JP2020197578A - Image forming apparatus and image formation management device - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible, when device abnormality occurs in an image forming apparatus, to associate abnormality information other than high voltage abnormality with a leakage state.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus has a control unit that controls device operation in the image forming apparatus that performs image formation in an electrophotographic system, and the control unit receives a result of measurement of leakage voltage generated in the output voltage device in the image forming apparatus and determines a leakage state, and when an abnormality occurs during the device operation in the image forming apparatus, the control unit records the leakage state of the output voltage device as log information during the abnormality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method and an image forming management apparatus that manages the image forming apparatus.

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method, a high voltage is used by charging the photoconductor or transferring the image with the transfer apparatus. In such an image forming apparatus, a leak may occur due to a change over time, and conventionally, a leak current (current-voltage conversion) of a part of a high-voltage output has been detected. The leak detection circuit integrates the amount of fluctuation in voltage conversion, activates the signal when a predetermined voltage is reached, and notifies the CPU. When the CPU determines that a leak has occurred, it stops the operation of the device and at the same time displays the target high-voltage output as a code.

When an abnormality occurs in the device, the control unit that controls the image forming device stops the device operation (printing) and at the same time determines the type of abnormal state, and stops with the types such as SC (= service call) and jam. At the same time, it is displayed on the panel.

In Patent Documents 1 to 3, the operation of the device is controlled when a leak occurs.
In Patent Document 1, when the leak occurrence period exceeds a predetermined time, the high-pressure output and the machine operation are stopped, and the display means is displayed to the effect that the leak has occurred.
Patent Document 2 provides a fixing device capable of reducing machine damage and downtime when a leak occurs and maintaining image quality, based on the leak occurrence period and the leak occurrence cycle. , The leak occurrence estimation period in which leaks can be detected from the next time onward is specified, and the output of the power supply is controlled in the specified leak occurrence estimation period.
In Patent Document 3, when a leak is detected, the high-pressure output value is appropriately switched within a range that does not adversely affect the print performance, the leak is avoided, and the print operation can be continued.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-219583 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-323338 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-112302

By the way, when the device detects an abnormality and stops the machine, apart from the high-voltage abnormality due to the occurrence of a leak, even if a leak that cannot be detected occurs, a communication line (necessary to be placed) near the high-voltage output line (wiring path). In some cases), a communication error may occur and the device printing operation may stop due to a malfunction. That is, conventionally, there is a problem that the device abnormality including other than the high voltage abnormality is not associated with the occurrence of the leak, and it is not possible to take an appropriate response when the device abnormality occurs.

The present invention has been made in the context of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming management apparatus capable of grasping a leak state when an apparatus abnormality occurs.

That is, among the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the first embodiment has a control unit that controls the operation of the apparatus in the image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method.
The control unit determines the leak state by receiving the measurement result of the leak voltage generated in the output voltage device of the image forming apparatus.
Further, the control unit is characterized in that when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the image forming apparatus, the leak state of the output voltage device is recorded as log information at the time of the abnormality.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of the second embodiment is characterized in that, in the invention of the said embodiment, it has a leak voltage measuring unit for measuring a leak voltage generated by the image forming apparatus.

In the invention of the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, in the invention of the said embodiment, the leak voltage measuring unit has a voltage divider for dividing the output voltage of the output voltage device by resistance, and the control unit is the voltage divider. It is characterized in that a voltage-divided voltage waveform is sampled for a certain period of time to detect a waveform distortion portion.

In the invention of the fourth aspect of the image forming apparatus, in the invention of the above-described embodiment, the control unit measures the number and / and the amount of distortion of the waveform distortion portion detected within a certain period of time in the leak voltage. It is characterized by being a thing.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect is characterized in that, in the invention of the said aspect, the control unit divides the leak state into a plurality of regions and determines.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of the sixth aspect is characterized in that, in the invention of the said embodiment, the control unit displays the leak state as log information at the time of abnormality when an abnormality occurs during operation of the apparatus.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of the seventh aspect is characterized in that, in the invention of the above-described embodiment, the control unit displays the target output voltage device and the leak state of the output voltage device when displaying the leak state. And.

