JP4731799B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or are those related to the image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, such as those of the MFP.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many image forming apparatuses such as a color copying machine have been developed in which an apparatus unit such as a process cartridge is configured to be detachable from an image forming apparatus main body. In such an image forming apparatus, when an existing apparatus unit has reached the end of its life or failure, a maintenance work is performed by an operator such as a user or a service person to replace the existing apparatus unit with a new apparatus unit. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Here, the device unit in a new state to be exchanged and installed in the image forming apparatus main body is recovered after being already used in another image forming apparatus in addition to the one completely manufactured in the manufacturing factory. Recycled recycled units are also included.
In particular, with the recent increase in awareness of resource saving, the manufacture (reuse processing) of recycling units is often performed by a manufacturer different from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133561 discloses a technique for mounting a nonvolatile memory in a process cartridge that is replaceably installed in an image forming apparatus main body and exchanging information with the memory mounted in the image forming apparatus main body. Yes.
Specifically, for the purpose of preventing write failure due to noise in the nonvolatile memory mounted on the process cartridge, writing is performed only when writing to the nonvolatile memory is necessary, and otherwise writing to the nonvolatile memory is performed. The timing of writing is controlled so as to prohibit writing.

JP 2002-23570 A (page 3-5, Fig. 2-3)

  In the conventional image forming apparatus described above, there is a case where the image quality in the output image is deteriorated by replacing the process cartridge at the time of maintenance.

Details are as follows.
That is, an image forming apparatus manufactured at a manufacturing factory is shipped after various adjustments are made in a state where a process cartridge is installed in the apparatus. Among the adjustments, there is also an elaborate adjustment for ensuring the highest image quality, and there is often a one-to-one correspondence between the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body. That is, when the process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus for which adjustment has been completed is replaced with another one, strictly speaking, there are many cases where exactly the same image quality cannot be obtained.

Such a problem becomes apparent when an operator performs maintenance work in an image forming apparatus on the market. In other words, when the existing process cartridge has reached the end of its life or failure and the replacement process cartridge is installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the image quality may deteriorate.
The above-described problem does not cause a great difference in image quality if the replacement process cartridge is a genuine one (the quality is controlled by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus). That is, the image forming apparatus main body and the process cartridge are designed and manufactured based on the know-how that the difference in image quality is minimized even if the process cartridge is replaced. The same applies to a process cartridge recycled by a genuine manufacturer.

On the other hand, the process cartridge for replacement is a non-genuine one (manufactured by a manufacturer different from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus and cannot be controlled by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus). In some cases, the above problem may not be negligible. That is, non-genuine ones often do not reflect the above-mentioned know-how. The same is true for process cartridges recycled by non-genuine manufacturers. Non-genuine recycling includes collecting genuine products for reuse by non-genuine manufacturers, collecting non-genuine products for further reuse by non-genuine manufacturers, and collecting non-genuine products. There are cases where a genuine manufacturer reprocesses.
The above-described problem cannot be ignored particularly in a color image forming apparatus that requires high image quality.

In order to solve such a problem, a measure to prevent the non-genuine process cartridges from being uniformly installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus can be considered.
However, some non-genuine products should be able to maintain the same good image quality as genuine products by the efforts of the manufacturer. It is not appropriate to make them impossible to install in the image forming apparatus uniformly, because it limits the options for the user of the image forming apparatus.

  Note that the above-described problem is an apparatus unit configured on the premise that the image forming apparatus main body is replaced other than the process cartridge, and an apparatus unit (for example, a photosensitive unit) whose quality may vary depending on the unit difference. This is a problem common to all the body drum, charging unit, developing unit, toner cartridge, cleaning unit, optical unit, transfer unit, paper feeding unit, fixing unit, and the like.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the apparatus unit to be replaced with the image forming apparatus main body can be replaced regardless of the type such as genuine / non-genuine or recycled / non-recycled. be of state, running at all times the optimum conditions, the user is in providing Hisage an image forming apparatus which can be used with confidence.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus main body having a first nonvolatile memory;
The image forming apparatus main body is replaceably installed, and includes a device unit having a second nonvolatile memory. The first nonvolatile memory has a number of recycles, an operation history, and an operation related to the device unit. A first information storage area in which information relating to image conditions is written; a second information storage area in which information relating to the start of use of the image forming apparatus main body is written; and the image formation determined at the time of manufacturing the image forming apparatus main body. There are a plurality of types of information relating to the manufacture of the apparatus main body and a third information storage area in which an identification number is written, and the second nonvolatile memory stores information related to the recycling operation history including the number of recycling of the apparatus unit. a first information storage area in which information related to the operation history is written, fixed information relating to the start of use of the device unit in new condition book having Exchanging a second information storage area to be written, produced and forming condition of the device unit, and a third information storage area in which information related to the identification number is written, and said first non-volatile memory A control unit that adjusts the entire image forming apparatus main body to an optimal image forming condition based on the information obtained, and the control unit determines whether or not the apparatus unit has been replaced, and the apparatus unit has been replaced. If it is determined, a recognition number is read from the second non-volatile memory, and it is determined whether or not the recognition number matches the recognition number in the first non-volatile memory. When it is determined that the identification number in the memory matches the identification number in the first nonvolatile memory, information on the number of recyclings in the device unit and the resource number in the first nonvolatile memory When it is determined whether or not the information related to the number of cycles matches, and it is determined that the information related to the number of recycling in the device unit and the information related to the number of recycling in the first nonvolatile memory do not match , the device unit is that which has been recycled, the whether determined from the second non-volatile memory is no use start flag of the device unit reads the information, activate the device unit When it is determined that the flag is not set, a use start flag of the second information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory is set, and the second information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory is set. The use start date is written and information related to manufacture in the third information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory and the use start date are displayed in front of the first nonvolatile memory. The information related to the image forming condition written in the second information storage area and written in the third information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory is stored in the first information storage of the first nonvolatile memory. An area is written, and information written in the first information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory is written to the first information storage area of the first nonvolatile memory, and the device unit is recycled. If it is, the information related to the image forming condition in the third information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory corresponding to the identification number of the device unit is stored in the first nonvolatile memory. Nde written to the first information storage area writing said second nonvolatile said information written in the first information storage area of the memory in the first information storage area of said first non-volatile memory, wherein apparatus Apparatus wherein the device unit is in use by another model, not those recycled if the information related to the recycling number of information within the first non-volatile memory according to the recycling number in knit is determined to match It determines that the device unit manufactured by another manufacturer or a unit, Nde write the use start date of the device unit to the second information storage area of said first non-volatile memory wherein writes information related to the manufacture of the third information storage area of the second non-volatile memory in the second information storage area of said first non-volatile memory, said third of said second non-volatile memory It said first information storage area of the Nde write the information relating to image forming conditions of the information storage area in the first information storage area of the first nonvolatile memory second nonvolatile memory It is intended to write the written information in the first information storage area of said first non-volatile memory.

