JPH02272579A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the adverse influence of the excessive consumption of consumable parts upon the recording device by providing a consumption progress decision means. CONSTITUTION:The consumption progress decision means 211 sends a signal for control to a circuit 213 for fusion according to the progress of the consumption of consumable parts 201 to supply energy for fusion to the corresponding fuse element among 203-1 to 203-N for a finite time. After the circuit 213 for fusion supplies the energy for fusion to the corresponding fuse element, a fusion decision means 215 checks whether or not the corresponding element is blown and takes a necessary countermeasure. Consequently, the adverse influence of the abnormality of the consumable parts upon the recording device can be eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention "Industrial Application Field" The present invention relates to a recording device such as an electronic copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer, and particularly to a recording device having a function of managing the lifespan of consumable parts such as a photoreceptor. Regarding equipment.

2. Description of the Related Art In recording devices such as copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, and the like that form images, the development of smaller, relatively inexpensive devices is becoming more popular as parts become smaller. Although such devices have relatively slow recording speeds, they are equipped with microcomputers that allow sophisticated control of each part, and in terms of functionality, they are often as good as larger devices.

By the way, in the case of a relatively large recording device, for example, the amount of documents processed per month is large and it is frequently used for business purposes, so it is necessary to maintain the device in good condition at all times by signing a maintenance contract. Moreover, the maintenance fee per document is not a big problem in relation to the amount of document processing. However, with relatively small-sized recording devices, the amount of documents processed per month is often small. Therefore, in a small office or home where only one such device is used, if the maintenance contract is divided into periods such as one year, the maintenance fee per document will be quite high, which is not practical. In many cases, it is not possible to conclude such a contract.

Therefore, in the past, companies often entered into contracts (spot contracts) that required a service person to be called when a failure occurred in the equipment. However, in the case of spot contracts, the travel costs of service personnel and technical formulas are relatively high compared to the cost of parts, and the advent of equipment that allows users to replace parts and consumables that are prone to failure has been awaited. .

Taking a copying machine as an example of a recording device, a device has been proposed in which consumables such as a photoreceptor can be replaced together with toner (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-1632
Publication No. 76).

FIG. 27 shows the proposed device. This copying apparatus 1 has a photosensitive drum 2 made of a conductive drum and a photoconductive layer arranged in the center thereof so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow. Along the circumference of the photosensitive drum 2, a corona discharger (charge corotron) 3, a short focus optical element array 4,
A developing device 5, a transfer corona emitting device (transfer corotron) 6, a cleaning device 7, and the like are arranged. In this copying apparatus 1, a photosensitive drum 2, a corona discharger 3, a developing device 5, and a cleaning device 7 are integrally removable from the main body of the apparatus and constitute a process kit. The frame side plates 8 are for supporting and moving these in one direction.

In this apparatus, the document table 9 is illuminated by a document table illumination lamp 10. The paper sent out from the transfer material supply tray 11 is transported by a transport roll 12 and a timing roll 13, passes through a guide member 14, and passes between the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer corona discharger 6, and at this time, the toner image is transferred. will be held. After the transfer is completed, the paper passes through the moving path 15 and is fixed by a fixing device (heat roll and pressure roll). After the fixing, the paper is discharged onto a copy tray 18 by a discharge roll 17.

By the way, since such a copying apparatus uses a consumable item called a process kit, if a problem such as damage to the photosensitive drum 2 occurs, the process kit can be replaced with a new one at that point. If no trouble occurs, the process kit can be used until the developing device 5 runs out of toner or the cleaning device 7 is full of toner.

Process kits or replaceable consumable parts are of the nature of being replaced one by one depending on use, so if you set the toner amount etc. so that they can be replaced before their performance deteriorates, problems will be less likely to occur. Become. Under such circumstances, the user of the copying machine becomes interested in the total number of copies that can be made with the process kit, or the remaining number of copies that can be made. Therefore, in the proposed copying apparatus, a counter is provided in the process kit to count the usage time of the photosensitive drum 2 and the number of image formations.

28 to 30 show a first example of a counter used in this proposed device. Here, FIG. 28 shows the main parts of the process kit from the side, and FIG. 29 shows the main parts from the front. A pin 20 protrudes from the photosensitive drum 2. The pin 20 moves the mold wheel 21 by one tooth when the photoreceptor drum 2 rotates once. The rotation of this model wheel 21, which has moved by one tooth, is controlled by a leaf spring 22. A pin 23 protrudes from the model wheel 21,
One rotation of the mold wheel 21 causes the mold wheel 24 to move by one tooth. The rotation of the mold wheel 24, like the mold wheel 21, is restricted by a leaf spring 25. A disk 26 serving as a life display section is fixed to the mold wheel 24 rotating in the direction of the arrow, and a radial color band 27 is provided in accordance with the durability life of the photosensitive drum 2.

FIG. 30 shows a situation in which the proposed process kit 24 is installed. The process kit cover 28 has an opening 29 through which the colored band 27 of the disk on the mold wheel 24 shown in FIG. 28 can be observed and confirmed.

On the other hand, FIG. 3-1 shows a second example of the counter used in this proposed device. kit cover 2
A photoreceptor drum 2 is arranged inside the photoreceptor drum 8 . Further, a counting circuit 35 and a power source 36 as a measuring mechanism are also arranged inside the kit cover 28. When the terminal 37 of the insulating kit cover 28 is set in the main body, the power supply 36 is inserted into the switch plug on the main body side, and the circuit including the switch 39 and the count circuit 35 is closed, and the switch 39 is turned on and off. The number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 2 is integrated.

Since the count circuit 35 is constantly energized by the power supply 36, past integration values are stored. Therefore, when the integrated number reaches a certain value or more, the LED (light emitting diode) element 40 in the circuit lights up or goes out, indicating that the life of the kit is nearing.

In the proposed device described above, the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 2 is detected mechanically or electrically, and based on this, it is determined whether the life of a consumable part has come to an end. However, such a device has the following problems.

(i> As shown in FIG. 27, the proposed process kit includes the developing device 5, so even if the photosensitive drum 2 does not reach the end of its life, the kit itself will be replaced when the toner runs out. Toner is a powder for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 2, but the amount used varies greatly depending on the state of the electrostatic latent image. If you make a copy from a relatively small original or a dark original with the cover (not shown) on the document table 90 on the right side of Figure 27 open, a large amount of toner will be used in the background and black image areas. , the amount of toner consumed increases significantly. Therefore, if such copies are made frequently, the toner will run out and the life will come to an end before the life of the process kit is displayed.

In other words, the proposed mechanical or electrical counter only makes a tentative prediction of the lifespan, and the reliability of the prediction is low.

(ii) On the other hand, if we consider the economics of recording devices, since users purchase consumable parts at a predetermined price,
This must be worth the money. In the case of recording devices, this is not determined by measuring how many grams of toner can be used, but by determining how many sheets of paper can be recorded.
Once this is guaranteed, the value of the consumable parts can be evaluated.

For example, if toner leaks from the developing device 5 due to an initial problem with the consumable part, it is not possible to request the purchase of a new consumable part because the toner has run out.

Therefore, in order to overcome these drawbacks, the present applicant first proposed a recording device such as a copying machine.

FIG. 32 shows an outline of this proposed recording device. A predetermined consumable part 302 used in this recording device 301 has a configuration in which a consumable part main body 303 is provided with fusing elements 304 and 305 such as two fuses for setting the state of consumption of the main body in stages. It has become. On the other hand, the main body of the recording device 301 is provided with a counter 307 that counts up each time recording is performed.

In this recording device 301, when the count value of the counter 307 reaches a certain value CI, a first control signal 3081 for blowing out the first fusing element is supplied to the fusing circuit 309. Further, when the count value reaches another certain value C2, a second control signal 308-2 for blowing out the second fusing element is supplied to the fusing circuit 309. The fusing circuit 309 continuously supplies a current for fusing to the first fusing element 304 from the time when the first control signal 308-1 is supplied, and causes the first fusing element 304 to blow out. Additionally, a second control signal 308
-2 is supplied, a current for fusing is continuously supplied to the second fusing element 305 to blow it out. In this way, the degree of wear of the consumable parts is gradually increased.

The reason why this consumable part 302 is provided with two fusing elements 304 and 305 is to maintain high quality records.
This is to protect the user from defects in consumable parts.

In other words, since the consumable part 3-02 in this recording device is replaceable, for example, a user of the recording device may accidentally replace the consumable part with an old consumable part whose usage period has passed after setting a new consumable part. Situations can also occur. In such a case, the recording device can issue a warning by checking the fusing state of the fusing elements 304 and 305.
Good records can be ensured by instructing the user to set the consumable parts 302 that can be used. Also,
For example, if the quality of the consumable part 302 falls below predetermined specifications before the second fusing element 305 blows out, measures such as replacing it with a new consumable part 302 free of charge may be taken. It becomes possible.

"Problem to be Solved by the Invention" In this conventionally proposed recording device shown in FIG. That's what I do. Fusing element 3 after the count value reaches 02
The same applies to 05. This is the fusing element 304.
This is to ensure that the fusing element 305 is fused, and also because no current flows through the fusing element 304 or 305 after the fusing element 304 or 305 is blown out, and no load is placed on the fusing circuit 309.

However, in the recording device of this proposal, the fusing circuit 309
When some kind of failure occurs in the fuser itself and the current for fusing does not flow, or only an insufficient amount of current flows, a situation has occurred in which the corresponding fusing element 304 or 305 is not fused. In this case, even if the consumable part 303 expires, there is no appropriate warning, and a problem arises in that it becomes difficult to maintain the quality of the recording surface. In particular, in a recording device that checks whether or not the fusing element 304 is blown out when the consumable part 302 is set in the recording device 301, and uses this as a reference for subsequent counting, the count value C2 will remain unchanged as long as the fusing element 304 is not blown out. There may also be usage situations in which the image quality is not reached, and there is a risk that not only the image quality but also various parts of the apparatus will be adversely affected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can check if any trouble occurs in the blowout of the blowout element.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a recording device that can restrict the use of consumable parts when some kind of failure occurs in the fusing of the fusing element.

Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a recording device that makes it possible to appropriately manage the progress of consumption of consumable parts when it is determined that a failure has occurred in the fusing of the fusing element during recording. There is a particular thing.

"Means for Solving the Problem" Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 provides (i) a removable consumable part body whose life reaches the end of its life after use, and (11) setting the state of wear of this consumable part body. (iii) a wear progress determining means for determining the progress of wear of the consumable part body; (iv)
a fusing circuit that operates when the wear progress determining means determines that the wear of the consumable part body has reached a predetermined stage and supplies fusing energy to the corresponding fusing element;
(v) The recording device is provided with a fusing determination means for determining whether or not the corresponding fusing element is fusing after the fusing circuit is activated.

Then, the fusing circuit is operated for a limited period of time, and after the fusing circuit is activated, the fusing determination means determines whether or not the corresponding fusing element is fusing, so that if some failure occurs in the fusing of the fusing element. to be able to check this.

In addition, in the invention as claimed in claim 2, (i) a removable consumable part body whose life reaches the end of its life after use, and (ii) one or a plurality of a fusing element; (iii) a wear progress determining means for determining the progress of wear of the consumable part body; and (iv)
) a fusing circuit that operates when the wear progress determining means determines that the wear of the consumable part body has reached a predetermined stage and supplies fusing energy to the corresponding fusing element; fusing determination means for determining whether or not the corresponding fusing element is fused after the circuit is activated; and (vi) when the fusing determination means determines that the fusing element is not fused, the operation of the apparatus main body in which the consumable part main body is set; The recording apparatus is provided with an operation stop control means for stopping the operation.

