JP5352166B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the time required until a user acquires a print result. <P>SOLUTION: The image formation device includes a medium container (paper cassette 10) for storing a medium 11, an attachment and detachment detector (paper cassette sensor 13) for detecting the attachment and detachment of the medium container, a medium detector (paper sheet sensor 12) for detecting the presence or absence of the medium stored in the medium container, and a control part 50 for controlling the shift from a printable state to a power saving state or from the power saving state to the printable state while detecting the presence or absence of the printing data received from external equipment (PC 60). When it is detected by the detector that the medium has not been stored in the medium container, the control part performs the control for making the shift from the printable state to the power saving state. When it is detected by the attachment and detachment detector that the medium container has been removed from a body of device and the printing data received from the external equipment exists, the control for making the returning from the power saving state to the printable state is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that prints a formed image on a medium.

An image forming apparatus (printing apparatus) that forms an image using an electrophotographic process is usually exposed by a charging process for uniformly and uniformly charging the photosensitive drum, an exposure process for exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum, and the like. The development process of forming an electrostatic latent image by eliminating the charge of the part and attaching the toner to form the toner image, the transfer process of transferring the toner image to the paper, and the toner image by heating, pressure, etc. The printing is performed on the paper medium by executing the fixing process for fixing to the paper.
The fixing device used in the fixing process described above is provided with a heat source such as a heater or a halogen lamp, and is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

In the above-described fixing device, a number of technologies for power saving have been filed in the past. For example, the temperature of a heat source such as a heater disposed on the fixing roller is set to a non-printing state where the paper cassette is not mounted on the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus that switches to a power saving temperature lower than the temperature during printing is known only during operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-313436 (paragraph “0007”, FIG. 1)

  By the way, when the image forming apparatus is used as a network printer, for example, when the user goes to obtain the print result at the printer installation location, no paper is set in the paper cassette, or the paper cassette or paper supply / discharge Printing is often stopped due to a jam or the like in which the paper is jammed on the roller.

  In this case, the user is forced to supply paper to the paper cassette, or to remove the paper by opening a nearby cover in order to eliminate jamming. Alternatively, it is necessary to adjust the temperature of the fixing unit so that printing can be performed every time the jam is resolved. For this reason, a relatively long waiting time is required until the user can obtain the print result (print medium).

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of shortening a waiting time until a printed medium is obtained.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that receives print data from an external apparatus and prints on a medium, the medium accommodating section accommodating the medium, and the apparatus main body of the medium accommodating section. An attachment / detachment detection unit for detecting attachment / detachment of the medium, a medium detection unit for detecting the presence / absence of a medium accommodated in the medium accommodation unit, a presence / absence of print data received from the external device, and a printable state and a power saving state And a fixing unit that fixes the toner image based on the print data on the medium by heating, and the control unit is configured to cause the medium detection unit to store the medium in the medium storage unit. The first control is executed to shift from the printable state to the power saving state when a non-contained non-contained state is detected, and the medium containing unit is removed from the apparatus main body by the attachment / detachment detecting unit. When there is print data detected and received from the external device, the power saving state is canceled, and the fixing unit is heated to a standby state in which the temperature is lower than the printable state and higher than the power saving state as a target value. When the second control is executed and the attachment / detachment detection unit detects that the medium housing unit is attached to the apparatus main body while in the standby state, the second control is performed to return from the standby state to the printable state. 3 is executed, and after the second control is executed, the transition from the standby state to the power saving state is performed when the removal time in which the medium housing unit is detached from the apparatus main body exceeds a predetermined time. run the fourth control, during execution of the second control, when heating from the power saving state to the standby state, to return in a gradual slope than normal return from the power saving state Characterized in that to the power-saving heating.

In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention heats a fixing unit that fixes a toner image based on print data on a medium by heating, and heats the fixing unit from a printable state to a power saving state or from a power saving state to a printable state. And a control unit that controls transition.
In the configuration described above, the control unit executes control to stop heating of the fixing unit and shift to a power saving state when printing is stopped abnormally, and triggered by the start of work for recovery from the abnormal stop. Control for starting the heating of the fixing device to return from the power saving state to the printable state is executed.

  According to the present invention, the waiting time until a printed medium is acquired can be shortened.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing mechanical components of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus includes a paper cassette 10, a paper transport unit 20, an image forming unit 30, and a fixing unit 40, and further controls these functional units. A control unit 50 is included.

A paper cassette 10 as a medium storage unit stores paper 11 as a medium, and is detachably attached to the printer 1. Other media include OHP paper and postcards.
In the paper cassette 10, a paper sensor 12 (medium detection unit) that detects the presence or absence of the paper 11 is detected on the feeding side of the paper 11, and whether or not the paper cassette 10 is attached to the printer 1 (device main body) is detected on the opposite side. A paper cassette sensor 13 (attachment / detachment detection unit) is provided.