Further, the inventions of claim 2, wherein the device unit cleans the image bearing member and the developing unit for developing the latent image formed with the charging unit for charging the image bearing member to the image bearing member cleaning The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a process cartridge in which at least one of the units and the image carrier are integrally held .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the apparatus unit includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and the image carrier. The transfer unit for transferring a toner image formed thereon onto a transfer material and the cleaning unit for cleaning the image carrier are unitized. The image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2 .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the apparatus unit is a toner cartridge in which toner is stored .

The invention according to claim 5 is the IC tag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second nonvolatile memory is an IC tag formed detachably with respect to the device unit. This is an image forming apparatus .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply unit that supplies power to the image forming apparatus main body, and the first nonvolatile memory is an EEPROM that is detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body. 6. An SRAM is provided, and information held in the SRAM is written into the EEPROM when power supply to the image forming apparatus main body by the power supply unit is cut off. An image forming apparatus as described above .

The invention according to claim 7 is configured to be connectable to a public communication line or the Internet to which a management system for managing the usage status of the image forming apparatus is connected, and is held in the first nonvolatile memory. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is sent to the management system via the public communication line or the Internet .

The invention according to claim 8 is configured to be connectable to a public communication line or the Internet to which a management system for managing the usage status of the image forming apparatus is connected, and sends information sent from the management system 8. The information is sent via a public communication line or the Internet, and the information is held in at least one of the first nonvolatile memory and the second nonvolatile memory. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above .

The present invention relates to information on unit types such as version, genuine / non-genuine, recycled / non-recycled, and image forming conditions, manufacturing conditions, operation history, etc. individual information, and up spear between device units and the image forming apparatus main body, running always optimum image forming condition, a user can be provided Hisage an image forming apparatus which can be used with confidence.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an entire image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
In FIG. 1, 1 is an apparatus main body of a color copying machine as an image forming apparatus, 2 is an optical unit (optical unit) that emits laser light based on image information, and 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are colors (yellow, magenta, A process cartridge 21 as an apparatus unit installed in an installable position corresponding to cyan and black) in a replaceable manner; a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier housed in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK; Is a charging unit for charging the photosensitive drum 21, 23 is a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 21, and 24 is a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 as a material to be transferred. A transfer roller for transferring to P, a cleaning unit 25 for collecting untransferred toner on the photosensitive drum 21, and a reference numeral 30 for a transfer belt unit. A copying belt, 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32BK are toner supply units that supply toner of each color to the developing unit 23 of each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and 61 is a storage material P such as transfer paper. A paper feeding unit (paper feeding unit) 66 is a fixing unit (fixing unit) for fixing an unfixed image on the transfer material P, and 80 is detachably installed in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. An IC tag as a second nonvolatile memory, 90 is an operation unit provided to be partially exposed on the exterior of the apparatus main body 1, 100 is a control unit of the apparatus main body 1, and 120 is an optical device for placing a placed document. Shows the scanner.

  Here, in each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK, a photosensitive drum 21, a charging unit 22, a developing unit 23, and a cleaning unit 25 are integrally held, respectively. Then, image formation of each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) is performed on the photosensitive drum 21 in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK.

Hereinafter, an operation during normal color image formation in the image forming apparatus will be described.
Each of the four photosensitive drums 21 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged at a position facing the charging unit 22 (a charging process). Thereafter, the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 21 reaches the irradiation position of each laser beam.

  On the other hand, when a color original is placed on the original placement portion of the scanner 120, image information of the original is optically read by the reading portion. That is, the original is scanned with an illumination light source, and an original image is formed on a color CCD (not shown). Then, the original image, that is, the reflected light of the light irradiation on the original is photoelectrically converted by the color CCD to generate R, G, and B image signals. These image signals are transmitted to the optical unit 2. Thereafter, in the optical unit 2, laser light corresponding to the image signal is emitted from the LD light source corresponding to each color. The laser light is incident on the polygon mirror 3 and reflected, and then passes through the lenses 4 and 5. The laser light after passing through the lenses 4 and 5 passes through different optical paths for each color component of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (this is an exposure process).

The yellow component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 6 to 8 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the first process cartridge 20Y from the right side of the drawing. At this time, the yellow component laser light is scanned in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 21 by the polygon mirror 3 that rotates at high speed. Thus, an electrostatic latent image of a yellow component is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 charged by the charging unit 22.
Similarly, the magenta component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 9 to 11 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the second process cartridge 20M from the right side of the paper, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of the magenta component. The The cyan component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 12 to 14 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 of the third process cartridge 20C from the right side of the paper, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of the cyan component. The black component laser light is reflected by the mirror 15 and then is irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the fourth process cartridge 20BK from the right side of the drawing to form a black component electrostatic latent image.

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 on which the electrostatic latent images of the respective colors are formed further rotates and reaches a position facing the developing unit 23. Then, the toner of each color is supplied from the developing unit 23 onto the photosensitive drum 21, and the latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 is developed (this is a developing step).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the development process reaches a position facing the transfer belt 30. Here, the transfer roller 24 is installed at each facing position so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the transfer belt 30. Then, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 21 are sequentially transferred onto the transfer material P conveyed by the transfer belt 30 at the position of the transfer roller 24 (transfer process).

  In the transfer belt unit, the transfer belt 30 is stretched and supported by a driving roller and three driven rollers. Then, the transfer belt 30 travels in the direction of the arrow in the drawing by the driving roller. This transfer belt unit is configured as an apparatus unit in which members such as the transfer roller 24 and the transfer belt 30 described above are integrally formed and can be exchanged for the apparatus main body 1.

Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the transfer process reaches a position facing the cleaning unit 25. The untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected by the cleaning unit 25 (this is a cleaning process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 passes through a static elimination unit (not shown), and a series of image forming processes is completed.

On the other hand, the material to be transferred P fed by the paper feed roller 62 is guided from the paper feed unit 61 (paper feed unit) to the position of the registration roller 64 after passing through the transport guide 63. The transfer material P guided to the registration roller 64 is transported toward the contact portion between the transfer belt 30 and the suction roller 27 while the transport timing is controlled.
Thereafter, the transfer material P sequentially passes through the facing positions of the four photosensitive drums 21 while being conveyed to the transfer belt 30 that runs in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. Thus, the toner images of the respective colors are transferred onto the transfer material P, and a color image is formed.