When the fusing determination means determines that the fusing element is not fusing, the operation stop control means stops the operation of the apparatus main body in which the consumable parts main body is set.
To prevent failures of consumable parts or the main body of the device from affecting recording.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 includes (i) a removable consumable part body whose life reaches the end of its life after use, and (ii) first and second consumable parts disposed to set the state of wear of the consumable part body. (iii) first and twentieth counters that individually manage the progress of wear of the consumable part main body for the first and second fusing elements; (i)
(v) a first fusing circuit that supplies fusing energy to the first fusing element for a predetermined period of time when the first counter counts a predetermined value; (vi) a second fusing circuit that supplies fusing energy to the second fusing element for a predetermined period of time when counting the fusing energy; and (vi) a first fusing circuit that supplies fusing energy to the first fusing element; (vj) adding means for adding the progress of wear of the consumable part main body in a state to the count value of the first counter; and (vj) adding the value added by the adding means to the initial value of the count value of the second counter. The recording device is provided with initial value correction means for adding.

In a recording device that resets the count value of a second counter and starts counting when the first counter reaches a predetermined count value, the second counter starts counting based on the count value of the first counter. If recording continues while fusing energy is being supplied to the first fusing element, the corresponding count value is initially added to the count value of the second counter, and the initial value of the 20th counter is By modifying the value, the count value of the second counter is substantially corrected to enable appropriate progress management of wear of the consumable parts.

Figure 1 (A) is for explaining the relationship between the main features of the above invention.

The consumable part 2-01 includes one or more fusing elements 203-1. ...203-N is arranged.

On the other hand, the apparatus main body 210 of the recording apparatus includes a wear progress determining means 211 for determining the progress of wear of the consumable parts 201 by counting, for example, the number of sheets of paper on which printing has been performed.

The wear progress determining means 211 includes, for example, two types of counters: a first counter 212-1 and a second counter 212-2. The wear progress determination means 211 sends a control signal to the fusing circuit 213 according to the progress of wear of the consumable parts 201, and controls the fusing elements 203-1.・・・・・・20
3-N is made to supply fusing energy for a certain limited time to the corresponding one. If two fusing elements 203-1 and 203-2 are arranged in the consumable part 201, the fusing circuit 213 is a first fusing circuit 214-1 and a second fusing circuit 214-2. Two circuits are provided. However, these do not need to be independent circuit configurations; for example, a current or voltage supply source for fusing and two fusing elements 203-1, 203-
It may be configured by a switch that directs the switch to either one of the two.

The fusing circuit 213 is connected to the fusing element 203-1.・・・・・・
Corresponding one among 203-N! After this energy for fusing is supplied, the fusing determination means 215 checks whether or not the corresponding element is fusing, and takes necessary countermeasures.

This method allows the device main body 210 to control the operation stop control means 21.
6 to stop the operation of the device main body 210.

The apparatus main body 210 of the recording apparatus may be provided with an addition means 217 and an initial value correction means 218. in this case,
The first counter 212-1 is an arithmetic 2 counter 212-2.
Even after reaching the count value at which the count is taken over, the adding means 217 continues to add while the fusing circuit 213 supplies the fusing energy. Then, the initial value correction means 218 adjusts the count value corresponding to the amount by which this addition is continued.
In addition to the initial value of the second counter 212-2, the progress of wear of the consumable parts 201 is corrected.

``Example'' Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by taking as an example the case where the present invention is applied to a copying machine.

First, a table of contents regarding this example will be shown.

(1) Overview of the copying machine (2) Structure of the photoconductor cartridge (3) Identification of the photoconductor cartridge (4) Fuse blowout control (5) Lifespan control of the photoconductor cartridge 5-1) Backup control 5-2) Counter Control 5-3) Fuse inspection after blowing process 5-4) Control when replacing cartridges, etc. 5-5> Car) Details of IJ cartridge replacement (5-5-1) Processing other than the specified J display ( 5-5-2) Processing when J9 occurs (5-5-3) Processing when IJ7 occurs (5-5-4)
J7 processing that occurs when the user counter is 18,000 or more (5-5-5) J7 processing that occurs when the user counter is 16,000 or more and the toner is full (5-6) IJ Replacement control logic (1)
1. Overview of Copying Machine FIG. 1 (B) shows an overview of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This duplex machine 41 has a platen glass 43 disposed on the upper surface of its main body 42. When copying a sheet-like original, the platen cover 44 is closed and fixed as shown in this figure. A scanner (not shown) is arranged below the platen glass 43 so as to be able to reciprocate. Inside this scanner, in addition to the exposure lamp 45, an optical lens 46 and a plurality of mirrors 47 are arranged. Light reflected from an original (not shown) illuminated by exposure lamp 45 enters fixed mirror 49 via mirror 47 and optical lens 46 . The light is reflected here and reaches the photosensitive drum 52 after the photosensitive cartridge 51 through the opening described in FIG.

The photoreceptor cartridge 5I corresponds to a consumable part of the recording apparatus of the present invention, and its lifespan is managed based on the number of copies. The photoreceptor cartridge 51 is a photoreceptor drum 52
and a toner recovery device 53, which are housed in an opaque housing 54 and arranged to be removably attached to the device main body 42. With the photoreceptor cartridge 51 installed, the charge corotron 55, developer 56, toner cartridge 57, and transfer separation unit 5
8 are arranged so as to surround the photosensitive drum 52. Here, the toner cartridge 57 is a type of consumable part, but in this embodiment, it is managed separately from the photoreceptor cartridge 51, and is replaced when a sensor (not shown) detects that the toner is running out. There is. The reason why the toner cartridge 57 is separated from the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in this way is that the toner is removed from the toner collection device 53.
The toner cartridge 57 can be replaced any number of times until the toner cartridge 57 is completely filled, thereby achieving economical efficiency. Further, in the copying machine of this embodiment, a toner cartridge 57 containing color toner is prepared. Therefore, by simply replacing the toner cartridge 57, originals can be copied in various recording colors such as red, green, and blue, making it easy to change colors and making it possible to copy various colors at a relatively low cost. Another advantage is that it is possible to use toner of

The transfer/separation section 58 is composed of two corotrons, a transfer corotron and a pork corotron. Paper (not shown) fed by a half-moon-shaped feed roll 64 from the paper feed section 62 of the cassette tray 61 or the manual feed chute 63 provided to also serve as the top lid of the cassette tray 61 is fed to a transport roll 65 and a registration roll 66. After passing through, the transfer assisting section 67 is reached. Paper (not shown) sent out by a half-moon-shaped feed roll 64 from a paper feed unit 68 disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 42 also passes through a guide 71 and a transport roll 72-, reaches another transport roll 65, and is then fed out by a half-moon-shaped feed roll 64. Thereafter, it is sent to the transfer assisting section 67 through the same route. The auxiliary transfer section 67 is constituted by a driven roll, and a voltage of the same polarity as that of the transfer corotron is applied thereto. As a result, even if the paper onto which the toner image is transferred has a high moisture content, leakage of the charge supplied from the transfer corotron onto the paper can be prevented, and sufficient transfer characteristics can be obtained.

On the paper that has passed through the auxiliary transfer section 67, there is a transfer/separation section 5.
The toner image on the photosensitive drum 52 is transferred by the action of a transfer corotron placed on the front side of the photosensitive drum 52.

The sheet of paper peeled off by the corotron is then conveyed in the horizontal direction by a belt-like conveyance path 74 and thermally fixed by a heat roll 75. After the fixing, the sheets are discharged from the machine by a discharge roll 76 and are stacked on a discharge tray 77. A paper detection sensor 78 is disposed immediately after the output roll 76, and detects passage of the trailing edge of the paper output onto the output tray 77, and counts up the number of copies by one each time. ing.

FIG. 1(C) shows this copying machine from the viewpoint of its functions.

Inside the photoreceptor cartridge 51 as a consumable part, a type section 51A that outputs its type (state) and a status section 51B that outputs its status are arranged. The device main body 42 includes an initialize counter 42A-1 and a user counter 42A-1 as counters corresponding to the status section 51B.
Three types of counters are prepared: a total counter 42A-2 and a total counter 42A-3. The photoconductor cartridge replacement control section 42B is a photoconductor cartridge life detection control section 42C.
and the output of the interlock open sensor 42D, and the output of the type section 51A and status section 51B,
Control is performed when replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51. This control result is inputted to the state control unit 42A-4 which controls the states of each counter 42A-1 to 42A3, and is also input to the display unit control 842E, and is input to the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1, which will be explained later. Display control is now in place.

On the other hand, the copying machine main body 42 includes a paper detection sensor 78 that detects when the paper that has been copied is ejected from the machine, and a full sensor that detects when the photoconductor cartridge 51 is full of collected toner. 42F is located. The output of the paper detection sensor 78 is sent to the copy number counting section 42G.
This is where the count-up control of the number of copies is performed. The control signal obtained as a result is sent to the initialization counter 42A-'1 and the user counter 42A-'1.
In addition to being supplied to the state controller 42A-4, the state is controlled. Further, the output of the full sensor 42F is manually inputted to the life detection control section 42C, and when the collected toner becomes full, it is detected that the life has expired or an abnormal situation has occurred. The lifespan detection control section 42C detects the lifespan of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in consideration of the output of the user counter 42A-2.

In the copying machine of this embodiment, the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is guaranteed by the number of copies, so it is important for the user and maintenance personnel to know the count value. Therefore, by operating a group of keys 126 arranged on the console panel, which will be described later, the count value display control section 42
H is accessed, and the count values of the user counter 42A-2 and the like are displayed on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1. Further, in the copying machine of this embodiment, the special mode control section 42J can be accessed by operating the key group 126 in a special manner, and in the special mode set thereby, the initialization counter 42A-1 clear,
It is possible to preset the total counter 42A-3 and control the state of the state control section 42A-4.

(2) Structure of Photoreceptor Cartridge FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the photoreceptor cartridge. Black housing 54 of photoreceptor cartridge 51
A handle 81 is attached to the upper part of the handle. Hino handle 8
A cleaning device is arranged below 1. Handle 8
1, a detection piece cover 82 is arranged. This detection piece cover 82 is transparent, and as the toner is collected into the toner collection device 53, the detection piece eventually protrudes from this portion. An optical path is set in the apparatus main body 42 to pass through the detection piece cover 82, and when this optical path is blocked by the detection piece, it is detected that the toner in the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is full. Ru.

FIGS. 3 to 6 are for explaining this principle more specifically.

The toner collection device 53 includes the photoreceptor drum 52 described above,
A cleaning blade 84 for scraping off toner particles adsorbed onto the photosensitive drum 52 and a toner receiver are housed in the housing 54 along with a member 85 and a toner conveying member 86. This housing 54 is
The toner receiver is provided with a member 85 near the toner introduction portion of the toner collection box 89, and integrally includes a supporting portion for the photosensitive drum 52, the cleaning blade 84, and the toner conveying member 86. The toner conveying member 86 is a member having a substantially rectangular cross section, and is adapted to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

Note that the partition wall 87 is provided vertically downward from the upper wall of the photoreceptor car (IJ) 51, and is connected to the toner collection box 8.
It is divided into 9 areas. The toner scraping member 88 is a plate-shaped member whose one end is fixed to the partition wall 87 and scrapes off the toner adhering to the toner conveying member 86.
It is.

The collected toner fullness detection mechanism provided in this toner collection device 53 is a detection piece cover 8 of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.
Optical sensors 91 are placed on both sides of the main body 42 so as to sandwich the main body 42. This optical sensor 91 is composed of a light emitting element 92 and a light receiving element 93. Further, on the photoreceptor cartridge 51 side, there is a float member 95 that moves up and down according to the amount of toner 94 in the toner collection box 89, and a detection piece 96 that is erected on the float member 95 in correspondence with the detection piece cover 82. - is placed.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the float member 95 is made of ABS resin or the like and is formed into a substantially rectangular plate shape. The float member 95 is a frequently used latent image forming area on the photoreceptor drum 52 (for example, Japanese Industrial Standard A).
The area corresponding to the paper size in column No. 4) is arranged corresponding to M.

