JP2019144289A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that performs notification of image adjustment to a user at a timing at which the user does not feel troublesomeness to prevent a reduction in convenience for the user.SOLUTION: In an image forming apparatus 100, a replacement part storing a consumable is attached to an attachment part 51. An image forming unit 6 forms an image on a recording medium by consuming the consumable. A first determination unit determines whether the replacement part attached to the attachment part 51 is a first replacement part or a second replacement part different from the first replacement part. A first counting unit 13 counts the number of times of replacement of the replacement part. A second counting unit 14 counts a formation number that corresponds to the number of times of an image forming operation. A second determination unit determines whether the cumulative value of the formation number exceeds a reference value. A notification unit 16 performs notification of image adjustment on the basis of a result of determination made by the second determination unit and the number of times of replacement of the replacement part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that forms an image using a developer container such as a toner cartridge. Specifically, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines whether or not the developer is a genuine product, and sets the operation mode from the standard mode to the safety mode when it is determined that the developer is not a genuine product. . Specifically, in the safety mode, the image forming apparatus performs the printing process by increasing the cleaning frequency, the calibration frequency, or the communication frequency with the management center, or decreasing the printing speed, compared to the standard mode.

JP 2005-115054 A

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, only the operation mode is switched depending on whether the developer container is a genuine product or a non-genuine product, and the same regardless of the number of developer replacements or the number of printed sheets. Process. However, there is a case where a genuine product cannot be prepared immediately, and a non-genuine product of a quality that can be used may be used for in-house materials. In this case, in the conventional technique, the printing speed is reduced or the user is notified every time a print job is performed, and the convenience for the user is lowered.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in user convenience by notifying a user of image adjustment at a timing at which the user does not feel bothersome. The purpose is to provide.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a mounting unit, a first determination unit, a first count unit, a second count unit, a second determination unit, an image forming unit, and a notification unit. A replacement part for storing consumables is mounted on the mounting portion. The image forming unit forms an image on a recording medium by consuming consumables. The first determination unit determines whether the replacement part mounted on the mounting unit is a first replacement part or a second replacement part different from the first replacement part. The first count unit counts the number of replacements of the replacement part. The second count unit counts the number of sheets formed corresponding to the number of image forming operations. The second determination unit determines whether the accumulated value of the counted number of formed sheets has exceeded a reference value. The notification unit notifies image adjustment based on the determination result of the second determination unit and the number of replacements of the replacement part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can suppress that a user's convenience falls by notifying a user of the image adjustment at the timing which a user does not feel troublesome.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the control part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the notification screen which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is not repeated.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction machine.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a housing 1, an operation unit 2, a paper feeding unit 3, a transport unit 4, a supply unit 5, an image forming unit 6, and a discharge unit 7. The paper feed unit 3, the transport unit 4, the replenishment unit 5, the image forming unit 6, and the discharge unit 7 are accommodated in the housing 1. The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment forms an image by a monochrome method.

  The operation unit 2 receives an instruction from the user for the image forming apparatus 100. When receiving an instruction from the user, the operation unit 2 outputs a signal indicating the instruction from the user.

  The operation unit 2 includes a touch panel 21 and a plurality of operation keys 22. The touch panel 21 includes a display and a touch sensor.

  The display displays various screens. Various screens include a standby screen and a service screen. The standby screen includes, for example, a menu button for instructing execution of various processes. The service screen is a screen for changing the settings of the image forming apparatus 100, for example. The display is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display (Organic Electro Luminescence Display).

  The touch sensor detects a touch by the detected object. The touch sensor outputs a detection signal indicating a position where a touch by the detection target is detected. The detected object is, for example, a user's finger. The touch sensor is, for example, a resistive film type touch sensor. The plurality of operation keys 22 include, for example, a numeric keypad, a start key, and a cancel key.

  The sheet feeding unit 3 stores a plurality of sheets S and feeds the stored sheets S one by one.

  The transport unit 4 transports the fed sheet S to the discharge unit 7.

  The supply unit 5 supplies consumables to the image forming unit 6. In the present embodiment, the consumable item is toner.