Thereafter, the transfer material P on which the color image is formed is separated from the transfer belt 30 of the transfer belt unit and guided to the fixing unit 66 (fixing unit). In the fixing unit 66, the color image is fixed on the transfer material P at the nip portion between the heating roller 67 and the pressure roller 68.
The transferred material P after the fixing process is discharged out of the apparatus main body 1 by the paper discharge roller 69, and a series of operations of the image forming apparatus is completed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus body 1 in a replaceable manner will be described in detail.
The four process cartridges installed in the apparatus main body 1 have substantially the same structure except that the color of the toner T to be stored is different. Therefore, the four process cartridges are illustrated by omitting the alphabets (Y, M, C, BK). To do.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing the process cartridge 20 in a new state (a state in which a non-recycled product or a recycled product has never been used in the apparatus main body after manufacturing or after a recycling process).
As shown in the figure, the process cartridge 20 mainly includes a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier, a charging unit 22, a developing unit 23, and a cleaning unit 25, which are integrally stored in a case 26. Has been. The developing unit 23 includes a developing roller 23a, stirring rollers 23b and 23c, a doctor blade 23d, and the like, and a developer composed of carrier C and toner T is accommodated therein. The cleaning unit 25 includes a cleaning blade 25a, a cleaning roller 25b, and the like. Further, an IC tag 80 is detachably installed on the case 26 of the process cartridge 20.

Here, the IC tag 80 is a small IC chip having a size of about 1 mm square, and exchanges information with the first nonvolatile memory 111 installed in the control unit 100 of the apparatus body 1. Specifically, the information held in the first nonvolatile memory 111 and the information held in the second nonvolatile memory of the IC tag 80 are processed by the CPU of the control unit 100.
Here, as the IC tag 80, a non-contact type IC tag that exchanges information wirelessly via a transmission / reception antenna can be used, or a contact type IC tag that exchanges information via wire via an I / O port. Can also be used.

Then, replacement work for the apparatus main body is performed by the operator in units of the process cartridge 20.
That is, referring to FIG. 2B, the process cartridge 20 as an apparatus unit is installed in the installation section of the apparatus main body.
Specifically, after the door (not shown) of the apparatus main body is opened by the operator, the process cartridge 20 is guided by a rail (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body and installed in the apparatus main body.

  When the installation of the process cartridge 20 to the apparatus main body is completed, first, information is exchanged between the IC tag 80 of the process cartridge 20 and the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the control unit 100 in the apparatus main body. . Information exchanged at this time includes image forming conditions related to the process cartridge 20, manufacturing, operation history, information related to start of use, and the like. Based on the exchanged information, the entire image forming apparatus is adjusted to the optimum image forming conditions by the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body 1. The control related to the exchange of information at this time will be described in detail later.

Then, referring to FIG. 2B, normal image formation is performed after the above-described exchange of information is completed. This normal image formation is performed as described above with reference to FIG.
Specifically, the developing roller 23a rotates in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. The toner T in the developing unit 23 is mixed with the carrier C together with the toner T supplied from the toner supply unit 32 by the stirring rollers 23b and 23c that rotate counterclockwise in the drawing. The frictionally charged toner T is carried on the developing roller 23a together with the carrier C by one stirring roller 23b.
The toner T in the toner bottle 33 is appropriately supplied into the developing unit 23 as the toner T in the developing unit 23 is consumed. The toner T in the developing unit 23 is consumed by a toner concentration sensor 28 (P sensor) as an optical sensor facing the photosensitive drum 21 and a toner concentration sensor 29 (T) as a magnetic permeability sensor installed in the developing unit 23. Sensor).

Thereafter, the toner T carried on the developing roller 23a passes through the position of the doctor blade 23d and then reaches a position facing the photosensitive drum 21. At the opposite position, the toner T adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. Specifically, the toner T adheres to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by an electric field formed by a potential difference between the surface potential of the region irradiated with the laser light L and the developing bias applied to the developing roller 23a.
Most of the toner T adhering to the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the transfer material P. The toner T remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected in the cleaning unit 25 by the cleaning blade 25a and the cleaning roller 25b.

Next, the control unit 100 of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the IC tag 80 of the process cartridge 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the control unit 100 includes a controller board 101 related to the overall control of the apparatus, an operation unit control board 102 that performs control related to the operation unit 90, an HDD 103 that stores image information, and a communication control device 105. Communication control device interface board 104 connected to a public communication line such as an analog telephone line via LAN, LAN interface board 106 connected to LAN, facsimile control unit (FCU) 107 connected to PCI bus, IEEE 1394 board / Wireless LAN board / USB board 108, engine control board 110 connected to controller board 101 via PCI bus 109, and I / O control board connected to engine control board 110 to control I / O of device main body 1 40, consists of the scanner 120 reads the image of the placed copied document on the scanner board (SBU) 122, written on the photosensitive drum 21 to image information as a laser beam LDB130 like.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the color CCD 121 of the scanner 120 is a three-line color CCD, and generates EVENch / ODDch R, G, and B image signals. These image signals are input to the analog ASIC of the SBU 122. Here, the SBU 122 is equipped with a timing generation circuit for generating the driving timing of the analog ASIC and the color CCD 121. The output of the CCD 121 is sampled and held by a sample and hold circuit inside the analog ASIC, and then A / D converted. The A / D converted R, G, B image data is then subjected to shading correction and sent to the IPP (image information processor) of the engine control board 110 via the output I / F (interface).

In the IPP of the engine control board 110, separation generation (determination of whether an image is a character area or a photographic area), background removal, scanner gamma conversion, filter, color correction, scaling, image processing, printer gamma Conversion, gradation processing, etc. are performed. The IPP is a programmable arithmetic processing unit that performs image processing.
The image information transmitted from the SBU 122 to the IPP is corrected for signal degradation (scanner signal degradation) due to quantization of the optical unit and the digital signal, and then written to the frame memory of the controller board 101.

The controller board 101 includes a CPU, a ROM that controls the controller board 101, an SRAM that is a working memory used by the CPU, a backup of the SRAM with a built-in lithium battery, an NV-RAM with a built-in clock, and a system bus control. It consists of an ASIC that controls the CPU periphery, such as frame memory control and FIFO, an interface circuit, and the like.
The controller board 101 has application functions as a multifunction machine such as a scanner application, a facsimile application, a printer application, and a copy application, and controls the entire system. That is, the information related to the application input from the operation unit control board 102 is decoded, the system is set, and the state is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 90.

