JP2023172198A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which in an image formation device, in detecting a cover opening/closing, a power for sensor detection is required, and it is difficult to suppress power consumption during power saving.SOLUTION: An image formation device has: a device main body; a front cover 103 that is provided in the device main body so as to be openable and closable; a process unit 10 that is provided in the device main body, and forms an image; switch units (60, 70, 42 and 34) that, in conjunction with an opening/closing member, switch an image formation state of the image formation unit and a non-image formation state thereof; a coupling sensor 50 that detects switching the process unit 10 to the non-image formation state and image formation state by the switch unit; and driving control units (200, 48 and 51) that synchronize a power source being turned on to execute coupling engagement processing. The driving control unit is configured to, when executing the coupling engagement processing in synchronization with the power source being turned on, perform correction processing in accordance with a detection result of the coupling sensor 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

A technique has been disclosed in which, in a power saving state, a device cover opening/closing detection means is used to detect the opening/closing of the cover, and when the cover is opened/closed, a predetermined operation is performed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-197417 (Page 7, Figure 5)

When detecting the opening and closing of a cover, electric power is required for sensor detection, making it difficult to reduce power consumption during power saving.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
An apparatus main body, an opening/closing member provided on the apparatus main body so as to be openable/closable, an image forming unit provided on the apparatus main body forming an image, and an image forming state of the image forming unit interlocked with the opening/closing member. a switching unit that switches between the image forming state and the non-image forming state; a detecting unit that detects that the switching unit switches the image forming unit between the non-image forming state and the image forming state; and a drive control unit that executes a predetermined operation in synchronization with the
The drive control section is characterized in that it performs initial correction processing according to the detection result of the detection section when the predetermined operation is executed in synchronization with the power being turned on.

According to the present invention, since the opening/closing of the cover is memorized mechanically, no electric power is required for monitoring the opening/closing of the cover. Therefore, power consumption can be suppressed during power saving, and furthermore, it is possible to check whether the cover has been opened or closed even when the power is turned off. Thereby, unnecessary initial correction processing in the initialization processing of the device can be omitted and initialization time can be shortened.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the top cover and front cover of the image forming apparatus are opened. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the process unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process unit and a side portion of the housing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the driving force transmission section and the side frame of the process unit. It is a perspective view showing a part of a driving force transmission part. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the driving force transmission section viewed from the process unit side. (a) is a top view showing a state in which the first slider and the second slider of the driving force transmitting section are both at the reference position, and (b) is a top view showing a state in which the first slider and the second slider of the driving force transmitting section are - It is a top view which shows the state moved in the X direction. (a) shows a state in which the first slider and the second slider are both at the reference position, and (b) shows a state in which the first slider and the second slider both move from the reference position in the -X direction and move to the reference position. (c) shows a state where the first slider is at the reference position and the second slider is moved from the reference position in the −X direction to the second cutoff position. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of coupling release processing. 3 is a flowchart of initialization processing when power is turned on in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of cover opening/closing determination processing. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a coupling engagement process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a coupling engagement process.

Embodiment 1.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 with the top cover 102 and front cover 103 opened. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 is a printer that forms color images using electrophotography.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a medium supply section 110 that supplies a medium P such as printing paper, an image forming section 100 that forms a toner image (developer image), and an image forming section 100 that forms a toner image (developer image). A transfer unit 120 that transfers the toner image onto the medium P, a fixing device 130 that fixes the toner image on the medium P, a medium ejection section 140 that ejects the medium P, and a housing 101 that houses these.

The medium supply unit 110 includes a paper feed tray 111 that accommodates the medium P, a pickup roller 112 that is disposed so as to come into contact with the medium P that is accommodated in the paper feed tray 111, and a pickup roller 112 that is disposed adjacent to the pickup roller 112. It has a feed roller 113 and a retard roller 114 arranged to face the feed roller 113.

The paper feed tray 111 accommodates media P such as printing paper in a stacked state. The pickup roller 112 rotates while coming into contact with the medium P on the paper feed tray 111 , and feeds out the medium P from the paper feed tray 111 . The feed roller 113 sends out the medium P fed out by the pickup roller 112 to the conveyance path. The retard roller 114 rotates in a direction opposite to the direction in which the feed roller 113 sends out the medium P, and applies conveyance resistance to the medium P to prevent double feeding.

The medium supply unit 110 also includes a conveyance roller 115 and a conveyance roller 118 along the medium P conveyance path. The conveyance roller 115 is composed of a registration roller 116 and a pinch roller 117 that comes into contact with the registration roller 116, and starts rotating at a predetermined timing after the leading edge of the medium P comes into contact with the nip between the two rollers. Correct the skew before transporting. The conveyance roller 118 conveys the medium P from the conveyance roller 115 to the image forming section 100.

The image forming section 100 includes four process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y as image forming units that form black (b), cyan (c), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) toner images. Print heads 13K, 13C, 13M, and 13Y as exposure devices are arranged so as to face each photosensitive drum 11 (described later) of process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y as image forming units.

The process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are arranged in this order along the conveyance direction of the medium P (here, from right to left in the figure). The process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y will be referred to as "process units 10" unless there is a particular need to distinguish them. Further, the print heads 13K, 13C, 13M, and 13Y are referred to as "print heads 13" unless there is a particular need to distinguish them.

The process unit 10 includes a photosensitive drum 11 as an image carrier carrying a toner image, a charging roller 12 as a charging member, a developing roller 14 as a developer carrier, and a supply roller 15 as a supply member. It has a developing blade 16 as a developer regulating member and a unit frame 30 that accommodates them.

The photosensitive drum 11 is a cylindrical member having a photosensitive layer (charge generation layer and charge transport layer) provided on the surface of a conductive base, and is rotated clockwise in the figure by a drive motor 17 (FIG. 11).

The charging roller 12 is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11, and rotates following the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 11. A charging voltage is applied to the charging roller 12 by a charging voltage power source 202 (FIG. 11), and the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 is uniformly charged. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the uniformly charged surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 by light irradiation from the print head 13 .

