JP6649735B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that evaluates compatibility with a replacement product such as a consumable part that is attached to and detached from an apparatus main body.

  Using a toner cartridge containing non-genuine toner manufactured by a third party other than the authorized person in the device may damage parts of the image forming apparatus or impair image formation quality. There is. Conventionally, in a conventional image forming apparatus, when a new toner cartridge is mounted, data for authentication is read from a recording medium such as an IC chip or an RFID sheet integrated with the toner cartridge, and whether or not the toner cartridge is genuine is determined. Authentication technologies for authentication have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 7).

JP 2009-149491 A JP 2006-47579 A JP-A-2004-93693 JP 2007-208825 A JP-A-2004-62078 JP 2007-286489 A JP 2008-3385 A

  However, in recent years, non-genuine products have also been advanced and revised so as to pass through the authentication processing, and thus it is necessary to improve the authentication processing technology to be more sophisticated and complicated. At present, the solution tends to require more time for authentication processing. On the other hand, in an image forming apparatus, there is a strong demand for shortening a rise time from a power-on to a start of printing of the first sheet. Therefore, in such a case, since the sophisticated and complicated authentication processing is executed at the time of startup of the device, the time required for startup becomes longer, and it becomes more difficult to meet the demand for shortening. I have.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a part of the authentication process is performed at the time of startup, and the remaining authentication process is performed at a predetermined timing after the startup, so that the reliability of authentication can be increased as much as possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a prolonged startup time while maintaining the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a reading unit that reads authentication data from a recording member integrated with a replacement mounted on the apparatus main body, and whether the replacement mounted on the apparatus main body is a genuine product. The process of performing authentication using the authentication data read by the reading unit is divided into a first authentication process performed in a short required time in the first half and a second authentication process performed in a long required time in the second half. An authentication unit for performing the first authentication process within a waiting period from receiving an operation to a printable state; and a predetermined authentication unit after the printable state. And a second authentication means for performing a second authentication process at a timing.

  According to the present invention, the authentication as to whether or not the exchanged product is genuine is performed by the authentication unit using the authentication data read from the recording member of the exchanged product. The authentication process includes a first authentication process performed in a short required time in the first half and a second authentication process performed in a long required time in the second half, and is executed separately. That is, the first authentication process, which can be performed in a short time, is performed within a waiting period from when an operation such as turning on a power switch or closing an opening / closing door of a replacement work is performed until a printable state is obtained. By doing so, the preliminary authentication processing can be completed quickly, so that the reliability can be maintained as long as possible, while preventing the startup time from being lengthened. Further, in the printable state after the startup, the second authentication processing requiring a long remaining time is executed at a predetermined timing to complete all the authentication procedures, thereby ensuring the integrity of the authentication.

  Further, when the printer becomes ready for printing, the printer further comprises a determination unit that determines whether a print job has been input, and the second authentication unit determines that there is no print job input by the determination unit. The second authentication process is performed with the point in time when it is determined that there is no input of the print job as the predetermined timing, and when the determination unit determines that there is an input of a print job, the predetermined point in time in the print job is set to The second authentication processing is performed as the predetermined timing. According to this configuration, the second authentication process is performed at the time when the print job is shifted to the printable state, if there is no input of a print job, and if there is an input of the print job, the predetermined process of the print job is performed. This is performed at a point in time, for example, at the end point. Therefore, since the second authentication process is executed early after the start-up, erroneous use of the non-genuine product is prevented as much as possible.

  Further, the predetermined timing is a predetermined point in the first print job after the printable state. According to this configuration, the second authentication processing is completed early.

  Further, the predetermined timing is a time point in the interruption process that occurs during the first print job after the printable state. According to this configuration, the print job is completed earlier than the end point.

  The interruption process is a point in the process for the image quality adjustment request. According to this configuration, by executing the second authentication processing in response to the image quality adjustment request generated during the execution of the print job, the authentication processing is completed earlier than at the end of the print job.

  Further, at least one of the first authentication process and the second authentication process can be executed by being divided into one or a plurality of procedures. According to this configuration, by executing the authentication processing in small increments, the authentication accuracy can be increased earlier because the division procedure can be gradually completed.

  The operation is an operation of turning on a power switch. Further, the operation is an operation of closing the door for taking in and out the replacement product. According to this configuration, the authentication process is executed for an operation in which there is a chance to replace a replacement, such as in the case of rising from the ready state, in addition to the rising from power-on.

