JP4659472B2 - Capacitor device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to charging of capacitors such as a plurality of electric double layer capacitors, and more particularly to a capacitor device that realizes charging efficiency, a fixing device including the capacitor device, and an image forming apparatus.

  The electric double layer capacitor is small and has a large capacity, but has a low withstand voltage. Therefore, an electric double layer capacitor device is serialized to form an electric double layer capacitor device, thereby increasing the withstand voltage. This is a high breakdown voltage as an electric double layer capacitor device, and does not increase the breakdown voltage of each electric double layer capacitor in series. Therefore, it is necessary to control the charging voltage of each electric double layer capacitor constituting the electric double layer capacitor device so as not to exceed the withstand voltage and to monitor the charging state.

Regarding such an electric double layer capacitor device, in the electric double layer capacitor device in which a plurality of electric double layer capacitors are serialized, a transistor is connected in parallel to each electric double layer capacitor as a current control means, and There is one that balances the charging voltage of each electric double layer capacitor by comparing the charging voltage with a reference voltage and controlling the current flowing through the transistor in accordance with the difference voltage (for example, Patent Document 1).
Utility Model Registration No. 2575358

  By the way, such an electric double layer capacitor device merely suppresses power consumption due to a reduction in leakage current. When charging the electric double layer capacitor at a constant current, the power supplied to the electric double layer capacitor is given by the product of voltage and current, so the power supplied is small at the beginning of charging and increases in proportion to the voltage at the end of charging. Tend. When such charging is performed using a 100V commercial AC power supply, if the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitor is increased, there is a disadvantage that supply power for charging is insufficient and full charging cannot be performed. It will be. In other words, even when the charging voltage is low, supplying the maximum power from the charging means to the electric double layer capacitor is wasteful in power consumption and is not efficient. Such a problem is neither disclosed nor suggested in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, and means for solving it is not disclosed.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a capacitor device with improved charging efficiency for charging a plurality of capacitors in series.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device and an image forming apparatus including the capacitor device.

In order to achieve the above object, a capacitor device according to the present invention includes a plurality of capacitors connected in series, and charges each capacitor to a predetermined voltage. The capacitor device is connected to a series circuit of a plurality of capacitors connected in series. Charging means for flowing current, bypass means individually connected in parallel to the capacitor, and when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage, the current of the corresponding capacitor is shunted, and a predetermined time from the bypass operation of the bypass means generates an output indicating that the bypass means with a delay starts a bypass operation, and output means for said charging means Ru reduce the current flowing in the series circuit of the capacitor, the bypass operation of the bypass means configuration der obtained by setting a predetermined time difference between the reduction of the current flowing through the series circuit of the capacitor for .

  With this configuration, when the bypass unit shifts to the bypass operation, the capacitor current is shunted to the bypass unit side by this bypass operation, and the capacitor is slowly charged. When the bypass means starts the bypass operation, if charging of the capacitor is stopped with this as a trigger, there is a possibility that the charging becomes insufficient. Therefore, in the present invention, in conjunction with the bypass operation, an output to the effect that the bypass operation has started is generated with a predetermined time delay from the start of the bypass operation, and the current of the capacitor is reduced in conjunction with this output. . That is, by setting a time difference between the bypass operation and the reduction of the current of the capacitor, the charging stop is delayed, the charging can be continued, and sufficient charging is obtained.

  In order to achieve the above object, a capacitor device according to the present invention includes a plurality of capacitors connected in series, and charges each capacitor to a predetermined voltage. The capacitor device is connected to a series circuit of a plurality of capacitors connected in series. Charging means for passing a current; and bypass means connected individually in parallel to the capacitor to shunt the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage; and the bypass means A voltage detecting means for detecting a charging voltage; a first switching element that receives a detection output of the voltage detecting means and forms a bypass path in the capacitor when the charging voltage reaches the predetermined voltage; and Switching from the switching element is delayed by a predetermined time, and the first switching element performs the bypass operation. By providing a second switching element for generating an output indicating that the start may be configured to reduce the current of the charging means by said output of said second switching element.

  In order to achieve the above object, the charging unit may include a control unit that causes the output unit to reduce the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in accordance with the current diversion operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a photocoupler that transmits the switching operation of the second switching element to the charging means may be provided. With such a configuration, the bypass means and the charging means can be insulated by the photocoupler, and the influence of noise and the like due to the switching operation can be avoided.

  To achieve the above object, the first switching element is constituted by a first transistor, the second switching element is constituted by a second transistor, and the first switching element is turned on by a detection output of the voltage detection means. A resistor for generating a voltage by a current flowing in the transistor, and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as a base input of the second transistor, whereby the conduction of the second transistor is controlled by the value of the resistor. A configuration may be adopted in which the delay is caused by one transistor.

In order to achieve the above object, a fixing device of the present invention is a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by heating, and a heating unit for heating the toner image, and electric power is supplied to a power feeding unit of the heating unit. A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage, and charging means for charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage by passing a current through the series circuit of the capacitors; When the capacitor reaches a reference voltage individually connected in parallel with the capacitor, bypass means for diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor, and the bypass means is delayed by a predetermined time from the bypass operation of the bypass means. generates an output indicating that initiated the bypass operation, the charging unit flows into the series circuit of said capacitor And output means for Ru reduce the flow, a configuration obtained by setting a predetermined time difference between the reduction of the current flowing through the series circuit of the capacitor with respect to the bypass operation of the bypass means.

  In order to achieve the above object, a fixing device of the present invention is a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by heating, and a heating unit for heating the toner image, and electric power is supplied to a power feeding unit of the heating unit. A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage, and charging means for charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage by passing a current through the series circuit of the capacitors; A voltage detecting unit that is connected individually to the capacitor in parallel and bypasses the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage; and the bypass unit detects a charging voltage of the capacitor. And a detection output of the voltage detection means, and when the charging voltage reaches the predetermined voltage, A first switching element that forms an bypass path, and a second switching element that delays the first switching element by a predetermined time and generates an output indicating that the first switching element has started the bypass operation. It is good also as a structure which reduces the said electric current of the said charging means by the said output of a said 2nd switching element.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the fixing device according to the present invention, the charging unit includes a control unit that causes the output unit to reduce the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in accordance with the current diversion operation. It is good also as a structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the fixing device of the present invention, the capacitor device may include a photocoupler that transmits a switching operation of the second switching element to the charging unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the fixing device according to the present invention, the capacitor device includes the first switching element as a first transistor and the second switching element as a second transistor. A resistor that generates a voltage by a current flowing through the first transistor that is turned on by a detection output of a voltage detector; and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as a base input of the second transistor, whereby The conduction of the second transistor may be delayed from the first transistor depending on the value.