  The supply unit 5 includes an open / close detection switch, a mounting unit 51, a component detection switch 52, and a component information reading unit 53.

  The open / close detection switch detects opening / closing of a cover member provided in the housing 1. When the cover member is closed, the open / close detection switch outputs a signal indicating that the cover member is closed. The cover member constitutes a part of the wall portion of the housing 1 in the closed state. On the other hand, when the cover member is opened, the mounting portion 51 is exposed. The user can replace the replacement part C by opening the cover member.

  The replacement part C is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 51. The replacement part C accommodates consumables consumed by repeating the image forming operation. In the present embodiment, the consumable item is toner, and the replacement part C is a toner cartridge.

  The replacement part C includes a dedicated product and a non-dedicated product for the image forming apparatus 100. The dedicated product of the image forming apparatus 100 is an example of a first replacement part. The non-dedicated product of the image forming apparatus 100 is an example of a second replacement part. For example, the exclusive product and the non-exclusive product have different characteristics of the toner to be stored. The first replacement part contains a first consumable, and the second replacement part contains a second consumable. For example, the first consumable is a dedicated toner, and the second consumable is a non-dedicated toner.

  The replacement part C includes a storage element CM. The memory element CM is, for example, a non-contact tag (electronic tag) such as an RF (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. The storage element CM stores information regarding the replacement part C. Hereinafter, the information regarding the replacement part C is referred to as “replacement part information”. The replacement part information includes manufacturer information indicating the manufacturer, model number information indicating the model number, and serial information indicating the serial number of the toner cartridge.

  The component detection switch 52 detects that the replacement component C is mounted on the mounting unit 51.

  The component information reading unit 53 reads the replacement component information from the storage element CM and outputs a signal indicating the replacement component information. Hereinafter, the process of reading the replacement part information from the storage element CM is referred to as “part information reading process”. The component information reading unit 53 is a short-range wireless communication device such as an RF reader, for example.

  The image forming unit 6 executes image forming processing (printing). Specifically, the image forming unit 6 forms an image (toner image) on the sheet S using consumables. The sheet S is an example of a “recording medium”. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 6 includes an exposure device 61, a charging device 62, a photosensitive drum 63, a developing device 64, a cleaning device 65, a transfer device 66, and a fixing device 67, and forms an image by an electrophotographic method. To do.

  The discharge unit 7 discharges the sheet S on which the toner image is fixed from the inside of the housing 1 to the discharge tray via the sheet discharge port.

  Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 further includes a communication unit 8, a storage unit 9, and a control unit 10.

  The communication unit 8 can communicate with an electronic device equipped with a communication device that uses the same communication method (protocol). In the present embodiment, the communication unit 8 communicates with the first external device E1 and the second external device E2 via a network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication unit 8 is a communication module (communication device) such as a LAN board, for example.

  The first external device E1 is a device used by the user, and specifically, a personal computer or a tablet terminal device. In the present embodiment, the user transmits a print job execution request to the image forming apparatus 100 by operating the first external apparatus E1. Hereinafter, a print job execution request is referred to as a “print job request”. Further, the user designates printing conditions when requesting execution of a print job. The print condition includes the number of copies scheduled to be printed by the print job (scheduled number of copies) and the number of sheets scheduled to be printed by the print job (scheduled number of copies). Information indicating the printing conditions is transmitted to the communication unit 8 together with the print job request. When the communication unit 8 receives the print job request, the control unit 10 controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 and executes the print job.

  The second external device E2 is, for example, a device used by a service person, and specifically a personal computer or a tablet terminal device.

  The storage unit 9 stores various data. The storage unit 9 includes a storage device and a semiconductor memory. The storage device is configured by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The semiconductor memory includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 9 stores a control program.

  In the present embodiment, the storage unit 9 stores component information. The part information includes, for example, manufacturer information of the first replacement part and model number information.

  The control unit 10 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 10 includes an integrated circuit for image formation processing. An integrated circuit for image formation processing is configured by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 10 controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 by executing a control program.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 includes a job reception unit 11, a first determination unit 12, a first count unit 13, a second count unit 14, a second determination unit 15, and a notification unit 16.