And the dimensions of the float member 95 in the longitudinal direction (in the axial direction of the photoreceptor drum)! are set according to the paper size of No. 4 in row A (hereinafter simply referred to as A4 size), and the width direction of the float member 95 (the diameter dimension β2 of the photoreceptor drum) is
It is set approximately corresponding to the widthwise dimension l of the toner collection box 89. Both sides of the float member 95 in the longitudinal direction are provided with flexible sheets 98 (specifically, 98a and 98b).
The toner collection box 89 is suspended and supported via the upper part of the toner collection box 89. This float member 95 moves up and down together with the flexible sheet 98.

In this embodiment, the flexible sheet 98 has a thickness of, for example, 25μ.
It is composed of a polyethylene terephthalate film or a polypropylene film of 500 mm, and has bent portions 10 at its upper and lower ends.
1.102.

One bent portion 101 is fixed to the upper inner wall of the toner collection box 89 with double-sided tape, and the other bent portion 10
2 is similarly fixed to both ends of the float member 95 in the longitudinal direction with double-sided tape.

Further, two sets of optical sensors 91 each including a light emitting element 92 and a light receiving element 93 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. The detection piece 96 is provided corresponding to the position of the center line 104 (FIG. 6) of the latent image forming area M,
For example, it is made of a non-transparent black material such as ABS fit resin.

The tip of the detection piece 96 is formed with a step shape, and the length dimension up to the high step portion 105 is the same as that of one optical sensor 91a, with the position of the float member 95 when the collected toner reserve is almost full. It is set to block the optical path. Further, the dimension reaching the low step portion 106 is set so as to block the optical path of the other vertical sensor 91b with reference to the position of the float member 95 when the amount of collected toner is full.

Note that the step dimension d between the high step portion 105 and the low step portion 106 is determined by the amount of toner collected in one copying operation, the speed of the copying operation, and the rise of the float member 95 that is pushed up according to the amount of collected toner. An appropriate selection may be made in consideration of various circumstances such as the speed and monthly scheduled commands of this copying machine.The recovered toner fullness detection mechanism as described above operates as follows.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the photosensitive drum 5
It is assumed that the residual toner on 2 has been scraped off by the cleaning blade 84 and the toner receiver has fallen onto the member 85. The toner on the toner receiver member 85 is collected into a toner collection box 89 via a toner transport member 86. At this time, the toner in the toner collection box 89 gradually rises, and after a certain period of time, the upper surface of the toner 94 comes into contact with the lower surface of the float member 95. Thereafter, as the toner 94 further rises, the float member 95 follows it and rises as shown by the imaginary lines in FIGS. 3 and 4. Finally, the upper part of the detection piece 96 enters into the transparent detection piece cover 82. After this, the detection piece 96 also rises as the float member 95 rises, and at a certain point, the high step part 105 of the detection piece moves to one optical sensor 9.
This will block the optical path of 1a. Then, the optical sensor 9
The output of 1a changes from H level to L level, and a warning lamp consisting of a light emitting diode or the like on the console panel (shown later) in the copying machine main body 42 flashes, alerting the operator that the amount of collected toner is approaching full. Warn the octopus.

Thereafter, the amount of collected toner increases further, and when it reaches a full state, the low step portion 106 of the detection piece blocks the optical path of the other optical sensor 91b. Then, the output of the optical sensor 91b changes from the H level to the L level, and the copying machine main body 42 side recognizes that the toner 94 is full. In the full state, a warning lamp consisting of a light emitting diode or the like on the console panel in the copying machine main body 42 lights up continuously to indicate to the operator that the amount of collected toner is full. In this state, the copying machine of this embodiment is prohibited from performing new copying operations. This is to prevent the toner 94 from overflowing from the toner collection box 89 and contaminating the inside of the copying machine, or contaminating the cleaning blade 84, thereby causing defects in the cleaning operation.

It is conceivable that some floating toner in the toner collection box 89 may adhere to the inner wall surface of the transparent detection piece cover 82 during the toner fullness detection operation as described above. Even in such a case, if the absolute zero level of the stepwise fullness detection signal of the toner 94 in the optical sensor 91 is adjusted in advance, it is possible to effectively prevent such malfunctions in detecting the full state due to attached toner powder. can be avoided.

Next, let us consider a case where this copying machine performs a copying operation on a frequently used sheet of paper that is smaller than the maximum original size of the copying machine, for example, an A4 size sheet. In this case, the substantial latent image forming area M on the photosensitive drum 52 becomes narrower than the maximum latent image forming area M□8. The copying machine of this embodiment does not have an erasing device for removing unnecessary latent images on the photosensitive drum 52.
If a copying operation is performed with the platen cover 44 shown in the figure open, the area outside the substantial latent image forming area M will be developed as "black". In such a case, the residual toner corresponding to this solid black will be collected in the toner collection box 89. At this time, the amount of toner collected in the above-mentioned outer portion becomes larger than the amount in the substantial latent image forming area M. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the toner 94' located on the outside reaches the freely suspended position of the float member 95 more quickly.

However, since the float member 95 is not disposed facing the outside of the latent image forming area M, the collected toner 94
', the float member 95 does not rise directly, and also does not become extremely tilted. Also,
The float member 95 is configured to have a certain size corresponding to the latent image forming area M. Therefore, this area M
Even if a local deviation in toner distribution occurs within the float member 95, its own weight acts to disperse the toner 94 around the float member 95. As a result, the float member 95 follows only the toner 94 corresponding to the substantial latent image forming area M and sequentially rises approximately in parallel, so that the point in time when the full state is reached can be accurately detected. .

Returning to FIG. 2, the explanation will continue.

An elongated convex portion is arranged on the upper surface of the housing 54 to which the handle 81 is attached, and the control glycides 111 of the scorotron are arranged in a line at the top of this portion. In conventional copying machines, a corotron wire is placed directly opposite a photoreceptor to perform charging. With this, if the corotron wire deteriorates or the shield that surrounds the corotron wire and is arranged in a U-shaped cross section becomes dirty, the charge flowing into the photoreceptor will change in the direction in which the corotron wire is stretched. , fogging is likely to occur due to uneven charging. Since the scorotron has a grid placed between the corotron wire and the photoreceptor, it is characterized by being less likely to cause uneven charging of the photoreceptor. Although the wire to which the high voltage of the scorotron is applied is not shown, it is arranged on the copying machine main body 42 side.

A slit-shaped opening 112 is arranged near the control grid 111 of the scorotron. The light beam reflected by the fixed mirror 49 in FIG. 1 (B) enters the inside of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 through this opening 112, and the photoreceptor drum 51 is partially exposed at the bottom of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in this figure. An optical image is formed in a slit shape at the exposure position 52 (the upper position (not shown) of the photoreceptor drum).Two rails 114 are arranged at a predetermined interval on the side of the housing 54 of the photoreceptor cartridge. These rails 114 are used for mounting the photoreceptor cartridge 51 on the copying machine main body 42 along a guide rail (not shown) and fixing it at a prescribed position.

A rectangular cover 115 is attached to a lid-shaped member disposed on the front side of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a board 120 with two fuses 117 and 118 and a resistor 119 mounted thereon is disposed within the cover. 2 fuses 117
．． Reference numeral 118 is for setting the lifespan of the photoreceptor cartridge 51, and although not shown, one terminal of these terminals is commonly connected. As the copying process progresses, the apparatus main body 42 counts the number of copies, and these fuses 117 and 118 are, in principle, fused under the following conditions. In addition, Fuyuzu 117.11
The element 8 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and for example, a fuse element in which a fuse material is encapsulated in a polycarbonate resin may be used. When such an element is used, since the fuse material is not exposed, it is possible to prevent the fuse from being blown and easily connected with another wire.

(a) First fuse 117: 99th copy.

(b) The 16,000th sheet since the second fuse 118 and the first fuse 117 were fused.

That is, the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 progresses in stages depending on the blown state of the two fuses 117 and 118. Then, at the time when the second fuse 118 is blown, the first life of the photoreceptor IJ edge 51 comes to an end. Here, the first life is the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.
This is the lifespan with guaranteed quality. This first
Before the life of the photoreceptor drum 5 is reached, the photoreceptor drum 5 is
If the quality of No. 2 deteriorates below the specified value or an excessive amount of toner is collected in the cleaning device 53 shown in Fig. In order to substantially ensure the first lifespan, measures are taken such as replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51 free of charge.This is to ensure the user's profit for the purchased consumable parts.

When the first life reaches the end without such a situation occurring, - the copying machine displays a message prompting replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51. However, even after this, the photoconductor car)
The IJ edge 51 can be used without any quality guarantee.

Then, when the final lifespan reaches the 18,000th copy, which is approximately 15% more than the number of copies since the first fuse 117 was blown, the copying operation is continued unless the photoconductor cartridge 51 is replaced. become unable to do anything. However, regarding this final life, a maximum of 98 sheets is allowed to be exceeded. This means that, for example, the previous copy operation was performed after the first fuse 83 was blown.
This assumes that when the copying process ends with the ninth copy, the operator specifies continuous copying of 99 copies as the maximum number of continuous copies for this copying machine as the next copying operation. In other words, in this case, when one copy is made, the first
This will be the 18,000th copy since the fuse 117 was blown, and the purpose is to ensure continuous copying operations even at this time.

In addition, in the example, 2.
Although fuses 117 and 118 are used, the lifespan of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 can be managed more precisely by using three or more fuses. Furthermore, any element other than the fuse may be used as well, as long as it is an element that interrupts the circuit or changes the characteristics of the circuit in a stepwise manner in response to overcurrent or overvoltage. For example, it is also possible to use semiconductor elements such as diodes and transistors.

In FIG. 2, a 6-bin connector (see FIG. 8) is arranged in a member (not shown) located on the back side of the photoreceptor cartridge 5J. This connector selectively supplies a signal for setting the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 to the two fuses 117 and 118 of the photoreceptor cartridge 51,
It is used to transmit the resistance value 121 of the resistor, which is set in advance to a predetermined value, to the apparatus main body 42 in order to determine whether the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is correct.

(3) Identification of photoreceptor cartridge Here, identification of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 will be explained in more detail.

FIG. 8 shows the circuit configuration of a control board on the apparatus main body 42 side that is connected to the 6-pin connector of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 described above. This control board is equipped with 12 single-chip CPUs (central processing units). The CPU 21 is connected to the following units via a bus 122 such as a data bus.

(i) ROMI 23: This is a read-only memory that stores various control programs by the CPU 121.

(ii) RAMI 24: Random access memory for temporarily storing various data, backed up by a battery.

(iii) Display section 125: disposed on the console panel 128 shown in FIG.
There is a 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 capable of displaying numerical digits and some alphabets, a ready lamp 125-2, and the like.

(iv) Key group 126: Numeric keys and various key switches arranged on the console panel 128.

(v) Input port 127: A port for inputting detection signals from various sensors of this copying machine.

(vi) Output port) 129: A port for outputting control signals for controlling each part of the copying machine.

In addition, the output side of the buffer amplifier 131 is connected to the input terminal (A/D) for analog/digital conversion of the CPU 121, and the output side of the buffer amplifier 131 is connected in series to the input terminal.
Two resistors 132 with one end connected to the power supply VCC
．． The other end of 133 is connected. These resistors 13
2. The connection point of 133 is the 6-pin connector 134 described above.
It is connected to one end of the resistor 119 shown in FIG. 7 through one connection 135-1 of the resistor 119 shown in FIG.

The other end of the resistor 119 is grounded on the device main body 42 side via the other connection part 1-35-2 of the 6-pin connector 134. Therefore, the voltage divided by this resistor 119 and the resistor 132 on the device main body side is input to the buffer amplifier 131 via the resistor 133.

The other two pins of the 6-pin connector 134 are connected to one terminal of each of the first and second fuses 117 and 118, and the remaining two pins are connected to the photoreceptor. It is connected to an erase lamp (not shown) arranged inside the cartridge 51. The erase lamp is used to remove unnecessary portions of the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 52.

Now, if the voltage divided by the resistor 119 and the resistor 132 is Vl, and the resistance values of these resistors 119 and 132 are Rats % RI32, then the voltage Vi, is expressed by equation (1). .

The CPU 121 uses this divided voltage Vll as RO.
It is compared with the voltage classification stored in advance in M123.