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by electric heat, the power supply unit of the fixing device including a capacitor device, and the capacitor A device includes a plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage, a charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitors and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage, and the capacitors individually connected in parallel. When the capacitor reaches a reference voltage, bypass means for diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor, and an output indicating that the bypass means has started the bypass operation with a delay of a predetermined time from the bypass operation of the bypass means. is generated, and output means for said charging means Ru reduce the current flowing in the series circuit of said capacitor, Serial is a configuration obtained by setting a predetermined time difference between the reduction current flowing against the bypass operation of the bypass means to the series circuit of the capacitor.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by electric heat, the power supply unit of the fixing device including a capacitor device, and the capacitor A device includes a plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage, a charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitors and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage, and the capacitors individually connected in parallel. Bypass means for diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage, the bypass means detecting voltage for charging the capacitor, and a detection output of the voltage detection means And when the charge voltage reaches the predetermined voltage, a first switch that forms a bypass path in the capacitor And a second switching element that switches after a predetermined time from the first switching element and generates an output indicating that the first switching element has started the bypass operation. The current of the charging unit may be reduced by the output of the second switching element.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the charging unit includes a control unit that reduces the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in response to the output unit. It is good also as a structure provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the capacitor device may include a photocoupler that transmits a switching operation of the second switching element to the charging unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the capacitor device includes the first switching element as a first transistor and the second switching element as a second transistor. A resistor that generates a voltage by a current flowing through the first transistor that is turned on by a detection output of the voltage detection unit; and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as a base input of the second transistor, whereby the resistor The conduction of the second transistor may be delayed from the first transistor by the value of.

  As described above, the fixing device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention have the above-described capacitor device. The fixing device and the image forming apparatus are means for recording and presenting image information composed of electronic information on a presentation medium such as paper, such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, and a printer apparatus. The capacitor apparatus is a drive power source. Used as a part. If the above-described capacitor device is used as a part of the driving power supply, the above-described charging efficiency contributes to power saving and efficiency improvement of the image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, in the capacitor device, the fixing device, and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the capacitor can be composed of an electric double layer capacitor.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) When charging a plurality of capacitors connected in series, when the charging voltage of each capacitor reaches a predetermined voltage, a bypass operation of the bypass means is started, and the capacitor current is delayed by a predetermined time from the bypass operation. Therefore, the charging of the capacitor can be increased and the efficiency can be improved.

  (2) Since the transition of charging within the delay time from the bypass operation to the reduction of the capacitor current is determined by the delay time and the current flowing through the capacitor, the target voltage for charging the capacitor should be determined by adjusting the time. Can do.

  (3) The first switching element is constituted by the first transistor, the second switching element is constituted by the second transistor, and a voltage is generated by the current flowing through the first transistor which is turned on by the detection output of the voltage detection means. If the resistor is provided and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as the base input of the second transistor, the conduction of the second transistor is delayed from the first transistor by the resistance value. Since the voltage applied to the base of the second transistor can be adjusted by the product of the current, the above-described delay time can be easily adjusted.

(4) According to the fixing device or the image forming apparatus in which such a capacitor device is used, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to save power in image formation and the like.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an electric double layer capacitor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As the capacitor device, for example, the electric double layer capacitor device 2 is a variety of loads such as an image forming apparatus that records and presents image information composed of electronic information on a presentation medium such as paper, such as a copying machine, a facsimile device, and a printer device. Are provided with a plurality of electric double layer capacitors 401, 402... 40N as capacitors having the same or approximate capacitance. In this case, the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N constitute a series circuit, and the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N of the series circuit are collectively referred to as a capacitor circuit 4 hereinafter. For example, if the number of electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N constituting the capacitor circuit 4 is 18, and each rated voltage is 2.5 [V], the charging voltage (output voltage) _VDC of the capacitor circuit 4 is 45 [V]. V].

  A charging circuit 6 is connected to the capacitor circuit 4 as power supply means. The charging circuit 6 receives the AC power supply 8 and charges the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N of the capacitor circuit 4 as a DC output by AC / DC conversion. This charging circuit 6 corresponds to the case where the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N are individually charged to a predetermined voltage, and the capacitor circuit 4 composed of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is charged to the predetermined voltage. In this configuration, charging is performed while gradually reducing the current flowing through 4 in a stepwise manner or gradually, and the respective charging voltages of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reach the target values.

  Each of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N of the capacitor circuit 4 has balance circuits 101, 102... 10N as bypass means for diverting the current from the charging circuit 6 in order to make each charging voltage reach a predetermined voltage. Connected in parallel. Each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N starts a bypass operation when the charging voltage of the corresponding electric double layer capacitor 401 to 40N reaches a predetermined voltage, and balances the current supplied to the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N. The flow is diverted to the 101-10N side.

  Each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N is provided with first photocouplers 121, 122,... 12N and second photocouplers 141, 142,. ... 16N as light emitting elements, light receiving transistors 181, 182... 18N as light receiving elements, light emitting diodes 201, 202. Light receiving transistors 221, 222... 22 N are respectively installed. In each balance circuit 101 to 10N, the light emitting diodes 161 to 16N and 201 to 20N are connected in parallel, and light is emitted by the operating current during the bypass operation of each balance circuit 101 to 10N, and this light emission output starts the bypass operation. Represents. Each of the light receiving transistors 181 to 18N is connected to the charging circuit 6 in parallel. If any one of the balance circuits 101 to 10N starts a bypass operation, any one of the corresponding light receiving transistors 181 to 18N is started. Is conducted to indicate the start of the bypass operation, and this is added to the charging circuit 6 as operation information. The light receiving transistors 221 to 22N are serially connected to the charging circuit 6. If all of the balance circuits 101 to 10N perform a bypass operation, all of the light receiving transistors 221 to 22N are turned on to complete the charging. This is added to the charging circuit 6 as operation information. As described above, the photocouplers 121 to 12N and the photocouplers 141 to 14N are separately provided in parallel and in series, so that any one or all of the bypass operations of the balance circuits 101 to 10N are performed. The operation information indicating that is taken out individually.

  According to such a configuration, for example, a constant current can be supplied from the charging circuit 6 to the capacitor circuit 4 as the current, and the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N can be charged. The charging voltages of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N are individually applied to the balance circuits 101 to 10N. When the voltage reaches a predetermined voltage set for each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N, each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N causes each electric circuit to The bypass path can be individually configured in the double layer capacitors 401 to 40N.

  When each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N undergoes a bypass operation, the light emitting diodes 161 to 16N of the photocouplers 121 to 12N and the light emitting diodes 201 to 20N of the photocouplers 141 to 14N are caused to emit light individually as outputs representing the operation. be able to. The corresponding light receiving transistors 181 to 18N and 221 to 22N are turned on, and by these operations, the charging circuit 6 has individual bypass operation information of the balance circuits 101 to 10N (the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N are individually set to a predetermined voltage). Information to be reached), and bypass operation information (information that all electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reach a predetermined voltage) in which all the balance circuits 101 to 10N have shifted to the bypass operation are added to the charging circuit 6.