The developing roller 14 is arranged so as to come into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11, and rotates in the opposite direction (counterclockwise in the figure) than the photoreceptor drum 11. A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 14 by a developing voltage power source 203 (FIG. 11), and toner is applied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 to form a toner image.

The supply roller 15 is arranged so as to contact or face the surface of the developing roller 14, and rotates in the same direction as the developing roller 14. The supply roller 15 is applied with a supply voltage by a supply voltage power source 204 (FIG. 11), and supplies toner to the developing roller 14.

The developing blade 16 is a metal blade that is long in the axial direction of the developing roller 14 and is arranged so as to be pressed against the surface of the developing roller 14 . The developing blade 16 regulates the thickness of the toner layer formed on the surface of the developing roller 14 .

In the process unit 10, a portion including the developing roller 14, the supply roller 15, and the developing blade 16, that is, a portion that contributes to developing the electrostatic latent image constitutes a developing unit.

Toner cartridges 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y are provided above the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y as developer storage units that supply toner to the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. The toner cartridges 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y are removably attached to a top cover 102, which will be described later.

The toner cartridges 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y contain black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners, respectively. The toner cartridges 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y will be referred to as "toner cartridges 20" unless there is a particular need to distinguish them.

The print head 13 includes, for example, a light emitting element array in which light emitting elements such as LEDs (light emitting diodes) are arranged, and a lens array that focuses emitted light from the light emitting elements onto the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11. The print head 13 is driven by a head control unit 206 (FIG. 11), and exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 to form an electrostatic latent image.

The transfer unit 120 includes an endless transfer belt 122 as a transfer body, a drive roller 123 and an idle roller 124 on which the transfer belt 122 is stretched, and process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y via the transfer belt 122. A transfer roller 121 is provided to face each photoreceptor drum 11.

The transfer belt 122 runs while adsorbing and holding the medium P on its surface by electrostatic force. The drive roller 123 is rotated by a belt motor 125 (FIG. 11) and causes the transfer belt 122 to travel. The idle roller 124 applies tension to the transfer belt 122. The transfer roller 121 is applied with a transfer voltage by a transfer voltage power source 205 (FIG. 11), and transfers the toner image on each photoreceptor drum 11 onto the medium P.

The fixing device 130 is arranged downstream of the image forming section 100 in the conveyance direction of the medium P. The fixing device 130 includes, for example, a fixing roller 131 and a pressure roller 132 pressed against the fixing roller 131. The fixing roller 131 has a built-in heater 133 (FIG. 11) as a heat source, and is rotated by a fixing motor 135 (FIG. 11). The fixing roller 131 and the pressure roller 132 apply heat and pressure to the toner image transferred to the medium P to fix it on the medium P.

The medium discharge section 140 is disposed downstream of the fixing device 130 in the conveyance direction of the medium P, and includes discharge rollers 141 and 142 that are two pairs of rollers. The discharge rollers 141 and 142 convey the medium P sent out from the fixing device 130 along the discharge conveyance path and discharge it to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 . A stacker section 143 is provided at the top of the image forming apparatus 1 on which the media discharged by the discharge rollers 141 and 142 are stacked.

The image forming apparatus 1 is equipped with a re-conveying mechanism 150 that reverses the medium P on which the toner image is fixed and conveys it to the above-described conveying roller 115 for double-sided printing. Further, on the downstream side of the fixing device 130, a switching guide 136 is provided that guides the medium P sent out from the fixing device 130 to the medium discharge section 140 or the re-conveying mechanism 150.

The re-conveyance mechanism 150 includes conveyance rollers 151, 153 and a switching guide 152 that once send the medium P to the evacuation path R3 and then switch the front and back, and conveyance rollers 154, 155, 156 that convey the medium P along the return conveyance path R4. have The return conveyance path R4 joins the upstream side of the conveyance roller 118 in the conveyance path R1. Near the exit of the return conveyance path R4, a pinch roller 157 that contacts the registration roller 116 from the opposite side to the pinch roller 117 is provided.

The medium P conveyed through the return conveyance path R4 by the conveyance rollers 154, 155, and 156 is conveyed to the upstream side of the conveyance roller 118 in the conveyance path R1 by a roller pair consisting of the registration roller 116 and the pinch roller 157. Note that if the image forming apparatus 1 does not have a double-sided printing function, the re-conveying mechanism 150 is not necessary.

The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a top cover 102 attached to the top of the housing 101 that can be opened and closed, and a front cover 103 that is attached to the front of the housing 101 and serves as an opening and closing member that can be opened and closed. The top cover 102 is provided with an operation section 104 (FIG. 1) such as an operation panel. Furthermore, the above-described toner cartridges 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y are attached to the top cover 102.

In FIG. 3, the direction of the rotation axis of the photoreceptor drum 11 is the Y direction. The Y direction is the width direction of the medium P. The axial direction of each roller of each unit mentioned above is parallel to the Y direction. The depth direction of the image forming apparatus 1 (horizontal direction in FIG. 3), which is orthogonal to the Y direction, is defined as the X direction. The XY plane is a horizontal plane here. Further, the direction perpendicular to the XY plane, here the vertical direction, is defined as the Z direction. Regarding the X direction, the front cover 103 side is defined as the -X direction, and the opposite side is defined as the +X direction.

In FIG. 2, process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are arranged in a direction oblique to the X direction. Hereinafter, the direction in which the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are arranged will be referred to as a unit arrangement direction (approximately the X direction). Note that the unit arrangement direction does not necessarily have to be a direction inclined with respect to the X direction, and may be parallel to the Y direction.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing the process unit 10. As shown in FIG. The process unit 10 includes a unit frame 30 that is long in the Y direction, and side frames 31 and 32 formed at both ends of the unit frame 30 in the Y direction. The unit frame 30 accommodates the photosensitive drum 11 , the charging roller 12 , the developing roller 14 , the supply roller 15 , and the developing blade 16 . A toner receiving opening 30a is formed in the upper part of the unit frame 30 to receive toner from the toner cartridge 20 via a toner duct (not shown).

The process unit 10 includes a developing roller coupling section 33 that receives a driving force for rotating the developing roller 14, and a photosensitive drum coupling section 34 that receives a driving force for rotating the photosensitive drum 11.