  The controller board 101 is connected to the communication control device 105 via the communication control device interface board 104 so that full duplex asynchronous serial communication can be performed. Note that the communication control device 105 is multidrop-connected in accordance with the RS-485 interface standard. Communication with a management system, which will be described later, is performed via the communication control device interface board 104.

  The controller board 101 is connected to a LAN (Internet) via a LAN interface board 106. The LAN interface board 106 is a standard communication interface of a PHY chip I / F or an I2C bus I / F equipped with a PHY chip. Communication with a management system, which will be described later, is performed via the LAN interface board 106.

  The HDD 103 connected to the controller board 101 functions as a system application program, an application database for storing activation information, and a database for image information. The HDD 103 is connected to the controller board 101 through an interface compliant with ATA / ATAPI-4.

  The operation unit control board 102 connected to the controller board 101 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, LCD, LCDC as an ASIC for controlling key input, and the like. Through the communication between the operation unit control board 102 and the controller board 101, a display necessary for key input and operation is displayed on the display unit (display panel) of the operation unit 90. The ROM of the operation unit control board 102 holds a control program for controlling input reading and display output. The RAM of the operation unit control board 102 is a working memory used by the CPU. Note that the display unit (display panel) of the operation unit 90 is used by an operator to input system settings and display system settings and status to the operator.

On the other hand, the engine control board 110 mainly performs control related to the image forming process described above with reference to FIGS. The engine control board 110 includes a CPU 116, an I / O / ACIC, the above-described IPP, a ROM 115 holding a program necessary for image formation control, an SRAM necessary for the control, a first nonvolatile memory 111, and the like. Yes.
Here, the first nonvolatile memory 111 is an IC that is detachably mounted on an IC socket (not shown) of the engine control board 110. The first nonvolatile memory 111 is provided with a write prohibited area 112, a writable area 113, and a second writable area 114 as addresses. This will be described in detail later.

The engine control board 110 is connected to the controller board 101 via the PCI bus 109. Here, the PCI bus 109 is an image information bus / control command bus that transmits image information and control commands in a time-sharing manner.
In addition, in the LD board (LDB) 130 connected to the engine control board 110, write signals of each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) output from the work memory of the controller board 101 are input to the LD write circuit. . In this LD writing circuit, LD current control (modulation control) is performed and output to each LD light source.

  The I / O • ASIC of the engine control board 110 includes a serial interface that transmits and receives signals to and from the CPU 116. The I / O ASIC controls devices such as counters, fans, solenoids, and motors mounted near the engine control board 110.

The I / O control board 140 connected to the engine control board 110 through a synchronous serial interface includes a CPU, an I / O ASIC, a process cartridge I / F 141, and the like. The CPU of the I / O control board 140 functions as a so-called sub CPU, and performs I / O control such as analog control of the toner density sensor 28 (P sensor) described in FIG.
Here, the detection of the mounting of the new process cartridge 20 to the apparatus main body 1 is performed when the door of the apparatus main body 1 is opened and closed. That is, when the door SW (switch) connected to the I / O control board 140 is off, the process cartridge 20 may be replaced, so that the confirmation is performed and the result is transmitted to the engine control board 110. The control flow at this time will be described later based on the flowchart.

The process cartridge I / F 141 is an interface circuit for exchanging information between the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus main body 1 and the second nonvolatile memory 153 of the IC tag 80 mounted on the process cartridge 20. is there.
For example, when the communication interface between the second nonvolatile memory 153 and the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body 1 is an I2C bus, the parallel signal from the CPU of the control unit 100 is converted into an I2C signal and the second nonvolatile memory 153 is converted. Sent to. Similarly, a signal from the second nonvolatile memory 153 is converted into a parallel signal and transmitted to the CPU of the control unit 100. On the other hand, when the CPU of the control unit 100 includes an I2C bus, both are directly connected.
A PSU 135 as a power source is a unit that supplies power for controlling the image forming apparatus main body 1. By turning on the main SW, commercial power is supplied to the image forming apparatus.

  Here, the IC tag 80 of the process cartridge 20 includes a second nonvolatile memory 153, a CPU 152, and the like. Further, the second nonvolatile memory 153 is provided with a write prohibited area 154, a writable area 155, and a second writable area 156 as addresses. Note that most of the information held in the first nonvolatile memory 111 and the second nonvolatile memory 157 is information related to each other necessary for controlling the image forming apparatus.

The second non-volatile memory 153 installed in the process cartridge 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a memory map in the second nonvolatile memory 153.
As shown in the figure, in the second non-volatile memory, a writable area as address “00H”, a second writable area as address “20H”, and a write-inhibited area as address “30H”, respectively, Secured when using model A. Similarly, a writable area (address “50H” in the figure), a second writable area (not shown), and a write prohibited area (not shown) are used when the B model is used. Secured.

Here, the A model and the B model are different types of image forming apparatuses. The process cartridge 20 is configured so that it can be installed in a plurality of image forming apparatuses (model A, model B, etc.).
Then, by exchanging information between the apparatus main body 1 and the process cartridge 20 described above, the model of the apparatus main body 1 (here, A model) is determined on the process cartridge 20 side, and the second corresponding to the model is determined. The information of the writable area (address “00H”), the second writable area (address “20H”), and the write prohibited area (address “30H”) in the nonvolatile memory is utilized.

As shown in FIG. 4, the writable area (address “00H”) of the second nonvolatile memory includes “process cartridge product group ID”, “process cartridge version”, “type (color ID)”, “ "Effective period (storage period)", "Number of copies", "Number of recycling", "Reproduction date", "Failure history (error history)", "Filling amount", "Filling date", "Toner remaining amount", Information such as “toner lot” and “replacement history of unit replacement parts” is stored in each byte number.
Here, the information in the writable area is mainly information (fluid information) related to the operation history of the process cartridge 20 (mainly related to the recycling history). Since these pieces of information in the writable area are information that flows along with the history of the process cartridge 20, the information can be rewritten later with respect to the existing information held in the area. As described above, the rewritable area is an area where information can be freely read and written (read / write area), and is formed so as not to limit the number of times information can be written.
The reason why the “process cartridge product group ID” and the “process cartridge version” are used as fluid information is that recycling of the process cartridge is taken into consideration.

In addition, in the second writable area (address “20H”) of the second non-volatile memory, information such as “use start date”, “use start signal”, “write prohibition flag”, etc. is stored in the number of bytes. Is held by.
Here, these pieces of information in the second writable area are information related to the start of use of the process cartridge 20 (the cartridge 20 in a new state is used in the apparatus main body 1 for the first time) (fixed determined by the start of use). Information). Since these pieces of information in the second writable area are fixed information determined as the process cartridge 20 starts to be used, information can be written only once. That is, at the start of use, information such as “use start date” is written in the second writable area.

