JP3627434B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, and more particularly to a recording apparatus with a toner saving function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a recording operation in a multifunction peripheral, document data read by a reading unit is temporarily stored in a storage unit. The recording unit uniformly charges the photosensitive member of the photosensitive drum to impart photosensitivity. Next, the photosensitive member is exposed with a light image corresponding to the accumulated image, and discharged using photoconductivity to form an electrostatic latent image. Subsequently, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner, and the developed toner image is transferred onto a cut sheet. Then, the transfer image is fixed on the cut sheet. As described above, the image of the document read by the reading unit is recorded on the cut sheet as it is.
[0003]
Incidentally, some recent recording apparatuses have a toner saving mode in which the amount of toner to be fixed on a cut sheet can be adjusted. According to the recording apparatus having the toner saving mode, a part of the pixels is thinned out, for example, in a checkered pattern without recording all the pixels with toner. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the consumption of toner and to suppress the contamination of the photosensitive drum, thereby extending the life of the photosensitive drum.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a total service contract for leasing a recording device, the user usually pays a maintenance fee corresponding to the recorded cumulative number.
[0005]
By the way, it is generally known that as the amount of toner attached to the cut sheet increases, the amount of toner attached to the photosensitive drum also increases and the photosensitive drum becomes dirty and its life is shortened. Then, the stain on the photosensitive drum is different between the case where recording is performed in the normal mode in which the document read by the reading unit is directly recorded on the cut sheet and the case where recording is performed in the toner saving mode. That is, the photosensitive drum is soiled more in the normal mode than in the toner saving mode. Therefore, if the normal mode is frequently used, the frequency of replacing the photosensitive drum increases and the amount of toner consumption increases.
[0006]
However, the fee system is usually determined only by the accumulated number of recorded sheets, and is not a fee system that takes into account the toner consumption. In other words, even in the case of a recording apparatus having a toner saving mode, the number of recordings is accumulated assuming that the recording is performed only in the normal mode, even though the toner saving mode is executed. For this reason, the use of the toner saving mode cannot be promoted even in a recording apparatus having the toner saving mode. In addition, although the recording is performed on the cut sheet in the toner saving mode, the charge is the same as that in the case of recording on the cut sheet in the normal mode, which is unreasonable.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can have a maintenance fee system in consideration of a toner saving mode.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording unit for recording image data on a cut sheet, and a setting for selecting and setting a normal mode and at least one toner saving mode for recording. Means, a cumulative means for multiplying the number of cut sheets recorded for each mode by a coefficient corresponding to each mode, and accumulating the value , a toner saving rate in the toner saving mode corresponding to the coefficient, and the toner saving Display means for displaying the cumulative number of cut sheets recorded in the toner saving mode corresponding to the rate .
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the toner saving rate in the toner saving mode corresponding to the coefficient can be changed .
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the setting means is configured to select a desired toner saving mode from a plurality of toner saving modes.
[0011]
In the embodiments of the invention described below, the “setting means” described in the means for solving the claims or the problems includes a toner saving mode key 87c, a first toner saving mode key 87d, and a second toner saving toner. Similarly, the “accumulation means” corresponds to the mode key 87e, and corresponds to the first storage area 84a, the second storage area 84b, and the third storage area 84c.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, a case where the recording apparatus is embodied in a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral will be described.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus main body 11 of the multifunction machine includes a document feeding unit 12, a document placing unit 13, a reading unit 14, a cut sheet supply unit 15, a recording unit 17, and a cut sheet. A discharge unit 18 is installed.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the document feeder 12 feeds a document table 22 on which a document 21 is placed, a separation roller 23 that separates and supplies the document 21 one by one, and a separated document 21. A plurality of feed rollers 24 for feeding, a translucent plate 25 through which the document 21 passes, and a document discharge table 26 for stocking the discharged document 21 are provided.
[0015]
The document presence / absence sensor 27 is disposed opposite to the document table 22 and outputs a detection signal when the document 21 is placed on the document table 22. The document discharge sensor 28 is arranged opposite to the document discharge table 26 and outputs a detection signal when the document 21 is discharged onto the document discharge table 26.
