toner images of the respective colors transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 125 are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 125 with the transfer timing adjusted to form a color toner image. The secondary transfer roller 210 passes the toner image of the color formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 125 from the paper supply unit 14 through the conveyance path 190 at a nip N between the intermediate transfer belt 125 and the driving roller 125a. It is transferred to the recording paper P that has been conveyed. Thereafter, the fixing unit 13 fixes the toner image on the recording paper P to the recording paper P by thermocompression bonding. More specifically, the fixing unit 13 includes a heating roller 131 and a pressure roller 132. The recording paper P is nipped by these rollers, and the toner image is fixed to the recording paper P by thermocompression bonding. The recording paper P on which the color image has been formed after completion of the fixing process is discharged to a discharge tray 151.

  The heating roller 131 of the fixing unit 13 is heated to approximately 170 ° C. by a heater (not shown). In order to discharge the heat, an electric fan 17 is provided at an appropriate location inside the apparatus main body 11, preferably in the vicinity of the fixing unit 13.

  The paper feed unit 14 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes. The control unit 100 (FIG. 2) rotates the pickup roller 145 of the paper feed cassette that contains the recording paper of the size specified by the operator's instruction, and the recording paper P contained in each paper feed cassette. Is conveyed toward the nip portion N.

  In the case of performing double-sided printing in the image forming apparatus 1, the recording paper P having an image formed on one side by the image forming unit 12 is nipped by the discharge roller pair 159, and then the recording paper P is switched back by the discharge roller pair 159 and sent to the reverse conveyance path 195, and the conveyance roller pair 19 conveys the recording paper P again upstream in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P with respect to the nip portion N and the fixing unit 13. As a result, an image is formed on the other surface of the recording paper by the image forming unit 12.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, an operation unit 47, a document feeding unit 6, a document reading unit 5, an image memory 32, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a drive motor 70, a facsimile communication unit 71, and an environmental temperature sensor. 80, a fixing unit temperature sensor 81, a network interface unit 91, an HDD 92, and the like.

  The document reading unit 5 includes a reading mechanism 163 (FIG. 1) having a light irradiation unit, a CCD sensor, and the like under the control of the control unit 10. The document reading unit 5 reads an image from the document by irradiating the document with the light irradiating unit and receiving the reflected light with a CCD sensor.

  The image memory 32 is an area for temporarily storing document image data obtained by reading by the document reading unit 5 and temporarily storing data to be printed by the image forming unit 12.

  The facsimile communication unit 71 includes an unillustrated encoding / decoding unit, modulation / demodulation unit, and NCU (Network Control Unit), and performs facsimile transmission using a public telephone network.

  The environmental temperature sensor 80 is a temperature sensor that detects an environmental temperature outside the image forming apparatus 1 (that is, an ambient environmental temperature of the image forming apparatus 1). The environmental temperature sensor 80 is disposed at an appropriate location inside the image forming apparatus 1, for example. Note that the mounting position of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is not limited to this. The environmental temperature sensor 80 corresponds to the first temperature sensor in the claims.

  The fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the fixing unit 13. The fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is disposed at an appropriate location near the fixing unit 13. The fixing unit temperature sensor 81 corresponds to the second temperature sensor in the claims.

  The network interface unit 91 includes a communication module such as a LAN board, and transmits and receives various data to and from the local area or the computer 20 on the Internet via a LAN connected to the network interface unit 91.

  The HDD 92 is a large-capacity storage device that stores document images and the like read by the document reading unit 5.

  The driving motor 70 is a driving source that applies a rotational driving force to each rotating member of the image forming unit 12, the conveyance roller pair 19, and the like.

  The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM, a ROM, a dedicated hardware circuit, and the like, and controls overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 10 includes a control unit 100, an environmental temperature storage unit 101, an environmental level storage unit 102, and a fixing temperature control unit 104.

  The control unit 100 includes an operation unit 47, a document feeding unit 6, a document reading unit 5, an image memory 32, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a driving motor 70, a facsimile communication unit 71, an environmental temperature sensor 80, a fixing unit temperature. It is connected to the sensor 81, the network interface unit 91, the HDD 92, etc., and controls these units.

  The environmental temperature storage unit 101 is a memory that stores the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80. The environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 is overwritten in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 by the fixing temperature control unit 104 under a predetermined condition described later. The environmental temperature storage unit 101 corresponds to the environmental temperature storage unit in the claims.

  The environmental level storage unit 102 is, for example, a memory that classifies the environmental temperature into a plurality of predetermined environmental levels and stores the fixing temperature associated with each environmental level.