In the invention of the eighth embodiment, in the invention of the embodiment, the control unit displays a display prompting replacement of a member to which a voltage is applied in the target output voltage device when displaying the leak state. It is characterized by doing.

In the invention of the ninth embodiment, in the invention of the above-described embodiment, the control unit displays a display prompting cleaning of a member to which a voltage is applied in the target output voltage device when displaying the leak state. It is characterized by doing.

In the invention of the tenth aspect of the image forming apparatus, in the invention of the said embodiment, the control unit identifies a member used in the output voltage device or the output voltage device by the leak generation cycle information at the time of abnormality during the operation of the device. It is characterized in that it is displayed.

In the invention of the eleventh aspect of the image forming apparatus, in the invention of the said embodiment, the control unit displays device abnormality information and a leak state of an output voltage device on different screens at the time of an abnormality during operation of the apparatus. It is characterized by that.

Among the inventions of the image formation management device, the first form is
It has a management control unit that controls the operation of the image forming device.
The management control unit determines the leak state by receiving the measurement result of the leak voltage generated by the output voltage device that generates the output voltage in the image forming apparatus that forms an image by the electrophotographic method.
Further, the management control unit is characterized in that when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the image forming apparatus, the leak state of the output voltage device is recorded as log information at the time of the abnormality.

The invention of the image formation management device of the second aspect is characterized in that, in the invention of the above-described embodiment, the management control unit displays the leak state as log information at the time of abnormality when an abnormality occurs during operation of the device. ..

According to the present invention, when a device abnormality occurs, leak information is recorded as a log at the time of abnormality, so that it is possible to grasp the device abnormality in association with the leak information and take appropriate measures. Becomes possible.

It is a figure which shows the mechanical schematic structure of one Embodiment of this invention. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the control block. It is a figure which shows the example of a high voltage output power supply and a leak voltage measuring part. It is a figure which shows the waveform of the output voltage including a leak voltage. It is the figure which enlarged the leak voltage. It is a graph which determines a different region depending on the degree of leakage. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure when a device abnormality occurs during device operation. This is an example of displaying the device abnormality and the degree of leakage on different screens when there is a device abnormality other than the output voltage device. This is an example in which when there is a device abnormality in an output voltage device, the device abnormality including other output voltage devices and the degree of leakage are displayed on different screens. This is an example in which, when there is a device abnormality, the device abnormality and the degree of leakage are displayed on different screens, and further, the member replacement is displayed. This is an example of displaying the device abnormality and the degree of leakage on different screens when there is a device abnormality, and further displaying the member cleaning. This is an example of explaining an example of specifying a member by leak occurrence cycle information.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a mechanical configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 which is an embodiment of a display processing apparatus of the present invention.
The apparatus main body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an automatic document feeding unit 13 at the upper part of the housing.
The automatic document feeding unit 13 automatically feeds the document set on the document mounting table, and the document fed by the automatic document feeding unit 13 is read by the scanner unit 130 shown in FIG. Be done. It is also possible to read the original on a platen glass (not shown).

The device main body 10 is provided with an operation display unit 140 at the upper part of the housing. The operation display unit 140 may include a touch panel type LCD for receiving information display and operation input, and a group of operation keys such as a numeric keypad. The display unit of the present invention is not limited to the LCD, and a desired display can be used.

A paper feeding unit 12 is provided on the lower side of the apparatus main body 10. The paper feed unit 12 is composed of a plurality of paper feed stages, and paper is stored in each paper feed stage. The paper in the paper feed unit 12 can be fed to the transport path 11.
The paper corresponds to a recording medium, but the material of the recording medium is not particularly limited, and for example, one made of cloth or plastic can be used. Further, a continuous transfer medium such as roll paper may be used.
The apparatus main body 10 has a transport path 11. A transport roller or the like is provided around the transport path 11, and the transport path 11 can transport the paper supplied from the paper feed unit 12.

