JP2772377B2 - Electrophotographic copier - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic copying machine for thermally fixing a toner image developed on a photoreceptor on a recording medium. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a copying machine having a built-in heat fixing device, a copying operation is started even after a power switch is turned on and a start switch is operated until the fixing device reaches a fixing temperature. Did not. This is because, when the fixing device has not reached the feasible fixing temperature, when the copying operation is started, the toner is not completely fixed on the copy paper and a fixing failure occurs. Accordingly, there has been a problem that the operator must wait on the copying machine side until the fixing device reaches a fixing-possible temperature (hereinafter referred to as standby time). In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-95256, if the start switch is operated during the standby period, the copying operation is automatically started after the elapse of the standby time. Has been resolved. [0005] As described above, the prior art describes a copy reservation operation during the standby time, but when an abnormality occurs in the body of the machine during the standby time during which the reservation operation is performed. It is not mentioned. On the other hand, in this type of copying machine, when an abnormality occurs during a normal copying operation and the operator cancels the abnormality, the copy conditions input and instructed by the operator before the occurrence of the abnormality are changed to the initial conditions unique to the apparatus. It is configured to return to the condition. Therefore, if an abnormality occurs after the reservation operation (instruction) during the standby time, the reservation operation (instruction) itself is invalid even if the abnormality is easily canceled during the standby time. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a power switch, a copy paper fixing device that generates heat when the power switch is turned on, and a copying operation. A start switch, and a copy control for holding an operation state of the start switch when the start switch is operated when the fixing device has not reached a predetermined temperature, and for starting a copy operation when the fixing device reaches a predetermined temperature. Means for copying, when the start switch is operated and the fixing device reaches a predetermined temperature and an abnormality occurs in the body of the apparatus during a standby time, the copy operation is prohibited until the abnormality is removed, The copying operation is started when the fixing device has reached a predetermined temperature when the abnormal state is released. When an abnormality occurs in the body of the apparatus during the standby time as described above, the copy control means inhibits the copying operation until the abnormality is eliminated, and when the abnormal state is eliminated, the fixing device. Starts the copying operation when has reached the predetermined temperature. In other words, even if there is something wrong with the aircraft during the standby time,
The copy instruction made during the waiting time can be effectively kept. An embodiment of the fixing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing the present embodiment. A photosensitive drum 2 is rotatably mounted substantially at the center of a copying machine main body 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a document table which is slidably movable in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the main body 1 of the copying machine. The image of the document placed on the document table 3 is projected and formed on the photosensitive drum 2 by the short focus lens array 4 provided on the top of the photosensitive drum 2. Reference numeral 5 denotes a charging corotron provided upstream of the short focus lens array 4. This charging corotron 5
A lamp 6 for illuminating the document surface is fixed on the upper part of the document. Reference numeral 7 denotes a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed by the charging corotron 5 and the short focus lens array 4 with toner. Reference numeral 8 denotes a paper cassette in which copy paper 9 is stored;
Reference numerals 10 and 10 are feed rollers for manual paper feed.
Reference numerals 11 and 11 denote registration rollers for aligning the front ends of the fed copy sheets. A transfer corotron 12 for transferring the toner image to the copy paper 9 and a separation corotron 13 for separating the copy paper 9 from the photosensitive drum 2 are provided in parallel downstream of the registration rollers 11 and 11. On the downstream side of the separating corotron 13, the copy paper 9 on which the toner image has been transferred
Is transported to the fixing device 14. The fixing device 14 includes a heating roller 16 for heating and melting the toner, and a copying paper 9
And a pressing roller 17 that presses. A temperature sensor 18 is provided in contact with the heating roller 16. Reference numeral 19 denotes a cleaning device provided above the conveyor 15, in which a blade 20 for scraping off toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 2 and a toner conveying roller 21 are inserted. Although not shown, a power switch and a start switch for starting a copying operation are mounted on the upper part of the copying machine body 1, respectively. When the power switch is turned on, power is supplied only to the heating roller 16,
The heating roller 16 generates heat, but in a state in which the temperature has not reached a predetermined temperature at which fixation is possible, even if a start switch for starting the copy operation is operated, the copy operation does not start, and
After reaching the predetermined temperature, the copy operation is started. All the operations of this embodiment are controlled by a built-in microcomputer. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, after the power switch is turned on,
When the start switch is operated, the first judgment section of the follow chart <flag A = 1? Regardless of the determination result of <>, the process proceeds to the second determination section, and <Start key ON? > Is determined. Since the start key has been operated, the result of the determination is "YES", and the third determination unit determines <error? >
Is determined. At this time, if the fuselage body is normal, the determination result is “NO”, and the fourth determination unit determines whether <heat roll temperature OK? > That is, it is determined whether the heating roller 16 has reached a predetermined temperature at which fixing can be performed. Immediately after the power switch is turned on, the determination result is "NO" because the heating roller 16 has not reached the predetermined temperature, the flag A is set, and the flow returns to the first determination unit. As a result of the feedback, the first judgment part is "YES".