The paper sensor 12 includes a sensor 122 and a lever 121 as shown in FIG.
The paper sensor 12 detects the presence or absence of the paper 11 when the fed paper 11 tilts the lever 121 and the lever 121 turns the sensor 122 ON / OFF. When the paper 11 is not present, the paper sensor 12 indicates that there is no paper in FIG. 2, and the lever 121 does not turn on the sensor 122. As shown as a state, the lever 121 turns on the sensor 122.

  The paper cassette sensor 13 detects the presence or absence of the paper cassette 10 when the sensor 103 is turned ON / OFF by the convex portion 101 in the paper cassette 10, as shown in FIG.

Returning to the description of FIG. The paper transport unit 20 feeds the paper 11 from the paper cassette 10 by the paper feed roller 21, and transports the paper 11 to the image forming unit 30 by the registration roller 22.
The image forming unit 30 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 that is charged with the toner image, the charging roller 32 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, and the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 31, for example. , An LED head 33 composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) array, a developing roller 34 that forms a toner image on an electrostatic latent image by frictional charging, a cleaner 35 that cleans the photosensitive drum 31, and toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 31. The toner supply unit 36 and a transfer roller 37 that applies a predetermined voltage so as to transfer the toner image to the paper 11 are provided. After the toner image is transferred to the paper 11, the paper 11 is sent to the fixing unit 40.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a halogen lamp 42 serving as a heat source therein, and includes a pair of rollers each having an upper roller 43 and a lower roller 44 whose surfaces are formed of an elastic body, and a thermistor 41 that detects the temperature of the upper roller 43. Then, the toner image is transferred onto the paper 11 sent out from the image forming unit 30, and heat and pressure are applied to the transferred toner image to melt the toner image and fix it on the paper 11. Thereafter, the sheet 11 is discharged to the stacker unit 46 by the discharge roller 45.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the control unit 50 included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
The control unit 50 is connected to a PC (Personal Computer) 60, which is an external device, via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and receives print data generated and output by the PC 60. In addition, the image forming unit 30, the fixing unit 40, and the sheet conveying unit 20 that constitute the printer 1 are controlled. Here, the control unit 50 performs the transition from the printable state to the power saving state, or the transition from the power saving state to the printable state. For example, the sheet sensor 12 may not store the sheet 11 in the sheet cassette 10. If detected, control is performed to shift from the printable state to the power saving state, the paper cassette sensor 13 detects that the paper cassette 10 has been removed from the apparatus main body (printer 1), and printing received from the PC 60 When there is data, control is performed to return from the power saving state to the printable state. Details will be described later.

  In order to perform these controls, the control unit 50 includes a reception control unit 51, a data storage unit 52, a reception data detection unit 53, a print control unit 54, an engine control unit 55, an apparatus state monitoring unit 56, The function of each part of the attachment / detachment detection part 57 and the paper detection part 58 is provided.

The reception control unit 51 receives print data generated and output by the PC 60 and stores the received print data in the data storage unit 52. The data storage unit 52 temporarily stores the print data received by the reception control unit 51.
The reception data detection unit 53 detects whether or not the print data is received by the reception control unit 51. When the print data is received, the reception data detection unit 53 notifies the engine control unit 55 and the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 that the print data has been received. .

When the start of printing is instructed from the engine control unit 55, the print control unit 54 reads the print data from the data storage unit 52 and transfers the print data to the image forming unit 30.
The engine control unit 55 adjusts the temperature of the fixing unit 40, controls the power state of the printer 1, and controls a motor (not shown) included in the paper transport unit 20, the image forming unit 30, and the fixing unit 40. In accordance with the information notified from the apparatus status monitoring unit 56 and the received data detection unit 53, it is determined whether printing is possible, and the print control unit 54 is notified of whether or not printing has started. Details of the internal configuration will be described later.

The apparatus state monitoring unit 56 sets the power state of the printer 1 to the power saving state or prints according to the detection state of the print data of the reception data detection unit 53 and the detection state of the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 and the paper detection unit 58. It is determined whether it is set to a possible state, and the determined power setting state is notified to the engine control unit 55. Details of the internal configuration will be described later.
The attachment / detachment detection unit 57 monitors the state of the paper cassette sensor 13 and detects the attachment / detachment state of the paper cassette 10. The paper detection unit 58 monitors the state of the paper sensor 12 and detects whether the paper 11 is stored in the paper cassette 10.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the internal configuration of the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 includes a paper presence / absence determination unit 561, a paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562, a received data presence / absence determination unit 563, a power saving start time measurement unit 564, and a power mode determination unit. 565.