  The environment level storage unit 102 is preferably composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) or a flash memory. In this way, the environmental level can be stored even when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off, and when the image forming apparatus 1 is started up next time, the fixing temperature control unit 104 reads the previous environmental level and reads the environment level. The temperature of the fixing unit 13 can be controlled according to the level.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 13 according to the environmental level stored in the environmental level storage unit 102 by driving and controlling a heater provided on the heating roller 131.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 13 according to the environmental level stored in the environmental level storage unit 102 by driving and controlling a heater provided on the heating roller 131.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 determines the environmental level according to each temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 and the fixing unit temperature sensor 81. Depending on the position of the electric fan 17 (FIG. 1), the air warmed by the fixing unit 13 may enter the environmental temperature sensor 80, and the environmental temperature sensor 80 may detect a temperature higher than the actual environmental temperature. The fixing temperature control unit 104 determines the environmental level in consideration of the temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81. A method for determining the environmental level will be described later.

  The control of the fixing temperature is, for example, controlling the surface temperature (fixing temperature) of the heating roller 131 by controlling energization to the heater that is a heat source of the heating roller 131. For example, the fixing temperature control unit 104 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 13 so that the surface temperature of the heating roller 131 becomes the fixing temperature stored in the environment level storage unit 102 in association with each environment level.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 causes the fixing unit 13 to perform an aging operation. The aging operation refers to the heating roller 131 and the pressure roller during a period when the image forming operation by the image forming unit 12 (fixing operation by the fixing unit 13) is not performed (for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 is on standby or warming up). It means that the fixing unit 13 is warmed up by rotationally driving 132. For example, the fixing temperature control unit 104 rotates the heating roller 131 and the pressure roller 132 for a time corresponding to the environmental level stored in the environmental level storage unit 102 during a period when the image forming process is not performed, Causes aging to occur.

  FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the correspondence relationship between the environmental level and the fixing temperature and driving time associated therewith. For example, the environmental level storage unit 102 stores environmental levels such as “low temperature 2”, “low temperature 1”, “normal temperature”, and “high temperature”. When the detection temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is lower than 13 ° C., the environmental level is “low temperature 2”, and when the detection temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is 13 ° C. or higher and lower than 18 ° C., the environmental level is “low temperature 1”. When the detected temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is 18 ° C. or higher and lower than 31 ° C., the environmental level is “room temperature”, and when the detected temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is 31 ° C. or higher, the environmental level is “High temperature”.

  The fixing temperature and driving time (aging time of the heating roller 131 and the pressure roller 132) are determined in advance for each environmental level and stored in the environmental level storage unit 102. For example, when the environmental level is “normal temperature” or “high temperature”, the “reference value” is used as the fixing temperature and the driving time. When the environmental level is “low temperature 1”, the fixing temperature is “reference value + correction 2”. When “reference value + correction 4” is used as the driving time, and when the environmental level is “low temperature 2”, “reference value + correction 1” (however, correction 1> correction 2) is driven as the fixing temperature. As the time, “reference value + correction 3” (however, correction 3> correction 4) is used. In this manner, the lower the environmental temperature, the higher the fixing temperature and the longer the aging time, thereby making it possible to maintain a constant print quality regardless of the environmental temperature.

  A table storing the relationship between the fixing temperature and the driving time for each environmental level as described above is stored in the environmental level storage unit 102. The fixing temperature control unit 104 can refer to the table in the environment level storage unit 102 and perform temperature control of the fixing unit 13 according to the environment level.

  Next, the environment level determination process in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the environment level determination process.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 receives the signal output from the environmental temperature sensor 80, and acquires the environmental temperature newly detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 (S1).

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 determines that the environmental temperature newly detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 is the same or lower than the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 at this time ( (NO in S2), the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 is updated to the newly detected environmental temperature, and the newly detected environmental temperature is referenced with reference to the table in the environmental level storage unit 102. The environmental level to which the environmental temperature belongs is determined (S3). For example, according to the table of FIG. 3, when the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 decreases from the previous temperature of 18 ° C. to a new temperature of 17 ° C., the fixing temperature control unit 104 sets the environmental level to “low temperature 1”. Decided.

  As described above, when the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 decreases, it is considered that the air heated by the fixing unit 13 does not affect the environmental temperature sensor 80, and therefore the fixing temperature control unit 104 is Using the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80, the environmental level is determined as described above.

  On the other hand, when the temperature newly detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 is higher than the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 at this time (YES in S2), the fixing temperature control unit 104 performs fixing. A signal output from the temperature sensor 81 is received, and the fixing temperature detected by the temperature sensor 81 at this time is acquired. Then, the fixing temperature control unit 104 compares the fixing temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 at that time with a predetermined temperature (for example, 36 ° C.), and the detected temperature of the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is If the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature (NO in S4), the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 is updated to the newly detected environmental temperature (the environmental temperature acquired in S1). Referring to the table in the environment level storage unit 102, the environment level to which the newly detected environment temperature belongs is determined (S3).

  For example, according to the table of FIG. 3, when the detected temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 rises from 17 ° C. to 18 ° C., the fixing temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 at that time is higher than the predetermined temperature. The fixing temperature control unit 104 determines that the environmental level is “normal”.