FIG. 10 shows the content of this comparison work.

First, the CPU 121 uses the voltage Vln as the power supply V. Check whether it is almost the same as that of 0 (step ■)
. If they are the same, (Y), ? Display 'J3' on segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (
Step ■). Here, the display “J3” means resistor 1
This means that the resistance value of 19 is infinite. Therefore, cases where "J3" is displayed include cases where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is not loaded, and cases where a non-standard cartridge is loaded and the connector is not connected.

On the other hand, in step ■, the voltage V l n is the power supply VC
If it is determined that the voltage V I h is not approximately the same value as that of the power supply VCC, a check is made to see if the voltage V I h is approximately half the voltage of the power supply VCC (step 2). However, this assumption is based on two resistance values R121s RI32
The condition is that the two are approximately equal, as in the case where, for example, is set to IOKΩ. If it is determined in step (2) that the voltage is approximately half (Y), it means that the resistor 119 having an appropriate resistance value is attached to the photoreceptor cartridge 51. On the other hand, if the resistance value is different from this, there is a possibility that a cartridge prepared for another developing type or a cartridge prepared for another model has been installed by mistake. Therefore, in this case (step ■; N), eight "J8" lines are displayed on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (step ■), and when the operator sees the display of "j8", the correct photoconductor cartridge is selected. 51 to the copying machine body 42
It will be installed on.

FIG. 11 shows operations related to an operation for starting a copy operation.

The CPU 121 monitors whether the current state of the copying machine allows copying (step ■).
. If the copy is possible, a ready display will be displayed (
Step ■). That is, the green ready lamp 1 placed above the start button 126-1 on the console panel
25-2 lights up continuously. Then, when the start button 126-1 shown in FIG. 9 is pressed (step ■;
Y), the copying operation will start (step ■
). On the other hand, if the state is not copyable (
Step 2; N), the green ready lamp 125-2 flashes, and a message indicating "Please wait" is displayed (Step 2). At the same time, corresponding reasons such as "J3" and "J8" are displayed on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (step 2). In this case, the copying operation itself will be prohibited.

In the copying machine of this embodiment, the resistor 119 is used to determine the suitability of the photoreceptor cartridge 51, but other electrical elements or circuits such as a capacitor or a code generator are used to determine the characteristics. Similar control is possible by depositing matches.

(4) Control of blowing out fuses Next, control of blowing out two fuses 117 and 118 as cutoff switches arranged in the photoreceptor cartridge 51 will be specifically explained.

FIG. 12 shows a circuit portion related to the first fuse 117.

Now, the first
One end of the fuse 117 is connected to the power supply VCC supplied from the device main body 42 via the 6-bin connector 134. The other end of the first fuse 117 is connected to a resistor 142 on the device main body 42 side via a 6-bin connector 134.
It is connected to the. The emitter of transistor 141 is grounded, and the conductor is connected to the output side of inverter 144 via another resistor 143. This inverter 14
An output port 129 is connected to the input end of 4. This output port 129 is connected to the bus 1 as explained in FIG.
It is connected to the CPU 121 via 22. Further, the collector of the transistor 141 is connected to a resistor 142 , and one side thereof is connected to the human-powered boat 127 and grounded via a resistor 145 . transistor 14
A cartridge state detection signal 147 is transmitted to the line connecting the collector No. 1 and the human-powered boat 127, and a fuse blowing signal 148 is transmitted to the line connecting the output port 129 and the inverter 144.

The operation of such a circuit will now be explained.

The photoreceptor cartridge 51 shown in FIG. 2 is replaced by opening a cover (not shown) of the copying machine and turning off an interlock switch (not shown).

When the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced in this way and the cover is closed, the interlock switch is turned on again. As shown in FIG. 13a, the power supply V starts from time t1 when the main switch of the copying machine body 42 is turned on. C stands up.

This causes current to flow through the first fuse 117.6 bin connector 134 and resistor 145. 1st
The fuse 117 used has a current rating of several milliamps to several tens of milliamps, and the resistor 145 has a relatively high resistance value so that a current well below this rating flows in relation to the power supply VCC. used.

In this manner, when the first fuse 117 is not blown, that is, when the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is brand new or has made 99 or fewer copies, the collector side of the transistor 141 is at approximately the same potential as the voltage RVcc. It becomes.

That is, the cartridge state detection signal 147 (13th
In FIG. b), the level is H, and data indicating that the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is in the above-mentioned state is supplied to the CPU 121 through the manual boat 127.

As the copying process progresses and the 100th copy is taken from a completely new photoreceptor cartridge 51, at that point t2
Then, the CPU 121 performs control to blow out the first fuse 117. That is, the fuse blowing signal 148 (third C) with a time width T1 is output from the output boat 129, and the transistor 141 is conductive for this time. While the transistor 141 is conducting, the first fuse 11
7 is also grounded through a resistor 142. Here, the time width T is set, for example, to a time width of 5 seconds or less.

Since the resistance value of the resistor 142 is set relatively low, a relatively large current flows for a time T1, and the first fuse 117 blows out. From this blowout time t3, the supply of power VCC to the collector of the transistor 141 is cut off, and the cartridge state detection signal 147 changes to L level.

After this, for example, at time t, the interlock switch is turned on again and the power supply V is turned on. Even if C rises, the cartridge status detection signal 147 remains at L level, so C
The PUI 21 can determine that this photoreceptor cartridge 51 has been used to make at least 99 copies since it was brand new.

The circuit configuration and operation leading to the blowout of the first fuse 117 have been described above. Since the second fuse 118 has a similar circuit configuration, its explanation will be omitted. However, in the case of the second fuse 118, the conditions for blowing out the fuse are different, and it will blow out within the 16,000th sheet or 98th sheet after the first fuse 117 blows.

(5) Life control of the photoreceptor cartridge As has become clear from the above explanation, the copying machine of this embodiment uses the first and second fuses 117 and 118, and by blowing them out, the life is gradually extended. It is set.

For this purpose, two types of counters are provided on the device main body 42 side. The first counter will hereinafter be referred to as the initialize counter, and the second counter will hereinafter be referred to as the user counter. The copying machine main body 42 includes
In addition to this, a counter called a total counter is provided. These three types of counters are electronic counters, and these count values are stored in the RAM shown in Figure 8.
124. The RAM 124 is double backed up for this purpose, ensuring reliability of the count value. This will be explained first.

<5-1) Backup Control FIG. 14 shows a circuit portion that performs backup of the RAM 124.

There are two batteries 151 and 152 with the same characteristics in the main body 42 of the device.
can now be set. The e sides of these batteries 151 and 152 are grounded, and the - sides are commonly connected and connected to one end of a resistor 153. The other end of this resistor 151 is connected to the anode side of a first diode 154. The cathode side of the first diode 154 is connected to the cathode side of the second diode 1550 and the voltage detection circuit 156. second diode 1
The anode side of 55 is connected to the electricity of the copying machine body 42 by two resistors 158 and 159. It is connected to the voltage dividing point 161 which is a partial pressure of 0. In addition, the voltage detection circuit 15
The output side of 6 is connected to the power supply V via a pull-up resistor 162.
. C and is also connected to the input port 127. The human-powered boat 127 uses the CPU shown in Figure 18.
121. The other end of the resistor 153 is
connected to the anode side of the third diode 164;
The cathode side of the diode 164 is the fourth diode 1
65 cathode side and RAM 1240) power supply V o .

It is connected to the. The anode side of the fourth diode 165 has a voltage of 713 tVcc and a capacitor 1 for storing electric charge.
66.

In such a circuit, the two batteries 151 and 152 are managed by a service person such as replacement, and an operator cannot do this.

When the voltages of these batteries 151 and 152 approach the minimum allowable value, the output side of the voltage detection circuit 156 is grounded, and otherwise maintains the H level. That is, when the output voltage of the batteries 151 and 152 is sufficient, an H level signal is supplied to the input port, and when the output voltage falls below a sufficient value, this changes to L level. The CPU 121 (Fig. 8) is
When an L level signal is detected, a specific symbol will be displayed on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (see FIG. 8) to remind you to replace the battery. When replacing the batteries, the serviceman first replaces one of the two batteries 151 and 152 with a new battery, and backup of the RAM 124 is guaranteed even when the replacement is performed.

Incidentally, in the circuit shown in FIG. 14, the voltage detection circuit 156 itself constituted by, for example, an integrated circuit is supplied with power by batteries 151 and 152. Therefore, if the voltage supplied by these batteries 151S and 152 decreases to some extent, the operation of the voltage detection circuit 156 itself is no longer guaranteed, and as a result, a situation may occur in which a warning for battery replacement is not issued. Therefore, in the copying machine of this embodiment, the power supply V is always on when the copying machine main body 42 is in operation. Using C, partial pressure point 161
A voltage that can at least operate this voltage detection circuit 156 is created. And two batteries 151.15
2, if the output voltage drops to an insufficient level, the second diode 155 is turned on to ensure that the output voltage of the battery 15LI52 decreases while maintaining the normal operation of the voltage detection circuit 156. The information is transmitted to the CPU 121. The reason why the voltage created at the voltage dividing point 161 is set low is to ensure that the battery replacement is requested in this state where the voltage of the batteries 151 and 152 has decreased.

(5-2) Counter Control FIG. 15(A) is for explaining the control of three types of counters provided in the main body of the copying machine. First, when the paper is discharged to the outside of the machine by the discharge roll 76 (Figure 1 (B)), the CPU 121 shown in Figure 8 reads the count value T of the total counter from the RAM, which is 999,999. (Step ■) If it is T999.999 (Y), this is the maximum value of this counter, so clear it (step ■)
. If T=999.999 (step ■; N),
Count this up by 1 (step ■).

The total counter is a counter that counts the total amount each time the copying machine makes a copy, so when a copy is ejected, it will unconditionally count up in this way. On the other hand, the initialization counter is a counter that counts up the first 99 sheets when the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is new. In addition, the user counter is a counter that counts after the number of copies exceeds 99, and is essentially a counter that performs counting operations to ensure that the number of copies that the user can copy up to 16,000. be.

The reason why we decided to provide an initialization counter and count 99 copies before counting with the user counter is because the number of copies used by the service person at the time of maintenance/inspection of the copier or when a failure occurs can be counted by the user. This is to prevent it from being included in the number of sheets used. Further, such measures are necessary during adjustment before shipment from the factory. In other words, if a service person or factory personnel brings the unfused photoreceptor cartridges 51 of both the first and second Funnies 117 and 118 and adjusts the copying machine, the count value of the initialization counter will be changed. As long as the number of copies is less than 99, the copying machine does not increment the user counter as will be explained later, thereby protecting the user's interests. Further, when the user sets a new photosensitive cartridge 51 in the copying machine without calling a service person, he or she can actually make as many copies as the number of copies counted by the initialization counter. Moreover, since this is before the user counter counts the number of copies of 16,000, it is an increase in the number of copies within the range of full guarantee, and it is not an increase in the number of copies for the user. It has the meaning of a bonus.

The reason why these counters are electronic counters that use memory elements is that they can be constructed at a lower cost than mechanical counters such as electromagnetic counters, and they do not require special installation space. It is something. In addition, there are two counter counting methods: one in which the user counter starts counting when the initialization counter finishes counting, as in the copying machine of this embodiment; There is a way to match. The latter counting method requires a switching circuit or a selection circuit for selecting which count value of the two counters is to be adopted, which tends to complicate the overall configuration of the counter.

After the total counter is counted up in step (2), the CPU 21 next checks whether the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is of the first type T1 (step (2)). In the copying machine of this embodiment, the photoreceptor cartridges 51 are classified into the following three types.

(a) First type T1: first and second fuse 1
17.118 is uncut.

(b) Second type bottom 2: Only the first fuse 117 is cut.

(c) Third type T3; first and second fuse 1
17.118 is cut.

If the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is not of the first type T1 (N), it is of the second or third type T2 or T3.