  In the initial stage of charging by the charging circuit 6, for example, a constant current is passed through the capacitor circuit 4, and by obtaining these pieces of information, the current passed through the capacitor circuit 4 in conjunction with the bypass operation of the balance circuits 101 to 10N is gradually or gradually When all the balance circuits 101 to 10N shift to the bypass operation, the current can be shifted to the lowest current, and the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N can reach the target charging voltage. With such a charging mode, excessive current can be suppressed, power consumption can be reduced, and highly efficient charging can be performed.

  Next, the charging circuit 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the charging circuit 6.

The charging circuit 6 is a power supply means for charging the capacitor circuit 4, and generates a constant DC voltage (V _DC ) as an upper limit voltage as a DC output by rectifying and smoothing the AC input of the AC power supply 8. In addition, a constant current output or a constant power output can be selectively switched by control.

  The charging circuit 6 is provided with a rectifier circuit 24 for rectifying an AC input from the AC power supply 8, and the rectifier circuit 24 is a full-wave rectifier circuit including a diode bridge of four diodes 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d. It consists of A capacitor 28 is connected to the output side of the rectifier circuit 24 as a smoothing circuit to remove fluctuation components such as a ripple component of the rectified output. On the DC output side of the rectifier circuit 24, a primary coil 30P of the transformer 30 is connected in parallel with the capacitor 28, and a field effect transistor (FET) 32 and a current detection circuit 34 are connected as switching elements. The detection output of the current detection circuit 34 is applied to the control unit 36. The control unit 36 constitutes a control unit that generates a constant current output in the charging circuit 6 and changes the output form for charging, that is, gradually decreases the constant current output. The control output of the control unit 36 is applied to the gate of the transistor 32. With such a configuration, a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) circuit 38 is configured together with the chopper circuit, and the switching current flows through the primary coil 30P of the transformer 30 due to the oscillation of the transistor 32. A switching voltage is induced in the secondary coil 30S of the transformer 30 by the switching current on the primary side. Further, output control is performed by switching control of the control unit 36, for example, by increasing or decreasing the conduction period of the transistor 32 at a constant switching frequency.

Diodes 42 and 44 are connected to the secondary coil 30S of the transformer 30 as a rectifier circuit 40. The switching voltage is rectified by the rectifier circuit 40, and the fluctuation component is removed by the choke coil 46 and the capacitor 48 to be converted into a DC output. Is done. A direct current output composed of a constant output voltage V _DC is applied to the capacitor circuit 4 via the diode 50, and used for charging the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 401N.

The output voltage of the charging circuit 6, that is, the voltage V _DC between the terminals of the capacitor circuit 4 (FIG. 1) is monitored by the first comparator 54 as voltage monitoring means, and the reference voltage V _REF set by the voltage source 56 is used. by comparison with, increase or decrease in inter-terminal voltage V _DC, the transition is taken from the comparator 54 as a difference voltage ΔV between the reference voltage V _REF, 1 single in voltage information is the control information is added to the control unit 36 Yes.

  In addition, a resistor 58 is connected as a current detection resistor to the reference potential side circuit of the charging circuit 6 as means for detecting the current flowing in the capacitor circuit 4 side, and the current is converted into a voltage and taken out from the resistor 58. The current information which is one of the control information is added to the control unit 36 from the comparator 60.

  In this case, the control unit 36 includes, as other control information, conduction information indicating the bypass operation from the light receiving transistors 181 to 18N described in the control input terminals 62 and 64, and the light receiving transistors described in the control input terminals 66 and 68. Conduction information representing bypass operation from 221 to 22N is added.

With such a configuration, a constant current is passed through the capacitor circuit 4 to charge each of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N, the transition of the voltage _VDC between the terminals is monitored by the comparator 54, and voltage information is obtained from the comparator 54. It is added to the control unit 36. Further, the current I flowing through the capacitor circuit 4 through the charging circuit 6 is detected as a voltage drop of the resistor 58, and current information is added from the comparator 60 to the control unit 36. As a result, the control unit 36 generates a constant current (maximum current) in the charging circuit 6 at the initial stage of charging to charge the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N, and the balance circuits 101 to 10N are sequentially changed according to the charging transition. In conjunction with the transition to the bypass operation, the current flowing through the capacitor circuit 4 is reduced stepwise, and when all of the balance circuits 101 to 10N shift to the bypass operation, charging is performed while maintaining the minimum current. The charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is made to reach the target value.

  In this case, in the control of the transistor 32 by the control unit 36, the conduction period of the switching frequency of the transistor 32 is adjusted. Therefore, the constant current output on the series output side is generated and the output current is reduced stepwise by the pulse width control. Can be done. In the current reduction control, the output current may be continuously reduced when the balance circuits 101 to 10N shift to the bypass operation.

  Next, the balance circuits 101 to 10N will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the balance circuits 101 to 10N.

  The balance circuits 101 to 10N as bypass means are individually connected to the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N, a function of detecting each charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N, and after the charging voltage reaches a predetermined voltage Includes a bypass function for diverting a current applied to the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N that has reached a predetermined voltage, and an output circuit 70 as an output means for indicating the start of operation of the bypass means. The output circuit 70 generates an output indicating the start of the bypass operation with a predetermined time delay from the bypass operation.

Each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N is provided with a bypass circuit 72 as a bypass means for the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N. The bypass circuit 72 is connected in parallel as a transistor 74 and a resistance circuit 76 as a first switching element. It is constituted by a series circuit with the resistances 76A and 76B. When the resistance values of these resistors 76A and 76B are R _76A and R _76B , the resistance value R _S of the resistance circuit 76 is
R _S = R _76A · R _76B / (R _76A + R _76B ) = R / 2 (1)
Therefore, when the resistance values R _76A and R _76B = R of the resistors 76A and 76B, R _S = R / 2, which decreases stepwise according to the parallel number N of the resistance elements of the resistor circuit 76, and is desired. The resistance value can be set. If the resistance circuit 76 is composed of a variable resistor, the resistance value can be continuously changed and the value can be set. Therefore, when the current flowing through the transistor 74 is I _B , the voltage V _R generated in the resistance circuit 76 is expressed by the following equation (1):
V _R = I _B · R _S = I _B · R _76A · R _76B / (R _76A + R _76B ) = I _B · R / 2
... (2)
Is given by the product of the current I _B and the resistance value R _S, and increases in proportion to the resistance value R _S or the current I _B. If the transition of the current I _B is the same, the increase in the voltage V _R per unit time can be adjusted by the resistance value R _S.

  The charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is applied to the base of the transistor 74 via the resistor 78, and a drive circuit 80 is installed as driving means for driving the transistor 74. The drive circuit 80 Is composed of a shunt regulator, which will be described later, and is conductive when the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reaches a predetermined voltage, and causes a base current to flow through the transistor 74. Therefore, a voltage dividing circuit comprising resistors 81 and 82 is connected to the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N as voltage detection means for the charging voltage, and the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is determined by the resistance ratio of the resistors 81 and 82. It is taken out and added to the drive circuit 80.