[0016]
The document placing unit 13 includes a transparent document placing plate 31 for placing the document 21 on the upper surface, and a presser lid 32 disposed on the document placing plate 31 so as to be capable of opening and closing. ing. Then, the document table 22 and the document discharge table 26 of the document feeding unit 12 are disposed on the presser lid 32 of the document placement unit 13, and are opened and closed integrally with the presser lid 32.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reading unit 14 includes a light source 37 that irradiates light on a document 21 that passes over a translucent plate 25 or a document 21 that is placed on a document placing plate 31, and a document. The first to third mirrors 38, 39, and 40 that change the optical path of the reflected light from the light source 21, and the moving mechanism 41 that moves the light source 37 and the first to third mirrors 38, 39, and 40 are provided. . Further, the reading unit 14 includes a condensing lens 42 that converges light from the third mirror 40, and an image sensor (CCD) 43 that reads an image on the document 21 based on light incident through the condensing lens 42. ing.
[0018]
The moving mechanism 41 includes a pair of left and right large diameter pulleys 44 and 45, a pair of left and right small diameter pulleys 46 and 47, a first belt 48 hung between the large diameter pulleys 44 and 45, and small diameter pulleys 46 and 47. A second belt 49 is provided between them. Furthermore, the moving mechanism 41 includes a first carriage 50 connected to the first belt 48, a second carriage 51 connected to the second belt 49, and a step motor 52.
[0019]
The diameters of the large-diameter pulleys 44 and 45 are formed to be twice the diameter of the small-diameter pulleys 46 and 47. Further, the large-diameter pulley 44 and the small-diameter pulley 46 on the left side are connected so as to be integrally rotatable on the same axis, and are operatively connected to the step motor 52. Further, a light source 37 and a first mirror 38 are supported on the first carriage 50, and a second mirror 39 and a third mirror 40 are supported on the second carriage 51.
[0020]
Then, the large-diameter pulleys 44 and 45 and the small-diameter pulleys 46 and 47 are rotated by the step motor 52, so that the first and second carriages 50 and 51 are moved via the first and second belts 48 and 49. Is done. At this time, the first carriage 50 is moved at twice the moving speed of the second carriage 51. As a result, the carriages 50 and 51, as shown in FIG. 1, have an intermediate standby position P1, a first document reading position P2 positioned directly below the light transmitting plate 25, and a reference end 31a of the document placing plate 31. Is moved to the start point P3 of the second document reading position, which is located immediately below the second document reading position.
[0021]
The document feeding unit 12 and the reading unit 14 constitute a multiple document automatic reading unit (ADF), and the carriage 50, 51 is moved to the first document reading position P2 and placed on the translucent plate 25. The image of the document 21 passing through is read. Further, the document placing unit 13 and the reading unit 14 constitute a flat bed reading unit (FBS), and the carriages 50 and 51 are moved to the start point P3 of the second document reading position, and then moved to the end point P4. The image of the document 21 placed on the document placement plate 31 is read.
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reading position sensor 53 is disposed below the reference end 31a of the document placing plate 31, and the carriages 50 and 51 are moved to the start point P3 of the second document reading position. Sometimes it outputs a detection signal. As shown in FIG. 3, the document length sensor 54 is opposed to a position at a predetermined interval from the reference end 31 a of the document placing plate 31, and the length of the document 21 placed on the document placing plate 31. Detect. The reading unit 14 including the light source 37 also serves as a document width sensor, and reads the document 21 in the main scanning direction in a state where the first carriage 50 is moved to the start point P3 of the two document reading positions. When performing, the width of the document 21 is detected.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 1, the cut sheet supply unit 15 includes a plurality of (two in this embodiment) sheet feed cassettes 57 that store cut sheets 56 of a predetermined size in a stacked state, A paper feed roller 58 for feeding the cut sheets 56 one by one toward the recording unit 17 and a guide plate 59 for guiding the feeding of the cut sheets 56 are provided. Each sheet cassette 57 contains cut sheets 56 having different sizes.