The developing roller coupling portion 33 is fixed to the shaft of the developing roller 14 . The photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 is fixed to the shaft of the photoreceptor drum 11 . Openings 31a and 31b are formed in the side frame 31 to expose the developing roller coupling section 33 and the photosensitive drum coupling section 34, respectively.

Further, the side frame 31 is provided with an opening 35 through which air (that is, cooling air) blown from an air outlet (not shown) is introduced into the process unit 10 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y and the housing side portion 105 of the housing 101. A driving force transmitting section 6 (FIG. 7) that transmits driving force to each process unit 10 is provided on a housing side part 105 that is a side part of the housing 101 in the -Y direction, and is covered by an inner cover 106.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the driving force transmission section 6 and the side frame 31 of the process unit 10. In FIG. 6, the inner cover 106 shown in FIG. 5 is omitted. The driving force transmission section 6 includes a developing roller coupling 41 that engages with the developing roller coupling section 33 of the process unit 10 and a photosensitive drum coupling 42 that engages with the photosensitive drum coupling section 34 . These couplings 41 and 42 are rotatably attached to the housing 101 about a rotation axis in the Y direction.

The developing roller coupling 41 is equipped with an Oldham coupling mechanism inside, and is configured so that even if there is a slight axial misalignment between it and the developing roller coupling portion 33, the axial misalignment can be absorbed and the driving force can be transmitted. ing. Similarly, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42 includes an Oldham coupling mechanism therein, and is configured to absorb axial misalignment with the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 and transmit driving force.

The developing roller coupling 41 has an engagement shaft portion 411 that engages with the developing roller coupling portion 33 at the end in the +Y direction. Further, a gear 412 to which driving force from the drive motor 17 (FIG. 7) is transmitted is attached to a shaft 413 that is a rotating shaft of the developing roller coupling 41.

The photoreceptor drum coupling 42 has an engagement shaft portion 421 that engages with the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 at the end in the +Y direction. Further, a gear 422 to which driving force from the drive motor 17 is transmitted is attached to a shaft 423 that is a rotation axis of the photosensitive drum coupling 42 .

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the driving force transmission section 6. As shown in FIG. The developing roller couplings 41 corresponding to each of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are referred to as developing roller couplings 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y. Similarly, the photoreceptor drum couplings 42 corresponding to each of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are referred to as photoreceptor drum couplings 42K, 42C, 42M, and 42Y.

The driving force of the drive motor 17 is transmitted to each gear 412 of the developing roller couplings 41K, 41C, 41M, 41Y and the photosensitive drum couplings 42K, 42C, 42M, 42Y via a transmission mechanism 18 having a gear train. The signal is transmitted to each gear 422.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the driving force transmission section 6 viewed from the process unit 10 side. The driving force transmission unit 6 includes a first slider 60 that moves the developing roller coupling 41K and the photosensitive drum coupling 42K in the Y direction, and the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, 41Y and the photosensitive drum coupling. It has a second slider 70 as a sliding member that moves 42C, 42M, and 42Y in the Y direction. Note that the first slider 60, the second slider 70, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42, and the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 correspond to the switching portion.

The first slider 60 and the second slider 70 are both long in the unit arrangement direction (approximately the X direction) and move straight in the unit arrangement direction. The first slider 60 and the second slider 70 constitute a switching mechanism that switches the driving force transmission path in the driving force transmission section 6. The positions of the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 shown in FIG. 8 are defined as reference positions.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first slider 60 has an opening 61 through which the engagement shaft 411 of the developing roller coupling 41K passes, and an opening through which the engagement shaft 421 of the photosensitive drum coupling 42K passes. 62. The openings 61 and 62 both have a long shape in the longitudinal direction of the first slider 60.

When the first slider 60 is at the reference position, the engagement shaft portion 411 of the developing roller coupling 41K is located at the -X direction end of the opening 61, and the engagement shaft portion 421 of the photosensitive drum coupling 42K is located at the -X direction end of the opening 61. is located at the end of the opening 62 in the −X direction.

At the end of the first slider 60 in the −X direction, a lever connecting portion 64 is formed which is connected to a swinging lever 108 provided on the housing 101.

The second slider 70 has an opening 71 through which the engaging shaft portions 411 of the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y pass, and an opening portion 71 through which the engaging shaft portions 421 of the photosensitive drum couplings 42C, 42M, and 42Y pass. It has an opening 72 through which it passes. Both of the openings 71 and 72 have a long shape in the longitudinal direction of the second slider 70.

When the second slider 70 is at the reference position, the engagement shaft portions 411 of the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, 41Y are located at the -X direction end of the opening 71, and the photosensitive drum couplings 42C, 42M , 42Y is located at the end of the opening 72 in the −X direction.

FIG. 9A is a top view showing a state in which the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 of the driving force transmission section 6 are both at the reference position. The first slider 60 has a concave portion 60a, an inclined portion 60b, and a convex portion 60c as contact portions that come into contact with the developing roller coupling 41K. The concave portion 60a, the inclined portion 60b, and the convex portion 60c are arranged in this order in the +X direction. The convex portion 60c projects in the −Y direction with respect to the concave portion 60a, and the inclined portion 60b extends so as to connect the concave portion 60a and the convex portion 60c.

The developing roller coupling 41K is biased in the +Y direction by a biasing member 63 (FIG. 10(a)) such as a spring, and is brought into contact with any of the concave portion 60a, the inclined portion 60b, and the convex portion 60c of the first slider 60. are in contact with each other.

In FIG. 9A, the developing roller coupling 41K is in contact with the recess 60a. That is, the developing roller coupling 41K is located at the end of its movement range in the +Y direction (ie, at the position closest to the process unit 10).

FIG. 9(b) is a top view showing a state in which the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 of the driving force transmission section 6 have moved in the -X direction. When the first slider 60 moves in the −X direction, the developing roller coupling 41K comes into contact with the convex portion 60c from the concave portion 60a via the slope portion 60b. As a result, the developing roller coupling 41K moves in the -Y direction (ie, in the direction away from the process unit 10).