  As described above, even when the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 increases, if the fixing temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is lower than the predetermined temperature, the environmental temperature sensor 80 is detected by the fixing unit 13. Since it is considered that there is a high probability that the air is not affected by the warmed air, the environmental temperature is determined using the environmental temperature newly detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80.

  On the other hand, as a result of comparison between the fixing temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 and the predetermined temperature, the fixing temperature control unit 104 determines that the detected temperature of the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. If there is (YES in S4), the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 at this time is not updated to the newly detected environmental temperature regardless of the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80. Also, no new environmental levels are determined. The fixing temperature control unit 104 maintains the environmental level to which the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 at that time point does not change. For example, according to the table of FIG. 3, the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80 is changed from 17 ° C. to 18 ° C. under the situation where the fixing temperature detected by the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. When the temperature rises, the fixing temperature control unit 104 maintains the environment level stored in the environment level storage unit 102 as “low temperature 1”.

  As described above, when the detected temperature of the environmental temperature sensor 80 increases under the condition where the detected temperature of the fixing unit temperature sensor 81 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the air warmed by the fixing unit 13 becomes the environmental temperature sensor 80. In such a case, the environmental level corresponding to the environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit 101 is used as it is without using the temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 80. Thereby, when the temperature detection of the environmental temperature sensor 80 is affected by the influence of the heat source in the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to prevent the environmental level from being erroneously changed.

  The fixing temperature control unit 104 then associates the surface temperature of the heating roller 131 with the environmental level so that the surface temperature becomes the fixing temperature stored in association with the environmental level determined as described above. The temperature of the fixing unit 13 is controlled by controlling the driving of the fixing unit 13 including the heater in the driving time.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the environmental temperature sensor 80 that detects the environmental temperature can perform accurate fixing temperature control according to the environmental temperature even if it is affected by the heat source in the image forming apparatus 1. It becomes possible. As a result, it is not necessary to use an expensive high-accuracy temperature sensor, and it is not necessary to secure a structure that prevents the airflow of the electric fan 17 from flowing into the environmental temperature sensor 80. Therefore, the price of the image forming apparatus 1 is increased. In addition, the fixing temperature can be accurately controlled in accordance with the environmental temperature even if it is affected by the heat source in the image forming apparatus 1 without causing an increase in size.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the multi-function device is described as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. However, this is only an example, and other image forming devices such as a copier, a printer, and a facsimile machine are used. It may be a device.

  Moreover, the structure and process shown by the said embodiment using FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 4 are only one Embodiment of this invention, and are not the meaning which limits this invention to the said structure and process.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 12 Image forming part 13 Fixing part 131 Heating roller 132 Pressure roller 80 Environmental temperature sensor (1st temperature sensor)
81 Fusing unit temperature sensor (second temperature sensor)
101 Environmental temperature storage unit 102 Environmental level storage unit 104 Fixing temperature control unit

Claims (3)

An image forming unit that performs an image forming operation for forming a toner image on the fed paper;
A fixing unit that performs a fixing process for fixing the toner image on the paper by nipping the paper with a heating roller having a heater and a pressure roller;
A first temperature sensor for detecting environmental temperature;
A second temperature sensor for detecting a fixing temperature of the fixing unit;
An environmental level storage unit that classifies the environmental temperature into a plurality of predetermined environmental levels, and stores a fixing temperature associated with each environmental level;
A fixing temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the fixing unit with a fixing temperature stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the environmental temperature detected by the first temperature sensor belongs as a target temperature And
The fixing temperature controller is
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor is the same as or lower than the previous environmental temperature, it is associated with the environmental level to which the newly detected environmental temperature belongs. The temperature of the fixing unit is controlled with the fixing temperature stored in the environment level storage unit as a target temperature,
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor is higher than the previous environmental temperature, the fixing temperature detected by the second temperature sensor at this time is a predetermined temperature. If the temperature is less than, the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled using the fixing temperature stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the newly detected environmental temperature belongs as a target temperature, and When the fixing temperature detected by the second temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, it is stored in the environmental level storage unit in association with the environmental level to which the previous environmental temperature belongs. An image forming apparatus that continues temperature control of the fixing unit with a fixing temperature as a target temperature. An environmental temperature storage unit for storing the environmental temperature detected by the first temperature sensor;
The fixing temperature controller is
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor is the same as or lower than the previous environmental temperature stored in the first storage unit, the environmental temperature storage unit Rewrite the previously stored environmental temperature to the newly detected environmental temperature,
When the environmental temperature newly detected by the first temperature sensor rises from the previous environmental temperature stored in the environmental temperature storage unit, it is detected by the second temperature sensor at this time. If the fixed fixing temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, the previous environmental temperature stored in the first storage unit is rewritten to the newly detected environmental temperature, and the second temperature is detected at that time. If the fixing temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the previous environmental temperature stored in the first storage unit is maintained and rewritten to the newly detected environmental temperature. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is not used.   The fixing temperature control unit ages the fixing unit for a predetermined time associated with the environmental level stored in the environmental level storage unit during a period when the image forming operation is not performed by the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation is performed.