[0024]
The recording unit 17 includes a photosensitive drum 68, a charger 69 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 68 to a predetermined potential, an exposure unit 70 that forms an electrostatic latent image of the image on the photosensitive drum 68, And a developing device 71 for supplying toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 68 to visualize the latent image. Further, the recording unit 17 includes a feeding roller 72 that feeds the cut sheet 56 to the photosensitive drum 68, a transfer unit 73 that transfers the toner image from the photosensitive drum 68 onto the cut sheet 56, and the cut sheet 56. And a heat fixing device 74 that heat-fixes the toner image.
[0025]
The cut sheet discharge unit 18 includes a discharge roller 77 that discharges the recorded cut sheet 56, a guide plate 78 that guides discharge of the cut sheet 56, and a discharge tray 79 that stores the discharged cut sheet 56. It has.
[0026]
Next, the circuit configuration of the copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, a central processing unit (CPU) 82 controls the operation of each part of the multifunction peripheral. The read only memory (ROM) 83 stores various control programs necessary for the operation of the multifunction machine. The random access memory (RAM) 84 temporarily stores data obtained with the execution of the control program. The CPU 82, ROM 83, and RAM 84 constitute a control means.
[0027]
The reading unit 14 reads an image on the document 21 via the translucent plate 25 or the document placing plate 31 and outputs black and white binary image data to the CPU 82. The image memory 85 temporarily stores received image data and image data read by the reading unit 14. The recording unit 17 records the received image data and the image data read by the reading unit 14 on the cut sheet 56 or the like.
[0028]
The display unit 86 includes a liquid crystal display panel and LEDs, and displays various information such as the operation state of the apparatus such as “copy mode”, “communication mode”, “standby”, and “device abnormality”. The operation unit 87 includes various operation keys such as a copy / communication key 87a, a start key 87b, and a toner save mode key 87c. The copy / communication key 87a is operated when selecting whether to execute the copy mode or the facsimile communication mode. The start key 87b is operated when starting a copy operation or a facsimile communication operation. The toner save mode key 87c is operated when the normal mode and the toner save mode are selected. In the normal mode, recording is performed at all pixels, that is, the toner saving rate “100%”, and in the toner saving mode, recording is performed by thinning out all the pixels by the toner saving rate “75%”, that is, “25%”. .
[0029]
The modem 88 modulates and demodulates transmission / reception data. The network control unit (NCU) 89 has a function of controlling the closing and opening of the telephone line L1 and detecting the transmission and reception of dial pulses corresponding to the fax number of the other party.
[0030]
When the CPU 82 detects a communication control signal from the communication partner in the transmission mode selection state of the facsimile communication, the CPU 82 drives the step motor 52 of the reading unit 14 to move the carriages 50 and 51 from the standby position P1 to the first position. It is moved to the original reading position P2 or the start point P3 of the second original reading position. In this case, when the document 21 is placed on the document table 22 of the document feeder 12, the carriages 50 and 51 are moved to the first document reading position P2. In contrast, when the document 21 is placed on the document placement plate 31 of the document placement unit 13, the carriages 50 and 51 are moved to the start point P3 of the second document reading position.
[0031]
Next, in the copier / facsimile multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment, the original 21 placed on the original placing plate 31 is read and recorded on the cut sheet 56 in the normal mode and the toner saving mode. Will be described with reference to a flowchart. This flowchart proceeds under the control of the CPU 82 based on the control program stored in the ROM 83.
[0032]
The operator previously sets the desired toner mode by depressing the toner save mode key 87c. As shown in FIG. 5, in S <b> 1, the operator places the document 21 on the document table 22 of the flatbed reading unit (FBS) or the multiple document automatic reading unit (ADF), and presses the start key 87 b. Then, the reading operation is started, and the image data is stored in the image memory 85.
[0033]
In S2, the image data stored in the image memory 85 in S1 is recorded on the cut sheet 56 in accordance with the toner mode selected in advance.