In the apparatus main body 10, an image forming unit 15 for forming an image on paper is provided in the middle of the conveying path 11.
The image forming unit 15 has a photoconductor 15A for each color, and a charger, an LD, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and the like (not shown) are provided around the photoconductor 15A. In the figure, for convenience, only one photoconductor is designated by a reference. Further, the image forming unit 15 has an intermediate transfer belt 15B to which the photoconductor 15A can come into contact, and further has a secondary transfer unit 15C at a position where the intermediate transfer belt 15B and the paper come into contact with each other. .. A fixing device 15D is provided in a transport path 11 located downstream of the secondary transfer unit 15C in the transport direction. The image forming unit 15 is configured by these configurations.

When forming an image on paper, the surface of the photoconductor 15A is uniformly charged by the charger, and then the photoconductor 15A is irradiated with laser light by the LD based on the image data to form the photoconductor 15A. A latent image is formed on the surface. The latent image formed on the photoconductor 15A is developed by a developing device to become a toner image, and the toner image on the photoconductor 15A is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 15B. After that, the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 15B is transferred to the paper by the secondary transfer unit 15C, and the toner image on the paper is heated by the fixing device 15D and fixed to the paper.
A discharge unit 16 is connected to the end of the transport path 11, and the paper that has passed through the image reading unit 25 is discharged to the discharge unit 16.
The apparatus main body 10 has a control unit 100 that controls the entire image forming apparatus, and is composed of a CPU, a storage unit, a program that operates on the CPU, and the like, which will be described later.

Next, the electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming apparatus 1 has a digital copier and a print & scanner controller 160 as a main configuration. The digital copier has a control block 110, a scanner unit 130, an operation unit 140, and a printer unit 150. The print & scanner controller 160 processes image data input / output to / from an external device 5 such as a terminal PC.

The control block 110 has a PCI bus 112, a DRAM control IC 111 is connected to the PCI bus 112, and an image control CPU 113 is connected to the DRAM control IC 111. The HDD 123 is connected to the PCI bus 112 via the DRAM control IC 111.

A program memory (ROM) 114, a non-volatile memory 115, and a system memory (RAM) 116 are connected to the image control CPU 113. The program memory (ROM) 114 stores a program or the like executed by the image control CPU 113. The program may be stored in the non-volatile memory 115 or the HDD 123. Further, the programs and parameters may be stored in a portable removable storage medium. The system memory (RAM) 116 is used as a work area or the like when a program is executed.

The non-volatile memory 115 and the HDD 123 store setting data such as machine setting information, process control parameters, and a data table for determining the degree of leakage when a leak voltage occurs. The non-volatile memory 115 and the HDD 123 correspond to a storage unit. The storage unit may be provided outside the main body 10 of the device, or may be a removable storage medium.

The image control CPU 113 can grasp the overall state of the image forming apparatus 1 by executing a program and control the image forming apparatus 1, and is capable of performing operations such as paper transport and image forming, and for image forming. It is possible to process image data, determine the degree of leakage when a leak occurs, and perform control that selects the device operation associated with the determination of the degree of leakage.
The image control CPU 113 can read the non-volatile data of the non-volatile memory 115, and can write desired data to the non-volatile memory 115.

The control unit is composed of an image control CPU 113, a program operated by the image control CPU 113, a program memory (ROM) 114, a system memory (RAM) 116, a non-volatile memory 115, and the like. The program executed by the control unit includes the program of the present invention. The program may be stored in the HDD 123 or the like in addition to the non-volatile memory 115, or may be stored in a portable storage medium.

The scanner control unit 132 of the scanner unit 130 is connected to the control CPU 113 so that serial communication is possible.
The scanner unit 130 includes a CCD 131 and a scanner control unit 132. The CCD 131 can optically read the image on the paper. The scanner control unit 132 controls the entire scanner unit 130, and controls reading of an image by the CCD 131 and the like. The scanner control unit 132 is connected to the image control CPU 113 so as to be capable of serial communication, and is controlled by the image control CPU 113. The scanner control unit 132 can be configured by a CPU, a program that operates the CPU, or the like.
The image data read by the CCD 131 is transmitted to the reading processing unit 117 via the DRAM control IC 111.
The reading processing unit 117 performs various processing such as analog signal processing, A / D (Analog to Digital) conversion processing, and shading processing on the analog image signal input from the CCD 131 to generate digital image data, and the DRAM control IC 111. The digital image data is output to the compression / decompression IC 125 via.