  In such a configuration, before the drive circuit 80 shifts to the conductive state, the base of the transistor 74 is maintained at a high level and is in the cut-off state, so that charging of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is maintained. When the charging voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage, the drive circuit 80 becomes conductive, and a current flows to the drive circuit 80 through the resistor 78. At this time, the base current of the transistor 74 is drawn into the drive circuit 80, and the transistor 74 becomes conductive. As a result of this conduction, the bypass operation of the bypass circuit 72 is started, the charging current flowing in the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N mainly flows into the bypass circuit 72, and the charging current of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is suppressed. .

The output circuit 70 is provided with a switch circuit 84 that detects the start of the bypass operation of the bypass circuit 72 and conducts it as means for detecting the transition of the charging voltage and charging current described above. The switch circuit 84, the transistor 86 is constituted by resistors 88, 90, 92, the voltage V _R to the base of the transistor 86 is generated in the resistor circuit 76 via the resistor 90 is added as a second switching element It has been. That is, the switching transistor 86 will depend on the transition of the voltage V _R applied to its base.

  Light emitting diodes 161 to 16N of the photocouplers 121 to 12N are connected via the resistor 94 between the switch circuit 84 and the anode side circuit of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N, and the light emitting diodes of the photocouplers 141 to 14N are connected. 201 to 20N are connected via a resistor 96.

  The drive circuit 80 of the balance circuits 101 to 10N will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a shunt regulator circuit used for the drive circuit 80 as an example.

The shunt regulator circuit 300 includes a voltage comparator 302 as a voltage detecting means, a transistor 304, and a reference voltage source 306. A reference phase source terminal of the voltage comparator 302 is connected to a reference terminal 308 and a connector side of the transistor 304. Are provided with a cathode (CATHODE) terminal 310 and an anode (ANODE) terminal 312 on the emitter side of the transistor 304. According to such a configuration, the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is divided and applied to the reference terminal 308 from the voltage dividing points of the resistors 81 and 82 (FIG. 3), and the voltage value is applied to the reference voltage source 306. _Exceeds the reference voltage value V _ref , an output is generated in the voltage comparator 302 to make the transistor 304 conductive. The output of the voltage comparator 302 has a value corresponding to the input differential voltage between the positive phase input terminal and the negative phase input terminal of the voltage comparator 302, and a current corresponding to the output value flows through the transistor 304. As a result, the base current of the transistor 74 (FIG. 3) is drawn into the transistor 304, and the base current value is the output of the voltage comparator 302, that is, the input difference between the positive phase input terminal and the negative phase input terminal of the voltage comparator 302. Depends on voltage.

Therefore, if the reference voltage of the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is V _S , the relationship between the reference voltage V _S and the reference voltage V _{ref through} which the drive circuit 80 conducts is the resistance value of the resistors 81 and 82. As R ₈₁ and R ₈₂ ,
V _ref = V _S · R ₈₂ / (R ₈₁ + R ₈₂ ) (3)
Set to That is, when the drive circuit 80 is used, when the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reaches the reference voltage V _S , the voltage generated at the voltage dividing point of the resistors 81 and 82 becomes the reference voltage V _ref or more. The transistor 74 can be turned on.

According to such a configuration, when the bypass operation of the bypass circuit 72 is started, the conduction condition of the transistor 86 is established through the transistor 74. When the transistor 74 is turned on, a bypass current I _B flows. The bypass current I _B is, as shown in equation (2), the voltage V _R is generated in the resistor circuit 76. When this voltage V _R reaches a predetermined level, that is, a level necessary to make the transistor 86 conductive, the transistor 86 becomes conductive. That is, the conduction start point of the transistor 74 from (t _1), conducting the starting point of the transistor 86 (t ₂₎ predetermined delay time until T (= t ₂ -t ₁₎ is present.

  Next, the operation of the balance circuits 101 to 10N will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows the operation waveform and the like. (A) is a transition of the charging voltage, (B) is a switching operation of the transistor 74, (C) is a transition of the bypass current, (D) is a switching operation of the transistor 86, (E) shows the transition of the charging current.

When charging starts, a constant current {(E)} in FIG. 5 flows from the charging circuit 6 to the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N increases. When the charging voltage reaches the reference voltage V _S (≡V _ref ), the drive circuit 80 is turned on as described above, and the transistor 74 is turned on at time t ₁ as shown in FIG. The bypass operation is started. That is, the current flowing through the electric double layer capacitor 401~40N flows into the bypass circuit 72 by the conduction of the transistor 74, which is the bypass current I _B. As shown in FIG. 5C, the bypass current I _B increases from the time point t ₁ and increases to, for example, about 2 [A] as a predetermined value. As a result, the charging current of the electric double layer capacitor 401~40N, as shown in (E) of FIG. 5, will be reduced with the increase of the bypass current I _B from the time t _1.

When the bypass current I _B increases to a predetermined value and the voltage V _R given by the product of the resistance value R _S of the resistance circuit 76 reaches the predetermined value V _B , the transistor 86 is turned on at time t ₂ {FIG. 5 (D)}, as a result, the light emitting diodes 161 to 16N or 201 to 20N emit light, and the light receiving transistors 181 to 18N or 221 to 22N are turned on. Thereby, the above-described charging circuit 6 (FIG. 1) or its control unit 36 (FIG. 2) is notified. Based on this notification, the charging circuit 6 performs control such as a stepwise decrease in the charging current.

Accordingly, when the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reaches a predetermined voltage, that is, in response to the bypass operation of the bypass circuit 72, after a delay of a predetermined time T from the start of the bypass operation (t ₁ ), The light receiving transistors 181 to 18N or 221 to 22N are turned on. In this case, the delay time T can be arbitrarily set by the resistance value R _S of the resistance circuit 76, and can be set to a desired value depending on the resistance values of the resistors 76A and 76B and the number of the resistors 76A and 76B.

  Charging control of the electric double layer capacitor in the electric double layer capacitor device 2 (FIG. 1) using the balance circuits 101 to 10N described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a charging method or a charging control program, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating changes in voltage and current during charging of the electric double layer capacitor.

For ease of explanation, assuming that the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N are in an uncharged state, charging is performed by flowing a maximum current I _max from the charging circuit 6 to the capacitor circuit 4 as a constant current (step S1). When the charging voltage of any of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reaches a predetermined voltage due to this charging and any of the corresponding balance circuits 101 to 10N enters the bypass operation (step S2), the current maximum current I _max Is reduced by a predetermined current ΔI (step S3), and charging is continued with the current (I _max −ΔI). The bypass operation of each balance circuit 101 to 10N is as described above.