In this case, it is considered that the 99 copies prepared for the initial adjustment of the copying machine by a service person, etc. have already been completed, so the amount of photoreceptor cartridge 51 that can be used by the user is counted. It turns out.

Then, the user counter U is counted up by "1" (step ■).

After this, a check is made to see if the currently set photoconductor car (IJ) 51 is of the second type T2 (step ■). If it is the second type T2, then (Y
), the CPU 1.21 reads the count value of the user counter and determines whether it is 16,000 or more (step 2). If it is 16,000 or more (Y), it corresponds to the third type T3. Therefore, in this case, the second fuse process described below is executed (step 2).

Figure 15 (B) shows the step ■ in Figure 15 (A).
This figure shows the state of the second fuse process. In other words, the CPU 121 first determines whether or not the fuse is being inspected (step (B) in FIG. ). On the other hand, if the fuse is not being inspected (N), the fuse blowing signal 148 (the first
3C)) (step ■).

If the above-mentioned time width T1 is set to a time width of, for example, 5 seconds or less, the fuse inspection timer is set to 5 seconds, and this process is terminated (step 2).

Here, the fuse check timer is stored in RAM124 (Fig. 8).
This is a timer configured by a predetermined storage area of .

Returning to FIG. 15(A), the explanation will be continued.

In step ① of FIG. 15(A), the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is
If it is determined that is not the second type T2 (N),
The CPU 121 reads the count value of the user counter, and determines whether this is 18,000 or more (step 2). If it is 18,000 or more (Y), the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 has ended. Therefore, in this case, set the flag "J7" in the RAM 124 and display the 7-segment liquid crystal display 1.
This is displayed in step 25-1 (step (2)), which indicates to the operator that the photoconductor cartridge 51 must be replaced. In addition, after "J7" is displayed,
The new copying process for copiers is photoconductor car) IJudge 5
It will be prohibited unless 1 is replaced.

On the other hand, if the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is determined to be of the first type T1 in step (2), the count value (2) of the initialization counter is incremented by "1" (
Step ■). And after this, this initialize
A check is made to see if the count value (2) of the counter is greater than "100" (step (2)). If it is "100" or more (Y), the first fuse process described next is performed (step 0). If the count value I of the initialization counter has not reached "100", this counting process is ended (end).

FIG. 15(C) shows step 0 in FIG. 15(A).
This figure shows the state of the first fuse process. That is, as in the case of FIG. 15(B), the CPU 121 first determines whether or not the fuse is being inspected.
5 (C) Step ■), if the inspection is in progress (Y), no new processing is performed to avoid duplicate inspection operations (End).

On the other hand, if the fuse is not being inspected (N), the first
time width T to disconnect the fuse 117.

The fuse blowout signal 148 (see 13th C) is generated (step ■). If the above-mentioned time width T1 is set to a time width of, for example, 5 seconds or less, the fuse inspection timer is set to 5 seconds, and this process is terminated (step 2).

(5-3) Fuse inspection after blowing treatment Figure 15 (D) shows the procedure for daytime inspection of the fuses that are carried out after the fuses concerned in Figures 15 (B) and (C) have been cut. It is. As already explained, this is caused by some kind of failure occurring in the fuse blowing circuit (see Figure 12), or by an abnormal situation in which the first or second fuse 117, 118 does not blow at the rated current. This is to deal with the situation when it occurs.

That is, the CPU 121 first determines whether the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is the first type TI (
FIG. 15 (D) Step ■). and the first type T1
If so (Y), this fuse inspection is performed on the first fuse 117, and it is checked whether it is in the disconnected state (step 2). this is,
Cartridge status detection signal 147 (Fig. 12, 13
This can be determined by checking the figure). If the first fuse 117 has not been cut at this point, it means that the fuse has not been cut.

Therefore, in this case, a flag "J7" is set in the RAM 124, and the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125 is displayed.
-1) to display this to the operator (step (2)) to inform the operator that the photoreceptor cartridge 51 must be replaced. After "J7" is displayed, new copying operations by the copier are prohibited unless the photoconductor car (IJ edge 51) is replaced.

On the other hand, if it is confirmed that the first fuse 117 is blown by the check in step (2), (Y)
, the count value I of the initialization counter is “100”.
'' (step ■). Normally, when copying one copy at a time, the maximum count value of the initialization counter is ``99.'' However, if the first When the fuse 117 is blown out for 5 seconds, copies may be made continuously, and in this case, the maximum count value of the initialization counter may become ``100'' or more. be.

In this case (Y), the count value of the user counter is initialized to the value obtained by subtracting "99" from the current count value "I" of the initialize counter (step
). This increases the initial value of the user counter by the amount that the initialize counter exceeds,
This is to accurately manage the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.

After setting the initial value of the user counter, the count value of the initialize counter is cleared (step ■).
, the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is set to the second type T2 (step 2).

On the other hand, if the count value I of the initialization counter is less than "100" in step (2) (N), the count value of the user counter can be simply initialized. Therefore, in this case, the count value U of the user counter is set to "1'" (step 2), and then the process proceeds to step 2, where the count value of the initialization counter is cleared.

By the way, Fig. 15 (after fusing the fuse)
If it is determined that the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is not of the first type TI in step (D) (2) (N), this fuse inspection is performed on the second fuse 118, and is performed in the same manner as described in step (2). Second fuse 118 in the way
A check is made to see if it has been disconnected (step ■). If the second fuse 118 is disconnected (
Y), of course the first fuse 117 must also be blown. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that 16,000 or more copies have been made with this photoconductor cartridge 51, and this is forcibly set in the third type T3, and the process ends (step 0). . In this case, the copier user can still make 2,000 copies if he is willing to sacrifice the quality of the copies.

If the second fuse 118 is not disconnected in step (2), a flag "J7" is set in the RAM 124 and displayed on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (step (2)). In this case as well, new copying operations by the copying machine will be prohibited unless the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced.

(5-4) This (
7) - When the i5 machine is turned on and the photoconductor car) I
Both controls when replacing the J-judge 51 will be explained. In the copying machine of this embodiment, inspection control of the photoreceptor I/J edge 51 is performed in both of these cases.

By the way, it is assumed that the photoreceptor cartridge 51 will be replaced, for example, in the following cases.

(i) When the user counter counts 18,000 sheets for the photoreceptor cartridge 51 and reaches its final lifespan.

(11) Regarding the photoreceptor cartridge 51, the user
When the counter counts 16,000 sheets or more, reaches the end of its quality guaranteed life, and displays a message reminding you to replace it.

(iii) When a service person visits the facility for maintenance/inspection and performs maintenance work on the photoreceptor cartridge 51 that he/she brought with him/her.

(iv) When it is detected that the collected toner is full before the event (i) or (11) occurs for the photoreceptor cartridge 51, and no more copying operations can be performed.

(v) Photoconductor car) When the parts that make up the IJ edge 51 are damaged, it becomes impossible to continue the copying operation or it becomes inappropriate.

(■1) Photoreceptor cartridge 5 mentioned above (ii)
When reusing 1. Even if the user counter counts 16,000 sheets or more and the photoconductor cartridge 51 has already expired, the process continues until the user counter counts 18,000 sheets unless the collected toner is full. can be used.

Therefore, this photoreceptor cartridge 5I is used for copying work in which image quality is not so important, such as for in-house use.

(vj) Exchange due to mistake. For example, when the recording color is changed, the photosensitive cartridge 51 is replaced at the same time as the toner cartridge 57 is replaced.

FIG. 16(A) shows an overview of control both when the ii power source of the copying machine is turned on and when the photoreceptor cartridge is replaced.

To replace the photoconductor cartridge 51, use the 6-bin connector 13.
4 (see FIG. 8) can be detected on the CPLI 121 (also see FIG. 8) side by turning on and off a pin folded back with a jumper wire (not shown). In this manner, in a state in which replacement of the photoconductor cartridge 51 is detected or in a state in which the copying machine is powered on, the CPU 121 checks whether the current fuse inspection has been performed (step ■).
, If the inspection has been completed (Y), the process described below is performed.

FIG. 16(B) shows the process when replacing the photoreceptor car (IJ) after the fuse inspection is completed. In this process, the CPU 121 first controls the second fuse 118.
A change in the potential on the collector side of the transistor corresponding to Figure (B) Step ■).

If the second fuse 118 is on (Y), the photoconductor cartridge 51 currently set in the copying machine main body 42
is the first or second type T1, second. Therefore, the CPU 21 similarly determines whether or not the first fuse 117 is on (step ①).
). If the first fuse 117 is also on (Y), a check operation is executed when the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is set, which will be explained in detail next.
Step ■). On the other hand, if the first fuse 117 is off (step ■; N), a check operation is executed when a second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is set, which will be explained in detail later. ■).

On the other hand, if the second fuse is off in step ① of FIG. 16(B) (N), then the first fuse 11
A check is made to see if 7 is on (step ■). If the first fuse 117 is also off (Y),
(The third type T3 photoreceptor car will be explained in detail later)
A check operation is executed when the IJ edge 51 is set (step ■). On the other hand, if the first fuse 117 is male, a "J8" flag indicating an illegal state is set in a predetermined area of the RAM 124, since such a case cannot be assumed theoretically. (Step ■) Note that, as explained in FIG. 10, the "J8" flag is
It is also set when the resistance value of the resistor 119 on the side is not a specified value, and a display is displayed to prompt the replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.

Figure 17 shows the first step shown in step ■ in Figure 16 (B).
This figure shows the checking operation when a type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is set.

First, the CPU 21 reads data regarding the type of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 from the RAM 124, and determines whether the previous photoreceptor cartridge 51 is the second type T2 or the third type.
It is determined whether or not it is of type T3 (step ■). As a result, if the previously set photoreceptor cartridge 51 is not of any of these types (N), the process moves to step (2). Then, in the next step (2), the data is rewritten to the first type T1 as the determination result for the photoreceptor cartridge 51 after replacement.

On the other hand, the photoconductor cartridge 51 before replacement is the first one.
If it is of type TI, step ■;Y
), it is checked whether the "J9" flag is set in the RAM 124 (step -). J9" flag is set (Y), it indicates that the collected toner is full even though the count value of the user counter is less than 16,000. This indicates that the collected toner is full. This means that the photoconductor cartridge 51 can no longer be used because the guaranteed number of copies has not been reached, and we will replace it with a new one, refund the fee depending on the degree of use, or arrange for a new one at a lower price. In any case, in this case, a new photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed. Therefore, in this case, if the clear prohibition flag of the initialization counter is off (step ■; Y), clear the contents of the initialize counter (step ■), set a flag that prohibits clearing this counter again (step ■), and then “J9”
The flag is cleared in step (2), and in the next step (2), the data is rewritten to the first type TI as the determination result for the photoreceptor cartridge 51 after replacement.

After this, the replacement indicator lamp 17 of the photoreceptor cartridge 51
1 (Figure 9) will be turned off (step ■). If the clear prohibition flag of the initialize counter is on (step ■; N), the process immediately proceeds to step ■ without proceeding to step ■.

The replacement indicator lamp 171 is a yellow light emitting diode, which starts blinking when the user counter counts 16,000 sheets or more, and when it reaches 18,000 sheets,
Alternatively, when it is detected that the collected toner is full, the light is continuously lit under any of the following conditions.

(i) When the set number of copies have been completed and a series of copy operations (copy cycle) has been completed.

(ii) When the power of the copying machine is turned on, or when the interlock circuit becomes a closed circuit again by opening the cover (not shown) of the copying machine main body 42 and returning it to its original state.

If the "J9" flag is not set at step (2) in FIG. 17 (N), it is determined whether the "J7" flag is set (step (2)).

If the "J7" flag is set, one of the following applies.

(i) When the user counter reaches 18,000 or more.

(ii) When the user counter is less than 18,000 but more than 16,000 and the collected toner is full.

J7" flag is set (Y), similarly proceed to step ■, and if clearing of the initialization counter is not prohibited (Y), clear it (step ■). Then, clear it again. After setting the flag for prohibiting (step ■), clear the "J7" flag (step ■). - Then, in the next step ■, the first The data is rewritten to type Tl, and if the replacement indicator lamp 171 is lit or blinking, it is turned off (step 2).