Returning to FIG. 9A, the second slider 70 has a concave portion 70a, an inclined portion 70b, and a convex portion 70c as abutting portions that abut each of the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y. The concave portion 70a, the inclined portion 70b, and the convex portion 70c are arranged in this order in the +X direction. The convex portion 70c is located in the +X direction with respect to the concave portion 70a. The inclined portion 70b extends to connect the concave portion 70a and the convex portion 70c.

The developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y are all biased in the +Y direction by a biasing member 73 (FIG. 10(a)) such as a spring, and are biased toward the concave portion 70a, the inclined portion 70b, and the convex portion of the second slider 70. It is in contact with any of the portions 70c.

In FIG. 9A, the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y are all in contact with the recess 60a. That is, the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y are located at the ends of their respective movement ranges in the +Y direction (that is, the positions closest to the process unit 10).

As shown in FIG. 9(b), when the second slider 70 moves in the −X direction, the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y all come into contact with the convex portion 70c from the concave portion 70a via the inclined portion 70b. . As a result, the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, and 41Y all move in the -Y direction (ie, in the direction away from the process unit 10).

Note that the positions of the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 shown in FIG. 9(b) are referred to as a blocking position.

Note that the opening 62 of the first slider 60 and the opening 72 of the second slider 70 are also formed with similar recesses 60a, slopes 60b, and projections 60c, and recesses 70a, slopes 70b, and projections 70c. These act in the same way on the photoreceptor drum coupling 42, and simultaneously move the photoreceptor drum coupling 42 away from and toward the process unit 10 (±) in accordance with the movement of each slider. It is configured to move in the Y direction).

10(a) to (c) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operations of the first slider 60, the second slider 70, and the photosensitive drum coupling 42. FIG. Note that for the first slider 60 and the second slider 70, only the shapes of the end portions on the -Y direction side are shown here by solid lines in order to clarify the operations.

FIG. 10A shows a state in which the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 are both at the reference position.

FIG. 10(b) shows a state in which both the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 have moved from the reference position in the -X direction and are in the first blocking position.

FIG. 10(c) shows a state in which the first slider 60 is at the reference position and the second slider 70 is moved from the reference position in the -X direction to the second blocking position. Here, the second blocking position of the second slider 70 is located at a distance d1 in the +X direction from the first blocking position.

A contact portion 66 is formed at the end of the first slider 60 in the +X direction. A contact portion 76 is formed at the end of the second slider 70 in the −X direction. The contact portion 66 of the first slider 60 and the contact portion 76 of the second slider 70 are configured to be able to contact each other only when they move in a direction in which they move relatively apart from each other.

In the state shown in FIG. 10(a), both the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 are at the reference position. Therefore, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42K is located in the recess 60a of the first slider 60, and the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y are located in the recess 70a of the second slider 70.

The photosensitive drum coupling 42K is biased in the +Y direction by the biasing member 63, and comes into contact with any of the recessed portion 60a, inclined portion 60b, and convex portion 60c of the first slider 60, and the photosensitive drum coupling 42K The rings 42C, 42M, and 42Y are urged in the +Y direction by the urging member 73 and are in contact with any of the recessed portion 70a, inclined portion 70b, and convex portion 70c of the first slider 60.

Therefore, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42K engages with the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 of the process unit 10K. Further, the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, and 42Y engage with the photoreceptor drum coupling portions 34 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y. That is, the driving force is transmitted to all the photosensitive drums 11 of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. Further, at this time, a coupling sensor 50 serving as a detection unit disposed in the housing 101 and detecting the coupling state of the photoconductor drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y and the photoconductor drum coupling portions 34C, 34M, 34Y, The second slider 70 is detected and is in the on state.

In the state shown in FIG. 10(b), both the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 have moved from the reference position in the −X direction and have reached the first cutoff position as the first slide position. These sliders 60 and 70 are operated by opening the front cover 103 by the user.

That is, when the user opens the front cover 103 (FIG. 2), the swinging lever 108 connected to the front cover 103 rotates, and the first slider 60 moves in the −X direction by the action of the lever connecting portion 64 (FIG. 8). Move to. Then, due to the contact between the contact parts 66 and 76, the second slider 70 moves in the −X direction following the first slider 60.

As a result, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42K moves to the convex portion 60c via the inclined portion 60b of the first slider 60, and the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y move via the inclined portion 70b of the second slider 70. Move to the convex portion 70c.

Therefore, the photoreceptor drum coupling 42K is separated from the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34 of the process unit 10K. Further, the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, and 42Y are separated from the photoreceptor drum coupling portions 34 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y. That is, the driving force transmission to all the photosensitive drums 11 of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y is cut off. Further, at this time, the coupling sensor 50 cannot detect the second slider 70 and is in an off state.

In the state shown in FIG. 10(c), the first slider 60 remains at the reference position, and the second slider 70 moves in the -X direction from the reference position and reaches the second cutoff position as the second slide position. There is. The operation of the second slider 70 is performed by the switching motor 48 shown in FIG. 8 and the coupling clutch 51 (FIG. 11).

A rack gear portion 75 (FIG. 8) is provided at the +X direction end of the second slider 70, and a gear 49 rotated by the switching motor 48 and the coupling clutch 51 (FIG. 11) is engaged with the rack gear portion 75. The coupling clutch 51 is interposed in a rotation transmission path between the switching motor 48 and the gear 49, transmits rotation when the coupling clutch 51 is on, and disconnects when the coupling clutch 51 is off.

The second slider 70 moves straight in the unit arrangement direction (approximately the X direction) due to the meshing of the rack gear portion 75 and the gear 49. As a result, the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, and 42Y move to the convex portion 70c via the inclined portion 70b of the second slider 70 while the photoreceptor drum coupling 42K remains located in the recess 60a of the first slider 60. do.

Here, when the switching motor 48 rotates in the normal rotation direction, the second slider 70 moves in the +X direction, and the photosensitive drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y connect the photosensitive drums of the process units 10C, 10M, 10Y. It moves in the direction of engagement with the portion 34.