The paper presence / absence discriminating unit 561 discriminates whether or not there is the paper 11 in the paper cassette 10 according to the detection result detected by the paper detection unit 58 (FIG. 4) and notifies the power mode discrimination unit 565 of the discrimination result. Is.
The paper cassette presence / absence determining unit 562 determines whether or not the paper cassette 10 is attached to the printer 1 according to the detection result detected by the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 and notifies the power mode determination unit 565 of the determination result. To do.

The received data presence / absence determining unit 563 determines whether there is print data received from the PC 60 (FIG. 4) according to the result detected by the received data detecting unit 53 (FIG. 4), and then to the power mode determining unit 565. This is to notify the determination result.
The power saving start time measuring unit 564 measures the time until the power saving state starts when there is no reception of print data generated and output by the PC 60 or when the paper 11 stored in the paper cassette 10 runs out. Thus, the power mode determination unit 565 is notified of the measurement time.

  The power mode determination unit 565 sets the printer 1 in a power saving state or a printable state according to the determination results determined by the sheet presence / absence determination unit 561, the sheet cassette presence / absence determination unit 562, and the received data presence / absence determination unit 563. It is determined whether to determine the power state, and the determined power state is notified to the engine control unit 55.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the internal configuration of the engine control unit 55 shown in FIG. The engine control unit 55 includes a fixing temperature control unit 551, a printable temperature storage unit 552, a power saving temperature storage unit 553, a motor control unit 554, and an engine state determination unit 555.

The fixing temperature control unit 551 adjusts the temperature of the fixing unit 40 according to the power setting state notified from the apparatus state monitoring unit 56. When the notified power setting state is a printable state, printing is possible. The temperature of the fixing unit 40 is controlled so as to be the printable temperature stored in the temperature storage unit 552. If the notified power setting state is the power saving state, the power saving state temperature stored in the power saving temperature storage unit 553 The temperature of the fixing unit 40 is controlled so that
The printable temperature storage unit 552 stores the set temperature (printable temperature) of the fixing unit 40 in the printable state, and the power saving temperature storage unit 553 sets the set temperature (power saving state temperature) of the fixing unit 400 in the power saving state. Is stored.

When the fixing temperature control unit 551 controls the fixing unit 40 to a printable temperature and the reception data detection unit 53 notifies the motor control unit 554 that print data is present, the motor control unit 554 receives the paper conveyance unit 20, the image forming unit 30, A motor (not shown) used in each of the fixing units 40 is driven and controlled.
When the fixing temperature control unit 551 controls the fixing unit 40 to a printable temperature and the motor control unit 554 starts driving each motor, the engine state determination unit 555 causes the print control unit 54 to print. This notifies the start of printing.

  FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow of processing in which the printer 1 shifts from the printable state to the power saving state (FIG. 7) FIG. 8 shows a flow of processing for shifting from the power saving state to the printable state (FIG. 8).

  First, the operation when the printer 1 shifts from the printable state to the power saving state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The reception data presence / absence determination unit 563 of the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 constantly monitors whether the reception data detection unit 53 receives print data from the PC 60 (FIG. 4) and whether there is print data (step S71). ). If there is no print data (“No” in step S71), the received data presence / absence determination unit 563 notifies the power mode determination unit 565 that there is no print data, and the power mode determination unit 565 that has received the data does not save power. The start time measurement unit 564 measures the time until the power saving state starts (step S72).

  The power mode determination unit 565 monitors the time measurement state in the power saving start time measurement unit 564 (step S73), and when the measurement of the time until the power saving state starts (power saving start time) is completed (step S73 “Yes”). ), The engine control unit 55 is notified of the transition to the power saving state. In response to this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to be the temperature of the power saving state stored in the power saving temperature storage unit 553, and shifts to the power saving state (step S74). ). If the measurement of the time until the start of the power saving state is not completed (“No” at step S73), the process returns to the print data determination process at step S71 and the above operation is repeated.

On the other hand, when reception of print data is detected in the received data determination process in step S71 (step S71 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 clears the measurement value by the power saving start time measurement unit 564 (step S75). Subsequently, it is determined by the sheet presence / absence determining unit 561 whether or not the sheet 11 is present (step S76).
When the sheet presence / absence determining unit 561 determines that the sheet 11 is present (step S76 “Yes”), the power mode determining unit 565 notifies the engine control unit 55 that the printer is ready to print, and has received this. The fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 40 using the printable temperature stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552 as a target value.

  When the temperature of the fixing unit 40 reaches the printable temperature, the motor control unit 554 controls driving of the motors used in the paper transport unit 20, the image forming unit 30, and the fixing unit 40, and the engine state determination unit 555 The print control unit 54 is notified of the start of printing. Receiving this, the print control unit 54 reads the print data from the data storage unit 52 and sends it to the image forming unit 30 to start printing (step S77). Then, the process returns to step S71 and waits for the next print data.