In addition, the write prohibition area (address “30H”) of the second nonvolatile memory includes “lot number”, “manufacturer name (manufacturer ID)”, “manufacturing date”, “serial number (recognition number)”, Information such as “Upper limit of number of recycles”, “Product group ID of process cartridge”, “Process cartridge version”, “Exposure amount”, “Charge amount”, “Development bias”, etc. is held in each byte number. Yes.
Here, these pieces of information in the write-protected area are centered on information relating to the manufacturing and image forming conditions of the process cartridge 20 (fixed information determined at the time of manufacturing). Since these pieces of information in the write-protected area are fixed information determined at the time of manufacturing the process cartridge 20, it is necessary to prevent different information from being written later to existing information held in the area. Yes.
The image forming conditions relate to the image forming process described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the exposure amount of the laser beam L in the exposure process, the charge amount of the charging unit 22 in the charging process, and the development process. The development bias of the development unit 23 is information unique to the process cartridge 20 for optimal image formation.
The reason why “process cartridge product group ID” and “process cartridge version” are also used as fixed information is that it is necessary to refer to the original information at the time of manufacture.

Next, the first nonvolatile memory 111 installed in the apparatus main body 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a memory map in the first nonvolatile memory 111.
As shown in the figure, in the first non-volatile memory, the write-inhibited area as address “00H”, the writable area as address “20H”, and the second writable area as address “40H”, respectively, Secured when using a unit (a process cartridge). Similarly, a write-protected area (not shown), a writable area (address “60H” in the figure), and a second writable area (not shown) are respectively b units (b process cartridges). Secured when using.

Here, the a unit and the b unit are process cartridges of different types (manufacturers, types of recycling, versions, colors, etc.). The apparatus main body 1 is configured so that a plurality of types of process cartridges (a unit, b unit, etc.) can be installed.
Then, by exchanging information between the apparatus main body 1 and the process cartridge 20 described above, the type of the process cartridge 20 (here, “a” unit) is determined on the apparatus main body 1 side, and the first corresponding to the unit. Information of a writable area (address “20H”), a second writable area (address “40H”), and a write prohibited area (address “00H”) in the nonvolatile memory is utilized.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the write-inhibited area (address “00H”) of the first non-volatile memory, “image forming device manufacturer name (manufacturer ID)”, “image forming device lot number”, “image forming device” “Production date of device”, “Product cartridge ID of the process cartridge when the image forming device is shipped from the factory (at the time of shipment from the factory)”, “Start date of use at the time of shipment from the factory”, “ Information such as “lot number”, “factory name (manufacturer ID) at factory shipment”, “manufacturing date at factory shipment”, “serial number at factory shipment”, “maximum number of recycles at factory shipment”, etc. Are stored for each number of bytes.
Here, these pieces of information in the write-protected area are mainly information related to the manufacture of the apparatus main body 1 on which the process cartridge 20 is mounted (fixed information determined at the time of manufacture). Since these pieces of information in the write-protected area are fixed information determined at the time of manufacturing the image forming apparatus, different information cannot be written later to the existing information held in the area. ing.
As will be described later, if it is assumed that only the administrator of the apparatus can release the existing write-protected area, it is possible to write the process cartridge imaging conditions in the write-protected area at the time of shipment from the factory. is there.

The writable area (address “20H”) of the first non-volatile memory includes “process cartridge product group ID”, “process cartridge version”, “type (color ID)”, “valid period (storage period) ) ”,“ Number of copies ”,“ Number of recycling ”,“ Reproduction date ”,“ Failure history (error history) ”,“ Exposure amount ”,“ Charge amount ”,“ Development bias ”, etc. Stored in bytes.
Here, these pieces of information in the writable area are mainly information relating to the operation history and image forming conditions related to the process cartridge 20 on the premise of replacement (fluid information). These pieces of information in the writable area can be rewritten later with respect to the existing information held in the area.

The second writable area (address “40H”) of the first nonvolatile memory includes “use start date”, “lot number”, “manufacturer name (manufacturer ID)”, “manufacturing date”. , "Serial number (recognition number)", "Upper limit of number of recycling", "Write prohibition flag", "Process cartridge product group ID", "Process cartridge version", etc. ing.
Here, these pieces of information in the second writable area are mainly information related to the start of use of the apparatus main body 1 (fixed information determined by the start of use). These pieces of information in the second writable area can be written only once when a new process cartridge 20 is mounted.
It should be noted that the reason why the “process cartridge product group ID” and “process cartridge version” are also used as this area information is that it is necessary to refer to the information at the start of use in addition to the time of manufacture and replacement. by.

  Information is exchanged between the first nonvolatile memory 111 and the second nonvolatile memory 153 so that the image forming apparatus can form an image in an optimum state. For example, when a recycled process cartridge 20 having a slightly different image forming condition compared to the process cartridge 20 before replacement is installed in the apparatus main body 1, information on the image forming condition is transmitted to the first nonvolatile memory 111. In addition, related parts are controlled based on the information (for example, development bias adjustment in the development unit 23).

  At this time, the exchanged information is distributed to three areas of the non-volatile memories 111 and 153 according to the property, that is, a write prohibited area, a writable area, and a second writable area. In this way, in the non-volatile memory, the weight of overwriting of information is added, so that the organization of information is improved and smooth control is possible, and erroneous writing and information manipulation by a third party are also prevented. It will be possible.

Next, the control in the above-described image forming apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating control of the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge 20 is installed in the apparatus main body 1.
As shown in FIG. 6, first, the process cartridge 20 (described as “PC” in the figure) is checked, that is, whether or not the process cartridge 20 has been replaced in the apparatus main body 1 is determined (steps S1 and S2). . Details will be described with reference to FIG.

As a result, when it is determined that the process cartridge is not exchanged, this flow is finished and the flow proceeds to another flow (step S3).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the process cartridge is exchanged, the information written in the second nonvolatile memory 153 of the process cartridge 20 is read by the control unit 100 (step S4).

Next, the type of the process cartridge 20 is determined (step S5). Specifically, the presence / absence of a use start flag is checked.
As a result, when it is determined that the attached process cartridge has no use start flag, a write-inhibited area, a writable area, and a second writable area are secured in the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus body 1. Further, the use start flag for the second write area of the second nonvolatile memory 153 is set (step S6).

Next, the use start date is written in the second writable area of the second nonvolatile memory (step S7).
Furthermore, the date of start of use and information (mainly information related to manufacturing) other than the image forming conditions written in the write-inhibited area of the second nonvolatile memory are the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body. Are written in the second writable area (step S8).