Further, the ADF control unit 135 is connected to the image control CPU 113 in a controllable manner, and the pouring type automatic document feeding device (ADF) 18 is controlled by the ADF control unit 135.
The scanner unit 130 reads an image of a document placed on the upper platen glass of the apparatus main body 10 and an image of a document automatically conveyed by the pouring type automatic document feeding device (ADF) 18 to obtain image data.

The operation unit 140 includes a touch panel type LCD 141 and an operation unit control unit 142. The LCD 141 is capable of displaying various information and inputting operations.
The operation input can also be performed by using the operation keys or the like.
The operation unit 140 can input operation control conditions such as settings and operation commands in the device main body 10. Further, the operation unit 140 can display the setting contents, the machine state, the original image and the like, and display the leakage voltage generation.

The operation unit 140 can make various settings for the device main body 10 and the like by inputting operations through the LCD or operation keys, and can set the device operation settings for the degree of leakage.
The operation unit control unit 142 controls the entire operation unit 140. The operation unit control unit 142 is connected to the image control CPU 113 so as to be capable of serial communication, and the operation unit 140 controls the operation unit 140 in response to a command from the image control CPU 113. The operation unit control unit 142 can be configured by a CPU, a program that operates the CPU, or the like.

A compression / decompression IC 125 capable of compressing or decompressing image data is connected to the DRAM control IC 111. The DRAM control IC 111 controls the compression processing of the image data and the decompression processing of the compressed image data by the compression / decompression IC 125 according to the instruction from the image control CPU 113, and also controls the input / output of the image data to the image memory (DRAM) 120. Do.

The image memory (DRAM) 120 includes a print image memory 121 and an output image memory 122. The compressed image data is stored in the print image memory 121. When the job is output, the output image memory 122 temporarily stores the uncompressed image data expanded on the page. The image data of the output image memory 122 is transmitted to the writing processing unit 126.
Image data related to a plurality of jobs can be stored in the image memory (DRAM) 120 under the control of the DRAM control IC 111. Furthermore, job setting information and image data of reserved jobs can be saved. In addition, these data can also be stored in HDD 123.

Further, the printer control unit 152 of the printer unit 150 is connected to the image control CPU 113. The printer control unit 152 is composed of a CPU, a storage unit, and the like, and receives a command from the image control CPU 113 to control the entire printer unit 150 and control an image forming operation by the LD154A. LD154A is a general term for LDs for each color. In addition, the printer unit 150 can control the image forming unit 15 and the transport unit including the transport path 23. As a result, the image is formed by the electrophotographic method.

Further, a LAN control unit 127 is connected to the image control CPU 113, and a LAN interface 128 is connected to the LAN control unit 127. A network 3 or other network can be connected to the LAN interface 128, and data can be transmitted / received to / from an external device via the LAN interface 128.

The writing processing unit 126 is connected to an image forming unit 15 including the LD154A of the printer unit 150, and generates writing data used for the operation of the LD154A based on the image data.
The printer unit 150 includes an image forming unit 15, a paper feeding unit 12, a transport path 13 (including a reverse transport path 13A), and the like.

Further, the printer unit 150 includes a printer control unit 152 that controls the entire printer unit 150 (paper feeding, image formation, paper ejection, post-processing, etc.), and the printer control unit 152 serializes to the image control CPU 113 described above. It is connected so that it can communicate. The printer control unit 152 operates according to a control command of the image control CPU 113 to control the printer unit 150, and can perform paper transport, image formation, output stop, paper discharge control, and the like. In addition, the printer control unit 152 can instruct the compression / decompression IC 125 to decompress the compressed image data.

Further, the DRAM control IC 161 of the print & scanner controller 160 is connected to the PCI bus 112.
In the print & scanner controller 160, the image memory 162 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161 and the controller control CPU 163 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161. Further, a LAN interface 165 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161. The LAN interface 165 is connected to the network 3.

Further, the IO unit 118 is connected to the image control CPU 113. The IO unit 118 operates as an interface for exchanging information between each unit in the image forming apparatus 1 and the image control CPU 113.
For example, the image control CPU 113 can acquire the measurement result of the leak voltage measuring unit described later.