On the other hand, when the sheet presence / absence determining unit 561 determines that there is no sheet 11 (“No” in step S76), the power mode determining unit 565 measures the time until the power saving state starts by the power saving start time measuring unit 564 (step S76). S78).
The power mode determination unit 565 monitors the time measurement state by the power saving start time measurement unit 564 (step S79), and when the measurement of the power saving state start time is completed (step S79 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 shifts to the power saving state. Is notified to the engine control unit 55. In response to this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 adjusts the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so that the temperature of the power saving state stored in the power saving temperature storage unit 553 is reached, and the printer 1 is shifted to the power saving state. (Step S80).

On the other hand, when the time monitoring by the power saving start time measuring unit 564 in step S79 has not completed the time measurement until the power saving state starts (step S79 “No”), the power mode determining unit 565 includes the paper presence / absence determining unit 561, By monitoring the state of the paper cassette presence / absence determining unit 562, it is determined whether or not the paper 11 is supplied (step S81).
If it is determined that the paper 11 has been supplied (step S81 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 clears the measured value by the power saving start time measurement unit 564 (step S82), and the paper in step S76. Return to the presence determination process. In the paper supply presence / absence determination processing in step S81, if the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 determines that the paper 11 is not supplied (“No” in step S81), the process returns to the power saving start time measurement processing in step S78.

Next, an operation when the printer 1 shifts from the power saving state to the printable state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The sheet presence / absence determining unit 561 of the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 interrupts and monitors the signal of the sheet detecting unit 58 indicating whether or not the sheet 11 is present (step S83), and when it is determined that the sheet 11 is present (step S83). “Yes”), the received data presence / absence determining unit 563 monitors whether there is print data received from the PC 60 by the received data detecting unit 53 (step S84).

Here, when there is no print data (step S84 “No”), the power mode determination unit 565 waits until the print data is received. When there is print data (step S84 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 shifts to a printable state. This is notified to the engine control unit 55.
In response to this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to be the printable temperature stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552, and sets the printer 1 in a printable state. At the same time (step S85), the process proceeds to the paper presence / absence determination process in step S76 when shifting to the power saving state shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when there is no sheet 11 (“No” at step S83), the sheet cassette presence / absence determining unit 562 monitors the detection state of the presence / absence of the sheet cassette 10 by the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 (step S86). If the paper cassette 10 is loaded (step S86 “No”), the printer waits for a state in which there is no paper cassette 10 (a state in which the paper cassette 10 is removed). If it is determined that the paper cassette 10 is not present (ie, has been removed) (step S86 “Yes”), the reception data presence / absence determination unit 563 determines whether the reception data detection unit 53 has print data received from the PC 60. Whether or not is monitored (step S87).
If there is no detection of print data reception (step S87 “No”), the process returns to the paper presence / absence determination process in step S83. If there is print data (step S87 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 performs printing. The engine control unit 55 is notified of the transition to a possible state. Receiving this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to be the temperature of the printable state stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552, and the printer 1 is ready for printing. A return process for returning to step S88 is performed (step S88).

Subsequently, the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 monitors the detection state of whether or not the paper cassette 10 is mounted on the apparatus main body by the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 (step S89).
If it is determined that the paper cassette 10 is not installed (step S89 “No”), the paper cassette presence / absence determining unit 562 waits for the paper cassette 10 to be installed and determines that the paper cassette 10 is installed. If YES (step S89 “Yes”), the paper presence / absence determination unit 561 proceeds to the paper presence / absence determination processing in step S76 when the power saving state transition of FIG.

  According to the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, the control unit 50 can print by detecting that the sheet cassette 10 has been removed from the apparatus main body when the printer 1 is out of power and the printer 1 is in a power saving state. Since the control to start the return operation to the state is started, the printer 1 can be returned to the printable state while the user is replenishing paper. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the waiting time until the user can acquire the printed paper 11 after the user supplies the paper.

Hereinafter, with reference to the timing diagram shown in FIG. 9, a supplementary explanation will be given regarding time reduction until the user acquires the paper 11 printed by the printer 1 of the present embodiment, in comparison with the conventional example.
9 shows (1) presence / absence of printing operation, (2) power mode in the fixing unit 40 (printable state / power saving state), (3) presence / absence of paper 11 stored in the paper cassette 10, and (4) paper cassette. Each of the 10 attached states to the printer 1 is shown, a solid line indicates a conventional example, and a broken line indicates the present embodiment.