Further, when the switching motor 48 rotates in the reverse direction, the second slider 70 moves in the -X direction, and as shown in FIG. It moves in the direction away from the photoreceptor drum coupling portions 34 of 10M and 10Y. In this case, the second slider 70 is set not to move to the first cut-off position but to move to the second cut-off position in front of it. On the other hand, the first slider 60 does not move.

Therefore, when the second slider 70 moves to the second cutoff position as shown in FIG. 10(c) due to rotation of the switching motor 48 in the reverse direction, the photosensitive drum coupling 42K The photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, and 42Y are separated from the photoreceptor drum connection portions 34 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y. That is, the driving force is transmitted to the photoreceptor drum 11 of the process unit 10K, but the driving force is not transmitted to the photoreceptor drums 11 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y. Further, at this time, the coupling sensor 50 is in an off state.

Here, the movement of the photoreceptor drum couplings 42K, 42C, 42M, and 42Y has been explained, but due to the sliding movement of the sliders 60 and 70 shown in FIGS. 10(a) to 10(c), the developing roller coupling 41K , 41C, 41M, and 41Y also move in position similarly to the photosensitive drum couplings 42K, 42C, 42M, and 42Y.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 10A, the driving force is transmitted to all the photosensitive drums 11 of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. In other words, the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are all in the first state, which is the image forming state. Color printing is performed in this first state.

Further, in the state shown in FIG. 10(b), the driving force transmission to all the photosensitive drums 11 of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y is interrupted. In other words, the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are all in the second state of non-image forming state. In this second state, the top cover 102 is opened and closed.

Further, in the state shown in FIG. 10C, the driving force is transmitted to the photoreceptor drum 11 of the process unit 10K, and the driving force transmission to the photoreceptor drum 11 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y is interrupted. In other words, the process unit 10K is in the image forming state, and the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y are in the third state, which is the non-image forming state. In this third state, monochrome printing is performed by the process unit 10K. Therefore, during monochrome printing, the rotation of the photosensitive drums 11 and the rotation of the developing rollers 14 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y that are not used for printing can be stopped.

Next, the control system of the image forming apparatus 1 will be explained. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control device 200, an I/F (interface) control section 221, a reception memory 222, an image data editing memory 223, an operation section 104, and a sensor group 225.

The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a power supply control section 201, a head control section 206, a motor drive control section 207, a belt drive control section 208, a fixing control section 209, a fixing drive control section 210, and a paper feeding/conveying section. A control unit 211 is provided.

The control device 200 includes a microprocessor, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input/output port, a timer including an error monitoring timer described below, and the like. The control device 200 receives print data and control commands from the host device via the I/F control section 221, and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1.

The reception memory 222 temporarily stores print data input from a host device via the I/F control unit 221. The image data editing memory 223 receives the print data stored in the reception memory 222 and records image data, that is, image data, formed by editing the print data.

The operation unit 104 includes a display unit (for example, an LED) that displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1, a switch through which an operator inputs instructions, and the like. The sensor group 225 includes various sensors for monitoring the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1, such as a toner remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of toner in the process unit 10, and a toner remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 20. It includes a remaining amount sensor, a medium position sensor for detecting the transport position of the medium P, a coupling sensor 50 for checking the position of the second slider 70 and determining the image forming state, and the like.

The power supply control unit 201 includes a charging voltage power supply 202 that applies a charging voltage to the charging roller 12, a developing voltage power supply 203 that applies a developing voltage to the developing roller 14, a supply voltage power supply 204 that applies a supply voltage to the supply roller 15, and a transfer voltage power supply 202 that applies a charging voltage to the charging roller 12. A transfer voltage power supply 205 that applies a transfer voltage to the roller 121 is controlled. The head control unit 206 sends the image data recorded in the image data editing memory 223 to the print head 13 and controls the light emission of the print head 13.

The motor drive control section 207 controls the drive motor 17 that rotates the developing roller 14 and photosensitive drum 11 of each process unit 10. Note that the charging roller 12 rotates following the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 11, and the supply roller 15 rotates by rotation transmission from the developing roller 14 or the photoreceptor drum 11. Belt drive control section 208 controls belt motor 125 for driving transfer belt 122 .

The fixing control unit 209 has a temperature adjustment circuit, and supplies current to a heater 133 that heats the fixing roller 131 based on an output signal from a thermistor 134 disposed in the fixing device 130 . The fixing drive control unit 210 controls the fixing motor 135 that rotates the fixing roller 131 (FIG. 1) of the fixing device 130. Note that the discharge rollers 141 and 142 are rotated by rotation transmission from the fixing motor 135.

The paper feed conveyance control unit 211 controls a paper feed motor 212 that rotates the pickup roller 112 and the feed roller 113, and a conveyance motor 213 that rotates the conveyance rollers 115 and 118.

Further, the control device 200 rotationally controls the switching motor 48 for switching between transmitting the rotational driving force to the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y and interrupting the transmission by reverse rotation or forward rotation. A coupling clutch 51 that is interposed in the rotation transmission path between the switching motor 48 and the gear 49 (FIG. 8) and transmits the rotation of the switching motor 48 (when on) and interrupts the transmission (when off) is controlled to turn on and off. Note that the control device 200, the switching motor 48, and the coupling clutch 51 correspond to a drive control section.

Next, a printing operation (image forming operation) by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 18. When the control device 200 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the print command and print data from the host device via the I/F control unit 221, it starts a printing operation.

During color printing, the printing operation is performed with both the first slider 60 and the second slider 70 located at the reference position (FIGS. 8 and 9(a)). Therefore, developing roller couplings 41K, 41C, 41M, 41Y and photosensitive drum cups are attached to all the developing roller coupling parts 33 and photosensitive drum coupling parts 34 (FIG. 4) of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. Rings 42K, 42C, 42M, and 42Y (Fig. 7) are engaged. As a result, the driving force is transmitted to all the developing rollers 14 and photosensitive drums 11 of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. In other words, the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are all in an image forming state.

