JP2935068B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional laser printer, even when an actual printing operation is not performed, each part of a printing mechanism is operated, for example, rotation of a polygon mirror and temperature control of a heat fixing roller are performed, and printing from a controller is performed. Some configurations are designed to respond immediately to commands.

When the engine controlling the printing mechanism determines that the command from the control section has expired, the printing mechanism is put into a pause state and the pause is released when the next print command is received from the control section. Some are.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, in the laser printer of the former configuration and of a medium speed or lower type, it is assumed that the power-on time of the printer is 8 hours per day in view of its actual use state. The actual operation time is about one hour, and the operation duty is very low. This causes the following problems.

[0005] Reduction of life due to driving noise generated by the polygon motor and fan motor during non-operation and wear of the bearing portion.

[0007] Electricity wasted when the heater was turned off during non-operation, and the life of the semiconductor element was shortened due to an increase in the temperature inside the apparatus.

In the latter configuration of the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, in which the printing mechanism is brought into a pause state when a command from the control section is cut off, it takes time to rise from the pause state to a state where printing can be performed. There is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer which can extend the life of a printing mechanism and can smoothly enter a printing operation state in a short time after receiving a printing command.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, line exchanges signals with the host computer
Cormorants control unit, an engine unit to perform Printout controls the printing mechanism section on the basis of print data and commands from the control unit, for rotating the polygon mirror
Polygon motor and fan for rotating the cooling fan
Fan motor and heat fixing process in electrophotographic process
A printer having a fixing unit for performing
After a fixed time has elapsed after the end of the printing operation,
To a temperature lower than the specified temperature during printing operation.
Then, the power supply to the polygon motor is turned off,
The first standby mode for turning on the power supply to the fan motor
To the first standby mode.
After a lapse of a fixed time, the logic section of the engine section
Is in the energized state, the energization to the fixing unit is turned off,
Turn off the power to the polygon motor and turn off the fan.
To the second standby mode to turn off the power to the motor
Transition to the first standby mode or the second standby mode
When setting the mode, release command from the controller
Is received, the first standby mode or the second
The configuration is such that the setting of the standby mode is canceled .

[0010]

According to the above-mentioned means, during the standby time when the printing operation is not performed, the engine unit stops the polygon motor and the heater as the printing mechanism in each standby mode step by step every time a predetermined time elapses. Before performing image processing on the print mechanism, the standby mode in the engine is released by a release command from the control unit, so that the service life of the print mechanism can be extended and the print command can be received. After that, the printer enters the printing operation state smoothly in a short time.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit for transmitting and receiving signals to and from a host computer 2 via an interface (I / F) 4a. An engine unit 5 is connected to the unit 1 via an I / F 4b and controls a printing mechanism, which will be described later, to perform printing, and a CPU 5 in the engine unit 3 is a known transfer charger, developing roller, charging charger. A power supply unit 7, a fan motor 8, a fixing unit 9 including a fixing roller, a pressure roller, a heater, and the like;
Optical system 10 consisting of polygon mirror, polygon motor, etc.
, And a printing mechanism unit including a main motor 11 and a clutch unit 12 for driving each unit.

The CPU 5 also receives signals from various sensor groups 13 and 14, such as a manual paper presence detection sensor, a registration sensor, a paper ejection sensor, a toner end sensor, a paper end sensor, a paper feed detection sensor, and a paper size detection sensor. Is entered.

An operation unit 15 including an operation switch, a display unit, and the like is connected to the control unit 1 via an I / F 4c.

In the above-described embodiment, the CP is stored in accordance with the code stored in the ROM (not shown) in the engine unit 3.
U5 outputs control signals to the developing section 6, fan motor 8, fixing section 9, optical system 10, main motor 11, clutch section 12 and the like of the printing component section, and performs known charging, exposure, and development of the electrophotographic process. , Transfer, fixing, static elimination, cleaning control,
Optical writing control and paper transport control are performed.

The control section 1 sends print data and commands to each section of the printing mechanism section based on the data received from the host computer 2.

The operation of each part of the printing mechanism will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

The completed print operation by a series of electrophotographic processes, the Todaeru the printing command from the control unit 1, the engine unit 3 enters the first standby mode (Napping MODE) after a predetermined time t ₁ . This first
In the standby mode, and the heater control of the fixing unit 9 lowers the fixing temperature to the temperature T _L lower than the temperature T _H at the time of printing state, and stops the polygon motor in the optical system 10.

Further, when a predetermined time t ₂ has elapsed from the time t ₁ , the engine unit 3 operates in the second standby mode (SLEEP).
ING MODE). In the second standby mode, the energization of the heater in the fixing unit 9, the rotation of the polygon motor of the optical system 10, and the rotation of the fan motor 8 of the air cooling fan are stopped, and only the logic of the engine unit 3 is energized. Otherwise, it enters a complete sleep state.

Here, the controller unit 1 causes the engine unit 3 to release the standby mode at the stage of receiving the print data and the command from the host computer 2 and before performing image processing on the printing mechanism unit. Release (WA
KE UP) command. This release command, as well as heat up to a predetermined temperature T _H when the temperature is a printing state of the fixing portion 9 of the first standby mode or printing mechanism that has entered the second standby mode, the main motor 1
1 is rotated to rotate a photoreceptor (not shown), and cleaning is performed.

In the above-described series of operations, the printing mechanism enters the standby (STAND BY) mode, and immediately enters the printing operation based on the printing command of the controller 1 after bitmap development.

The second standby mode (SLEEPING)
MODE) requires a warm-up time of about 60 seconds in a current general laser printer in order to enter the standby mode in response to the release command. Therefore, in order to save this time, a switch and a key for releasing the standby mode are provided in the operation unit 15, so that the operator can forcibly instruct the standby mode by operating the switch and the key in advance.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In multiple standby modes, each part of the printing mechanism is stopped stepwise, and the standby mode is canceled before image processing is performed on the printing mechanism, so that printing can be started and printed quickly and smoothly in a short time. A printer capable of extending the service life of the mechanism can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart related to the operation of the main part of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... control unit 2 ... host computer 3
... Engine section, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ... Printing mechanism section.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshitaka Chima 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takamasa Hayashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masami Miyajima 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Tokyo, Japan Incorporation Ricoh (72) Takuto Isobe 1-3-6, Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company, Ltd. (72) Masahiro Yamamoto, Inventor 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company, Ltd. (72) Tetsuro Sasamoto 1-3-6, Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company (56) References JP-A-62-82768 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/38 B41J 2/44 B41J 5/30 G03G 21 / 00 370

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] Line exchanges 1. A signal with the host computer
Cormorants control unit, an engine unit to perform Printout controls the printing mechanism section on the basis of print data and commands from the control unit, for rotating the polygon mirror
Polygon motor and fan for rotating the cooling fan
Fan motor and heat fixing process in electrophotographic process
In the printer having a fixing unit which performs management, the engine unit, after a predetermined time has elapsed after printing operation is completed, the temperature of the fixing unit
To a temperature lower than the specified temperature during the printing operation,
Turn off the power to the polygon motor and turn off the fan motor.
To the first standby mode that turns on the power to the data
Is allowed, the first after a predetermined time has elapsed after the transition to standby mode
In addition, the logic part of the engine section is turned on.
Then, the power supply to the fixing unit is turned off, and the polygon
Turn off the power to the motor and turn off the fan motor.
A transition is made to a second standby mode in which power is turned off, and the first standby mode or the second standby mode is set.
At regular time, receive a release command from the controller
And the first standby mode or the second standby mode
Wherein the printer is configured to cancel the setting .