If the "J7" flag is not set in step ■ in Figure 17, (N) "Immediate J7 (I J
7) A check is made to see if the "Immediate J7" flag is set (step ■). Here, the "Immediate J7" flag is set to the first value when the user counter indicates a count value of less than 16,000. Photoreceptor cartridge 51 of type TI or second type T2 to third type T3
It stands when it is replaced. If the "Immediate J7" flag is set (Y), proceed to step ■, and after clearing the initialize counter as necessary, the 'Immediate J7' flag is cleared (
Step ■).

Further, if the "immediate J7" flag is not set at step 0, the process directly proceeds to step (2).

Note that Table 1 below shows the contents of the "J" codes that have appeared above all at once for confirmation.

Table 1, Figure 18 shows the second step shown in step ■ in Figure 16 (B).
This figure shows the checking operation when setting the IJ edge 51 (type T2 photoconductor car).

When the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed, the CPU 121 first checks whether the "J7" flag is on (step 2). “J
When the "J7" flag is off (step ■; N), a check is made to see if the user counter indicates 18,000 or more (step ■).This is because the "J7" flag is on. If a new photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed in the copying machine main body 42 even if the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is old, this flag will be turned off, so check the user counter assuming that an old type photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed after this. Therefore, if the user counter is determined to be 18,000 or more in step (2) (Y), the replacement indicator lamp 171 (FIG. 9) of the g-light cartridge 51 is turned on (step ■) After setting to display "J7" on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 (step ■), "J7" is displayed again.
Turn on the flag (step ■).

On the other hand, in step ■, the user counter is 10,080.
If it is less than 1,000, the replacement indicator lamp 171 is turned off (step (2)), and the "J9" flag is cleared (step (2)). The "immediate J7" flag is also cleared (step (2)), and then the data is rewritten to the second type T2 (step (2)).

If the "J7" flag is on in step ■ (Y),
Settings are made to display "j7" on the 7-segment liquid crystal display 1251 (step ■). This is in this case the photoreceptor cartridge 5 of the first type T1.
This is because only exchange to 1 was allowed.

Figure 19 shows the third step shown in step ■ in Figure 16 (B).
This figure shows the checking operation when a type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is set.

When the third type T3 photosensitive cartridge 51 is installed, the CPU 121 first checks whether the "J7" flag is on (step G). “J
7" flag is off (step ■: N), a check is made to see if the "immediate J7" flag is on (step ■). If this flag is on, (Y ), the user counter is 1
Although the count value is less than 16,000,
The third type T3 showing a count value of 6,000 or more
This means that the photoreceptor cartridge 51 has been installed. Therefore, the lifespan of the installed photoconductor cartridge 51 cannot be managed, so the CPU 121
Turn on the display! Then (step ①), replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is requested, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the "immediate J7" flag is determined to be off in step (2), a check is made to see if the "J9" flag is set (step (2)). "J9"
If the flag is set, it indicates that the collected toner is full even though the count value of the user counter is less than 16,000. Therefore, in this case as well, the "J7" display is turned on (step ■). Also,
At the same time, turn on the "Immediate J7" flag (step ■), and clear the "J9" flag itself (
Step ■). If the previously installed photoreceptor cartridge 51 is of the first or second type T1 or T2,
The exchange sub-process explained in the next FIG. 20 is performed (step 2).

If the "J7" flag is on, jt(Y) turns on the "j7" display and ends the process. This is due to the same reason as explained in step (2) of FIG.

FIG. 20 shows the contents of the exchange sub-process.

In this case, the CPU 121 first checks whether the count value of the user counter is less than 18,000 (
Step ■). If it is 18,000 or more (N), this photoreceptor force stringer 51 cannot be used, so the replacement indicator lamp 171 is turned on (step 2). Further, after setting the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 to display "J7" (step (2)), the "J7" flag is turned on (step (2)).

In contrast, the count value of the user counter is 10,080.
If it is less than 1,000, a check is made to see if it is 16,000 or more (step ■). If it is 16,000 or more (Y), the data is rewritten as the third type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51 (step ■).
. If the count value of the user counter is less than 16,000 (step ■: N), the collected toner is full.
Therefore, after turning on the replacement indicator lamp 171 (step ■) and setting the 7-segment liquid crystal display 125-1 to display "J7" (step ■), ″ flag will be turned on (step ■).

Returning to FIG. 16(A), the explanation will be continued.

If it is determined that the fuse inspection has not yet been completed in step (2) of FIG. 16 (A) (Y), the CPU 121
First, check if the fuse is being inspected.
6(A) Step 2), if the inspection is in progress (Y), no new processing is performed as already explained in FIG. 15(B) (End). If the fuse is not being inspected (N), C
The PUI 21 checks the current count value I of the initialization counter of the copying machine main body 42 and determines whether the photosensitive cartridge 5I was of the first type Tl just before (step 2). As a result, if it was the first type T1 immediately before, a check is made to see if the count value I of the initialization counter is greater than "100" (step 2). If it is not more than "100", it is within the normal value range, and the fuse inspection ends (end).

On the other hand, if the count value I of the initialize counter is determined to be "100" or more (Y), the first
It is checked whether the second fuses 117 and 118 are both unbroken (step 2). If it had been disconnected, it would not have been impossible to disconnect the fuse (N), - the fuse inspection would have ended (
end). If both are not disconnected (Y),
The first fuse process is executed (step ■; 15th
Figure (C)). That is, the first fuse 117 is blown out, and then a fuse inspection is performed in FIG. 15(D). Then, for some reason, the first fuse 11
7 is not fused, the operation of the copying machine is prohibited.

An example of such a case will be given below. When the count value I of the initialize counter exceeds "99", a current flows through the first fuse 117 of a certain photoreceptor cartridge 51, but the first fuse 117 is a defective product and is not blown. shall be taken as a thing. In this case, the copying machine displays "J7" during the fuse inspection after the first fuse processing and stops its operation. If the operator replaces this photoreceptor cartridge 51 with a new one, the image shown in FIG. 16 (
A> Since the first fuse 117 is not cut in step (2), the fuse inspection is completed and the copying machine is ready to make copies. On the other hand, even if the operator reinstalls the photoreceptor cartridge 51 equipped with the defective first fuse 117 into the copying machine main body 42, the first fuse processing (FIG. 15(C)) The operation of the copying machine is again prohibited.

Returning to step (2) in FIG. 16(A), the explanation will be continued. If the photoreceptor cartridge 51 has been determined to be of the second type T2 or the third type T3 in this step (2) (N), the count value of the user counter is 10,066.
It is determined whether the number exceeds 1,000 (step ■
). If it is less than 16,000 (N), there is no need to cut the fuse, so the fuse inspection ends (End).
.

On the other hand, if the count value of the user counter is 16,000 or more, the second fuse process is executed (step 2; FIG. 15(B)). That is, the second fuse 118 is blown out, and then a fuse inspection is performed in FIG. 15(D). - If the second fuse 118 does not blow out for some reason,
Copying machines will be prohibited from operating. Also in this case,
An example similar to the first fuse 117 described above can be given. That is, after the second fuse 118 is blown out for the photoreceptor cartridge 51 after replacement or the like:
The presence or absence of a fuse is checked, and if it is determined that there is no fuse, the copying machine displays "J7" and prohibits its operation.

(5-5) Detailed method of cartridge replacement describes the case of replacing each type of cartridge. These are specific descriptions of the controls within each of the previously described flowcharts.

(5-5-1) Processing other than the predetermined J display FIG. 21 shows that the photoconductor cartridge 51 is This shows a case where an exchange is performed.

Although it is usually difficult to imagine such a case, there are cases where replacement is done due to a mistake, and even in such cases, the quality assurance of the photoreceptor cartridge 51, the user and the car)
There is a need to balance the interests of hedge suppliers.

In this figure, OLD→N E 11" in the leftmost line indicates the previous type of photoreceptor cartridge 51 and the type installed this time, and the T below it
-1 refers to the first type T1 in the photoreceptor cartridge 51, T-2 (or second type T2, and T-3).
and represent the third type T3, respectively.

(A> First, we will explain the case where the first type Tl is changed to the first type T1. There is a case where the same photoreceptor cartridge 5I of the first type TI is removed once and then reinstalled. This is an example. In such a case, the initialization counter will continue counting from the count value before the exchange. Therefore, if the count value of the initialization counter at the time of exchange is, for example, 99 sheets, 1 The first type TI will transition to the second type T2 when a copy is made.
There is no change in the fact that 1,000 copies are guaranteed and there is no disadvantage. from the first type TI to the first
When changing to type T1, the count value of the replaced new photoreceptor cartridge 51 is the first type T1, and the user counter itself has stopped counting.

(B) Next, the case where the first type T1 is replaced with the second type T2 will be explained.

(1) First, if the user counter has a count value of less than 16,000 sheets, it matches the count value range of the currently installed second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51. . Therefore, in this case, since the cartridge is adaptable, the user counter continues counting.

(11) Next, the case where the count value of the user counter at the time of replacement is 16,000 or more and less than 18,000 will be described. In this case, the number of used sheets of the attached photoreceptor cartridge 51 is lower than this count value. However, the actual count value of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 cannot be known in the case of the apparatus of this embodiment. Therefore, if this is assumed to be 8,000 sheets, which is half of 16,000 sheets, for example, if the number is actually higher than this, the quality of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 will continue until the count value reaches 16,000 sheets. It becomes impossible to fully guarantee the Therefore, in this case, from the perspective of prioritizing quality assurance, we decided to set the count value to 1 in 16,000 schools. That is,
If the user counter on the device main body 42 side indicates 16,000 copies or more in relation to the past count value after copying one copy, the second fuse 118
This causes the replacement indicator lamp 171 to blink, indicating that it is time for replacement.

However, blowing out the second fuse 118 means transferring the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of the second type T2 to the third type T3, which may harm the user's interests. Therefore, when the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is simply installed, the second fuse 118 is not blown out, and the cartridge 51 is replaced again with the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51, which can be used originally. I'm trying to give myself room to do what I can. That is, in this example, although the user can continue to use the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 without any problems, the user changes to the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge halfway through. Therefore, although the user's benefits are preserved when changing to the original first type T1, if a copy operation is performed after changing to the second type T2,
The decision was made to limit the benefits to users from the perspective of quality assurance. Of course, in the copying machine of this embodiment, when the second fuse 118 is blown, the copying operation is executed.
However, it is also possible to provide some kind of warning display to the user.

(iii) Finally, the case where the count value of the user counter at the time of exchange is 18,000 or more will be explained. In this case, the user counter is not counted. In this case, "J7" occurs, and the user is requested to replace the photoreceptor cartridge 51. Of course, since the copying operation itself is not performed, the second type T2
The photoreceptor cartridge 51 is not changed to the third type T3. In this example, the user only has to replace the original photoconductor cartridge 51 of the first type T1, and replace the photoconductor cartridge 51 of the second type T2.
There is no need to insist on using .

(C) Next, the case where the first type TI is replaced with the third type T3 will be explained.

(i) If the count value of the user counter at the time of replacement is less than 16,000, both the initialize counter and the user counter are held.

In the case of the third type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51, the number of copies should already be 16,000 or more, so this is to prevent a situation where a number of copies whose quality cannot be guaranteed are made. Therefore, in this case, "Emizo Eight J7" occurs.

(11) If the count value of the user counter at the time of replacement is 16,000 or more and less than 18,000, the type is compatible with the currently installed third type T3 photoconductor cartridge 51. . So, in this case, the user counter can continue counting. However, 1
Since the quality cannot be guaranteed for more than 6,000 sheets, the replacement indicator lamp 171 flashes to remind you to replace the photoconductor IJ edge 51.

(iii) If the count value of the user counter at the time of exchange is 18,000 or more, the user counter is not counted. In this case, "J7" occurs, and the user is requested to replace the photoreceptor cartridge 51. In this example as well, the user can select the original first type TI
There is no need to insist on using the third type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51 whose quality guarantee period has passed.