At the start of printing, the control device 200 causes the medium supply unit 110 to start supplying the medium P. Specifically, the paper feed transport control unit 211 drives the paper feed motor 212 to rotate the pickup roller 112 and the feed roller 113. The pickup roller 112 feeds out the medium P accommodated in the paper feed tray 111, and the feed roller 113 feeds out the medium P to the conveyance path. Further, the conveyance rollers 115 and 118 are rotated by the conveyance motor 213 to convey the medium P sent out to the conveyance path to the image forming section 100.

The control device 200 further causes the belt drive control unit 208 to drive the belt motor 125, rotates the drive roller 123, and causes the transfer belt 122 to run. The transfer belt 122 attracts and holds the medium P and conveys it. The medium P passes through the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y in this order.

Then, the control device 200 applies a charging voltage, a developing voltage, and a supply voltage to the charging roller 12, developing roller 14, and supplying roller 15 of each process unit 10, respectively, using the power control section 201.

The control device 200 also causes the motor drive control unit 207 to rotate the drive motor 17 corresponding to each process unit 10, and rotates the developing roller 14 and the photosensitive drum 11. Along with these rotations, the charging roller 12 and the supply roller 15 also rotate. The charging roller 12 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11.

The control device 200 further controls the print head 13 to emit light using the head control unit 206 based on the image data of each color. The print head 13 exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 to form an electrostatic latent image.

In each process unit 10, toner is supplied to the developing roller 14 by the supply roller 15, and a toner layer is formed on the surface of the developing roller 14 by the developing blade 16. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 is developed with toner on the surface of the developing roller 14, and becomes a toner image. The toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 is transferred onto the medium P on the transfer belt 122 by a transfer voltage applied to the transfer roller 121 from the power control section 201.

In this way, the toner images of each color formed by each of the process units 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y are sequentially transferred onto the medium P and overlapped. The medium P to which the toner images of each color have been transferred is further conveyed by the transfer belt 122 and reaches the fixing device 130 .

In the fixing device 130 , a fixing roller 131 is heated to a fixing temperature by a heater 133 and rotated by a fixing motor 135 . The medium P conveyed to the fixing device 130 is heated and pressurized between a fixing roller 131 and a pressure roller 132, and the toner image is fixed on the medium P.

The medium P on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed along the discharge conveyance path by discharge rollers 141 and 142 of the medium discharge section 140, and is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1. The ejected medium P is stacked on the stacker section 143. This completes the printing operation on the medium P.

On the other hand, during monochrome printing, the control device 200 drives the switching motor 48 to move the second slider 70 to the second cutoff position shown in FIG. 10(c). Therefore, the developing roller couplings 41C, 41M, 41Y and the photosensitive drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y are engaged with the developing roller coupling portion 33 and the photosensitive drum coupling portion 34 of the process units 10C, 10M, 10Y. do not.

Therefore, the driving force is transmitted to the developing roller 14 and the photoreceptor drum 11 of the process unit 10K, but not to the developing roller 14 and the photoreceptor drum 11 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y. In other words, the process unit 10K is in an image forming state, but the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y are in a non-image forming state.

In this state, the control device 200 applies a charging voltage, a developing voltage, and a supply voltage to the charging roller 12, developing roller 14, and supplying roller 15 of the process unit 10K, respectively, using the power control unit 201.

The control device 200 also causes the motor drive control unit 207 to rotate the drive motor 17 of the process unit 10K, and rotates the developing roller 14 and the photosensitive drum 11. Along with these rotations, the charging roller 12 and the supply roller 15 also rotate. The charging roller 12 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11.

The control device 200 further controls the print head 13 corresponding to the process unit 10K to emit light using the head control unit 206 based on the black image data. The print head 13 exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 to form an electrostatic latent image.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 is developed with toner on the surface of the developing roller 14, and becomes a toner image. Then, the image is transferred onto the medium P on the transfer belt 122 by a transfer voltage applied from the power control unit 201 to the transfer roller 121 .

In this way, the black toner image is transferred to the medium P. Thereafter, the toner image is fixed and the medium P is ejected as in the case of color printing.

During monochrome printing in the image forming operation described above, coupling release processing is performed to bring the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y into a non-image forming state. The process for transmitting the driving force and not transmitting the driving force to the developing roller 14 and photosensitive drum 11 of the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y will be further described.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the coupling release process, and the coupling release process instructed by the control device 200 will be described with reference to this flowchart and FIG. 10. Incidentally, here, an explanation will be given taking as an example the contact and separation operations between the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y and the photoreceptor drum coupling portion 34; Similarly, the contact and separation operations are performed.

As shown in FIG. 12, first, from the state of the coupling sensor 50, check whether the photoreceptor drum couplings 42C, 42M, 42Y are engaged with the photoreceptor drum coupling portions 34 of the process units 10C, 10M, 10Y. If it is determined that the coupling sensor 50 is in the ON state and these are engaged (Step S101, Yes), the switching motor 48 is reversed and the rotational speed is 35 [PPM]. ] (step S102), and if it is determined that the coupling sensor 50 is off and not engaged (step S101, No), the coupling release process is terminated as already in the release state. .

When a start is instructed, wait for the speed of the switching motor 48 to become constant within a predetermined time (steps S103, S104), and when the speed becomes constant within a predetermined time (step S103, Yes), the speed of the switching motor 48 is After waiting for 70 [ms] (step S105), the coupling clutch 51 is turned on (step S106). On the other hand, if the speed does not become constant within the predetermined time (step S104, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed.

After turning on the coupling clutch 51, wait for the coupling sensor 50 to turn off within a predetermined time (steps S107, S108), and if it turns off within the predetermined time (step S107, Yes), wait for a time Tb (for example, 223 [ms]) (step S109), turns off the coupling clutch 51 (step S110), waits for a further time Tc (for example, 100 [ms]), and then instructs the switching motor 48 to stop (steps S111, S112). . On the other hand, if the coupling sensor 50 is not turned off within the predetermined time (step S108, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed.

After instructing the switching motor 48 to stop, wait for the switching motor 48 to turn off within a predetermined time (steps S113, S114), and if it turns off within the predetermined time (step S113, Yes), coupling release processing is performed. Finish. On the other hand, if the switching motor 48 is not turned off within the predetermined time (step S114, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed.