And turn on the waiting time copy lamp
Then, the process proceeds to start key operation determination, error determination, and heat roll temperature determination. If the heat roller temperature determining section determines that the temperature of the heating roller 16 has reached a predetermined temperature, a reset operation of the flag A and lighting of a start lamp are performed, and a copy operation based on a copy program is executed. If the heating roller 16 does not reach the predetermined temperature, the flow circulates until the heating roller 16 reaches the predetermined temperature. If the heating roller 16 has not reached the predetermined temperature, the above determination is repeated, and the heating roller 1
When 6 reaches a predetermined fixing temperature, a start lamp is turned on and a copying operation is started. On the other hand, if the power switch is turned on and the start key is operated immediately after the heating roller 16 has not reached the predetermined temperature, an abnormality has occurred in the body of the apparatus. The determination result of the error determination unit is “YES”
And the flag A is reset, and the step returns to the first determination unit. Then, the first judging section judges "NO", turns off the waiting time copy lamp and proceeds to the second judging section. Here, since the start key has been operated, an error judgment is made again. Then, an error is determined, and a loop leading to a flag A RESET and a waiting time copy lamp OFF is circulated. That is, even if the start key is operated in a state where the heating roller 16 has not reached the predetermined temperature, the lighting of the waiting time copy lamp is prohibited when the apparatus main body is in an abnormal state. Therefore, since the waiting time copy lamp, which is currently focused on, does not light up, the operator can know that a copy error has occurred without looking at a normal error display. On the other hand, even when the heating roller 16 has reached a predetermined temperature, the error determination is not made and the final copy operation processing is not reached. The copying operation is prohibited even though the copying operation is instructed before the temperature reaches the predetermined temperature. If an error occurs during the standby time until the predetermined temperature is reached after the start key is operated, the flag A is set until the error occurs, so that the waiting time copy lamp is turned on. However, after an error occurs, the waiting time copy lamp is turned off. That is, this loop is circulated without leaving the step of error determination. When the abnormal state is released, the process goes through the error determination and determines whether or not the next heating roller 16 has reached a predetermined temperature. If the temperature has reached the predetermined temperature, a copying operation is executed. If not, the waiting time copy lamp is turned on again by the flag A SET.
That is, even if an abnormal condition occurs, the operation of the start key is stored without being reset, and remains valid even after the abnormal condition is cleared. When the normal condition is restored before the predetermined temperature is reached, the waiting time copy lamp is restarted. By lighting, the operator is notified that the input of the previous start key is valid. As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a copy operation can be reserved even if the fixing device has not reached a predetermined fixing temperature, and the main body can be reserved during the standby time. Even if an error occurs, the copy instruction during the standby time remains valid, so when the abnormal state is cleared and the predetermined fixing temperature is reached, the copying machine automatically performs the copy operation based on the previous copy instruction. It can be performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copying machine in which a fixing method of the present invention is adopted. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a fixing method according to the present invention. [Description of Signs] 1: Copier body 2: Photoconductor drum 7: Developing device 14: Fixing device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03G 21/00 G03G 15/20 109

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] When the power switch and the power switch become conductive
Start the copying operation with the fixing device for the copying paper that generates heat
The start switch and the fixing device have not reached the specified temperature.
When the start switch is operated when the
Switch, and the fixing device is operated at a predetermined temperature.
Copy control means to start the copy operation when the
The copy control means operates when the start switch is operated.
During the waiting time when the fixing device reaches a predetermined temperature,
When an error occurs, copy until the error is cleared
Operation is prohibited, and when the abnormal state is released, the fixing
If the equipment has reached the predetermined temperature,
And an electrophotographic copying machine.