Then, whether a current flowing from the charging circuit 6 to the capacitor circuit 4 reaches the minimum current I _min (step S4), and repeats the processing of step S1~ step S3. As a result, the current flowing from the charging circuit 6 to the capacitor circuit 4 becomes a current (I _max −ΔI × N), where N is the number of the balance circuits 101 to 10N that have shifted to the bypass operation, and is proportional to N. It will decrease gradually. The result of this decrease, the current flowing through the capacitor circuit 4 reaches the minimum current I _min (step S4), and to maintain the minimum current I _min (step S5) to sustain the charging while monitoring the charging voltage. As a result, it is determined whether or not the output voltage V _DC (= V _max ) of the capacitor circuit 4, that is, the charging voltage of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N has reached the target value (step S6), and the target value is charged. When the voltage reaches, complete the charging. In this case, the target value of the charging voltage of each of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is V _DC / N (= V _max / N), where N is the number of electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N in series.

With such a configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the maximum current I _max is gradually reduced to the minimum current I _min in conjunction with the bypass operation of the balance circuits 101 to 10N according to the transition of the charging voltage V. By maintaining the minimum current I _min , the capacitor circuit 4 can be charged up to the maximum voltage V _max and used as the output voltage.

In each of the balance circuits 101 to 10N, since the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N reach the reference voltage V _S , the notification of the bypass operation to the control unit 36 is delayed by the delay time T. Charging is continued for the time T, and each of the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N is sufficiently charged, and a predetermined output voltage _VDC can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the desired delay time T is set from the resistance value R _S of the resistor circuit 76 and the switching characteristics of the transistor 86 of the switch circuit 84. A desired delay time T may be set by interposing a delay circuit therebetween.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the shunt regulator circuit 300 is used as the drive circuit 80 has been described. However, the circuit for making the transistor 74 conductive can be configured using only a voltage comparator, and is limited to the circuit of the embodiment. Is not to be done.

  In the above embodiment, the charging circuit 6 and the balance circuits 101 to 10N have been described as independent configurations. However, the charging circuit 6 may include the balance circuits 101 to 10N.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, a fixing device and a digital copying machine using the above-described capacitor device are described. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a schematic configuration example of the digital copying machine. This digital copying machine 410 relates to an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, and is a so-called multifunction machine, which has a copying function and other functions such as a printer function and a facsimile function. Can be selected by operating an application switching key of an operation unit (not shown). By this function selection, the digital copying machine 410 is switched to the copy mode when the copy function is selected, the print mode when the printer function is selected, and the facsimile mode when the facsimile function is selected.

  The operation of various modes of the digital copying machine 410 will be described together with its configuration. In the copy mode, when a document placed on a document table 414 of an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as “ADF”) 412 that feeds a document is pressed, a start key on an operation unit (not shown) is pressed. The paper is fed to a predetermined position on the contact glass 420 by a paper feed roller 416 and a feed belt 418. The ADF 412 has a counting function for counting up the number of documents every time a document is fed. After the image information is read by the image reading device 422, the original on the contact glass 420 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 426 by the feeding belt 418 and the discharge roller 424.

  The image reading device 422 includes an exposure lamp 466, mirrors 468, 470, 472, an imaging lens 474, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 476 constituting an image sensor, and the like. Light emitted from an exposure lamp 466, which is a light source, is applied to the original, and reflected light from the original passes through mirrors 468, 470, and 472 and is collected by the imaging lens 474 and detected by the CCD 476, and image data is obtained by photoelectric conversion. Is converted to

  When the next document is detected by the document set detector 428 on the document table 414, the lowermost document on the document table 414 is similarly transferred to a predetermined value on the contact glass 420 by the feed roller 416 and the feeding belt 418. Fed to the position. The document on the contact glass 420 is discharged onto the sheet discharge table 426 by the feeding belt 418 and the discharge roller 424 after image information is read by the image reading device 422. The paper feed roller 416, the feed belt 418, and the discharge roller 424 are driven by a conveyance motor (not shown).

  When selected, the first paper feeding device 430, the second paper feeding device 432, and the third paper feeding device 434 feed the loaded transfer paper. This transfer sheet is conveyed to a position where it abuts on the photoreceptor 444 by the vertical conveyance unit 442. For example, a photosensitive drum is used as the photosensitive member 444 and is driven to rotate by a main motor (not shown).

  Image data read from the document by the image reading device 422 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 478 and then converted into optical information by the writing unit 446. Light representing the image is irradiated to the photosensitive member 444 through the mirror 480. The photosensitive member 444 is uniformly charged by a charger (not shown), and then exposed to light information from the writing unit 446 to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 444 is developed by the developing device 448 to become a toner image.

  In this digital copying machine 410, a printer that forms an image on a medium such as paper by an electrophotographic method using a writing unit 446, a photosensitive member 444, a developing device 448, and other well-known devices around the photosensitive member 444 (not shown). The engine is configured.

  The conveyance belt 450 constitutes a sheet conveyance unit or a transfer unit. A transfer bias is applied from a power source, and a transfer sheet as a transfer medium conveyed from the vertical conveyance unit 442 is conveyed at the same speed as the photosensitive member 444. As a result, the toner image on the photosensitive member 444 is transferred. The transfer paper is fixed on the toner image by heat applied from the fixing device 452, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 456 by the paper discharge unit 454. The photosensitive member 444 is cleaned by a cleaning device (not shown) after the toner image is transferred, and the residual toner on the photosensitive member 444 is removed.

  Such a copying operation is copying on one side of a sheet in the normal mode. In contrast to this single-side mode, there is a double-side mode in which an image is copied on both sides of a transfer sheet. In this double-sided mode, the transfer paper fed from any of the paper feed trays 436 to 440 and having the above-mentioned image formed thereon is switched to the double-sided paper feed path 458 and is switched by the reversing unit 460. It is backed and the front and back sides are reversed, and conveyed to the duplex conveying unit 462. In this case, the conveyance to the discharge tray 456 side by the single-sided copy discharge unit 454 is prohibited.

  The transfer paper conveyed to the double-sided conveyance unit 462 is conveyed to the vertical conveyance unit 442 by the double-sided conveyance unit 462 and abuts on the photoreceptor 444. On the transfer paper, the toner image formed on the photoconductor 444 is transferred to the back surface, and the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 452 to obtain double-sided copying. The double-sided copy paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 456 by a paper discharge unit 454.

  When the transfer paper is reversed and discharged, the transfer paper that is switched back by the reversing unit 460 and turned upside down is discharged to the discharge tray 456 by the discharge unit 454 through the reverse discharge conveyance path 464. The

  In the print mode, image data from the outside is input to the writing unit 446 instead of the image data from the above-described image processing apparatus, and an image is formed on the transfer paper as in the copy mode. In the facsimile mode, the image data from the image reading device 422 is transmitted to the other party by a facsimile transmission / reception unit (not shown), and the image data from the other party is received by the facsimile transmission / reception unit, instead of the image data from the image processing device. Are input to the writing unit 446, an image is formed on the transfer paper as in the copying mode.