While waiting for time Tb in step S109, the second slider 70 moves to a position at a distance d2 (23 [mm]) from the coupling sensor 50 (FIG. 10(c)) and stops at the second cutoff position. do. As a result, the process unit 10K is in the image forming state, but the process units 10C, 10M, and 10Y are in the non-image forming state, and the above-described monochrome printing is executed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of initialization processing instructed by control device 200 when power is turned on in image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention. Initialization processing at power-on will be described with reference to this flowchart and FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the power is turned on, the CPU, memory, and peripheral circuits are initialized by initialization processing of the electric circuit (step S201), and further initialization of the mechanism of the image forming apparatus 1 is started ( Step S202). Next, a determination is made as to whether the cover is open or closed when the power is turned off (step S203), and if the front cover 103 is opened or closed when the power is turned off (step S204, Yes), a correction process is executed as an initial correction process (step S205). If the front cover 103 is not opened or closed (step S204, No), the mechanism initialization is ended by skipping the correction process in step S205 (step S206), and the initialization process is ended.

Note that if the cover is opened or closed when the power is turned off, there is a possibility that consumables such as the toner cartridge 20 have been replaced. Therefore, in the correction processing in step S204, for example, density correction of toner printing and color misregistration correction of each color (KYMC) are performed in conjunction with the replacement of these consumables.

Here, the contents of the cover opening/closing determination process of the front cover 103 in step S203 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14 and FIG. 10 showing the flow of the cover opening/closing determination process.

As shown in FIG. 14, first, the position of the second slider 70 is determined from the state of the coupling sensor 50 (step S301). Here, if the coupling sensor 50 is on (step S301, Yes), it can be seen that the second slider 70 is at the reference position, as shown in FIG. 10(a). In this case, since the front cover 103 is not opened or closed when the power is turned off, it is determined that the cover is not opened or closed (step S306).

On the other hand, if the coupling sensor 50 is off, it can be seen that the second slider 70 is in the first blocking position or the second blocking position, as shown in FIG. 10(b) or FIG. 10(c). , it is still not possible to determine whether the cover is open or closed when the power is turned on. In this case, a coupling engagement process, which is a predetermined operation, is then performed (step S302).

As shown in FIG. 10(b), once the front cover 103 is opened and then closed, the first slider 60 returns to the reference position shown in FIG. 10(a), but the second slider 70 Maintain the first shutoff position without returning. This is because, as described above, the contact portion 66 of the first slider 60 and the contact portion 76 of the second slider 70 are configured to be able to contact each other only when they move in a direction in which they are relatively spaced apart from each other. It's for a reason.

Here, the coupling engagement process in step S302 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 16, which show the flow of the coupling engagement process, and FIG. 10. In the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 16, A (circled) in FIG. 15 is a code connected to A (circled) of FIG. 16, respectively.

The coupling starts when the coupling sensor 50 is off and the second slider 70 is in the first blocking position or the second blocking position, as shown in FIG. 10(b) or FIG. 10(c). In the matching process, the switching motor 48 is instructed to start normal rotation and a rotational speed of 35 [PPM] (step S401), and the switching motor 48 waits for the speed to become constant within a predetermined time (step S402). , S403).

When the speed becomes constant within a predetermined time (step S402, Yes), wait for a time Ta (for example, 70 [msec]) (step S404), turn on the coupling clutch 51 (step S405), and set the error monitoring timer (m_usIdCouplingTimer). The error monitoring time Td [ms] is set to , and the timer is started (step S406). On the other hand, if the speed does not become constant within the predetermined time (step S403, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed.

After turning on the coupling clutch 51, the process waits for the coupling sensor 50 to turn on within the error monitoring time Td [msec] set in step S406 (steps S407 and S408). During this time, the error monitoring timer is decremented, and when it reaches 0 (timeout) (step S408, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed, and if the coupling sensor 50 turns on before it reaches 0 (step S407, Yes) , the remaining time of the error monitoring timer is stored in the variable left_time (step S409).

Therefore, after the coupling clutch 51 is turned on, the time required for the coupling sensor 50 to turn on within the error monitoring time Td [msec] set in step S406 is defined as the travel time (required time) Tm [msec]. In this case, the remaining time of the error monitoring timer is (Td-Tm).

Next, wait for a time Te (for example, 25 [ms]) (step S410), turn off the coupling clutch 51 (step S411), wait for a further time Tc (for example, 100 [ms]), and then instruct the switching motor 48 to stop. (Steps S412, S413).

After instructing the switching motor 48 to stop, wait for the switching motor 48 to turn off within a predetermined time (steps S414, S415), and if it turns off within the predetermined time (step S414, Yes), the coupling is engaged. Finish the process. On the other hand, if the switching motor 48 is not turned off within the predetermined time (step S415, Yes), predetermined error processing is executed.

Based on the above description of the coupling engagement process, the process after the coupling engagement process of step S302 shown in FIG. 14 will be described. In step S409 (FIG. 16), the remaining time of the error monitoring timer (m_usIdCouplingTimer) stored in the variable left_time is compared with the cover opening/closing determination value Topen [msec] (step S303).

Here, if the second slider 70 is in the first cutoff position as shown in FIG. 10(b) when the power is turned on, the moving distance to the coupling sensor 50 is (d1+d2), and the distance shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10(c), when the second slider 70 is in the second cutoff position, the moving distance to the coupling sensor 50 is (d2).

Therefore, the estimated remaining time of the error monitoring timer (m_usIdCouplingTimer) when the second slider 70 is at the first cutoff position is set to left_time1, and the error monitoring when the second slider 70 is at the second cutoff position is set as left_time1. If the estimated remaining time of the timer is left_time2,
left_time1<left_time2
For example, a substantially intermediate value (average value) of these values is set as the cover opening/closing determination value Topen.

Note that the estimated remaining time here may be, for example, the average value of values actually measured multiple times, or may be a numerical value based on a calculated value calculated based on the moving speed and moving distance of the second slider 70. good.