Next, information related to the image forming condition written in the write-inhibited area of the second nonvolatile memory is written in the writable area of the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body (step S9).
Further, the information written in the writable area of the second non-volatile memory is written into the writable area of the first non-volatile memory of the apparatus main body (step S10).
The information finally written in the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body is transmitted to the management system (management center) via the public communication line or the Internet together with the management number (recognition number) of the image forming apparatus. (Step S11). The management system will be described in detail later.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S12).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that there is a use start flag for the attached process cartridge, it is determined whether there is a recycle flag in the second nonvolatile memory (step S13).
As a result, when it is determined that the process cartridge has been recycled, the information related to the image forming condition corresponding to the identification number of the process cartridge is written in the writable area of the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body. (Step S9). Thereafter, Steps S10 to S12 described above are performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the cartridge is not recycled, it is determined that the process cartridge is used in another model or is manufactured by another manufacturer.
In this case, first, a write prohibited area, a writable area, and a second writable area are secured in the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus body 1. Then, the “use start date” held in the second nonvolatile memory is written in the second writable area of the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body (step S14).

Next, information (mainly information relating to manufacturing) other than the imaging conditions written in the write-inhibited area of the second nonvolatile memory is written in the second writable area of the first nonvolatile memory. (Step S15).
Further, the information finally written in the first nonvolatile memory of the apparatus main body is transmitted to the management system through the public communication line or the Internet together with the management number (recognition number) of the image forming apparatus (step S16). ). Based on the information, the management system transmits control information for performing optimal image formation to the apparatus main body 1 or transmits control information for interrupting the image forming process to the apparatus main body 1. To do. At this time, the management system can transmit to the apparatus main body 1 a release code for overwriting information held in the write prohibited area or the second writable area of the first nonvolatile memory. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control related to information writing to the second nonvolatile memory 153 of the process cartridge 20.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the information writing control of the process cartridge 20 to the second nonvolatile memory 153, first, it is determined whether there is a write signal from the apparatus main body 1 to the process cartridge 20 (steps S20 to S21). ).

As a result, when it is determined that there is no write signal to the second non-volatile memory, this flow is terminated and the flow proceeds to another flow (step S22).
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a write signal to the second nonvolatile memory, the information written in the first nonvolatile memory is read into the second nonvolatile memory (step S23). Here, the information written in the first non-volatile memory also includes write information (designated information) input later by the administrator from the operation unit 90 of the management system or apparatus main body 1.

Next, it is determined whether the information read in step S23 is information relating to the second writable area (step S24).
As a result, if the information relates to the second write area, the presence / absence of a write prohibition flag is further determined (step S25). As a result, when there is no write prohibition flag, that is, when it is determined that the information is to be written to the second writable area of the second nonvolatile memory, the information is the second writable area of the second nonvolatile memory. (Step S26).
Further, the write prohibition flag of the second writable area of the second nonvolatile memory is set (step S27), and this flow is finished (step S28).

On the other hand, if the information is not related to the second writable area in step S24, it is further determined whether the information is write prohibition information (step S29). As a result, when it is write prohibition information, this flow is ended (step S32).
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S29 that the information is not write prohibition information, the information is written in the writable area of the second nonvolatile memory (step S30), and this flow is finished (step S31). ).
Also, in the case where there is a write prohibition flag in step S25, this flow is ended (step S32).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control related to information writing to the write-inhibited area / second writable area in the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus main body 1.
The control described here is based on the principle that the write-protected area does not allow information to be rewritten to existing information, whereas the second writable area is based on the principle that the information can be written only once. Exceptionally, an administrator (a specific person who manages the image forming apparatus) rewrites information. As a result, the adjustment control of the image forming apparatus by the administrator can be optimized.
Note that the administrator can directly input necessary information by directly operating the operation unit 90 of the image forming apparatus, or can input necessary information by remote operation from the management system.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the control of information writing to the write prohibited area / second writable area, first, it is determined whether there is a write signal to the apparatus main body 1 from the outside (operation unit or management system). (Steps S40 to S41).

As a result, when it is determined that there is no write signal, this flow is finished (step S42).
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a write signal, write information (designated information) from the outside is read into the first nonvolatile memory (step S43). Note that this designation information can also be read into the second non-volatile memory as necessary.

Next, it is determined whether or not the read designation information has a code (preset code) designating writing cancellation (step S44).
As a result, if it is determined that the code has designated writing cancellation, it is further determined whether the specified information is information related to the write-protected area (step S47). As a result, when it is determined that the information is related to the write-protected area, a new area including the existing write-protected area in the first nonvolatile memory is secured and written as the designation information (step S48). In this case, the newly reserved area (which becomes a new write-inhibited area) may be wider or narrower than the existing write-inhibited area. .
Thus, this flow is finished (step S49).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S47 that the information is not related to the write-protected area, it is further determined whether the specified information is information related to the second writable area (step S50).
As a result, when it is determined that the information is related to the second writable area, the designation information is written while a new area including the existing second writable area in the first nonvolatile memory is secured ( Step S51). That is, the second writable area at this time is in a state where information can be written once more.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S52).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S50 that the information is not related to the second writable area, normal reception signal processing is performed (step S45), and this flow is ended (step S46).
Also, if it is determined in step S44 that there is no code designating write cancellation, normal reception signal processing is performed (step S45), and this flow is terminated (step S46).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control related to the process cartridge 20 replacement check. Here, the control related to the replacement check (step S2) of the process cartridge 20 described in FIG. 6 will be described in more detail.
The control in FIG. 9 is an identification number (in a broad sense, an identification code) held in the second nonvolatile memory of the process cartridge when the door of the apparatus body 1 that opens and closes to install the process cartridge 20 is opened. ) And the identification number of the process cartridge held in the first non-volatile memory of the apparatus main body to check whether the process cartridge has been replaced.

As shown in FIG. 9, in order to check the replacement of the process cartridge 20, it is first determined whether or not the door of the apparatus main body 1 is open (steps S60 to S61).
As a result, when it is determined that the door is open, a door open flag is set (step S62).
Then, the time of the clock mounted on the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body is stored in the second nonvolatile memory of the process cartridge (step S63).
Further, the exchange of information between the control unit of the apparatus main body and the second nonvolatile memory of the process cartridge is stopped (step S64), and the power supply to the process cartridge is stopped (step S65).
Thus, this flow is finished (step S66).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S61 that the door is closed, it is further determined whether the door open flag is set (step S67).
As a result, when it is determined that the door open flag is set, that is, when it is determined that the door has been opened / closed, power supply to the process cartridge is resumed and the control unit and the second non-volatile The exchange of information with the memory is resumed (step S68).