  The digital copier 410 also includes a large quantity paper supply device (LCT) (not shown), a finisher that performs sorting, punching, stapling, etc., a mode for reading a document, setting of a copy magnification, setting of the number of paper feed stages, and a finisher (not shown). And an operation unit for performing post-processing setting, display to the operator, and the like.

  Next, the configuration of the fixing device 452 of the digital copying machine 410 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a basic configuration of the fixing device 452. In this fixing device 452, a pressure roller 510 as a pressure member is pressed against a fixing roller 508, which is a fixing member, by a pressing means (not shown) with a constant pressure. The pressure roller 510 is made of an elastic member such as silicon rubber, for example. Both the fixing member and the pressure member need not be configured in a roller shape, and either one or both may be configured by an endless belt. In the fixing device 452, for example, alternating current (AC) fixing heaters HT1, HT2, and HT3 are provided as electric heat sources that generate fixing energy. In this embodiment, for example, the AC fixing heaters HT1, HT2, and HT3 are arranged inside the fixing roller 508, and the fixing roller 508 that is a fixing member is heated from the inside.

  The fixing roller 508 and the pressure roller 510 are rotationally driven by a driving mechanism (not shown). As a means for detecting the fixing temperature, for example, temperature sensors TH11 and TH12 such as a thermistor are brought into contact with the surface of the fixing roller 508, and the surface temperature is detected. The sheet 514, which is a medium such as transfer paper carrying the toner 512, is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 508 and the pressure roller 510 when passing through the nip portion between the fixing roller 508 and the pressure roller 510. The image is fixed.

  The plurality of AC fixing heaters HT2 and HT3, which are the second heat generating members, constitute a main heater (main heater), and are turned on when the target temperature that is the reference of the fixing roller 508 has not been reached. Then, the fixing roller 508 is heated. For example, the AC fixing heaters HT2 and HT3 are arranged in the fixing roller 508 so as to divide the main scanning direction evenly in consideration of the B5 size, the A4 size, and the like. The AC fixing heater HT2 is assigned to heat the B5 size from the reference position side of the fixing roller 508, and the AC fixing heater HT3 is assigned to heat the remaining (A4-B5) size, thereby preventing uneven heating.

  The AC fixing heater HT1, which is the first heat generating member, is used when the fixing device 452 is warmed up, such as when the main power of the digital copying machine 410 is turned on, or when starting up from the off mode for energy saving until copying is possible. This is an auxiliary heater (auxiliary heater) that heats the fixing roller 508 by being turned on or turned on when the target temperature that is the reference of the fixing roller 508 has not been reached during image formation.

  Next, the configuration of the power supply control system of the digital copying machine 410 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power supply circuit 482 of the fixing device 452 of the digital copying machine 410.

  The power supply circuit 482 is provided with a main power switch (SW) 484 for turning on / off the supply of AC power PS such as commercial AC power, for example, and the AC power PS is connected to the control unit 486 and the capacitor charging circuit 488 through the SW 484. , A direct current (DC) power generation circuit 490, and an AC heater driving circuit 492. The control unit 486 controls each part of the power supply circuit 482 and the like, and the capacitor charging circuit 488 includes the above-described charging circuit 6 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and charges the capacitor device 493 by receiving the AC power supply PS. The capacitor device 493 includes the capacitor circuit 4 (FIGS. 1 and 2) described above, and constitutes an auxiliary power source for the AC fixing heater HT1. The DC power supply generation circuit 490 generates a DC power supply for the digital copying machine 410. The AC heater drive circuit 492 constitutes a second drive circuit that supplies AC power to the AC fixing heaters HT2 and HT3. The output of the AC heater drive circuit 492 is applied to the AC heater drive circuit 492 and the capacitor discharge circuit 496 via the interlock switch 494. The capacitor discharge circuit 496 constitutes a first drive circuit that discharges the capacitor device 493 and supplies DC power to the AC fixing heater HT1.

  The control unit 486 controls each unit of the power supply circuit 482 and controls operations of the capacitor charging circuit 488, the AC heater driving circuit 492, and the capacitor discharging circuit 496. As this control operation, for example, a control signal S1 is sent to the capacitor charging circuit 488, and the charging operation of the capacitor device 493 by the capacitor charging circuit 488 is controlled. Further, control signals S3 and S4 are sent to the capacitor discharge circuit 496 to control the ON / OFF operation of the AC fixing heater HT1 by the capacitor discharge circuit 496. Also, control signals S8, S9, and S10 are sent to the AC heater drive circuit 492, and the AC heaters HT2 and HT3 are controlled to be turned on and off by the AC heater drive circuit 492.

The DC power generation circuit 490 generates a power supply V _CC supplied to the control system of the image forming apparatus and a power supply V _aa supplied to the drive system and the medium / high voltage power supply based on the AC power input via the main power SW 484. is doing.

The interlock switch 494 is a switch that is turned ON / OFF in conjunction with the covers (not shown) of the digital copying machine 410, and can be touched by opening the covers of the digital copying machine 410. In the case where the medium-high voltage power supply application member is provided, the power supply is cut off so that the operation of the drive member is stopped or the voltage application to the application member is stopped when the cover is opened. A part of the power supply V _aa generated by the DC power generation circuit 490 is input to the interlock switch 494, and is input to the capacitor discharge circuit 496 and the AC heater driving circuit 492 via the interlock switch 494.

  The AC heater driving circuit 492 turns ON / OFF the AC fixing heaters HT2 and HT3 in response to control signals S8, S9, and S10 input from the control unit 486. The capacitor charging circuit 488 is connected to the capacitor device 493, and charges the capacitor device 493 based on the control signal S1 input from the control unit 486. The capacitor device 493 is composed of a large-capacity capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor. The capacitor device 493 is connected to the capacitor charging circuit 488 and the capacitor discharging circuit 496, and charging is performed from the capacitor charging circuit 488. The electric power charged in the capacitor device 493 is supplied to the AC fixing heater HT1 by ON / OFF control of the capacitor discharge circuit 496.

  The capacitor discharge circuit 496 supplies the electric power stored in the capacitor device 493 to the fixing heater HT1 in accordance with control signals S3 and S4 input from the control unit 486, and turns the fixing heater HT1 on and off. As described above, the temperature sensors TH11 and TH12 are installed in the vicinity of the fixing roller 508 to obtain detection signals S6a and S6b representing the surface temperature of the fixing roller 508, and the detection signals S6a and S6b are sent to the control unit 486. Added as control information. In this case, since the resistance values of the temperature sensors TH11 and TH12 change according to the detected temperature, the control unit 486 uses the temperature change of the resistance values of the temperature sensors TH11 and TH12 and uses the change in resistance value to change the surface of the fixing roller 508. Detect temperature. For example, the temperature sensor TH11 is disposed corresponding to the heating region of the fixing heater HT2, and the temperature sensor TH12 is disposed corresponding to the heating region of the fixing heater HT3, for example.