Based on the above settings, it is determined whether or not the front cover 103 was opened or closed when the power was turned off based on a comparison between the remaining time left_time of the error monitoring timer (m_usIdCouplingTimer) and the cover opening/closing determination value Topen (step S303). That is,
left_time<Topen (1)
In this case (Step S303, Yes), the movement of the second slider 70 from the first cutoff position shown in FIG. It is determined that there is an opening (opening) (step S305),
Topen≦left_time (2)
In this case (step S303, No), the second slider 70 is moved from the second cutoff position shown in FIG. It is determined that there is no opening (step S305).

In addition, when the upper inequalities (1) and (2) are expressed by the above travel time (required time) Tm,
Equation (1) is Tm>(Td-Topen)
Equation (2) is (Td-Topen)≧Tm
(Td-Topen) corresponds to the threshold time.

As described above, the cover opening/closing determination process in step S203 of the flowchart in FIG. 13 is performed. The subsequent processes from step S204 onward are as described above, and if the front cover 103 is opened when the power is turned off, the mechanism initialization process is completed after the correction process is performed, and the front cover 103 is opened when the power is turned off. If the cover 103 is not opened, the mechanism initialization process is ended without performing the correction process.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to mechanically memorize the opening/closing of the apparatus cover (front cover 103) when the power is turned off, and to determine whether the apparatus cover is opened or closed after the power is turned on. There is no need for power consumption by electronic components to constantly monitor the opening and closing of the cover. In addition, since the necessity of correction processing during initialization processing can be determined depending on whether the device cover is opened or closed, unnecessary correction processing can be omitted, reducing wasteful power consumption, and the initialization time can be shortened. A forming device can be provided.

In addition, in the claims and the description of the embodiments described above, words such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", and "rear" are used for convenience. However, the absolute positional relationship in the state in which the image forming apparatuses are arranged is not limited.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the image forming apparatus (for example, a copier, a facsimile, a printer, a multifunctional machine, etc.) which forms an image on a medium using an electrophotographic method.

Reference Signs List 1 image forming apparatus, 6 driving force transmission section, 10 process unit, 11 photosensitive drum, 12 charging roller, 13 print head, 14 developing roller, 15 supply roller, 16 developing blade, 17 drive motor, 18 transmission mechanism, 20 toner cartridge, 30 unit frame, 30a toner intake port, 31 side frame, 31a opening, 31b opening, 32 side frame, 33 developing roller coupling section, 34 photosensitive drum coupling section, 35 opening, 41 coupling for developing roller , 42 Coupling for photosensitive drum, 48 Switching motor, 49 Gear, 50 Coupling sensor, 51 Coupling clutch, 60 First slider, 60a Recessed part, 60b Slanted part, 60c Convex part, 61 Opening part, 62 Opening part, 63 biasing member, 64 lever connection portion, 70 second slider, 70a recess, 70b slope, 70c convex portion, 71 opening, 72 opening, 73 biasing member, 75 rack gear portion, 100 image forming portion, 101 housing body, 102 top cover, 103 front cover, 104 operation unit, 105 housing side, 106 inner cover, 108 rocking lever, 110 medium supply unit, 111 paper feed tray, 112 pickup roller, 113 feed roller, 114 retard roller, 115 conveyance roller, 116 registration roller, 117 pinch roller, 118 conveyance roller, 120 transfer unit, 121 transfer roller, 122 transfer belt, 123 drive roller, 124 idle roller, 125 belt motor, 130 fixing device, 131 fixing roller, 132 addition pressure roller; 133 heater; 134 thermistor; 135 fixing motor; 136 switching guide; , 154 conveyance roller, 155 conveyance roller, 156 conveyance roller, 157 pinch roller, 200 control device, 201 power supply control unit, 202 charging voltage power supply, 203 developing voltage power supply, 204 supply voltage power supply, 205 transfer voltage power supply, 206 head control unit , 207 motor drive control unit, 208 belt drive control unit, 209 fixing control unit, 210 fixing drive control unit, 211 paper feed conveyance control unit, 212 paper feed motor, 213 conveyance motor, 221 I/F (interface) control unit, 222 reception memory, 223 image data editing memory, 225 sensor group, 411 engagement shaft section, 412 gear, 413 shaft, 421 engagement shaft section, 422 gear, 423 shaft.

Claims (6)

The device body,
an opening/closing member provided in the device main body so as to be openable/closable;
an image forming unit provided in the apparatus main body and forming an image;
a switching unit that switches between an image forming state and a non-image forming state of the image forming unit in conjunction with the opening/closing member;
a detection unit that detects that the switching unit has switched the image forming unit between the non-image forming state and the image forming state;
and a drive control unit that executes a predetermined operation in synchronization with the power being turned on,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the drive control section performs initial correction processing according to a detection result of the detection section when the predetermined operation is executed in synchronization with the power being turned on. When the power is turned on and the detection unit detects the non-image forming state, the drive control unit drives the switching unit to switch from the non-image forming state to the image forming state. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initial correction process is performed according to the required time. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the initial correction process is performed when the required time is longer than a threshold time, and the initial correction process is not performed when the required time is less than or equal to the threshold time. When the image forming unit changes from the image forming state to the non-image forming state in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening/closing member when the power is turned off, the drive control section synchronizes with the power being turned on. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initial correction process is performed. The switching section is
a plurality of pairs of coupling members that are in an engaged state when in the image forming state and are in a separated state when in the non-image forming state;
a slide member that switches the coupling member between the engaged state and the separated state by sliding movement in conjunction with the opening/closing member;
In the separated state, the sliding member assumes a first sliding position determined by movement in conjunction with the opening/closing member and a second sliding position determined by driving by the drive control unit,
The image according to claim 2, wherein in the sliding direction of the sliding member, the distance of the first sliding position from the detecting section is longer than the distance of the second sliding position from the detecting section. Forming device. The required time is detected by the detection unit from the first slide position or the second slide position of the slide member moved by the drive control unit to change from the separated state to the engaged state. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each movement time is the time required for each movement until the image forming apparatus reaches the image forming apparatus.

Images