In S3, it is determined whether or not the mode recorded on the cut sheet 56 in S2 is the toner saving mode. When the toner save mode is not set, that is, when the toner save mode key 87c is not pressed and the normal mode is set, the process proceeds to S4, and the coefficient “1 (100) is added to the number“ 1 ”of the cut sheets 56. %) "And the value is added to the cumulative number P. On the other hand, if it is in the toner saving mode, the process proceeds to S5, where the number “1” of the cut sheets 56 is multiplied by a coefficient “0.75 (75%)” and the value is added to the cumulative number P. That is, when recording on the cut sheet 56 in the toner saving mode, the amount of toner used corresponds to “75%” in the normal mode, and therefore the cumulative number P is “0.75” for each cut sheet 56. Is added.
[0034]
In S6, it is determined whether or not there is a next document 21. That is, in the case of recording using a plurality of document automatic reading units (ADF), a determination is made based on the detection signal from the document presence / absence sensor 27, and in the case of recording using a flat bed reading unit (FBS), after the recording operation. A determination is made based on whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If there is a next original 21, the process returns to S1 and the reading operation of the next original 21 is started. On the other hand, if there is no next original 21, this process ends.
[0035]
As described above in detail, the following operations and effects can be obtained in the first embodiment.
When recording on the cut sheet 56 in the normal mode, the cumulative number P is set to “1” for each cut sheet 56, and when recording on the single cut sheet 56 in the toner saving mode, the cumulative number P is The addition is set to “0.75”. Therefore, the cumulative value taking into account the toner consumption amount is added. Therefore, the cumulative value reflects the toner consumption, and a charge system that takes into account the toner consumption can be obtained.
[0036]
The user can selectively use the normal mode and the toner saving mode by depressing the toner saving mode key 87c according to the purpose of use of the recorded cut sheet 56 (for example, permanent storage), etc. It is easy without troublesome operations.
[0037]
Since a charge system corresponding to the amount of toner consumed is possible, the use of the toner saving mode is promoted and the amount of toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 68 is reduced. For this reason, the life of the photosensitive drum 68 can be extended.
[0038]
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, parts different from the first embodiment will be described.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment, instead of the toner save mode key 87c of the operation unit 87 of the first embodiment, the operation unit 87 includes a first toner save mode key 87d and a second toner save mode key 87d. A toner save mode key 87e and a display request key 87f are provided. The first toner save mode key 87d is operated to set a toner save mode having a toner save rate of “75%” as in the toner save mode of the first embodiment. The second toner save mode key 87e is operated to set a toner save mode with a toner save rate “50%”. The display request key 87f is operated to display on the display unit 86 the cumulative number of sheets recorded for each mode, that is, the normal mode, the first toner saving mode, and the second toner saving mode.
[0040]
The RAM 84 has a first storage area 84a, a second storage area 84b, and a third storage area 84c. The first storage area 84a stores the cumulative number Pa recorded on the cut sheet 56 in the normal mode. The second storage area 84b stores the cumulative number Pb recorded on the cut sheet 56 in the first toner saving mode. The third storage area 84c stores the cumulative number Pc recorded on the cut sheet 56 in the second toner saving mode.
[0041]
Next, in the copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment, the operation of reading the document 21 placed on the document placement plate 31 and recording it on the cut sheet 56 in the normal mode and the toner saving mode will be described. This will be described with reference to a flowchart.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 7, in S11 and S12, processing similar to S1 and S2 in the first embodiment is executed.
In S13, it is determined whether or not the normal mode is set. That is, it is determined whether the first toner saving mode key 87d or the second toner saving mode key 87e is pressed. In the normal mode, the process proceeds to S14, where “1” is added to the cumulative number Pa, and the cumulative number Pa is stored in the first storage area 84a of the RAM 84. On the other hand, if it is not the normal mode, it is determined that the toner mode is the first or second toner saving mode, and the process proceeds to S15.