  Next, the configuration of the AC heater drive circuit 492 (FIG. 10) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of the AC heater driving circuit 492.

  The AC heater driving circuit 492 is provided with a filter FIL21 that removes noise of the input AC power supply PS, and is fixed for safety protection that is turned ON / OFF according to the control signal S9 input from the control unit 486. A relay RL21 is installed. The fixing relay RL21 is connected with a diode D21 for preventing back electromotive force. Based on control signals S8 and S10 input from the control unit 486, a heater ON / OFF circuit 500 for turning ON / OFF the fixing heaters HT2 and HT3, 502 is installed.

  The AC power source PS is connected to a fixing heater HT2 via a filter FIL21, a fixing relay RL21, and a heater ON / OFF circuit 500, and also to a fixing heater via the filter FIL21, the fixing relay RL21, and the heater ON / OFF circuit 502. HT3 is connected.

  The heater ON / OFF circuit 500 includes a triac TR121, a photocoupler PC21, a transistor TR21, a noise absorbing snubber circuit 503, an inductor L21, and resistors R22, R23, and R24. The triac TR121 is a switch for turning on / off the AC power supply PS, and the photocoupler PC21 turns on the base of the triac TR121 and insulates a signal from the control unit 486 on the secondary side. The transistor TR21 is a driver for driving the light emitting side LED of the photocoupler PC21, and the noise absorbing snubber circuit 503 includes a capacitor C21 and a resistor R21. The inductor L21 is for noise absorption, and the resistor R22 is a continuity prevention resistor. Resistors R23 and R24 are current limiting resistors of the photocoupler PC21.

  Similarly, the heater ON / OFF circuit 502 includes a triac TR131, a photocoupler PC31, a transistor TR31, a noise absorbing snubber circuit 505, an inductor L31, and resistors R32, R33, and R34. The triac TR131 is a switch for turning on / off the AC power supply PS, and the photocoupler PC31 turns on the base of the triac TRI31 and insulates the signal from the control unit 486 on the secondary side. The transistor TR31 is a driver for driving the light emitting side LED of the photocoupler PC31, and the noise absorbing snubber circuit 505 includes a capacitor C31 and a resistor R31. The inductor L31 is for noise absorption, and the resistor R32 is a continuity prevention resistor. Resistors R33 and R34 are current limiting resistors of the photocoupler PC31.

  In the AC heater driving circuit 492 having the above-described configuration, the fixing heater HT2 is turned on when power is supplied while both the fixing relay RL21 and the base of the transistor TR21 are turned on. Similarly, the fixing heater HT3 is turned on when power is supplied in a state where both the fixing relay RL21 and the base of the transistor TR31 are ON.

  The control unit 486 turns on / off the control signal S8 supplied to the base of the transistor TR21 of the heater ON / OFF circuit 500 in a state where the control signal S9 supplied to the fixing relay RL21 is turned on, and turns on / off the fixing heater HT2. To control. Similarly, the control unit 486 turns on / off the control signal S10 supplied to the base of the transistor TR31 of the heater ON / OFF circuit 502 in a state where the control signal S9 supplied to the fixing relay RL21 is turned on, thereby fixing the fixing heater HT3. Controls on / off of.

  Next, the capacitor discharge circuit 496 (FIG. 10) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the capacitor discharge circuit 496.

  The capacitor discharge circuit 496 includes a charge / discharge switch 504, a safety protection fixing relay RL 11, a diode D 11 for preventing back-up of the fixing relay RL 11, and a both-end voltage detection circuit 506 that detects a voltage across the capacitor device 493. .

  A charging / discharging switch 504 and a fixing relay RL11 are connected to both ends of the capacitor device 193. The charging / discharging switch 504 is turned on / off by a control signal S3 input from the control unit 486. Similarly, the fixing relay RL11 is turned ON / OFF by a control signal S4 input from the control unit 486. When both the charging / discharging switch 504 and the fixing relay RL11 are turned on, the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor device 493 is discharged and electric power is supplied to the fixing heater HT1.

  Then, the both-end voltage detection circuit 506 detects the both-end voltage of the capacitor device 493 and outputs the detection signal S5 to the control unit 486. The control unit 486 constantly monitors the detection signal S5 to monitor the charge state of the capacitor device 493.

  As described above, according to such a digital copying machine 410, by using the electric double layer capacitor device 2 (FIG. 1) as the capacitor device 493 and the charging circuit 6 (FIG. 2 etc.) as the capacitor charging circuit 488, The effects as described in the first embodiment can be expected. In the digital copying machine 410, the fixing heater HT1 of the fixing device 452 can be preheated by discharging the electric power of the capacitor device 493 through the capacitor discharge circuit 496. As a result, the copying start operation can be speeded up.

  As described above, since the electric double layer capacitor device 2 described above is used for such a capacitor device 493, the power supply allowable amount of the commercial AC power supply is not exceeded by constant power charging, and each part of the digital copying machine 410 Can be appropriately and efficiently distributed.

  In particular, as described in the above-described operation, the constant charging voltage is switched from constant current charging to constant power charging at, for example, 28 [V], and the constant charging voltage reaches, for example, 44 [V]. Thereafter, switching from constant power charging to constant current charging is performed again, so that the capacitor device 493 can be efficiently and fully charged without exceeding the power supply allowable amount of the commercial AC power supply, and the fixing heater HT1 of the fixing device 452 is reserved. Heating can be performed efficiently.

  In the first embodiment, the electric double layer capacitor device 2 and the electric double layer capacitors 401 to 40N will be described, and in the second embodiment, the capacitor device 493, the capacitor charging circuit 488, and the capacitor discharging circuit 496 will be described. However, a capacitor other than the electric double layer capacitor may be used for the capacitor device 493 used for preheating the fixing heater HT1 of the fixing device 452.

  In the above-described embodiment, the electric double layer capacitor device 2 has been described as an example. However, the electric double layer capacitor device 2 is used for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer device, and other power supply devices. be able to.

As described above, the most preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above description, and is described in the claims or the best for carrying out the invention. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the gist of the invention disclosed in the embodiments, and it goes without saying that such modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, with respect to charging of one or a plurality of capacitors, since a time difference is set between constant current charging, start of bypass operation of the bypass means provided in the capacitor and reduction of charging current, it is efficient. Can be charged efficiently and contributes to the realization of a capacitor device, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus with high efficiency, reliability, and safety, which are useful.

1 is a circuit diagram showing an electric double layer capacitor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structural example of a charging circuit. It is a circuit diagram which shows an example of a balance circuit. It is a circuit diagram which shows an example of a drive circuit. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of a balance circuit. It is a flowchart which shows the charge method and charge control program of an electric double layer capacitor. It is a figure which shows transition of a charging voltage and a charging current. It is a figure which shows the internal mechanism of the digital copying machine which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a fixing device of a digital copying machine. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a power supply circuit of a fixing device of a digital copying machine. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structural example of an AC heater drive circuit. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structural example of a capacitor discharge circuit.