In the solid line in FIG. 9, the image forming apparatus follows the temperature characteristic indicated by the straight line between time a and time b at time a when the print data is received from the PC 60 (FIG. 4) as an external device. The printing operation can be started only after the fixing unit 40 is ready for printing at time b. Here, it is assumed that the sheet has run out at time c and printing has stopped.
If printing is not performed even after the predetermined time cd has elapsed in the above-described printable state, the fixing unit 40 shifts to the power saving state at time d. At this time, the user pulls out the paper cassette 10 from the printer 1 at time e, sets a new paper 11 in the paper cassette 10 from time e to time f, and re-inserts the paper cassette 10 into the printer 1 at time f. Assume that it is installed. With the above-described restoration operation, the printer 1 heats the fixing unit 40 (halogen lamp 42) at time f, and the fixing unit 40 becomes ready for printing at time g to start printing. For this reason, the user waits only between time g and time f until the printing result can be acquired after the paper 11 is supplied to the paper cassette 10.

As described above, conventionally, when there is print data and the paper 11 is not set in the paper cassette 10, the paper cassette 10 is temporarily removed from the printer 1 and then the paper is replenished. The time point f at which the fixing unit 40 is mounted is set as a timing for controlling the heating of the fixing unit 40.
On the other hand, according to the printer 1 according to the first embodiment, since the time point e when the paper cassette 10 is removed is set as a timing for controlling the heating of the fixing unit 40, the fixing unit 40 indicated by the broken line has a temperature characteristic (time e− Heating control is performed along time k), and the fixing unit 40 is ready for printing at time k. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time until the user can acquire the printing result after the paper 11 is replenished. As described above, since the time at which printing is stopped and the print data in the waiting state is started again is set earlier than in the conventional example, the waiting time for the print result of the user can be shortened.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 of the control unit 50 in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the first embodiment described above, the control unit 50 controls the heating of the fixing unit 40 at time e in FIG. 9 and sets the fixing unit 40 in a printable state at time k, but the paper cassette 10 is removed from the printer 1. If the fixing unit 40 in the printable state can be shifted again to the power saving state within a predetermined time from which the paper is replenished and not remounted from time e, power will not be consumed unnecessarily.
For this reason, in the second embodiment described below, a paper cassette absence time measuring unit 566 is added to the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 (56b). The paper cassette absence time measurement unit 566 measures the time during which the paper cassette 10 is removed when the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 detects that the paper cassette 10 has been removed from the printer 1. Since the other configurations 561 to 565 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication.

  Note that the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment described below has the mechanical parts shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 as in the first embodiment, and the control unit 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 respectively. The internal structure of the electric system of the engine control unit 55 is assumed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, and shows the flow of processing in which the printer 1 shifts from the power saving state to the printable state.
Hereinafter, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 while focusing only on the difference from the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, the processes from the paper presence / absence determination process of step S101 to the paper cassette presence / absence determination process of step S107 are the same as the paper cassette presence / absence determination process of step S83 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. This is the same as the determination process, and a description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication.
When it is determined in the paper cassette presence / absence determination process in step S107 that there is no paper cassette 10 (step S107 “No”), the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 of the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 removes the paper cassette 10 from the printer 1. The power mode discriminating unit 565 is notified of this, and the power mode discriminating unit 565 that has received this causes the paper cassette absence time measuring unit 566 to measure the time during which the paper cassette is removed (step S108). .

Subsequently, the power mode determination unit 565 monitors the time measurement state by the paper cassette absence time measurement unit 566 (step S109), and when it is determined that the time measurement is completed (step S109 “Yes”), the engine control unit. 55 is notified of the transition to the power saving state.
Receiving this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 controls the temperature of the fixing unit 40 by using the power saving temperature stored in the power saving temperature storage unit 553 as a target value, and sets the printer 1 to the power saving state (step) S110). On the other hand, when it is determined that the time measurement has not been completed (“No” in step S109), the process returns to the paper cassette presence / absence determination process in step S107.

Subsequently, the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 monitors the detection state of the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 and determines whether or not the paper cassette 10 is loaded in the printer 1 (step S111).
Here, when it is determined that the paper cassette 10 is not yet attached to the printer 1 (step S111 “No”), it waits for the paper cassette 10 to be attached. On the other hand, when it is determined that the paper cassette 10 is mounted on the printer 1 (step S111 “Yes”), the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 informs the power mode determination unit 565 that the paper cassette 10 is mounted on the printer 1. Notice. In response to this, the power mode determination unit 565 notifies the engine control unit 55 of shifting to the printable state. Then, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 adjusts the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to be the temperature of the printable state stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552, and returns the printer 1 to the printable state. In step S112, the process returns to the paper presence / absence determination process in step S76 shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the user can shorten the time until the print result is acquired. Since the time during which the printer 10 is removed from the printer 1 is measured, if the paper cassette 10 has been removed from the printer 1 for a long time, it can be shifted to the power saving state again. , Unnecessary power consumption is eliminated.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the engine control unit 55 (55b) of the control unit 50 in the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, heating control is performed on the fixing unit 40 in a power saving state along the temperature characteristic curve ek because there is no sheet during printing. At the time k, the printer is ready for printing.
However, this time k should be in a place close to f with f as the center. The reason is that, for example, if k is far from f in the left direction, the time when the paper is replenished is f, so that the paper remains even if the fixing unit 40 is in a printable state much earlier than time f. This is because printing is impossible unless time f is supplied and wasteful power is wasted because printing is possible for a long time until time f is waited.