  Further, the first authentication process is a process that does not include a process of decrypting encrypted data, and the second authentication process is a process that includes a process of decrypting encrypted data. According to this configuration, the time required for the first authentication processing can be set to a short time.

  The replacement product is a toner cartridge of each color for forming a color image, the first authentication process is an authentication process for a toner cartridge for one color, and the second authentication process is a Each authentication process for the toner cartridge for each color. According to this configuration, a prolonged rise time is prevented as much as possible.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a prolonged start-up while maintaining as much as possible the reliability of authentication as to whether a replacement product is a genuine product.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an entire image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus. (A) is a chart showing stored data of a recording member, and (b) is a chart showing a flow of an authentication process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the authentication process I. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure of an authentication process II, which is different from FIG. 4. 5 is a flowchart of a procedure of an authentication process III, which is different from FIG. 4. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure of an authentication process IV, which is different from FIG. 4. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure of an authentication process V, which is different from FIG. 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 10, an intermediate transfer unit 20, a secondary transfer unit 30, a fixing unit 40, a paper feed unit 50, and a paper transport path 60. The image forming apparatus 1 reads an original image by optically scanning the original surface as needed, or reads in a color image data or monochrome image data from a storage device (not shown) (see FIG. 4). ) May be provided. The image forming apparatus 1 performs an image forming process of printing image data captured from the capturing unit 70 on recording paper using toner.

  The image forming unit 10 includes image forming units 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> D of each color having the same structure and a light beam scanning unit 11. The light beam scanning unit 11 has a housing in which necessary optical components are arranged for each color. The light beam scanning unit 11 converts image data of R, G, and B colors corresponding to a color original to be printed into black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) color information. The surfaces of the photosensitive drums 2A to 2D of the image forming units 10A to 10D are exposed and scanned in the axial direction (main scanning direction) with the laser light modulated by the converted image data of each color, and the respective electrostatics are scanned. Form a latent image. The image forming unit 10A, which will be described as a representative, includes a photoreceptor drum 2A, and at least a charger 3A, a developing unit 4A, and the like along the rotation direction (sub-scanning direction) around the photoreceptor drum 2A. Is set. Further, toner cartridges 5A to 5D containing toners of respective colors to be supplied to the developing units 4A to 4D are detachably mounted on the upper portions of the developing units 4A to 4D. When a single color, for example, black (K) toner is handled, only the image forming unit 10A is operated.

  The intermediate transfer unit 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21 stretched between a pair of left and right rollers, and primarily transfers a toner image formed on the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 2A to 2D to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21. . The secondary transfer unit 30 transfers the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to recording paper. The fixing unit 40 heats and fixes the toner image transferred to the recording paper, and discharges the toner image to a discharge tray. The paper feed unit 50 includes a paper feed cassette and a manual feed tray, and feeds the selected recording paper from the corresponding paper feed cassette to the paper transport path 60. The fed recording sheet is discharged as indicated by an arrow through a transfer and fixing process.

  The above-described components constituting the image forming apparatus 1 are arranged at appropriate positions in the housing 1A. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the power switch 13 (see FIG. 2) is provided at an appropriate position in the housing 1A, and the toner cartridge 5 (5A to 5D) is exchanged as is well known. At this time, an opening / closing door, such as a front door, for opening the corresponding portion is provided. The door is provided with a door open / close switch 14 (see FIG. 2) for detecting the open / closed state. In addition, a touch panel 15 (see FIG. 2) that enables a print job instruction, other instructions, information input, and information display is arranged at an appropriate position on the upper surface side of the housing 1A.

  With the image forming unit 10A as a representative, the configurations of the developing unit 4A for black (K) toner and the toner cartridge 5A will be described. As described above, the toner cartridge 5A is inserted by opening the open / close door (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1, and is mounted so as to communicate with a supply path to the corresponding developing unit 4A. The toner cartridge 5A has a long toner container 51A in the depth direction of the drawing, and includes a toner stirring member and a discharge member for discharging the toner to the developing unit 4A.