An external device 5 or the like is connected to the network 3.
The image forming apparatus 1 can send and receive data to and from the external device 5 and other image forming apparatus through the network 3. The network 3 may be used as a WAN, a telephone line, or the like in addition to the LAN, and may be wireless or wired.
The external device 5 has an external device control unit 500 that controls the entire external device 5. The external device control unit 500 can be configured by a CPU, a program that operates the CPU, a storage unit, and the like. Further, the external device 5 has an external operation display unit 510 capable of displaying information.

The external device 5 can also be used as a device for managing a terminal or an image forming device 1. In this case, the external device 5 is connected to the LAN interface 128 via the network 3. When the image forming apparatus 1 is managed by the external device 5, the external device control unit 400 functions as a management control unit that manages the image forming apparatus.
When the external device 5 is used as a terminal or a management device, the external operation display unit 510 can display a message or the like, and further, receive an operation input and set an operation control of the image forming device according to the degree of leakage. It may be possible to do so.
When the external device 5 manages the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus may be directly controlled, or the image forming apparatus is instructed on the control content, and the control unit of the image forming apparatus controls according to the instruction content. It may be done.

Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
First, a procedure for accumulating image data in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
When the scanner unit 130 reads the image of the original and generates the image data, the original is placed on the scanner unit 130 and the image of the original is optically read by the CCD 131. At this time, the scanner control unit 132 that receives a command from the image control CPU 113 controls the operation of the CCD 131.

The image read by the CCD 131 is sent to the reading processing unit 117, and the reading processing unit 117 performs predetermined data processing. The data-processed image data is sent to the compression / decompression IC 125, compressed by a predetermined method in the compression / decompression IC 125, and stored in the image memory (DRAM) 120 or the HDD 123 via the DRAM control IC 111.
The image data stored in the image memory (DRAM) 120 or HDD 123 can be managed as a job by the image control CPU 113. When the image data is managed as a job, the print conditions are stored in association with the image data in the image memory (DRAM) 120 and the HDD 123.
Note that the print image data and the print conditions may be stored in different storage media as long as they are related to each other. The print conditions are set by the user via the operation unit 140, or are automatically set in the initial settings and the operating status.

On the other hand, when the image data is acquired from the outside, for example, when the image data is acquired from the external device 5 or another image forming apparatus through the network 3, the image data is acquired via the LAN interface 165 of the print & scanner controller 160. Receive. The received image data is stored in the image memory 162 via the LAN interface 165 and the DRAM control IC 161 by the operation of the controller control CPU 163. After that, the image data stored in the image memory 162 is temporarily stored in the output image memory 122 via the DRAM control IC 161, the PCI bus 112, and the DRAM control IC 111.

When the image data is page description data, the image data can be converted into a raster image by performing RIP processing of the image data by the controller control CPU 163.
The print data stored in the output image memory 122 is sequentially sent to the compression / decompression IC 125 via the DRAM control IC 111 for compression processing, and is stored in the print image memory 121 via the DRAM control IC 111. When stored in the HDD 123, the print data is stored in the HDD 123 via the DRAM control IC 111. These print data are managed by the image control CPU 113 in the same manner as described above. The image memory (DRAM) 120 and HDD 123 serve as storage units for storing image data.
The DRAM control IC 111 can function as an image input unit that accepts jobs.

When the image forming apparatus 1 outputs an image, that is, when it is used as a copying machine or a printer, the image data stored in the image memory 121 for printing, the non-volatile memory 115, the HDD 123, or the like is compressed / decompressed via the DRAM control IC 111. It is sent to the IC 125 and the image data is expanded. The stretched image data is sent to the writing processing unit 126 via the DRAM control IC 111, repeatedly expanded to the LD154A according to the set printing conditions by the writing processing unit 126, and transferred to each photoconductor by the LD154A based on the image data. Is written. The image written on the photoconductor 154A is then fixed on the paper through development, transfer, fixing, and the like.

