JP5630221B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that predicts toner consumption.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, it is a problem to grasp the amount of toner consumption for the purpose of toner replenishment part replacement timing, remaining amount detection, and the like. Therefore, a method for predicting toner consumption from input image data in an image forming apparatus is already known.

  However, in the conventional toner consumption prediction methods, the actual toner consumption is not completely proportional to the number of printed dots, and the toner characteristics change over time and the control changes. There was a problem that the prediction error between the actual consumption and the predicted consumption was increased.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 refers to the surrounding 8 dots for the attention dot, counts the number of surrounding dots, returns a weighting value for the number, and adds another constant when the attention printing dot is printed. Predicting quantities is disclosed. However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, in the prediction of toner consumption, the change in the trend of toner consumption over time, the influence on the toner consumption in the dot of interest from the number of surrounding printing dots, whether the dot of interest is printed or not printed It cannot reflect that the degree is different, the degree of influence on the consumption of reference dots by the arrangement of surrounding print dots is different, and the like. Therefore, the problem that the prediction error between the actual consumption amount and the prediction consumption amount becomes large cannot be solved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by focusing attention on the printing state of the target dot and the number of surrounding dots with respect to the target dot, it is possible to accurately predict the toner consumption amount. An object is to provide an apparatus.

To achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention, irradiating the input image data and means for converting the light emission control signal, to the light emitting control signals by sequentially scanning light based on the image bearing member and means for, the ZoTanji to form an electrostatic latent image on the member, the developer is transferred, in an image forming apparatus to be fixed on the recording material, to determine the print status of predetermined target dot, the by accumulating the number of print dots around the current dot, it reads the weighting value for the number of print dots of the peripheral according to the printing state of the target dot count to go developer consumption counting the consumption amount of the developer comprising means, the developer consumption counting means reads the target dot state discriminating means for discriminating the print condition of the target dot, a lookup table corresponding to a printing state of the target dot A LUT reading means, a surrounding dot number counting means for counting the number of surrounding printing dots, and a weighting value corresponding to the number of surrounding printing dots from the lookup table and returning the weighting value of the developer for the target dot. It is characterized by comprising a noticeable dot weighting calculating means for counting as consumption, and a cumulative consumption storage means for accumulating the output values from all dots to obtain the cumulative consumption of developer .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with toner characteristics and control over time, incorporate the influence of the surrounding printed dot arrangement on the target dot, and realize a more accurate prediction of toner consumption.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, for a consumption of one dot, adjacent dots are in a printing state, and the dot of interest is printed and non-printed. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a toner consumption calculation use matrix, an LUT, and a reference dot output value calculation method in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toner consumption calculation use matrix, an LUT, and a reference dot output value calculation method when areas are divided when calculating surrounding print dots in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of main functions of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  This embodiment has the following characteristics when counting toner consumption. In short, the look-up table (LUT) for the number of print dots around the target dot differs depending on whether the target dot is printed or not, and the LUT is variable according to the toner characteristics and control. , Set according to the environment and usage. Further, since the area for counting the number of surrounding printing dots is variable, it is characterized in that the difference in influence due to the arrangement of surrounding printing dots can be taken into consideration. This feature is explained below.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main configuration of an image forming apparatus including a developing device and a process cartridge unit according to the present embodiment. This FIG. 1 will be described.

  Each process cartridge unit 21 has a structure in which a photosensitive drum 22, a charging roller 23, a developing unit 24, and a cleaning unit 25 are integrally coupled. Each process cartridge unit 21 is configured to be replaceable by releasing each stopper.

  The photosensitive drum 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow at a peripheral speed of 150 mm / sec.

  The charging roller 23 is in pressure contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 and is driven to rotate by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 22. A predetermined bias is applied to the charging roller 23 by a high voltage power source (not shown), and the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 is charged to −500V.