[0043]
In S15, it is determined whether or not the first toner saving mode is set. Even in the first toner saving mode, the process proceeds to S16, where “1” is added to the cumulative number Pb, and the cumulative number Pb is stored in the second storage area 84b of the RAM 84. On the other hand, even if it is not in the first toner saving mode, it is determined that the toner saving mode is in the second toner saving mode, and the process proceeds to S17 where “1” is added to the cumulative number Pc and It is stored in the storage area 84c. That is, in the second embodiment, the actual number of recorded sheets in each mode is accumulated without using a coefficient.
[0044]
In S18, it is determined whether or not there is a next document 21. That is, in the case of recording using a plurality of document automatic reading sections (ADF), a determination is made based on a detection signal from the document presence / absence sensor 27, and in the case of recording using a flat bed reading section (FBS), a predetermined time has elapsed. Judgment is made on whether or not. If there is a next original 21, the process returns to S11 and the reading operation of the next original 21 is started. On the other hand, if there is no next original 21, it is determined whether or not there is a request to display the accumulated number of sheets recorded in S19. That is, it is determined whether the display request key 87f of the operation unit 87 has been pressed. When there is a display request, as shown in FIG. 8, the cumulative number is displayed for each mode on the liquid crystal display panel of the display unit 86, and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is no display request, this process ends.
[0045]
As described above in detail, in the second embodiment, the following actions and effects can be obtained in addition to the actions and effects of the first embodiment.
The cumulative number of cut sheets 56 recorded for each mode, that is, for each of the normal mode, the first toner saving mode, and the second toner saving mode, is added and displayed on the liquid crystal display panel of the display unit 86. Therefore, it is possible to determine the toner consumption based on the cumulative number of sheets for each mode. Therefore, a charge system according to the toner consumption can be obtained.
[0046]
Note that the above embodiments may be modified as follows, and even in that case, the same operations and effects as the above embodiments can be obtained.
In S20 of FIG. 7, instead of displaying the accumulated number of each mode on the display unit 86, the recording unit 17 may record the accumulated number of each mode on the cut sheet 56 by operating the operation unit 87 or the like. good.
[0047]
The toner save mode may be a value other than the toner save rate “75%” or “50%”.
-Three or more toner saving modes may be provided.
[0048]
-The toner saving rate in the toner saving mode can be set freely. For example, the operation unit 87 is provided with a toner saving rate setting key, and the toner saving rate is arbitrarily set to “80%”, “75%”, “60%”, etc. by operating the toner saving rate setting key and the numeric keypad. Make it configurable.
[0049]
Further, technical ideas other than the claims ascertained from the above embodiment will be described below together with their effects.
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two types of toner saving modes can be set.
[0050]
If comprised in this way, the recording according to the intended purpose of the recorded cut paper can be performed.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
Since this invention is comprised as mentioned above, there exist the following effects.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a coefficient corresponding to the toner consumption is multiplied by the number of recorded cut sheets, a reasonable maintenance fee system according to the toner consumption can be set .
[0053]
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, it is possible to set two or more types of toner saving modes. It can be set arbitrarily.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a multifunction machine according to first and second embodiments.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the multifunction machine according to the first and second embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a document placing plate in the first and second embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the multifunction machine according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a multifunction machine according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the multifunction machine according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the cumulative number of cut sheets displayed on the display unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
17: Recording unit, 56: Cut sheet, 84a: First storage area as accumulating means, 84b: Second storage area as accumulating means, 84c: Third storage area as accumulating means, 87c: Saving as setting means Toner mode key, 87d, first toner save mode key as setting means, 87e, second toner save mode key as setting means, 87f, display request key.

Claims (3)

Corresponding to each mode corresponding to the number of cut sheets recorded for each mode, a recording unit for recording image data on cut sheets, a setting means for selecting and setting a normal mode and at least one toner saving mode in recording And a cumulative means for accumulating the value , a toner saving rate in the toner saving mode corresponding to the coefficient, and a cumulative number of cut sheets recorded in the toner saving mode corresponding to the toner saving rate. A recording apparatus comprising display means for displaying . The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner saving rate in the toner saving mode corresponding to the coefficient is changeable . The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit is configured to be able to select a desired toner saving mode from a plurality of toner saving modes.

Images