(D) When changing from the second type T2 to the first type TI, the operation is exactly the same as when changing from the first type Tl to the first type T1.

(E) When changing from the second type T2 to the second type T2, hold the initialization counter,
Continue counting only the user counter.

(F) From second type T2 to third type T3: This corresponds to the case where the initialization counter is held and "immediate J7" occurs as shown in Table 1. Therefore, both the initialize counter and the user counter retain their count values.

(G) When changing from the third type T3 to the first type T1, counting is started from the current value of the initialization counter, and the count value of the user counter is maintained.

(H) If the third type T3 is replaced by the second type T2j, the user counter continues counting. However, even for the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51, it is difficult to know its current count value. Therefore, when one copy is made, the second foucose 118 is cut for confirmation, and the third
The photoreceptor cartridge 51 will be changed to type T3.

(1) When changing from the third type T3 to the third type T3, the initialization counter is not counted, and the user counter continues counting. However, since the third type T3 has been set, the replacement indicator lamp 171 flashes to prompt replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.

(5-5-2) Processing in J9 Occurrence State FIG. 22 shows a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced in the above-described "J9" occurrence state. (Prev, 2) in the leftmost column in this figure
means the two previous type of photoreceptor cartridge 51, and (prev, 1) means the type of photoreceptor cartridge 5.
It means the type before 1.

“NIJ” is the type of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 currently installed.

(A) First, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J9" to the first type TI and then to the second type T2 will be described.

"J9" occurs when, as already explained, the user counter is less than 16,000 sheets and the collected toner is full. This normally occurs with the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of the second type T2.

Now, if the photosensitive cartridge 51 is replaced with the first type TI photoreceptor cartridge 51 in a state where "J9" has occurred, the copying operation can be started. If the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed in this state, the count value is compatible since this corresponds to a user counter of 16,000 sheets or less. Therefore, the user
The counter can continue counting.

By the way, the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of the first type Tl
Theoretically, it can be considered that the collected toner becomes full. However, at this time, the initialization counter is in operation, and the user counter may indicate 16,000 or more. The user counter has a photoreceptor cartridge 51 of the first type T.
This is because it is reset when switching from type 1 to second type T2, and in this state it is completely unknown what value the user counter is indicating.

If the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed with this “J9” occurring, the initialization
Although the counter counts up, the user counter does not change. Therefore, when the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is subsequently installed, the question becomes whether it is compatible with the user counter. This problem is not solved in the top column of FIG. 22, but is related to the replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 from the first type TI to the second type T2 shown in FIG. 21(B). resolved in the field. In other words, the user counter count is divided into three cases: cases where the user counter value is less than 16,000, cases where the value is 16,000 or more and less than 18,000, and cases where the value is 18,000 or more. A decision is made whether to continue or stop, and if necessary, a change to the third type T3 or "J7" will occur.

(B) Next, a case will be described in which the photoconductor car 51 is replaced from "J9" to the first type T1 and then to the third type T3.

If the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced with the first type Tl photoreceptor cartridge 51 in a state where "J9" has occurred, the copying operation can be started. If the third type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed in this state, it means that a cartridge that has been used for 16,000 sheets or more has been installed while the user counter is less than 16,000 sheets. therefore,
If you allow copying in this state, the user counter will increase to 1.
We will no longer be able to guarantee quality until the number of products reaches 6,000,000. Therefore, in this case, not only the initialization counter but also the user counter is in a hold state, and the photoconductor cars of the first type T1 to the third type T3)
If it is replaced with IJ 51, the "Immediate"
J7” occurs.

(C) Next, a case will be described in which the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "j9" to the second type T2 and then to the third type T3.

In this case as well, if copy work is allowed, quality assurance cannot be performed until the user counter reaches 16,000. Therefore, not only the initialization counter but also the user counter is in a hold state, and since the second type T2 is replaced with the third type T3 photosensitive cartridge 5I, "immediate J7" occurs.

(D) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J9" to the first type TI will be described.

This replacement is performed when the collected toner becomes full within the warranty period when the user counter is less than 16,000 sheets. In this case, the most natural form is to replace the cartridge with the first type T1 cartridge.

Now, in this case, since the first type TI photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed, the initialization counter is counted. However, in this case, in order to prevent the warranty period from being unduly extended due to misuse of clearing the initialize counter to zero, the cases where the initialize counter starts counting after being cleared to zero are limited. That is, as the copying process progresses, the photoconductor car) is changed from the first type TI to the second type T2, and then the first "J9"
” occurs, use a new photoconductor cartridge 51.
When it is attached, the initialization counter is cleared to zero and up to 99 "bonus copies" are given to the user, but at this time a flag is set to prohibit clearing it to zero again. If "J9" occurs under conditions other than those described above, the current count value of the initialize counter is incremented.

(E) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J9" to the second type T2 will be described.

Since "J9" occurs when the user counter is less than 16,000 sheets, the count value matches the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 after replacement. Therefore, in this case, a count up is performed from the current count value of the user counter.

(F) Finally, the case where the photoconductor IJ jig 51 is replaced from "J9" to the third type T3 will be described.

In this case, the count value of the user counter and the replaced photoconductor car (IJ edge 51) do not match.

Therefore, the count value of the user counter is held, and "immediate J7" is generated. In this case, the user can simply replace the photosensitive cartridge 51 with the first type TI or the second type T2.

(5-5-3) Processing when IJ7 occurs FIG. 23 shows the process for replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51 when IJ7 occurs.

(A> First, a case in which the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from 'Immediate J7' to the first type TI and then to the second type T2 will be described.

“Immediate J7” is the first or second type T when the count value of the user counter is less than 16,000.
2 photoconductor car) IJ edge 51 to 3rd type T3
Occurs when an exchange is made. Therefore, if the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed after "Immediate J7" occurs, and it is not used or replaced with the second type T2 cartridge 51 while it is being used, the count value is compatible with the occurrence of "immediate j7". Therefore, in this case, the initialization counter is held, but the user counter continues counting from the current count value.

(B) Next, from "Immediate J7" to the first type T1, and then to the third type T3 (photoreceptor car)'
A case where the J-/-ji 51 is replaced will be explained.

In this case, since the third type T3 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is finally installed, the count values are no longer compatible. Therefore, "Immediate J7", which was resolved when the first type Tl photoreceptor cartridge 51 was installed, occurs again, and the installation of another type of cartridge is required.

(C) Next, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "Immediate J7" to the second type T2 and then to the third type T3 will be described.

In this case as well, "Immediate J7" is resolved when the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed. When “Immediate J7” occurs, the first type T1 photoconductor car) IJ is used to release the “Immediate J7”.
The reason why we did not make it a mandatory requirement to install the Edge 51 is because it would be sufficient to restore it to the original condition in case of "Immediate J7" that occurred when replacing the second type T2 with the third type T3. be. However, once the third type of photoreceptor cartridge 51 is finally installed, the situation (B
), and "immediate J7" will occur again.

(D) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "Immediate J7" to the first type TI will be described.

In this case, the handling method is the same as that described in the section (D) regarding the processing in the 39 occurrence state, and the abuse of clearing the initialize counter to zero due to the occurrence of "immediate J7" is prevented. That is, after the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is changed from the first type Tl to the second type T2 as the copying process progresses, the first "immediate"
J7" occurs, the initialization counter is cleared to zero when a new photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed, and up to 99 "bonus copies" are given to the user. A flag is set to prohibit clearing to zero. If "immediate J7" occurs under an O condition other than the above-mentioned conditions, the current count value of the initialization counter is incremented.

(E) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "Immediate J7" to the second type T2 will be described.

“Immediate J7” occurs when the user counter is less than 16,000 sheets, so the second type T after replacement
The count value matches that of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of No. 2.

Therefore, in this case, a count up is performed from the current count value of the user counter.

(F) Finally, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "Immediate J7" to the third type T3 will be described.

In this case, the count value of the user counter and the replaced photoreceptor cartridge 51 do not match.

Therefore, the count value of the user counter is held and "immediate J7" is generated. In this case, the user only needs to replace the photosensitive cartridge 51 with the first type T1 or the second type T2.

(5-5-4) User counter is 18,000 or more 24th
The figure shows the process for replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in J7, which occurs when the user counter reaches 18,000 or more.

"J7" occurs in two cases. One is (i) when the user counter reaches 18,000 or more and it is considered that the photosensitive cartridge 51 has reached the end of its life based on the relationship with the number of copies, and the other is (11) when the user counter reaches 18,000 or more. counter is 1
This is a case where the collected toner becomes full when the amount is more than 16,000 but less than 18,000, and the life is reached based on the relationship with the amount of collected toner. In either case, the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 has expired outside the warranty period, and the user needs to replace the cartridge. Here, (i)
The case (ii) will be explained in the next section.

(A) First, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type T1 and then to the second type T2 will be described.

In this case, since the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 has finally been installed, the initialization counter stops counting. Furthermore, since the user counter has already reached a value of 18,000 or more, even if the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed, the count value will change from "0" to "16,000". I don't know which value to set between. As mentioned above, if the count value is set to half (=8,000) as a compromise in such a case, the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51, which has been used for nearly 16,000 sheets, will be unduly extended. This makes it impossible to guarantee quality. Therefore, in this case, the user counter is not counted up either, and "JT" is generated again.

(B) Next, a case in which the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type TI and then to the third type T3 will be described.

The situation is the same in this case as well, and "J7", which was once released, will be generated again. In the above two cases, the first
Although the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of type T1 exists, the cartridge is replaced again with another type of cartridge. Therefore, the photoreceptor car of the first type TI)
Copying can be started by reinstalling the IJ cartridge 51, and the request for cartridge replacement by displaying "JT" can be said to be a cautionary indication of this.

(C) Next, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type TI will be explained.

In this case, it is possible to deal with the abuse of zero-clearing the initialization counter when J7" occurs. In other words, as the copying process progresses, the photoreceptor cartridge 5
1 is changed from the first type T1 to the second type T2 and the user counter reaches above 10,008-son and the first
When the second "JT" occurs, the initialization counter is cleared to zero when a new photoconductor cartridge 51 is installed, and up to 99 "bonus copies" are made.
is given to the user, but at this time a flag is set to prohibit clearing to zero again. If "j7" occurs under conditions other than those described above, the current count value of the initialize counter is incremented.

(D) Next, a case will be described in which the IJ jig 51 is replaced from "JT" to the second type T2 (photoreceptor car).

In the copier of this embodiment, "JT" is canceled using the first type T.
This is limited to the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of I is attached to the main body 42 of the apparatus. Therefore, in this case, “J
T'' is not released, and replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is continuously required.

(E) Finally, when the IJ jig 51 is replaced (from J7'' to the third type T3), "JT" will continue for the reasons described above.

(5-5-5) JT processing that occurs when the user counter is 1-6,000 or more and the toner is full. This figure shows the process of replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51 in JT, which occurs when the photoreceptor cartridge 51 becomes full.

(A) First, a case in which the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "JT" to the first type TI and then to the second type T2 will be described.

In this case, the user counter is less than 18,000, so
The use of the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is permitted on the condition that it is changed to the third type T3.

This is because, as described above, since the actual usage amount of the second type T2 photoreceptor cartridge 51 is unknown, priority is given to ensuring copy quality and the like.

However, it is a mistake to switch to the third type T3 as soon as the user installs the photoreceptor cartridge 51.
．． Since it is considered that there is a lack of protection for the second fuse 1, it is necessary to use the second fuse 1 on condition that the copying operation is actually performed.
18 will be melted.

As described above, some kind of warning display may be displayed before this.

(B) Next, the case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type TI and further to the second type T2 will be described.

In this case, the count value of the user counter matches the third type T3 after replacement, so the user counter continues counting.

Furthermore, since the third photoreceptor cartridge 51 has been installed, the replacement indicator lamp 171 flashes to prompt replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 51.