  The exposure unit 26 exposes image information to the photosensitive drum 22 to form an electrostatic latent image. For the exposure means 26, a laser beam scanner or LED using a laser diode is used.

  The developing means 24 is a one-component contact development, and visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 22 as a toner image. A predetermined developing bias is supplied to the developing means 24 from a high voltage power source (not shown).

  The photoconductor cleaning unit 25 cleans the transfer residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor drum 22.

  Four process cartridge units 21 are arranged in parallel in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 27, and form visible images in the order of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. A primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 28, and the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27. The intermediate transfer belt 27 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a drive motor (not shown), and a full color image is formed by sequentially transferring the visible images of the respective colors onto the surface.

  The full-color image formed in this way is transferred to a sheet 30 as a transfer material by applying a predetermined voltage to the secondary transfer roller 29, and is fixed and output by a fixing device (not shown). The toner that cannot be transferred by the secondary transfer roller 29 and remains on the intermediate transfer belt 27 is collected by the transfer belt cleaning unit 31.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment converts input image data into a light emission control signal, sequentially operates light based on the light emission control signal, and irradiates the image carrier, thereby image carrier. It can be said that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the holder, the developer is transferred, and the image is fixed on the recording material.

  In the above description, a tandem color image forming apparatus has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, but a 4-cycle color image forming apparatus or a monochrome image forming apparatus may be applied. Further, a developing method using two-component toner may be employed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the toner consumption count and the surrounding configuration in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment. This FIG. 5 will be described.

  The image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is connected to a host computer 4 and includes a developer consumption counting unit 2, an image forming circuit 3, a display unit 12, and a photoconductor 15 (same as the photoconductor 22 in FIG. 1). The developer consumption amount counting means 2 includes an image signal processing section 5 (common to the image forming circuit 3), a noticeable dot state determination means 6, a LUT reading means 7, a surrounding dot number counting means 8, a noticeable dot weighting calculation means 9, and a cumulative. It has consumption amount storage means 10 and toner empty determination means 11. The image forming circuit 3 includes an image signal processing unit 5 (common to the developer consumption counting unit 2), a laser emission control unit 13, and a laser emission unit 14.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, image data to be printed out from the host computer 4 is sent as an electric signal to the image signal processing unit 5 in the image forming circuit 3. The image signal processing unit 5 converts this image data into a laser drive signal for each scanning line, and the laser light emission control unit 13 controls the light emission and extinction of the laser light emission unit 14 to change the photoconductor 15 as an image carrier. Irradiate. A semiconductor laser is used for light emission. The emitted laser light is irradiated onto the photoconductor 15 through a collimator lens, a scanning mirror, an f-θ lens, and a reflection mirror.

  The controller has built-in adding means for converting print data into toner consumption and adding the data one dot at a time. Calculation data for converting print data into toner consumption is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as a ROM.

  The developer consumption amount counting means 2 discriminates the printing state of a predetermined attention dot, and accumulates the number of printing dots around the attention dot, thereby giving a weighting value for the number of surrounding printing dots according to the printing state of the attention dot. And the consumption amount of toner as a developer is counted. First, the attention dot state determination means 6 determines the printing state of the attention dot based on the data sent from the image signal processing unit 5. Next, the LUT reading means 7 reads an LUT (lookup table) corresponding to the printing state of the target dot. Next, the surrounding dot number counting means 8 counts the number of printing dots around the target dot. The attention dot weight calculation means 9 returns a weighting value corresponding to the number of surrounding printing dots from the LUT, and counts it as the consumption amount of the developer for the attention dot. Such a series of processes is repeated for one page for each target dot (one dot). The details of the series of processes will be described later with reference to FIGS. Data obtained by the series of processes is accumulated in the accumulated consumption storage means 10. That is, the cumulative consumption amount storage means 10 accumulates output values from all the dots and sets the cumulative consumption amount of toner as a developer. Then, the toner empty determination unit 11 refers to the accumulated data to determine the near end, end, etc. of the toner. At this time, the attention dot weight calculation means 9 accumulates the output values from the LUT and then enters a saturation process. The determination result of the toner empty determination unit 11 is output to the host computer 4 or displayed on the display unit 12.