  The job receiving unit 11 executed by the control unit 10 receives a print job based on an instruction from the user. In the present embodiment, the print job includes, for example, a copy (copy) instruction from a user using the operation unit 2 and a print (print) instruction from the first external device E1 used by the user via the communication unit 8.

  The first determination unit 12 is a process for determining whether or not the replacement part C is the first replacement part. The processing of the first determination unit 12 is started when the image forming apparatus 100 is powered on or when a signal indicating that the supply unit cover is closed is received from the supply unit 5. Specifically, the control unit 10 causes the component information reading unit 53 to execute a component information reading process when the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on or when a signal indicating that the supply unit cover is closed is received from the supply unit 5. To obtain replacement part information. The control unit 10 determines whether or not the replacement part C is the first replacement part based on whether or not the acquired replacement part information matches the part information stored in the storage unit 9. When determining that the replacement part C is the first replacement part, the control unit 10 causes the dedicated flag to transition from the off state to the on state. Alternatively, the dedicated flag is kept on. On the other hand, when determining that the replacement part C is the second replacement part, the control unit 10 causes the dedicated flag to transition from the on state to the off state. Alternatively, the dedicated flag is kept off. Data indicating the dedicated flag is stored in the storage unit 9.

  The first counting unit 13 counts the number of replacements of the replacement part C. For example, referring to the processing result of the first determination unit 12, when the replacement part C is the first replacement part, the first replacement count CC <b> 1 is updated and stored in the storage unit 9. Similarly, when the replacement part C is the second replacement part, the second replacement number CC2 is updated and stored in the storage unit 9. The first replacement number CC1 indicates the number of replacements of the first replacement part, and the second replacement number CC2 indicates the number of replacements of the second replacement part.

  The second counting unit 14 counts the number of sheets formed by image forming processing (printing) executed by the image forming unit 6. For example, the second counting unit 14 counts the first number of formed sheets T1 corresponding to the number of image forming operations in which the first consumable item is consumed, and stores it in the storage unit 9. For example, the second counting unit 14 counts the second number of formed sheets T2 corresponding to the number of image forming operations in which the second consumable item is consumed, and stores it in the storage unit 9. The first number of formed sheets T1 indicates the number of sheets on which an image is formed using the first consumable item, and the second number of formed sheets T2 indicates the number of sheets on which an image is formed using the second consumable item.

  The second determination unit 15 reads the reference value TH stored in the storage unit 9, and determines whether or not the second number of formed sheets T2 (cumulative value of the number of formed second replacement parts) exceeds the reference value TH. To do.

  The notification unit 16 notifies image adjustment based on the determination result of the second determination unit 15. Information regarding the frequency, range, subject, and expression content of the notification is stored in the storage unit 9 and will be described in detail later.

  Next, processing of the control unit 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing of the control unit 10 according to the present embodiment. This process is started when the image forming apparatus 100 is powered on, for example. Alternatively, it is started when the job receiving unit 11 receives a print job based on an instruction from the user.

  Step S101: The first determination unit 12 acquires replacement part information of the replacement part C, and determines whether or not the replacement part C is a second replacement part. The first count unit 13 refers to the processing result of the first determination unit 12 and updates the second replacement count CC2 when the replacement part C is the second replacement part. At the time of update, the first count unit 13 stores replacement part information in the storage unit 9. The first count unit 13 determines that the replacement part C has been replaced if it is not the same value as compared with the replacement part information acquired at the time of the next step S101. When it determines with it being a 2nd replacement part by step S101 (Yes of step S101), the control part 10 moves a process to step S103. When it is determined in step S101 that it is not the second replacement part (No in step S101), the control unit 10 ends the process.

  Step S <b> 103: The control unit 10 acquires the second formation number T <b> 2 calculated by the second count unit 14 from the storage unit 9. Further, the reference value TH is acquired from the storage unit 9. The second determination unit 15 determines whether or not the second number of formed sheets T2 exceeds the reference value TH. If it is determined in step S103 that the reference value TH has been exceeded (Yes in step S103), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S105. If it is determined in step S103 that the reference value TH has not been exceeded (No in step S103), the control unit 10 ends the process.