When the image forming apparatus 1 is used as a copying machine, the image control CPU 113 is notified of information such as printing conditions (print mode) set on the operation unit 140, and the image control CPU 113 creates the setting information. The created setting information can be stored in the RAM in the image control CPU 113.
When the image forming apparatus 1 is used as a printer, the printing conditions can be set by the printer driver in the external device 5. The print conditions set here are transferred from the external device 5 → LAN IF 165 → image memory 162 → DRAM control IC 161 (controller) → DRAM control IC 111 (main unit) → output image memory 122 in the same manner as the image, and the output image is output. It is stored in the memory 122.

In the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, a high voltage output device having a high voltage output power source is used for image forming. Examples of the high-voltage output power supply include a high-voltage power supply for charging, a high-voltage power supply for primary transfer, and a high-voltage power supply for secondary transfer.
Leakage voltage may occur in high voltage output power supplies. It is preferable that no leak occurs. If noise occurs when a leak occurs in a high-voltage output that does not have an image forming function, for example, if there is a false detection in environmental data sampling, if the feedback value of the high-voltage power supply control that has an image forming function deviates, an image defect will occur. It is necessary to select the device operation.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a high-voltage power supply for developing and a leak voltage measuring unit.
The high-voltage power supply for development is composed of three transformers and three transformer control circuits 200, 201, and 202 that individually drive them. The transformer drive control circuit 200 controls the output of the AC transformer 203, and the output from the AC transformer 203 is output to the output terminal A217 as a square wave AC voltage by the waveform shaping resistor 206 and the capacitor 207. .. The transformer drive control circuit 201 controls the output of the DC transformer 204, and the output from the DC transformer 204 is a DC minus output half-wave rectified by the rectifier diode 209 and the capacitor 210. The resistor 211 is a load resistor and is used for output stabilization and coupling with a DC plus output described later.

The transformer drive control circuit 202 controls the output of the DC transformer 205, and the output from the DC transformer 205 is a DC plus output half-wave rectified by the rectifier diode 212 and the capacitor 213.
The resistor 214 is a load resistor and is for stabilizing the output. These AC output, DC negative output, and DC positive output are electrically connected to each other, and the AC output is superimposed on the DC output. Therefore, the circuit portion described above generates a developing voltage having a waveform obtained by superimposing a DC voltage on an AC voltage of a square wave, outputs the developing voltage from the output terminal A of reference numeral 217, and causes the developing roller as a toner carrier. It works as a means for generating the developing voltage to be applied.
Reference numeral 216 indicates a power supply DC24V of this high-voltage power supply, and reference numeral 215 indicates a ground.

The leak voltage measuring unit 40 is configured by the portion surrounded by the dotted line in FIG.
In the leak voltage measuring unit 40, in order to take out only the positive side of the developing voltage output waveform, a voltage divider composed of a resistor 401 and a resistor 403 is connected between the developing voltage output terminal A and the ground 215 via a diode 400. doing.
FIG. 4A shows the development voltage output waveform at the development voltage output terminal A when the leak occurs, and as shown in the figure, the waveform distortion portion 53 due to the development leak is from the peak level of the square wave 52. Appears as a voltage drop in. As shown in the figure, the diode 400 connects the anode side to the output terminal A side, and takes out the analog voltage value on the positive side of the development voltage output waveform from the cathode side. The waveform of the P portion on the cathode side is shown in FIG. 4 (b).

The voltage across the resistor 403 is obtained from the output terminal C (C section) of the voltage divider. This is an analog voltage output (hereinafter referred to as a development leak detection signal 55) obtained by dividing the analog voltage value of the P unit into a level that can be read by the AD converter of the CPU 101, that is, a level of DC 5 V or less. The waveform of the development leak detection signal 55 in part C is shown in FIG. 4 (c).

A Zener diode 402 is connected in parallel to the output resistor 403 that constitutes the voltage divider. The Zener diode 402 has a Zener voltage of 5.0 V, and is for protection so that the output waveform of the development leak detection signal 55 does not exceed 5.0 V and the image control CPU is not damaged.