Further, the developer consumption amount counting means 2 refers to a preset saturation value after the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means 9 and determines the value and saturation value output by the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means 9. Compare. As a result of this comparison, if the value output by the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means 9 is larger than the saturation value, the saturation value is adopted, and if it is smaller than the saturation value, it is output by the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means 9. The obtained value is adopted, and the process of the accumulated consumption amount storage means 10 is executed.

  In addition, the developer consumption amount counting unit 2 performs counting within an area divided by an arbitrary area in the processing of the surrounding dot number counting unit 8, and refers to the LUT of each area.

  In the developer consumption amount counting means 2, a plurality of LUTs are prepared according to the use environment, and the developer consumption amount may be counted using the LUT that matches the use conditions.

  Further, the developer consumption amount counting means 2 may be provided with a plurality of LUTs according to the usage state, and the developer consumption amount may be counted using the LUT that matches the usage state.

  The image forming circuit 3 can form an image corresponding to a plurality of colors, and the LUT may be set independently for each of the plurality of colors.

  Details of the developer consumption counting means 2 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a case where adjacent dots are in a printing state with respect to a consumption amount of one dot, and a noticeable dot is printed and non-printed. This FIG. 2 will be described.

  2 (a) and 2 (b), the upper side of the figure shows an example of the printing state of the target dot and the adjacent dots adjacent thereto in the present embodiment. The toner is respectively shown at the center and the lower side of the figure. A mode that it adheres is shown typically. In FIG. 2A, the adjacent dots and the target dot are both in a printing state, and in FIG. 2B, the adjacent dots are in a printing state and the attention dot is in a non-printing state.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the case where the target dot and the adjacent dot are printed, the laser beam irradiated within the target dot area is 41, but the adjacent dot is printed, The latent image actually drawn on the photoconductor is as shown in 42. Here, compared with the toner consumption amount when only the noticeable dot is the printing dot, the toner consumption amount is increased by the amount indicated by 43. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the target dot is not printed and the adjacent dot is printed, the toner is consumed within the area of the target dot by the amount represented by 44.

  As described above, even when the number of print dots of the adjacent dots is the same, the amount of toner consumed within the dot area of interest is affected by surrounding print dots when the dot of interest is printed and when it is not printed. Different. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the weighting value output from the LUT represents a variation in the latent image depth within the attention dot area received from the surrounding dots. The LUT is made variable between the non-printing case and the prediction accuracy is raised (claims 1 and 2).

  Further, the degree of influence on the latent image of the target dot is determined by the arrangement of surrounding print dots. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, when counting the number of surrounding printing dots, a combination of surrounding dots having the same influence on the latent image of the target dot is defined as one area, and the printing dots are within that area. By counting up and outputting the effect on the toner consumption within the area of the dot of interest, the prediction accuracy can be further increased.

  The above-described processing (saturation processing) performed after the processing of the attention dot weighting calculation means 9 represents the bottom of the latent image potential of the photosensitive member. When the number of surrounding printed dots is sufficiently large, all of the latent image potential in the photosensitive body within the area of the target dot falls to the bottom, and even if the number of surrounding printed dots increases, the latent image does not fall any further, but within the area of the target dot. The amount of toner consumed at the same does not change. Therefore, when the toner consumption amount of the target dot is counted, a saturation process is performed to prevent the excess consumption amount from being counted.