  Step S <b> 105: The control unit 10 acquires the second replacement number CC <b> 2 updated by the first count unit 13 from the storage unit 9.

  Step S107: The storage unit 9 stores information on the frequency MG1, the range MG2, the target person MG3, and the expression content MG4 of the notification corresponding to the second number of exchanges CC2. The notification unit 16 uses the second number of exchanges CC2 to notify the image adjustment with reference to information on the frequency MG1, the range MG2, the target person MG3, and the expression content MG4. As a result, when the second number of exchanges CC2 increases, the frequency of notification increases, and the range of devices and target persons that transmit notifications increases.

  The frequency MG1 indicates the number of notifications made per predetermined number of sheets on which images are formed. For example, when the second replacement number CC2 is 1, the number of formed sheets is notified every 100 sheets, and when the second replacement number CC2 is 2, the formed number is notified every 50 sheets. Further, instead of changing according to the number of formed sheets, it may be changed according to the number of print jobs.

  The range MG2 indicates the device to be notified and the type of screen display. For example, when the second replacement number CC2 is 1, a pop-up notification is sent to the utility of the personal computer. When the second replacement number CC2 is 2, a notification is made on the personal computer print screen, and the second replacement number CC2 is 3. In this case, the notification is displayed on the touch panel 21 of the image forming apparatus 100. Further, when the second number of exchanges CC2 is 4, an e-mail is sent to the registration destination (administrator) for notification. When the second replacement count CC2 is 3, it may be displayed on the utility of the personal computer, the print screen of the personal computer, and the touch panel 21 of the image forming apparatus 100.

  The target person MG3 indicates the rank of the target person to be notified. For example, when the second exchange number CC2 is 1, the user is notified, when the second exchange number CC2 is 2, the user-side department administrator is notified, and when the second exchange number CC2 is 3, Notify service personnel. Further, when the second number of exchanges CC2 is 3, the user, department manager, and serviceman may be notified.

  The expression content MG4 is the content of a message used for notification. For example, when the second number of exchanges CC2 is 1, a short first message M1 is displayed, and when the second number of exchanges CC2 is 2, a second message M2 having more characters than the first message M1 is displayed. When the number of times of replacement CC2 is 3, the third message M3 having a larger number of characters than the second message M2 is displayed. Specific examples of the first message M1, the second message M2, and the third message M3 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, using the second number of exchanges CC2, notification of image adjustment is performed with reference to information on the frequency MG1, the range MG2, the target person MG3, and the expression content MG4. However, the frequency, the range, the target person, and the expression content of the image adjustment notification to the user may be changed using other than the second exchange count CC2. For example, instead of the second replacement count CC2, the second counting unit 14 counts the consumption time of the consumables stored in the second replacement part, and uses the consumption time of the consumables to notify the frequency, range, The target person and expression content may be changed. The consumption time of the consumable part of the second replacement part can be calculated from, for example, the difference between the date and time when the replacement part C is replaced with the second replacement part and the date and time when the second replacement part becomes empty.

  As a result, if the consumption time of the consumables is shortened, the number of replacements is also increased, so the frequency of notification is increased, and the range of devices and target persons that transmit notifications is expanded.

  In the present embodiment, the second determination unit 15 determines whether or not the second number of formed sheets T2 exceeds the reference value TH. However, the reference value TH does not have to be a fixed value. For example, the reference value TH may be changed to a smaller value when the second replacement number CC2 increases. As a result, image adjustment can be notified to the target person and target device with a smaller number of sheets.

  In step S103, it was determined whether or not the second number of formed sheets T2 exceeded the reference value TH. However, it may be determined whether or not the sum of the first number of formed sheets T1 and the second number of formed sheets T2 exceeds the reference value TH. Further, when calculating the sum of the first number of formed sheets T1 and the second number of formed sheets T2, a different coefficient may be multiplied to each formed sheet number. For example, if the coefficient of the first number of formed sheets T1 is 1 and the coefficient of the second number of formed sheets T2 is 2, the ratio of using the second replacement part becomes high. Therefore, the sum of the coefficients exceeds the reference value TH, and the notification time is advanced. As a result, when the ratio of using the second replacement part is high, the image adjustment is frequently notified to the target person and the target device.