Next, the identification number held in the second non-volatile memory of the process cartridge is read (step S69).
And it is discriminate | determined whether the recognition number and the recognition number hold | maintained at the 1st non-volatile memory of the apparatus main body correspond (step S70).
As a result, if both the identification numbers do not match, it is further determined whether or not there is a use start flag in the process cartridge (step S73).

As a result, if it is determined that there is a use start flag, the cartridge has been used in another image forming apparatus, so a flag indicating that fact is set (step S74).
Further, a flag indicating that the cartridge has been replaced is set (step S75), and then the door open flag and the power-on flag are reset (step S76), and this flow is ended (step S77). Here, the power-on flag is a flag that is set in the initialization routine when the main SW (power switch) in FIG. 3 is turned on.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S73 that there is no use start flag, a flag indicating that the cartridge has been replaced is set (step S75), and this flow is terminated through step S76. (Step S77).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S70 that both identification numbers match, information relating to the “recycle count” of the process cartridges of the first nonvolatile memory and the second nonvolatile memory is compared and checked (step S78).
As a result, if the number of times of recycling does not match, the recycling process cartridge flag is set (step S79), and this flow is terminated through steps S75 and S76 (step S77).
In step S78, if the number of recyclings is the same, it is determined that the process cartridge has not been replaced (step S75 is skipped), and the process is terminated through step S76 (step S77).

If it is determined in step S67 that the door open flag is not set, it is further determined whether the power-on flag is reset (step S71).
As a result, when it is determined that the power-on flag has not been reset, that is, when there is power supply, this flow ends (step S72).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the power-on flag is reset, this flow is ended through the flow after step S68 (step S77).

Next, a management system to which the above-described image forming apparatus is connected will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured to be connectable to a public communication line or the Internet.
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to the management system via a public communication line network, and FIG. 11 is a diagram in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to the management system via the Internet. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which exists. 10 and 11 are equivalent to the image forming apparatuses described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the two image forming apparatuses 213 and 214 are connected to the communication control apparatus 210 together with the facsimile 222. The other two image forming apparatuses 223 and 224 are connected to the other communication control apparatus 220 together with the telephone 220. The two communication control devices 210 and 220 are connected to a management system 201 serving as a management center via a public communication line 200.

With such a configuration, the plurality of image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224 and the management system 201 that manages their quality can exchange information through the public communication line 200.
Specifically, the management system 201 can acquire information held in the first nonvolatile memory and the second nonvolatile memory in the image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224 via the public communication line 200. it can. As a result, an administrator who operates the management system 201 can accurately grasp the quality state of the image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224 in real time while being at a distance. Based on such information, information (designated information) for optimizing the quality state of the image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224 is transmitted from the management system 201 via the public communication line 200. 213, 214, 223, and 224. As a result, the administrator who operates the management system 201 can optimally adjust the quality state of the image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224 while being at a distance.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the management system 201 is configured to be able to cooperate with the service consignment company 202, and the public communication line 200 includes a mobile phone 230, a mobile terminal 240, and a home phone 250 owned by a service person. It is connected. As a result, the management system 201 provides a higher quality service to the user in cooperation with the service consignment company 202 and the service person based on the information acquired from the image forming apparatuses 213, 214, 223, and 224. Can do.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the two image forming apparatuses 313 and 314 are connected to the router 310 and the firewall 311 together with the terminal 315 to form one LAN. Further, another image forming apparatus 323 is connected to the router 321 and the cable modem 320 together with the terminal 324 to form another LAN. Further, the management system 302 is connected to the router 301 together with the image forming apparatus 303 to form a LAN as a management center. All these LANs are connected by a network to form the Internet 300.

With such a configuration, the plurality of image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323 and the management system 302 can exchange information via the Internet 300.
Specifically, the management system 302 can acquire information held in the first nonvolatile memory and the second nonvolatile memory in the image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323 via the Internet 300. As a result, an administrator who operates the management system 302 can accurately grasp the quality state of the image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323 in real time while being at a distance. Based on the information, information (designation information) for optimizing the quality state of the image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323 is transmitted from the management system 201 via the Internet 300. 313, 314, and 323. As a result, the administrator who operates the management system 302 can optimally adjust the state of the image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323 while being at a distance.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the management system 302 is configured to be able to cooperate with the service consignment company 307. As a result, the management system 201 can provide the user with a higher quality service in cooperation with the service consignment company 307 based on the information acquired from the image forming apparatuses 303, 313, 314, and 323.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the process cartridge 20 having different types such as manufacturer, recycling status, version, color, and the like is replaced and installed in the apparatus main body 1, the situation is indicated by the image forming apparatus. Is recognized and the apparatus main body 1 is adjusted as necessary, so that the apparatus can always be operated under optimum image forming conditions. At this time, the necessary information includes the write-inhibited area, writable area, second area of the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus body 1 and the second nonvolatile memory 153 of the process cartridge 20 according to the nature of the information. Information is exchanged in each of the three layers of the writable area. Thereby, the control related to the adjustment of the apparatus main body 1 described above is organized, and information operation by a third party unrelated to the manager who manages the quality of the apparatus is also prevented. Furthermore, since the contents of the information are displayed on the display unit, the user can grasp the state of the apparatus, and the apparatus can be adjusted by exchanging information with the management systems 201 and 302. An image forming apparatus that is expensive and can be used with peace of mind by a user can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the first nonvolatile memory 111 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 1 is configured as a single IC that is detachably mounted on the IC socket. However, the configuration of the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured by an EEPROM and an SRAM that are detachably installed on the IC socket. In this case, the information stored in the SRAM is stored in the first nonvolatile memory 111 when the power supply from the PSU 135 serving as the power supply unit to the apparatus main body 1 is interrupted (when the main SW is off). It will be written and held.

  In the present embodiment, the first non-volatile memory 111 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 1 is placed on the engine control board 110 of the control unit 100. However, the application of the present invention is not limited thereto. There is no limit. For example, the first nonvolatile memory 111 of the present invention can be installed on the controller board 101, or can be installed on both the controller board 101 and the engine control board 110.

  Further, the application of the present invention is not limited to the form of the first nonvolatile memory 111 and the second nonvolatile memory 153 of the present embodiment. For example, the first nonvolatile memory can be an IC tag. The second nonvolatile memory may be an IC that can be attached to and detached from the IC socket.