  Further, the tendency of the toner consumption amount to increase within the dot area of interest due to the presence of surrounding printing dots varies depending on the usage environment, the type of member such as a photoconductor, toner characteristics over time, member status, control, and the like. For this reason, in order for the LUT to cope with these, it is necessary to make it variable over time according to the use environment and the use situation. At this time, factors such as temperature and humidity are used as the use environment, and factors such as the number of printed sheets, the rotation distance of the member, and the number of replenishment are given as the use situation. (Claims 5 and 6).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating a toner consumption amount use matrix, an LUT, and a reference dot output value. In FIG. 3, the attention dot described above is denoted as “reference dot”. Along with this notation, the attention dot is hereinafter referred to as “reference dot” for explanation.

  FIG. 3A shows an example when the reference dot is in a printing state, and FIG. 3B shows an example when the reference dot is in a non-printing state. 3A and 3B (left diagram, center diagram, and right diagram) respectively show a matrix for use in calculating toner consumption, a LUT for the number of surrounding dots, and a calculation example thereof. Show. The left figure shows an example of reference dots, surrounding dots A to H, and their printing states. The center diagram shows an example of an LUT in which the weighting value output for the number of surrounding printing dots when the reference dot is printed or not printed. The right figure shows the output formula for the reference dot when the dot arrangement is as shown in the left figure.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the LUT to be referred to is changed when the reference dot is printed and not printed, the weight value corresponding to the number of surrounding print dots is read, and the weight corresponding to the state of the reference dot is read. Returns the value and the accumulated value.

  In the above image arrangement in which the reference dot is in the print state, since there are four surrounding print dots, the LUT is referred to and 10 + 15 = 25 is calculated together with the reference dot weighting value.

  In the lower image arrangement in which the reference dots are not printed, since there are four surrounding print dots, 0 + 23 = 23 is calculated together with the weight of the reference dots by referring to the LUT. 2).

  The matrix used for calculating the toner consumption amount within the reference dot area is 8 dots in total around the reference dot 1 in the left diagrams of FIGS. 3A and 3B. Since the influence range of the latent image differs depending on the matrix size, it is necessary to change the matrix size according to the characteristics.

  In addition, by setting the LUT for each color, prediction according to the characteristics and control of each color becomes possible.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toner consumption calculation use matrix, an LUT, and a reference dot output value calculation method when areas are divided when calculating surrounding print dots. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 3, the above-described attention dot is described as “reference dot”, and accordingly, the attention dot is hereinafter referred to as “reference dot”.

  4A shows an example when the reference dot is in a printing state, and FIG. 4B shows an example when the reference dot is in a non-printing state. 4A and 4B show examples of LUTs for the consumption calculation use matrix and the number of surrounding dots when the area is divided when calculating the surrounding printing dots. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, a dot having the same degree of influence on the toner consumption amount of the reference dot is defined as one area, the area is divided, the number of print dots is counted in the area, the LUT is referred to, and the output value is added up. By this process, the influence on the consumption of the reference dots from the surrounding print dots can be distinguished by the arrangement, and the prediction becomes more accurate.

  In the above image arrangement in which the reference dots are printed, there is one in the A to B area, two in the C to D area, and one in the E to H area. It is calculated as 10 + 5 + 12 + 2 = 29 (see FIG. 4A).

  In the lower image arrangement in which the reference dots are not printed, there is one in the A to B areas, two in the C to D areas, and one in the E to H areas. 0 + 6 + 15 + 5 = 26 (see FIG. 4B) (Claims 1 and 2).

  The matrix used for calculating the toner consumption amount in the reference dot area is 8 dots in total around the reference dot 1 in the left diagrams of FIGS. 4A and 4B. Since the influence range of the latent image differs depending on the matrix size, it is necessary to change the matrix size according to the characteristics.

  In addition, by setting the LUT for each color, prediction according to the characteristics and control of each color becomes possible.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the toner characteristics and control over time can be accommodated, the influence of the surrounding printed dot arrangement on the target dot can be taken in, and more accurate toner consumption prediction can be performed. I can . The reason for this is that the look-up table (LUT) for the number of surrounding dots is different when the target dot is printed and not printed, and the LUT is variable according to the toner characteristics and control, and depends on the environment and usage conditions. This is because the area that is set together and the number of surrounding print dots is variable is variable, so that the difference in influence due to the arrangement of the surrounding print dots can be taken into account.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, the operation in the above-described embodiment can be executed by hardware, software, or a combined configuration of both.