  Subsequently, the expression content MG4 used for notification according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this description, the operation of the notification unit 16 and the notification screen G when the range MG2 is an image forming apparatus will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the notification screen G according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the first notification screen G1 is displayed on the touch panel 21 of the operation unit 2. The first notification screen G1 includes a first message M1, a skip button B1, and an image quality adjustment button C1. The first message M1 includes a message “Printing with non-designated toner has exceeded 000 sheets”. When the user touches the skip button B1, the touch panel 21 detects the user's touch and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 10. The controller 10 detects that the skip button B1 has been touched based on the detection signal. When detecting the touch of the skip button B1, the control unit 10 ends the display of the first notification screen G1. Further, when the control unit 10 detects the touch of the image quality adjustment button C1, the control unit 10 ends the display of the first notification screen G1 and moves the process to an image quality adjustment step (not shown).

  Similarly, the second notification screen G2 is displayed on the touch panel 21 as shown in FIG. The second notification screen G2 includes a second message M2, a skip button B2, and an image quality adjustment button C2. The second message M2 includes messages such as “Printing with non-designated toner has exceeded 000 sheets” and “Is there a problem with the image?”.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4C, the third notification screen G <b> 3 is displayed on the touch panel 21. The third notification screen G3 includes a third message M3, a skip button B3, and an image quality adjustment button C3. The third message M3 includes messages such as “Printing with non-designated toner has exceeded 000 sheets”, “Is there a problem with the image?”, And “Please make adjustments”. As described above, when the second number of exchanges CC2 increases, the expression is changed so that a message prompting image quality adjustment is made longer and more specifically notified.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 4). However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. The configurations and numerical values shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes can be made without departing from the effects of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the present invention is applied to the monochrome image forming apparatus 100 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to, for example, a color image forming apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the case where the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral has been described as an example. However, the image forming apparatus 100 may be, for example, a copier or a printer.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the present invention is applied to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to, for example, an inkjet image forming apparatus. . In this case, the replacement part C is an ink cartridge.

  The present invention is useful in the field of image forming apparatuses that require replacement of parts.

2 Operation unit 6 Image forming unit 10 Control unit 51 Mounting unit 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus that forms an image by consuming consumables consumed by repeating an image forming operation,
A mounting portion on which a replacement part that houses the consumable is mounted;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium by consuming the consumables;
A first determination unit for determining whether the replacement part mounted on the mounting unit is a first replacement part or a second replacement part different from the first replacement part;
A first counting unit that counts the number of replacements of the replacement part;
A second counting unit that counts the number of sheets formed corresponding to the number of image forming operations;
A second determination unit that determines whether or not a cumulative value of the counted number of formed sheets has exceeded a reference value;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a notification unit that notifies image adjustment based on a determination result of the second determination unit and the number of replacement parts replacement. A first consumable is housed in the first replacement part, and a second consumable is housed in the second replacement part;
The second count unit counts a first number of sheets formed corresponding to the number of image forming operations that consumed the first consumable item, and a second number corresponding to the number of image forming operations that consumed the second consumable item. 2 Count the number of sheets formed,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determination unit determines whether an accumulated value of the second number of formed sheets exceeds the reference value.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the notification frequency of the image adjustment, the range, the target person, and the expression content is changed according to the number of replacements of the second replacement part. The second count unit counts the consumption time of the consumables stored in the replacement part,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit changes a frequency, a range, a target person, and an expression content of the notification of the image adjustment according to the consumption time.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference value is changed according to the number of replacement times of the second replacement part.   The said 2nd count part changes the coefficient at the time of counting the said number of formation with a said 1st replacement part and a said 2nd replacement part, The any one of Claim 1, Claim 2, and Claim 5 The image forming apparatus described in 1.

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