In the present embodiment, the process cartridge 20 is the apparatus unit that is installed in the apparatus main body 1 in a replaceable manner and includes the second nonvolatile memory. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any apparatus unit that can cause a difference in quality of the image forming apparatus due to the unit difference. Here, in the present application, the “apparatus unit” is defined as a unit that is installed interchangeably with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.
For example, the present invention can be applied to the optical unit 2, the transfer belt units 24 and 30, the fixing unit 66, the paper feeding unit 61, the toner bottle 33 (toner cartridge) in FIG. In an image forming apparatus that does not take the form of a process cartridge, the present invention is applied to a single unit such as a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and a transfer unit as an apparatus unit related to an image forming process. it can. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a composite unit (a configuration other than a process cartridge) in which a plurality of photosensitive drums, charging units, developing units, cleaning units, and transfer units are unitized. In those cases, the device unit is equipped with a second nonvolatile memory in which necessary information relating to the quality of image formation is held, and the second nonvolatile memory has a write-inhibited area, a writable area, and a second writable area. By providing the above, an effect equivalent to that of the present embodiment can be obtained.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is apparent that the embodiment can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, other than the one suggested in the embodiment. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be set to a suitable number, position, shape, and the like in practicing the present invention.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the process cartridge of FIG. 2A is installed in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a memory map in the 2nd non-volatile memory. It is a memory map in the 1st non-volatile memory. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control in the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the control regarding the writing of the information to a 2nd non-volatile memory. It is a flowchart which shows the control regarding writing of the information to the write-inhibition area | region / 2nd writable area | region of a 1st non-volatile memory. It is a flowchart which shows the control regarding the replacement check of a process cartridge. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 and a management system are connected via a public communication line. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 and a management system are connected via the Internet.

Explanation of symbols

1 image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body), 2 optical section (optical unit),
20, 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK Process cartridge,
21 photosensitive drum (image carrier), 22 charging unit,
23 developing section, 24 transfer roller (transfer belt unit),
25 cleaning section, 30 transfer belt (transfer belt unit),
32, 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32BK toner supply unit,
33 Toner bottle (toner cartridge),
61 paper feed unit (paper feed unit), 66 fixing unit (fixing unit),
80 IC tag, 90 operation unit, 100 control unit,
101 controller board, 110 engine control board,
111 first nonvolatile memory;
112, 154 writable area, 113, 155 writable area,
114, 156 second writable area, 152 CPU,
153 second non-volatile memory, 200 public communication line,
201, 302 Management system, 300 Internet.

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus main body comprising a first nonvolatile memory;
The image forming apparatus main body is replaceably installed, and includes a device unit including a second nonvolatile memory,
In the first non-volatile memory, a first information storage area in which information related to the number of recyclings related to the apparatus unit , operation history, and image forming conditions are written, and information related to the start of use of the image forming apparatus main body are written. a second information storage area, information related to production of the image forming apparatus main body, which is determined at the time of manufacture of the image forming apparatus main body, and a third information storage area identification number is written a plurality kinds that, the second The non-volatile memory includes a first information storage area in which information related to an operation history having information related to a recycling operation history including the number of recycling times of the device unit is written, and a fixed information related to the start of use of the device unit in a new state. the second information storage area in which information is written, manufacture and forming condition of the device unit, information relating to the identification number is written And a information storage area,
And a controller that adjusts the entire image forming apparatus main body to an optimum image forming condition based on information exchanged with the first nonvolatile memory,
When the control unit determines whether or not the device unit has been replaced and determines that the device unit has been replaced, the control unit reads the recognition number from the second non-volatile memory and the recognition number is If it is determined whether or not it matches the recognition number in the first nonvolatile memory, and if it is determined that the recognition number in the second nonvolatile memory matches the recognition number in the first nonvolatile memory It is determined whether the information related to the number of recycles in the device unit matches the information related to the number of recycles in the first nonvolatile memory, and the information related to the number of recycles in the device unit and the first If it is determined that the information related to the number of recyclings in the non-volatile memory does not match, it is assumed that the device unit has been recycled,
Thereby discriminating without the use start flag of the device unit reads the information from the second non-volatile memory, if it is determined that the use start flag of the device unit is none the second A use start flag of the second information storage area of the non-volatile memory is set, and the use start date is written in the second information storage area of the second non-volatile memory, and the second non-volatile memory is written. Information related to manufacture in the third information storage area of the memory and the date of start of use are written to the second information storage area of the first nonvolatile memory, and the second information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory is written. Information related to the image forming condition written in the information storage area 3 is written in the first information storage area of the first nonvolatile memory, and is stored in the first information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory. Writing Writes information to the first information storage area of said first non-volatile memory,
When it is assumed that the device unit has been recycled, the information related to the image forming condition in the third information storage area of the second nonvolatile memory corresponding to the identification number of the device unit is the first information. 1 of the first non-volatile memory information storage area in the write Nde said second nonvolatile said memory the first information the information written in the storage area of the first non-volatile memory of the first Write to the information storage area,
If it is determined that the information related to the number of recycles in the device unit and the information related to the number of recycles in the first non-volatile memory match, the device unit is not recycled and used in another model. The device unit is manufactured or manufactured by another manufacturer, and the start date of use of the device unit is written into the second information storage area of the first nonvolatile memory. Nde writes information related to the manufacture of the third information storage area of said second non-volatile memory in the second information storage area of said first non-volatile memory, said second non-volatile memory third information wherein the first information of the first information written in the storage area write Nde said second non-volatile memory of the first non-volatile memory information related to image forming conditions in the storage area Image forming apparatus and writes the information written in the 憶領 area in the first information storage area of said first non-volatile memory.   The apparatus unit includes at least one of a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier, and the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a process cartridge in which a body is integrally held.   The apparatus unit includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a toner image formed on the image carrier. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of a transfer unit that transfers to a material and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier are unitized. 4.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus unit is a toner cartridge in which toner is stored.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second nonvolatile memory is an IC tag that is detachably formed on the apparatus unit. A power supply unit for supplying power to the image forming apparatus main body;
The first non-volatile memory includes an EEPROM and an SRAM that are detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body.
6. The information stored in the SRAM is written into the EEPROM when power supply to the image forming apparatus main body by the power supply unit is cut off. Image forming apparatus. It is configured to be connectable to a public communication line or the Internet to which a management system for managing the usage status of the image forming apparatus is connected,
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information held in the first nonvolatile memory is sent to the management system via the public communication line or the Internet . It is configured to be connectable to a public communication line or the Internet to which a management system for managing the usage status of the image forming apparatus is connected,
Information sent from the management system is sent via the public communication line or the Internet, and the information is held in at least one of the first nonvolatile memory and the second nonvolatile memory. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

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