(C) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type T1 will be described.

In this case, it is possible to deal with abuse of clearing the initialization counter to zero when "J7" occurs. That is, as the copying process progresses, the photoreceptor cartridge 5
1 is changed from the first type T1 to the second type T2, if the collected toner is full and the first "J7" occurs while the user counter is less than 16,000, the new When the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed, the initialization counter is cleared to zero and up to 99 "bonus copies" are given to the user, but at this time,
Set a flag to prohibit clearing to zero again.

If "J7" occurs under conditions other than the above-mentioned conditions, the current count value of the initialize counter is incremented.

(D) Next, a case where the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the first type T1 will be described.

In this case, it is the same as the case where the user counter exceeds 18,000 and "J7" occurs, and "J7"
is not released, and replacement of the photoreceptor cartridge 5-1 is continuously required.

(E) Finally, when the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced from "J7" to the third type T3, "J7" will continue to be used for the reasons described above.

(5-6) Control logic for replacing the cartridge In order to summarize the above explanation, an outline of the control logic for replacing the photoreceptor cartridge 51 will be explained.

FIG. 26a shows the state of each type of photoreceptor cartridge 51, and FIG. 26a shows the count value of the initialization counter. Further, C in the same figure represents the count value of the user counter, and D in the same figure represents the occurrence state of "J7" or "immediate J7". In this figure, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time.

Now, assume that the first type Tl photoreceptor cartridge 51 is installed in the copying machine at time t11. In this case, the initialization counter is incremented each time a copy is made, and is cleared to "0" at the first copy after the count value reaches "99". At this point, the photoreceptor cartridge 51 transitions from the first type T1 to the second type T2. After this, the initialize counter is
The count value from “0” to “99” is maintained. this is,
If an abnormality occurs in the copying machine during the process, if a serviceman replaces it with the first type T1 photoreceptor cartridge 51 and performs an inspection, the count value of the initialization counter will change accordingly. This is because the count increases.

On the other hand, the user counter is set to 1 at time t11, for example.
Although the value is 18,000, the count-up is not performed as long as the mounted photoreceptor cartridge 51 is of the first type TI. The value of the initialize counter is “99”
When one copy is made at the time ``, the photoreceptor cartridge 51 changes to the second type T2, and the user counter is set to ``1.'' From then on, each time a copy is made, the user counter is It is counted up by 1.

When one copy is made after the value reaches "15.999", the photosensitive cartridge 51 shifts from the second type T2 to the third type T3. The first count value in the third type T3 is “16,000”
This is counted up each time a copy is made.

The count value in the third type T3 is “18,000”
”, “J7” occurs as shown in Figure a. However, during continuous copying, the count value will increase until the copying operation is completed, and the final lifespan will also be substantially within this range. However, the quality of copies taken with this third type T3 is not guaranteed.
When the toner collected in the third type T3 state becomes full, the life of the photoreceptor cartridge 51 has come to an end.

When "J7" occurs, the user replaces the photoreceptor cartridge 51 with a new one. From this time t21, the initialization counter is cleared to zero, and the same control as described above is repeated thereafter.

By the way, the lower part of FIG. 26a shows the manner in which the photoreceptor cartridge 51 is replaced. For example, if the photoreceptor cartridge 51 of the first type T1 is replaced with the second type T2 after only a few minutes have elapsed from time tll, the initialization counter will be in a hold state, and the user counter will be 10,000. If it is 1,000 or more and less than 18,000, it will be counted up. As previously explained with reference to FIG. 2, the control in this case is divided into three types, but only a typical example is shown in FIG.

Another example of replacement in the first type T1 is replacement with the third type T3 shown by the broken line in FIG. Here, the broken lines themselves have no particular meaning, and solid lines and broken lines are used alternately so that individual examples of exchange can be clearly distinguished on the drawing. Even in this example of exchange from the first type T1 to the third type T3, the initialization counter is in a hold state, and the user counter counts up, for example. User counter is 10,060
If the count value is less than 1,000, J7 (not shown in this figure) occurs.

The next two cases showing the case of replacing the second type T2 with the third type T3 are this immediacy) J7
We are dealing with In this example, the count value of the user counter is between "1" and "15,999", so
The user counter is held and immediate J7 is generated.

In the embodiments described above, a photoconductor (IJ) was used as an example of a consumable part of a recording device, but it may also be an integrated product with a toner supply package, a photoconductor only, or a photoconductor. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to consumable parts that do not include the body. Although such consumable parts are limited to copying machines, they can be broadly defined as exposure lamps, scanner units, heat rolls, and funiza units in addition to those listed above, and the relationship between lifespan and quality of these parts can be defined as follows. By setting the price from the following, the purchaser of the device can select the most suitable consumable parts for the usage pattern and achieve the optimal device configuration. Although the embodiments have been described using a copying machine as an example, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other recording devices in general.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the photoreceptor cartridge 51
Although the system is equipped with a mechanism to detect the fullness of collected toner, it is possible to omit this mechanism on the premise that the progress of consumption can be accurately detected, which allows the device to be manufactured at a lower cost. . In this case, the "J9" flag that indicates that the collected toner is full is unnecessary, and the control logic of the apparatus can also be simplified.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained in detail above, according to the invention as claimed in claim 1, after supplying energy for fusing to the fusing elements to determine the stage of wear of the consumable part body, the fusing of these fusing elements is performed. Since we have installed a fusing detection means to determine the presence or absence of a fusing element, it is possible to detect this even if some kind of failure occurs in the fusing circuit or an accident occurs where the conductor becomes entangled in the fusing element. . Therefore, it is possible to eliminate obstacles in managing the progress of wear of consumable parts, and to effectively prevent adverse effects on the recording apparatus due to excessive wear of consumable parts.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, when the fusing determination means determines that fusing has not been performed even though the fusing element has been fusing, the apparatus main body in which the consumable part main body is set operates. Since it is decided to stop the wear of the consumable parts at that point, it is possible to stop the progress of wear of the consumable parts at that point, give a service person an opportunity to inspect the parts, and prevent an adverse effect on the recording device due to an abnormality of the consumable parts.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the invention, even if the recording operation progresses during the fusing operation of the fusing element and the wear of the consumable parts progresses, the progress of the wear is set as the initial value of the second counter. Since we have decided to reflect this, we can make the wear management of consumable parts more reliable. therefore,
Sufficient time can be spent on fusing the fusing element, and if the fusing element meets the specifications, the fusing can be performed reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 (A) is a block diagram showing the relationship between the present invention and a recording device, and Figures 1 (B) to 26 are for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. ) is a schematic configuration diagram of the copying machine, Figure 1 (C) is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of each functional part of this copying machine, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the photoconductor cartridge, and Figure 3 is a toner collection 4 is a sectional view of the device, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main parts showing the support structure of the float member, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the electrical components attached to the board placed inside the photoreceptor cartridge, and FIG. 8 is a circuit of the control board on the device main body side that is connected to the 6-pin connector of the photoreceptor cartridge. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the console panel, FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the method of identifying the photoreceptor cartridge, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of the circuit portion related to the first fuse, FIG. 13 is a timing diagram showing the operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation related to this. 15(A) is a flowchart for explaining the control of three types of counters provided in the main body of the copying machine; FIG. 15(B) is a circuit diagram showing the circuit portion that backs up the RAM; FIG. 15(C) is a flowchart showing the state of the second fuse processing in step (2) in FIG. 15(A), and FIG. 15(C) is a flowchart showing the state of the first fuse processing in step 0 in FIG.
Figure 15 (D) is a flowchart showing the procedure for inspecting the fuses after blowing out the relevant fuses in Figures 15 (B) and (C), and Figure 16 (A) is a flowchart showing the procedure for inspecting the fuses of the copier. Figure 16 (B) is a flowchart showing the outline of the control when the power is turned on and when the photoconductor car is replaced. A flowchart showing an overview of the photoreceptor cartridge replacement process when it is determined that the replacement process has been completed, FIG. 17 shows the first type of photoreceptor cartridge 5 shown in step
A flowchart showing the check operation when setting 1.
Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the check operation when setting the IJ (IJ-judge) of the second type of photoconductor car shown in step ■ in Figure 16, and Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the check operation shown in step ■ in Figure 16. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the check operation when setting the third type of photoreceptor cartridge, FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the contents of the replacement sub-process, and FIG.
An explanatory diagram showing the case where the photoconductor cartridge is replaced without displaying "T", "J9" or "Immediate JT". Figure 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the case where the photoconductor cartridge is replaced in a state where "Immediate JT" has occurred. Figure 24 is an explanatory diagram showing the case where the photoconductor cartridge is replaced. An explanatory diagram showing the case where the photoconductor cartridge is replaced due to "JT" which occurs when the above copying is performed. Figure 25 is an explanatory diagram showing the case where the photoconductor cartridge is replaced due to "JT-" which occurs due to the collected toner being full. Explanatory diagram showing the case where
Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the control logic for replacing the IJ (photoconductor car), and Figs. 27 to 31 explain a conventionally proposed copying machine in which consumable parts can be replaced. Figure 27 is a schematic configuration diagram, Figure 28 is a side view showing the main parts of the process kit,
Fig. 29 is a front view showing the main parts of this process kit, Fig. 30 is a front view showing the installation status of the process kit,
FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the counter used in the proposed device, and FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram showing the main parts of the conventionally proposed recording device. 41...Copy machine, 42.210...Device main body, 42A-1...Initialize counter, 42A-2...User counter, 42
A-4... Status control unit, 42B... Photoconductor cartridge replacement control unit,
42C...Photoconductor cartridge life detection control unit, 42F...Full sensor, 51...Photoconductor cartridge, 52...
- Photosensitive drum, 53... Toner collection device, 7... First fuse, 8... Second fuse, 119... Resistor, l...CPU, 123...RO
M. 4...RAM, 125...Display section, 6
...Key group, 127...Human powered boat,
8...Output port, 4...6 pin connector, ■...Transistor, 2.145...Resistor, 8...Fuse Fusing signal, 1.152...Battery, l...Replacement indicator lamp, 1...Consumable parts, 202...Consumable parts body, 3... ... Fusing element, 210 ... Recording device main body, 1 ... Wearing progress determining means, 2-1 ... First counter, 2-2 ...・・Second counter, 3・・・・・−Circuit for fusing, 4−1・・・・First circuit for fusing, 4‐2・・・・
...Second fusing circuit, 215... Fusing determination means, 216... Operation stop control means. Applicant: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Agent

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A removable consumable part body whose life reaches the end of its life with use; one or more fusing elements disposed to set the state of wear of the consumable part body; and the consumable part body. a wear progress determining means for determining the progress of wear of the consumable part; and a wear progress determining means that operates when it is determined by the wear progress determining means that the wear of the consumable part body has reached a predetermined stage to apply fusing energy to the corresponding fusing element. What is claimed is: 1. A recording device comprising: a fusing circuit to supply; and fusing determination means for determining whether or not a corresponding fusing element is fused after the fusing circuit is activated. 2. A removable consumable part whose life reaches the end of its life with use; one or more fusing elements disposed to set the state of wear of the consumable part; and determining the progress of wear of the consumable part. a fusing circuit that operates to supply fusing energy to a corresponding fusing element when the wear progress judging means determines that the wear of the consumable part body has reached a predetermined stage; , a fusing determination means for determining whether or not the corresponding fusing element is fused after the fusing circuit is activated; A recording apparatus comprising: an operation stop control means for stopping the operation of the recording apparatus. 3. A removable consumable part whose life reaches the end of its life with use, first and second fusing elements arranged to set the state of wear of the consumable part, and the progress of wear of the consumable part. first and second counters that individually manage each of the first and second fusing elements; a first fusing circuit that supplies fusing energy to the second fusing element over a predetermined period of time when a second counter counts another predetermined value; an addition means for adding the progress of wear of the consumable part main body in a state where the first fusing circuit supplies fusing energy to the first fusing element to the count value of the first counter; A recording device comprising: initial value correction means for adding the added value to the initial value of the count value of the second counter.