  When executing processing by software, a program in which a processing sequence is recorded may be installed and executed in a memory in a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Or you may install and run a program in the general purpose computer which can perform various processes.

  For example, the program can be recorded in advance on a hard disk or a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a recording medium. Alternatively, the program is stored on a removable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto Optical) disc, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a magnetic disc, and a semiconductor memory. It is possible to store (record) temporarily or permanently. Such a removable recording medium can be provided as so-called package software.

  The program may be wirelessly transferred from the download site to the computer in addition to being installed on the computer from the removable recording medium as described above. Or you may wire-transfer to a computer via networks, such as LAN (Local Area Network) and the internet. The computer can receive the transferred program and install it on a recording medium such as a built-in hard disk.

  In addition to being executed in time series in accordance with the processing operations described in the above embodiment, the processing capability of the apparatus that executes the processing, or a configuration to execute in parallel or individually as necessary Is also possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Developer consumption amount counting means 3 Image forming circuit 4 Host computer 5 Image signal processing section 6 Attention dot state determination means 7 LUT reading means 8 Peripheral dot number counting means 9 Attention dot weight calculation means 10 Accumulated consumption amount storage Means 11 Toner empty determination means 12 Display means 13 Laser light emission control means 14 Laser light emission means 15 Photoconductor 21 Process cartridge unit 22 Photoconductor drum 23 Charge roller 24 Developing means 25 Photoconductor cleaning means 26 Exposure means 27 Intermediate transfer belt 28 Primary transfer belt Roller 29 Secondary transfer roller 30 Paper 31 Transfer belt cleaning means

JP 2006-195246 A

Claims (6)

Means for converting the input image data into a light emission control signal; and means for sequentially scanning light based on the light emission control signal and irradiating the image carrier with an electrostatic image on the image carrier. In an image forming apparatus that forms a latent image, transfers a developer, and fixes it on a recording material.
By determining the printing state of a predetermined dot of interest and accumulating the number of print dots around the dot of interest, a weighting value for the number of dots of surrounding print corresponding to the print state of the dot of interest is read, Providing developer consumption counting means to count consumption ,
The developer consumption counting means includes
Attention dot state determination means for determining the printing state of the attention dot;
LUT reading means for reading a lookup table corresponding to the printing state of the target dot;
A surrounding dot number counting means for counting the number of surrounding printing dots;
Attention dot weight calculation means for returning a weighting value corresponding to the number of surrounding printing dots from the lookup table and counting it as a consumption amount of the developer with respect to the attention dot,
Accumulated consumption storage means for accumulating output values from all dots and making the accumulated consumption of developer,
An image forming apparatus comprising the. The developer consumption counting means includes
After the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means, refer to a preset saturation value, compare the value output in the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means and the saturation value,
When the value output by the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means is larger than the saturation value, the saturation value is adopted, and when the value is smaller than the saturation value, it is output by the processing of the attention dot weight calculation means . adopting the value, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein performing the process of the accumulated consumption amount storage means. The developer consumption counting means includes
In the processing of the peripheral dot number counting unit performs the count among separated by any area, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference to a lookup table for each area. The developer consumption counting means includes
In response to said use environment and a look-up table provides multiple, any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that counts the consumption of the developer using a look-up table that matches the conditions of use 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. The developer consumption counting means includes
The look-up table in accordance with the usage and provides multiple, claim 1, characterized in that counts the consumption of the developer using a look-up table that matches the usage 4 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. Image formation corresponding to multiple colors is possible,
The look-up table, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that are independently set in the plurality color.

Images