Therefore, in the third embodiment described below, the fixing unit 40 is controlled to be heated according to the power saving return curve, and the timing for heating the fixing unit 40 is controlled in consideration of the time for which the paper is replenished. Further, when the fixing unit 40 that is in a power saving state because printing is not started even after a lapse of a predetermined time after printing is finished, the fixing unit 40 may be heated quickly because there is a sheet, At this time, the heating was controlled according to the normal return curve described below.
As described above, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, in order to estimate which temperature characteristic curve is used for heating control when the fixing unit 40 is shifted from the power saving state to the printable state. In addition, a heating time control unit 5510 is added to the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 (55b). The heating time control unit 5510 adjusts the time until the fixing unit 40 reaches the temperature in the printable state from the temperature in the power saving state. The other configurations 551 to 554 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and thus description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication.

  Note that the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment described below has the mechanical parts shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 as in the first embodiment, and the control units shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. 50. Assume that the internal configuration of the electrical system of the device state monitoring unit 56 is provided.

FIG. 13 is a graph representing the relationship between the temperature rise and the rise time when the temperature of the fixing unit 40 is controlled by the engine control unit 55 of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
The operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the graph of FIG.

When the power mode is returned to the printable state, the power mode determination unit 565 of the apparatus status monitoring unit 56 determines whether the return factor is from the state where the paper 11 is present or removes the paper cassette 10 from the printer 1 and prints. Determine if the data is from a state.
Here, when it is determined that the cause of the return is from the state in which the paper 11 is present, the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 notifies the engine control unit 55 that the normal return has occurred, and the paper cassette 10 is removed. Remove from the printer 1. On the other hand, when the paper cassette 10 is removed from the printer 1 and it is determined that the print data is from a state, the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 notifies the engine control unit 55 that power saving is restored.

When the return to the printable state notified from the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 is a normal return, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 displays the temperature of the printable state stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552. And the heating time control unit 5510 executes control to increase the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to reach the temperature in the printable state at time t1 in FIG.
On the other hand, when the return to the printable state notified from the apparatus state monitoring unit 56 is the power saving return, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 can perform the printable stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552. The temperature of the state is read, and the heating time control unit 5510 executes control to increase the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to reach the temperature of the printable state at time t2 in FIG.

  As shown in the graph of FIG. 13, the relationship between the time t1 and the time t2 is t1 <t2, and the heating time control unit 5510 performs the normal recovery from the power saving recovery according to the normal recovery curve p. The fixing unit 40 is adjusted to a printable temperature in a short time, and in the case of power saving return, the fixing unit 40 is adjusted to a temperature in a printable state in a longer time than the normal recovery according to the power saving return curve q. ing.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the user can reduce the waiting time until the print result is acquired. In addition, the control unit 50 can print the heating temperature of the fixing unit 40 when returning to the printable state when the paper 11 is in the power saving state with the paper 11 and when the paper 11 is in the power saving state without the paper. Control was made to adjust the time to reach the state (return time), so the return from the power saving state when the paper 11 is present is quick, and the user replenishes the paper from the power saving state when there is no paper. The power can be restored in a time that matches the time to be printed, and the power required for returning to the printable state is not consumed unnecessarily.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the engine control unit 55 of the control unit 50 in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

According to the first to third embodiments described above, the temperature information stored in each of the power saving temperature storage unit 553 and the printable temperature storage unit 552 is the temperature at which the power saving state shifts to the printable state. However, in the fourth embodiment described below, further power saving is realized by adjusting the temperature step by step. For this reason, the standby temperature is set in the engine control unit 55 (55c). A storage unit 556 is added.
The standby temperature storage unit 556 stores temperature information between the temperature in the power saving state and the temperature in the printable state (higher than the temperature in the power saving state and lower than the temperature in the printable state). The other configurations 551 to 554 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and thus description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication.