  A semiconductor memory chip (hereinafter, a recording member) 52A such as a CRUM (Customer Replaceable Unit Memory) is affixed to an appropriate position of the toner cartridge 5A. The recording member 52A stores authentication data (described later) for authenticating that the toner cartridge 5A is a genuine product (genuine product), as described later. The recording member 52A is wired or wirelessly connected so that data can be communicated with the image forming apparatus 1 while the toner cartridge 5A is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. Note that the recording member 52A may store information on the toner supply amount in an updatable manner, as is well known.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 90 controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 90 includes, for example, a microcomputer, and is connected to a storage unit 90a including a control area for image formation, a memory area for storing an authentication processing program and various data, and a work area for performing information processing. I have. The control unit 90 includes a power switch 13, a door open / close switch 14, a touch panel 15, a capture unit 70, an image processing unit 80 that performs gradation processing and filter processing on image data to be printed, and further includes an image forming unit 10; The image forming unit 100 includes the intermediate transfer unit 20, the secondary transfer unit 30, and the fixing unit 40, and is connected to the toner cartridge 5 (5A to 5D).

  By executing each program, the control unit 90 executes a start-up processing unit 91, an image formation control unit 92, a state determination unit 93, an authentication data reading unit 94, an authentication unit 95, an authentication failure processing unit 96, and an image quality adjustment unit. It functions as 97.

  The start-up processing unit 91 refers to a process of setting the printable state through an initial process after the power switch 13 is turned on and a warm-up process. In addition, in addition to the case where the power switch 13 is turned on, the rising processing unit 91 is opened when the power switch 13 is turned on and the opening / closing door is opened, for example, when the fixing unit 40 is temporarily switched to the preheating state. And a process of returning to a printable state from the time when the door opening / closing switch 14 is turned off from the on state (the opening / closing door is closed). The opening and closing of the opening / closing door may take various circumstances, for example, when the toner cartridge 5 is replaced.

  When a print job is instructed, the image forming control unit 92 executes processing for taking in image data, performing image processing on the image data, and causing the image forming unit 100 to operate to print an image on recording paper.

  The state determining section 93 determines the state of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, the state includes rising, transition from the rising state to a printable state, occurrence of an interruption event in a print job, and termination thereof. Interruption events during a print job may require operations to remove the cause, such as running out of recording paper, full output tray, full waste toner container, toner empty, paper jam, various errors, etc., image quality adjustment mode, toner supply Includes automatic interrupts such as modes.

  The authentication data reading unit 94 reads stored data from the recording members 52A to 52D of the respective colors when the power is turned on or when the authentication process is performed.

  The authentication unit 95 performs an authentication process using the authentication data. In the present embodiment, the authentication unit 95 includes a first authentication unit 951 and a second authentication unit 952.

  FIG. 3A shows an example of the authentication data. As shown in FIG. 3A, the authentication data includes, for example, fixed data including ID data, manufacturing date data, model number data, a random number, a calculation result value using a plurality of pieces of information, and data map data; It also includes encrypted data (as authentication information) encrypted with a secret key, including other data added as necessary, and a public key. Among the above data, fixed data is used in a first authentication process, and encrypted data and a public key are used in a second authentication process.

  The first authentication process is a process that does not include a decryption process, such as a data collation process with data stored in advance in the storage unit 90a. The second authentication process is a decryption process and a decryption data collation process. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, the first authentication processing is a short time, for example, about 10 ms (milliseconds), while the second authentication processing is a time required for the first authentication processing. In comparison, it is a long time, for example, about 1000 ms. Even if the first authentication is performed by data collation processing, a sufficiently high authentication accuracy (authentication quality) can be obtained without waiting for the second authentication processing by adopting the collation order and other unique aspects. Is possible. By performing the second authentication process gradually, the expected high authentication accuracy (authentication quality) is secured.

  The first authentication unit 951 performs a first authentication process during startup. The second authentication unit 952 executes the second authentication process at a predetermined timing as soon as possible after the startup process is completed and the printable state is reached. The predetermined timing as early as possible is a point in time when the printable state is reached, immediately thereafter, or a point relating to the first print job thereafter.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the second authentication processing is further divided into a plurality of division procedures. Each division procedure may be performed continuously or discontinuously according to the state to be determined. Also, the first authentication process may be divided into a plurality.

  The authentication failure processing unit 96 permits the start-up processing or the continuation of the print job or the like when the authentication processing has succeeded, and gives a warning at least on the display when the authentication processing has failed. In addition, in the case of authentication failure, the authentication failure processing unit 96 may prohibit a subsequent print job in addition to a warning, or may set a predetermined constraint condition and continue execution. The predetermined constraint condition includes a mode in which image forming conditions such as a developing bias are changed, and a continuous printing process is permitted in a print mode one by one.

