JPH04362966A - Electrophotographic copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically control maintenance period by informing that it is the maintenance time for maintenance subject parts other than a photosensitive body when the stored value of a storing element reaches to the limit number of times. CONSTITUTION:When the number of exchanging times reach to the limit number of times, a limit flag is set and also a message showing that it is the maintenance time for maintenance subject parts is displayed on a liquid crystal displaying unit 31. And a specified warning sound is generated by a buzzer 32, a main routine is started. And a CPU 21 sets a program to timely execute printing decision processing in the main routine. That is, when the timing to execute the printing decision processing is attained, the CPU 21 first decides whether a printing state is set or not. And the stored data of a memory card 26 attached by controlling a card interface 27 by a printing command from a host equipment 28, that is, the number of printed sheets is read out.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus having a removably installed storage device for storing the life of a photoreceptor as a count value of the number of printed sheets.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An electrophotographic apparatus is equipped with a photoreceptor, and the photoreceptor is exposed, developed, and transferred to print information on paper. The photoreceptor used in such a device has a limited lifespan, and when the photoreceptor reaches the end of its lifespan, problems such as blurred printing occur.

[0003] Conventionally, therefore, a count value of the number of printed sheets is constantly stored as information regarding the lifespan of the photoreceptor in a memory element, and when this stored value reaches a limit number of sheets corresponding to the lifespan of the photoreceptor, a message to that effect is displayed. The user is then warned to replace the photoreceptor (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-75468).

In this case, the user replaces the photoreceptor that has reached the end of its service life, and at the same time, also replaces the permanent storage type memory element. For this reason, since the memory element cannot manage the total number of sheets printed by the electrophotographic apparatus, the electrophotographic apparatus is also provided with a mechanical counter for counting the total number of sheets printed.

Incidentally, not only the photoreceptor, but also a charging charger, a developing device, a transfer charger, a static elimination charger, etc., have a lifespan, which is much longer than that of the photoreceptor. Therefore, conventionally, the user has managed the lifespan of each component based on the total number of printed sheets counted by the counter.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, in conventional electrophotographic apparatuses of this type, the lifespan of the photoreceptor can be automatically managed, but the lifespan of parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor cannot be automatically managed. Users had to manage the total number of printed sheets counted by a mechanical counter. For this reason, the user must always understand and manage the relationship between the total number of printed sheets and the service life of each component to be maintained, which places a heavy burden on the user. Additionally, mechanical counters are generally located in locations that are difficult to see from the outside.
It was easy to overlook that parts requiring maintenance were reaching the end of their lifespan, which could easily lead to breakdowns due to their lifespan.

Accordingly, the present invention is capable of automatically managing the lifespan of parts to be maintained that have a longer lifespan than the photoreceptor with a simple and inexpensive configuration, and is capable of reliably preventing breakdowns due to lifespan without burdening the user. The present invention aims to provide an electrophotographic apparatus that can improve reliability.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a removable storage device for storing a count value of the number of printed sheets, and determines the lifespan of a photoreceptor when the stored value of this storage device reaches a limit number of sheets. In an electrophotographic apparatus in which the storage device is replaced at the same time as the photoconductor is replaced, a rewritable constant-memory storage element is used to store the number of times the storage device has been replaced, and a value stored in the storage element is stored each time the storage device is replaced. A means for counting the number of exchanges to be updated; a number-of-exchange comparison means for comparing the stored value of the memory element updated by the counting means with a preset limit number of times; The present invention is provided with a maintenance time notifying means for notifying that it is time for maintenance of parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor when the time has been reached.

[0009] The maintenance timing informing means determines whether or not the parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor are replaced when the storage value of the storage device reaches the limit number when the storage value of the storage element is one less than the limit number of replacements according to the replacement number comparison means. It may be configured to notify that it is time for maintenance. Further, it is desirable to provide means for inhibiting the printing operation when the stored value of the storage device reaches a predetermined value after the stored value of the storage element reaches the limit number of times.

[0010] Furthermore, there is provided a dedicated maintenance device for clearing the memory value of the number of replacements of the permanent storage type storage element, and a state in which this dedicated maintenance device is installed in place of the storage device at a location where the storage device is removably installed. It is advantageous to provide a replacement number clearing means that always clears the replacement number storage value of the memory element to zero when the power is turned on.