When the development leak detection signal 55 having the development voltage waveform divided by the voltage divider is sampled by the control unit 100 for a certain period of time and a discharge (development leak) occurs between the photoconductor and the developing roller. The waveform distortion portion 53 appearing in the square wave is detected. The sampling period is one cycle of the AC voltage waveform of the rectangular wave constituting the development leak detection signal 55.
The waveform distortion portion 53 that appears in the square wave when a discharge (development leak) occurs between the photoconductor and the developing roller after sampling for a certain period of time is detected. The sampling period is one cycle of the AC voltage waveform of the rectangular wave constituting the development leak detection signal 55.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the sampled leak voltage. In the leak voltage, the fluctuation time at the time of leakage and the fluctuation amount are shown.
The control unit 100 determines the degree of leakage according to the measurement result. In this embodiment, the "leakage degree" refers to the degree of development leakage in terms of the frequency of occurrence or the leak level.

FIG. 6 shows the cumulative relationship between the fluctuation time and the voltage fluctuation during a predetermined period.
In this relationship diagram, the region where the fluctuation time and voltage fluctuation are relatively small is defined as region A, and the region where the fluctuation time and voltage fluctuation are considered to be relatively medium is defined as region B, and the fluctuation time and voltage fluctuation are compared. The large area is defined as the C area. In this embodiment, the A region corresponds to the first predetermined region, the B region corresponds to the second predetermined region, and the C region corresponds to the third predetermined region.
In the leak voltage measuring unit, the fluctuation (%) and the fluctuation time (t) transmitted through the fluctuation amount of the waveform distortion part of 53 in the figure are measured, and in the enlarged view of 53 parts or less, the measurement points are as follows.
What is the amount of fluctuation with respect to the output voltage shown in the above figure? Calculate whether it will be%. The leak degree is determined from the measurement results (A degree, B degree, C degree).

Table 1 shows an example in which the above area is specifically defined. In the present invention, the range of each region is not limited to that shown in the table.

Next, the control procedure during the operation of the device will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit or the management control unit.
When the device operates, each high-voltage output waveform of the output voltage device is measured by the leak voltage measuring unit, and the output waveform distortion is measured (step S1). The leak state, that is, the degree of leakage is determined from the measured output waveform distortion, and recorded in an appropriate recording unit (step S2).
For the leak degree, the leak degree of A, B, and C is determined as shown in Table 1.

Next, it is determined whether or not an device abnormality has occurred (step S3), and if there is no device abnormality (step s3, No), the process returns to step S1 and the procedure is repeated. In this embodiment, the repetition period in the measurement of the repetition waveform distortion is 1 second.

When a device error has occurred (step S3, Yes), the device is stopped (step S4), the device error information is displayed on the display unit (step S5), and then the leak information is displayed on the display unit. (Step S6). After that, the procedure is completed depending on the operation of the operator, the elapsed time, and the like.
It is desirable to display the device abnormality information and the leak information on different screens. The screen may be different from the screen by displaying it in an area to be divided on the display, or may be displayed by using a pop-up screen or the like. Further, the screen may be switched and displayed. The order in which the device abnormality and leak information are displayed is not particularly limited.

In the display example of the device abnormality information, as shown in FIG. 8, the “device abnormality information” 141 is displayed on the operation unit 140. At this time, the leak degree determination result (leakage degree 142B) stored up to the previous time and the target high-voltage output type (high-voltage output abnormality 142A) can be displayed and associated. From the screen, it can be seen that the device abnormality is an abnormality other than the occurrence of a leak.

As another example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a high-voltage output abnormality occurs, the high-voltage output abnormality 143 is displayed and an abnormal state other than the target high-voltage output abnormality is also displayed. In this example, the leak degree 144B and the high voltage output abnormality 144A are displayed. As a result, it is possible to grasp the high-voltage output abnormality in which the abnormality has occurred and the other high-voltage output states, and it is possible to prevent erroneous detection.

Further, when the abnormal high-voltage output type is the secondary transfer, there is a possibility that some trouble may occur in the secondary transfer-related member, so that a display prompting the replacement may be performed.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the device abnormality indicates the post-processing unit communication abnormality 145, but in the high-pressure output abnormality 146A of the next transfer, the leak degree 146B is B (= B region). .. The secondary transfer contact member is set and displayed, and the secondary transfer contact member that is displayed has a structure that does not cause dielectric breakdown due to the molding material, but it is minor because it has a contact structure that abuts each time it is jammed. Cracks may occur. In the case of cracking or the like, it is necessary to stop the device immediately, and the "device abnormality information" on the screen display indicates secondary transfer, and the secondary transfer contact member is displayed as member replacement 147.