  The image quality adjustment unit 97 operates when an image quality adjustment (procedure) request is generated among the interruption events that occur during a print job. When it is necessary to change the image forming conditions, a toner image of a test patch is generated for each color or for each density, read with a density sensor, and based on the result, development conditions and further correction contents of gradation characteristics are obtained. The processing for updating and storing the updated information in the storage unit 90a is executed. In subsequent print jobs, image forming processing is performed under the updated image forming conditions.

  Next, a first embodiment of the authentication process when the power is turned on will be described with reference to FIG. When the power switch 13 detects that the power is turned on, the processing of this flowchart is started. First, the start-up process is started (step S1), and then, it is determined whether or not the cartridge 5 is mounted (step S3). If the cartridge 5 is not mounted, the mounting guidance is performed (step S5).

  On the other hand, if the cartridge 5 is mounted, a first authentication process is performed to determine whether the cartridge is genuine (step S7). If the authentication fails (No in step S9), a warning process (step S11) is executed, and if the authentication succeeds, it is determined whether the state has reached the printable state (step S13). After waiting for the state to become a printable state, it is then determined whether a predetermined timing has come (step S15). It waits until a predetermined timing is reached, and when the predetermined timing is reached, a second authentication process is executed (step S17). If the authentication fails (No in step S19), a warning process (step S11) and other necessary processes are executed, and if the authentication succeeds, the process waits until the power is turned off in a job interrupt waiting state (Yes in step S21). (No in step S21). Since the second authentication process, which requires a long time, is performed after startup, the startup time is not lengthened.

  When a print job is input during the execution of the second authentication process, the success or failure of the authentication is determined based on the authentication result up to the current end point in the division procedure shown in FIG. Alternatively, this allows the print job to be started earlier. Then, the remaining division procedure may be restarted at the end of the print job, and the second authentication processing may be terminated as early as possible.

  Next, a second embodiment of the authentication process when the power is turned on will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, a part of the procedure different from that in FIG. 4 will be described. When the state of the image forming apparatus 1 reaches the printable state (Yes in step S113), the second authentication processing is executed with the time when the printable condition is reached as a predetermined timing (step S117). If the authentication fails (No in step S119), a warning process (step S111) and other necessary processes are executed. If the authentication succeeds, the process shifts to a job interrupt wait state as shown in FIG. In this case, the second authentication processing is also executed as quickly as possible, so that the use of non-genuine products can be substantially prevented.

  Next, a third embodiment of the authentication process at power-on will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, a part of the procedure different from that in FIG. 4 will be described. When the state of the image forming apparatus 1 reaches the printable state (Yes in step S213), it is then determined whether or not the first print job has been input by using, for example, the presence or absence of a flag (step S215). . If it is the first print job, the second authentication process is executed (step S217) with the end point of the first print job (step S2151) as a predetermined timing. If the authentication fails (No in step S219), a warning process (step S211) and other necessary processes are executed, and if the authentication succeeds, the process shifts to waiting for the interruption of the next job as shown in FIG. When the first print job is a large number of sheets, for example, when printing a large number of copies of a large number of originals, the second authentication processing is interrupted at the time of printing a predetermined number of sheets as one of the interruption events on the way. Is also good.

  Next, a description will be given of the fourth and fifth embodiments of the power-on authentication processing shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with respect to an aspect in which the second authentication processing is interrupted when an interruption event occurs in the middle of a print job. . Hereinafter, a part of the procedure different from that in FIG. 4 will be described.

  First, in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 7, when a print job is input after the state of the image forming apparatus 1 has reached the printable state (Yes in step S313), the input print job is executed. (Step S3141). Next, it is determined whether or not an interruption event has occurred during execution of this print job (step S3143). If no interruption event has occurred during execution of the job (Yes in step S3145), whether the job is the first print job is determined. It is determined whether or not it is (step S315).

  On the other hand, if an interruption event occurs during the execution of the print job (Yes in step S3143), the interruption process is started (step S3147), and it is determined whether the job is the first print job (step S315). .

  If it is determined in step S315 that the print job is not the first print job, for example, by using the presence or absence of the flag, the process proceeds to step S321. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S315 that the print job is the first print job, the second authentication is performed with the time (the interruption processing time in S3147 or the predetermined time of the print job in S3145, for example, the end time) as a predetermined timing. The process is executed (Step S317). If the authentication fails (No in step S319), a warning process (step S311) and other necessary processes are executed. On the other hand, if the authentication is successful, it is determined whether or not there has been an interruption (step S321). If there has been an interruption, after the interruption has been eliminated (step S323), the print job is resumed (step S325) and executed. Later, if there is no interruption, the process shifts to waiting for the interruption of the next job as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, in the fifth embodiment of FIG. 8, when a print job is input after the state of the image forming apparatus 1 has reached the printable state (Yes in step S413), the input print job is executed. (Step S4141). Next, it is determined whether or not a process control (process control) request for image quality adjustment has occurred during execution of the print job (step S4143). If no process control request has occurred during job execution (Yes in step S4145) It is determined whether the job is the first print job (step S415).