Explanation of symbols

2 Electric Double Layer Capacitor Device 6 Charging Circuit 36 Control Unit 70 Output Circuit 72 Bypass Circuit 74 Transistor (First Switching Element)
76 resistor circuit 76A, 76B resistor 81, 82 resistor (voltage detection means)
86 transistor (second switching element)
101-10N balance circuit (bypass means)
121-12N, 141-14N Photocoupler 302 Voltage comparator (voltage detection means)
401 to 40N Electric double layer capacitor 410 Digital copier (image forming apparatus)
488 Capacitor charging circuit 493 Capacitor device 496 Capacitor discharging circuit

Claims (18)

A capacitor device comprising a plurality of capacitors connected in series and charging each capacitor to a predetermined voltage,
Charging means for passing current through a series circuit of a plurality of capacitors in series;
Bypass means for individually connecting to the capacitor in parallel and diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage;
The from the bypass operation of the bypass means is delayed by a predetermined time to generate an output indicating that said bypass means has started a bypass operation, and output means the Ru reduces the current flowing to the series circuit of the charging means the capacitor ,
A capacitor device, wherein a predetermined time difference is set between the bypass operation of the bypass means and the reduction of the current flowing through the series circuit of the capacitor. A capacitor device comprising a plurality of capacitors connected in series and charging each capacitor to a predetermined voltage,
Charging means for passing current through a series circuit of a plurality of capacitors in series;
Bypass means for shunting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage individually connected in parallel to the capacitor, and the bypass means,
Voltage detecting means for detecting a charging voltage of the capacitor;
A first switching element that receives a detection output of the voltage detection means and forms a bypass path in the capacitor when the charging voltage reaches the predetermined voltage;
A second switching element that switches by a predetermined time from the first switching element and generates an output indicating that the first switching element has started the bypass operation;
The capacitor device is configured to reduce the current of the charging unit by the output of the second switching element.   3. The capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the charging unit includes a control unit that causes the output unit to reduce the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in accordance with the current diversion operation. apparatus.   3. The capacitor device according to claim 2, further comprising a photocoupler that transmits a switching operation of the second switching element to the charging unit.   The first switching element is constituted by a first transistor, the second switching element is constituted by a second transistor, and a voltage is generated by a current flowing through the first transistor which is turned on by a detection output of the voltage detection means. And the voltage generated in the resistor is used as the base input of the second transistor, whereby the conduction of the second transistor is delayed from the first transistor by the value of the resistor. The capacitor device according to claim 2. A fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by heating,
Heating means for heating the toner image;
A capacitor device for supplying electrical energy to the power feeding portion of the heating means;
Comprising the capacitor device,
A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage;
Charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitor and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage;
Bypass means for individually connecting to the capacitor in parallel and diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage;
The from the bypass operation of the bypass means is delayed by a predetermined time to generate an output indicating that said bypass means has started a bypass operation, and output means the Ru reduces the current flowing to the series circuit of the charging means the capacitor ,
The fixing device is configured to set a predetermined time difference between the bypass operation of the bypass unit and the reduction of the current flowing through the series circuit of the capacitor. A fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer medium by heating,
Heating means for heating the toner image;
A capacitor device for supplying electrical energy to the power feeding portion of the heating means;
Comprising the capacitor device,
A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage;
Charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitor and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage;
Bypass means for shunting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage individually connected in parallel to the capacitor, and the bypass means,
Voltage detecting means for detecting a charging voltage of the capacitor;
A first switching element that receives a detection output of the voltage detection means and forms a bypass path in the capacitor when the charging voltage reaches the predetermined voltage;
A second switching element that switches by a predetermined time from the first switching element and generates an output indicating that the first switching element has started the bypass operation;
The fixing device is configured to reduce the current of the charging unit by the output of the second switching element.   8. The fixing according to claim 6, wherein the charging unit includes a control unit that reduces the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in accordance with the current diversion operation. apparatus.   The fixing device according to claim 7, wherein the capacitor device includes a photocoupler that transmits a switching operation of the second switching element to the charging unit.   The capacitor device includes the first switching element as a first transistor and the second switching element as a second transistor, and flows to the first transistor that is turned on by a detection output of the voltage detection means. A resistor for generating a voltage by a current is provided, and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as a base input of the second transistor, whereby the conduction of the second transistor is controlled by the value of the resistor from the first transistor. The fixing device according to claim 7, wherein the fixing device is configured to be delayed. An image forming apparatus including a fixing device that fixes a toner image to a transfer medium by electroheating,
The power supply unit of the fixing device includes a capacitor device, and the capacitor device includes:
A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage;
Charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitor and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage;
Bypass means for individually connecting to the capacitor in parallel and diverting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage;
The from the bypass operation of the bypass means is delayed by a predetermined time to generate an output indicating that said bypass means has started a bypass operation, and output means the Ru reduces the current flowing to the series circuit of the charging means the capacitor ,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that a predetermined time difference is set between the bypass operation of the bypass means and the reduction of the current flowing through the series circuit of the capacitor. An image forming apparatus including a fixing device that fixes a toner image to a transfer medium by electroheating,
The power supply unit of the fixing device includes a capacitor device, and the capacitor device includes:
A plurality of capacitors connected in series and charged to a predetermined voltage;
Charging means for passing a current through a series circuit of the capacitor and charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage;
Bypass means for shunting the current of the corresponding capacitor when the capacitor reaches a reference voltage individually connected in parallel to the capacitor, and the bypass means,
Voltage detecting means for detecting a charging voltage of the capacitor;
A first switching element that receives a detection output of the voltage detection means and forms a bypass path in the capacitor when the charging voltage reaches the predetermined voltage;
A second switching element that switches by a predetermined time from the first switching element and generates an output indicating that the first switching element has started the bypass operation;
The image forming apparatus is configured to reduce the current of the charging unit by the output of the second switching element.   13. The image according to claim 11, wherein the charging unit includes a control unit that causes the output unit to reduce the current flowing from the charging unit to the capacitor in accordance with the current diversion operation. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the capacitor device includes a photocoupler that transmits a switching operation of the second switching element to the charging unit.   The capacitor device includes the first switching element as a first transistor and the second switching element as a second transistor, and flows to the first transistor that is turned on by a detection output of the voltage detection means. A resistor for generating a voltage by a current is provided, and the voltage generated in the resistor is used as a base input of the second transistor, whereby the conduction of the second transistor is controlled by the value of the resistor from the first transistor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to be delayed. The capacitor according to claim 1 to 5 capacitor equipment according to characterized in that the electric double layer capacitor. The fixing device according to claim 6, wherein the capacitor is an electric double layer capacitor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the capacitor is an electric double layer capacitor.

Images