As yet another example, when the device abnormality information 148 is a post-processing unit communication abnormality, the high voltage output abnormality 149A is the secondary transfer, and the leak degree 149B is A (= A region), the member is cleaned. The secondary transfer roller conductive bearing is set as 150 and displayed.
The secondary transfer roller conductive bearing takes conduction to the rotating body, but there is a possibility that poor continuity may occur due to dust adhesion or the like.

Further, for example, a developing roller, a primary transfer roller, a carrier recovery roller, and each member are contact-arranged on the photoconductor roller, and a high voltage output is applied to the developing roller, the primary transfer roller, and the carrier recovery roller. .. Each roller has a different diameter (φ).
The photoconductor roller rotation cycle is 476 ms, and the developing roller rotation cycle is 117 ms.
FIG. 12 shows a development bias waveform, and 53 is a waveform distortion.
In this embodiment, waveform distortion occurs in a period of 476 ms. From this, it can be found that the cause is the photoconductor roller. This can be displayed on the display unit.
The power applied to the developing roller flows from the photoconductor roller into the housing (= GND) and returns via the FG contact of the high-voltage power supply board. This is because if there is a contact failure between the photoconductor roller and the housing contact, current fluctuation (= waveform distortion) in one rotation cycle occurs. It turns out that the contact of the developing roller is not defective.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the above-described embodiment, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-mentioned description, and the present invention is defined as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. Appropriate changes are possible.

1 Image forming device 5 External device 10 Device main body 11 Transport path 12 Paper feeding section 14 Operation section 15 Image forming section 15A Photoreceptor 15B Intermediate transfer belt 15C Secondary transfer section 15D Fixer 40 Leak detector 52 Square wave 53 Waveform distortion section 55 Development leak detection signal 100 Control unit 113 Image control CPU
118 IO unit 140 Operation unit 150 Printer unit 500 External device control unit 510 External operation display unit

Claims (13)

It has a control unit that controls the operation of an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method.
The control unit determines the leak state by receiving the measurement result of the leak voltage generated in the output voltage device of the image forming apparatus.
Further, the control unit is an image forming apparatus characterized in that when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the image forming apparatus, the leak state of the output voltage device is recorded as log information at the time of the abnormality. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a leak voltage measuring unit for measuring a leak voltage generated in the image forming apparatus. The leak voltage measuring unit has a voltage divider that divides the output voltage of the output voltage device by resistance, and the control unit detects the waveform distortion portion by sampling the voltage waveform divided by the voltage divider for a certain period of time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is used. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit measures the number and / of the number of waveform distortion portions detected within a certain period of time in the leak voltage and the amount of distortion of the waveform distortion portion. The image forming apparatus according to. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit determines the leak state by dividing it into a plurality of regions. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit displays the leak state as log information at the time of abnormality when an abnormality occurs during operation of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit displays a target output voltage device and a leak state of the output voltage device when displaying the leak state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control unit displays a display prompting replacement of a member to which a voltage is applied in a target output voltage device when displaying the leak state. The control unit according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein when displaying the leak state, a display prompting the cleaning of a member to which a voltage is applied in the target output voltage device is performed. Image forming device. Any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the control unit identifies and displays an output voltage device or a member used in the output voltage device based on leak generation cycle information when an abnormality occurs during device operation. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. The invention according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the control unit displays device abnormality information and a leak state of an output voltage device on different screens when an abnormality occurs during operation of the device. Image forming device. It has a management control unit that controls the operation of the image forming device.
The management control unit determines the leak state by receiving the measurement result of the leak voltage generated by the output voltage device that generates the output voltage in the image forming apparatus that forms an image by the electrophotographic method.
Further, the management control unit is an image forming management device characterized in that when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the device in the image forming apparatus, the leak state of the output voltage device is recorded as log information at the time of the abnormality. The image formation management device according to claim 12, wherein the management control unit displays the leak state as log information at the time of abnormality when an abnormality occurs during operation of the device.

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