FIG. 15 is a graph representing the relationship between the temperature rise and the rise time when the temperature of the fixing unit 40 is controlled by the engine control unit 55 (55c) of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, in the power saving state, the fixing temperature control unit 551 adjusts the temperature of the fixing unit 40 so as to be the power saving state temperature stored in the power saving temperature storage unit 553, thereby In this case, the temperature of the fixing unit 40 is adjusted so that the printable state temperature stored in the printable temperature storage unit 552 is reached. In the standby state, the temperature of the fixing unit 40 is adjusted so that the temperature is between the power saving state temperature and the printable state temperature. Here, the “standby temperature” is a temperature that is lower than the printable state temperature, but is a temperature that can return to the printable state temperature without taking time after the paper cassette 10 is mounted on the printer 1. The temperature is optimum for recovery depending on the type of paper 11 such as thick paper or thin paper.

  Note that the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment described below includes the mechanical components shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 as in the first embodiment, and the control units shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. 50. Assume that the internal configuration of the electrical system of the device state monitoring unit 56 is provided.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, and shows the flow of processing in which the printer 1 shifts from the power saving state to the printable state.
Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16, focusing only on the differences from the flowcharts of the first and second embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. Will be described in detail.

  In FIG. 16, the processes from the paper presence / absence determination process of step S151 to the paper cassette presence / absence determination process of step S153 are performed from the paper presence / absence determination process of step S83 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The return processing from step S159 to the printable state from step S159 to the printable state is the same as the return processing to step S108 in step S108 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. Since this is the same as the time measurement process and the return process to the printable state in step S112, the description here is omitted to avoid duplication.

In the paper presence / absence determination processing in step S151, the control unit 50 (paper presence / absence determination unit 561 of the apparatus status monitoring unit 56) determines that there is no paper 11 (step S151 “No”), the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562. Then, the presence / absence detection state of the paper cassette 10 by the attachment / detachment detection unit 57 is monitored (step S154).
If it is determined that there is a paper cassette 10 (step S154 “No”), the printer waits for a state where the paper cassette 10 is not present (a state where the paper cassette 10 is removed from the printer 1). (Step S154 “Yes”), the received data presence / absence determining unit 563 monitors whether the received data detecting unit 53 has print data received from the PC 60 (FIG. 4) (Step S155).

If there is no print data reception detection (step S155 “No”), the process returns to the paper presence / absence determination process in step S151. On the other hand, if print data is received (step S155 “Yes”), the power mode determination unit 565 Notifies the engine control unit 55 (55c) that it will shift to the standby state.
In response to this, the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 (55c) adjusts the temperature by heating the fixing unit 40 so that the temperature of the standby state stored in the standby temperature storage unit 556 becomes the temperature of the printer 1. Is set to a standby state (step S156).

Subsequently, the paper cassette presence / absence determining unit 562 monitors the detection state related to the attachment / detachment of the paper cassette 10 by the attachment / detachment detection unit 57, and determines whether or not the paper cassette 10 is attached to the printer 1 (step S157). If the cassette 10 is not attached to the printer 1 (step S157 “No”), the process jumps to the paper cassette absence time measurement process in step S159. When it is determined that the paper cassette 10 is attached to the printer 1 (step S157 “Yes”), the paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 562 informs the power mode determination unit 565 that the paper cassette 10 is attached to the printer 1. Notice.
Receiving this, the power mode determination unit 565 notifies the engine control unit 55 (55c) of shifting to the printable state, and the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 (55c) receives the printable temperature storage unit. The temperature of the fixing unit 40 is adjusted so that the temperature of the printable state stored in 552 is reached, the printer 1 is returned to the printable state (step S158), and the step when shifting to the power saving state shown in FIG. The process returns to the sheet presence / absence determination process in S76.

  That is, according to the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, the control unit 50 (the fixing temperature control unit 551 of the engine control unit 55 (55c)), as shown in the graph of FIG. When the printer 10 is removed from the printer 1, the fixing unit 40 is controlled to be heated to the standby temperature stored in the standby temperature storage unit 556, and the fixing unit 40 reaches the standby temperature from time y. During this time, for example, only when it is detected that the paper cassette 10 to which paper has been replenished is reattached to the printer 1 at time z, the fixing unit 40 that is at the standby temperature is in a state in which it can be further printed. Control the heating as follows.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, as in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment, the user can shorten the time until the print result is acquired. The fixing temperature control unit 551) of the control unit 55 directly adjusts the temperature from the power saving state to the printable state by controlling the adjustment from the power saving state temperature to the printable state temperature step by step. Compared with the third embodiment, the power consumption can be reduced.