  On the other hand, if a process control request occurs during the execution of the print job (Yes in step S4143), the process control process is started (step S4147), and it is determined whether the job is the first print job (step S415). .

  If it is determined in step S415 that the print job is not the first print job by using the presence or absence of the flag to determine whether the print job is the first print job, the process advances to step S421. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S415 that the print job is the first print job, the second authentication is performed using the time (the time of execution of the process control of S4147 or the predetermined time of the print job of S4145, for example, the end time) as a predetermined timing. The process is executed (Step S417). If the authentication is successful, it is determined whether or not the process control has been executed (step S421). If the process control has been executed, the result data of the process control is updated (step S423), and the print job is restarted (step S425). After the execution, the process shifts to waiting for the interruption of the next job as shown in FIG. When the process control is not being executed, the process shifts to the waiting for the interruption of the next job as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, if the authentication fails (No in step S419), it is determined whether or not the process control has been executed (step S427). If the process control has been executed, a warning process is performed and updating of the result data of the process control is prohibited. Is performed (step S429). If the process controller has not been executed, a warning process (step S431) is performed. As described above, in the case where the print job is permitted under the predetermined constraint condition even in the case of the authentication failure, the process shifts to waiting for the interruption of the next job as shown in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first authentication process is a data collation process, and the second authentication process is a decryption and collation process of encrypted data. However, the first authentication process and the second authentication process are not shared. Various embodiments are possible. For example, in a color image forming apparatus, the first authentication process may be a black (K) toner cartridge, and the other three color toner cartridges may be executed in the second authentication process. Also in this case, the time for the first authentication processing can be reduced to １ ／ of the processing time for the whole. Further, the black (K) toner is the most frequently used, that is, the replacement frequency, and therefore, there are many non-genuine products. Therefore, the reliability of the authentication at the stage of the first authentication processing is maintained as much as possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the toner cartridge is exemplified as a replacement. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is possible to perform the authentication of the rejection in a similar manner.

  Further, the description of the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects, and should not be construed as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the embodiments described above. Furthermore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 13 Power switch 14 Door open / close switch 5, 5A-5D Toner cartridge 52, 52A-52D Recording member 93 State determination part (determination means)
94 Authentication data reading unit (reading means)
95 Authentication unit (authentication means)
951 First authentication unit (first authentication means)
952 second authentication unit (second authentication means)
97 Image quality adjustment unit

Claims (8)

Reading means for reading authentication data from a recording member integrated with a replacement product mounted on the apparatus body;
A process of authenticating whether or not the exchanged product mounted on the apparatus main body is a genuine product using the authentication data read by the reading unit includes a first authentication process performed in a short time required in the first half. , An authentication unit that is executed separately from a second authentication process performed in a long required time in the latter half,
The authentication means,
A first authentication unit that performs the first authentication process within a waiting period from when an operation is received until a printable state is obtained;
A second authentication unit that performs a second authentication process at a predetermined timing after the printable state,
In the image forming apparatus, the predetermined timing is a time point in an interruption process that occurs during a first print job after a printable state. At the time when the printable state is reached, a determination unit that determines whether or not a print job is input,
The second authentication unit performs the second authentication process when the determination unit determines that there is no input of a print job, with the point in time determined that there is no input of the print job as the predetermined timing. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that a print job is input, the second authentication process is performed using a predetermined time point in the print job as the predetermined timing. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interruption processing is a point in time of processing for an image quality adjustment request . Wherein at least one of the first authentication processing and the second authentication process, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 to 3 in which characterized in that it is divided into one or more steps can be performed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operation is an operation of turning on a power switch . The operation image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, an operation of closing the loading and unloading door of the replacement. The first authentication process consists process without the process for decrypting data, to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second authentication process is a process including a process for decrypting data The image forming apparatus as described in the above. The replacement product is a toner cartridge of each color for forming a color image, the first authentication process is an authentication process for a toner cartridge for one color, and the second authentication process is a process for another plurality of colors. the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is the authentication process for the toner cartridge.

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