In the image forming apparatuses according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention, only the printer 1 is illustrated as the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the printer 1, and may be a copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof. Can be applied similarly. In addition to the PC 60, the external device may be a transmission FAX.
Further, only the reduction of the time required for the printing process when no paper is set in the paper cassette 10 has been described. However, when printing abnormally stops due to the occurrence of a jam or the like, the cover mounted in the vicinity of the jam occurrence position is opened and clogged. The same effect can be obtained by executing the same procedure when the cover opened earlier is closed at the start of the recovery operation for removing the paper. However, in this case, it is necessary to mount a sensor for detecting the opening / closing operation of the cover in the vicinity of the cover that is opened / closed when a jam occurs, and the control unit 50 is opened to start the recovery operation for removing the paper, When this is detected by a sensor mounted in the vicinity of the cover, control is executed to shift from the power saving state to the printable state. Since the halogen lamp 42 (FIG. 1) included in the fixing unit 40 is a high-heat component, the cover mounted around the fixing unit 40 is not applied to prevent burns.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention, only the temperature processing of the fixing unit 40 is illustrated. However, for example, printing from a power saving state such as correction of color misregistration of a printing result is performed. The same effect can be obtained even if it is applied to other processes performed until the state becomes possible.

Also, all the functions of the control unit 50 shown in FIG. 4 may be realized by software, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware.
For example, the presence or absence of print data received from an external device (PC 60 (FIG. 4)) is detected, and the transition from the printable state to the power saving state or from the power saving state to the printable state is controlled. In 12), when it is detected that the medium is not stored in the medium storage unit (paper cassette 10), control for shifting from the printable state to the power saving state is executed, and the attachment / detachment detection unit (paper cassette sensor 13) performs the control. When it is detected that the medium storage unit has been removed from the apparatus main body and there is print data received from the external device, the data processing of the control unit 50 that executes control for returning from the power saving state to the printable state is as follows: It may be realized on a computer by one or a plurality of programs, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating mechanical components of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating details of a mounting structure of a medium detection unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating details of a mounting structure of an attachment / detachment detection unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a control unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an apparatus state monitoring unit included in a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an engine control unit included in a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention shifts from a printable state to a power saving state. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention returns from a power saving state to a printable state. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the print processing timing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a sense of comparison with a conventional example. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an apparatus state monitoring unit included in a control unit of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention returns from a power saving state to a printable state. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the engine control part which the control part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention has. FIG. 10 is a graph representing a relationship between a temperature rise and a temperature rise time when the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled by the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the engine control part which the control part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention has. FIG. 10 is a graph representing a relationship between a temperature rise and a temperature rise time when the temperature of a fixing unit is controlled by an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when an image forming apparatus according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention returns from a power saving state to a printable state.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer (image forming device, device main unit)
10 Paper cassette (medium container)
11 Paper (medium)
12 Paper sensor (medium detector)
13 Paper cassette sensor (detachment detection unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Paper conveyance part 30 Image formation part 40 Fixing part 50 Control part 51 Reception control part 52 Data storage part 53 Reception data detection part 54 Print control part 55 Engine control part 56 Device state monitoring part 57 Attachment / detachment detection part 58 Paper detection part 60 PC (External device)
551 Fixing temperature control unit 552 Printable temperature storage unit 553 Power saving temperature storage unit 554 Motor control unit 555 Engine state determination unit 556 Standby temperature storage unit 561 Paper presence / absence determination unit 562 Paper cassette presence / absence determination unit 563 Received data presence / absence determination unit 564 Power saving start Time measurement unit 565 Power mode determination unit 566 No paper cassette state measurement unit 5510 Heating time control unit

Claims (1)

An image forming apparatus that receives print data from an external device and prints on a medium,
A medium accommodating portion for accommodating the medium;
An attachment / detachment detection unit for detecting attachment / detachment of the medium housing unit to the apparatus main body;
A medium detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of a medium stored in the medium storage unit;
A controller that detects the presence or absence of print data received from the external device and controls transition between a printable state and a power saving state;
A fixing unit that fixes the toner image based on the print data to the medium by heating,
The controller is
When the medium detecting unit detects a non-contained state in which no medium is accommodated in the medium accommodating unit, the first control is performed to shift from the printable state to the power saving state,
When the attachment / detachment detection unit detects that the medium container is removed from the apparatus main body, and there is print data received from the external device, the power saving state is canceled and the power saving state is lower than the printable state. Performing a second control for heating the fixing unit to a standby state with a higher temperature as a target value,
Executing the third control for returning from the standby state to the printable state when the attachment / detachment detection unit detects that the medium housing unit is attached to the apparatus main body while in the standby state;
After the second control is executed, if the time removal of the medium containing portion is removed from the apparatus main body has exceeded a predetermined time, executes the fourth control to shift from the standby state to the power-saving state ,
When performing the second control, when heating from the power saving state to the standby state , the image forming is characterized in that power saving heating is performed so as to return with a gentler slope than the normal return from the power saving state. apparatus.

Images