[0011]

[Operation] In the present invention having such a structure, when the stored value of the storage device that stores the count value of the number of printed sheets reaches the limit number of sheets, the life of the photoreceptor is determined. Therefore, when the user replaces the photoreceptor that has reached the end of its service life, the user also replaces the storage device, but each time the storage device is replaced, the stored value of the storage element is updated. Then, when the stored value of this memory element reaches a preset limit number of times, it is notified that it is time for maintenance of parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor. Therefore, the user can use not only the photoreceptor but also other parts to be maintained without worrying about the lifespan.

In this case, when the memory value of the memory device reaches the limit number of sheets in a state where the memory value of the memory element is one less than the preset limit number of times, it is determined that it is time for maintenance of the parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor. will be notified. Therefore, at the same time as replacing the photoreceptor, the maintenance target component that has reached the end of its lifespan can be replaced.

[0013] Furthermore, when the stored value in the storage device reaches a predetermined value after the stored value in the storage element reaches the limit number of times, the printing operation is prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to prevent failures caused by the lifespan of parts to be maintained other than the photoconductor from occurring during printing operations.

[0014]Furthermore, when the power is turned on while the maintenance-only device is installed in place of the storage device in the part where the storage device is removably installed, the value stored in the number of exchanges of the permanent storage type storage element is cleared to zero. . Therefore, the work of clearing the replacement number storage value of the permanent storage type storage element to zero becomes easy.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a non-impact printer will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a non-impact printer, in which a photosensitive drum 2 is disposed approximately in the center of a housing 1 whose one end is pivotally supported and whose other end is vertically separable. This photoreceptor drum 2 is rotationally driven in one direction, that is, clockwise in the figure, by a drive motor 3, and the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2, that is, the photoreceptor a charger 4 for charging the body; an exposure device 5 for exposing and recording information by irradiating light onto the photoreceptor charged by the charger 4;
A developing device 6 attaches toner as a developer to the photoconductor exposed by the exposure device 5, a transfer charger 7 transfers the toner image on the photoconductor drum 2 to the conveyed paper, and removes toner from the photoconductor drum 2. A cleaning device 8 and a static elimination charger 9 for eliminating static electricity from the photoreceptor drum 2 are arranged in this order.

The transfer charger 7 is located below the photoreceptor drum 2, and a paper feed cassette 10 provided on one side of the housing 1 is fed toward the transfer charger 7 by the operation of a pickup roller 11. Paper is conveyed one by one at a predetermined timing.

After the toner image on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred to the conveyed paper by the transfer charger 7, the charge is removed by the charger 12, and the toner image is further fixed by the fixing device 13. The fixed paper is then discharged out of the casing by paper discharge rollers 14, 14. Here, the drive motor 3, which is the drive source for the photoreceptor 2, is also used as a drive source for the paper conveyance mechanism.

In addition, the housing 1 includes a fan 15 for discharging internal heat to the outside, a power supply device 16, and a cover switch 17 that detects when the housing 1 is vertically separated and turns off the power. etc. are provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration.
In the CPU (central processing unit) 21 that constitutes the main body of the control section,
Via the bus line 22, there is a ROM (read only memory) 23 in which program data etc. are stored in advance, and a RAM (read only memory) 23 in which a print buffer etc. for developing print data are formed.
Random access memory) 24, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) 25 as a rewritable permanent storage element, and a card interface that reads and writes data to and from a removably attached memory card 26. 27, a communication interface 29 and an I/O port 30 for transmitting and receiving data are connected to a host device 28 that outputs print data. Connected to the I/O port 30 are a liquid crystal display 31, a buzzer 32, and the like capable of displaying various messages.

The memory card 26 is used to store the counted number of printed sheets as information regarding the lifespan of the photoreceptor drum 2, and is paired with the photoreceptor drum 2. When replacing the photoreceptor drum 2, They are exchanged at the same time. The EEPROM 25 has an area reserved for storing the number of times the memory card 26 has been replaced. The CPU 21 is programmed to execute the preprocessing shown in FIG. 3 when the power is turned on.

That is, when the power is turned on, the card interface 27 is controlled so that the installed memory card 26
The stored data, that is, the number of printed sheets A is read. and,
If the number of printed sheets A is greater than "0", the photosensitive drum 2
Since the memory card 26 has not been replaced, the main routine is started.

If the number of printed sheets A is "0", the photosensitive drum 2 and memory card 26 have been replaced with new ones, so E
Memory data in EPROM 25, i.e. memory card 2
6. Read out the number of exchanges n. Then, the read number of exchanges n
is updated by "+1" and the updated value is the current number of exchanges n
is written into the EEPROM 25 (exchange frequency counting means). However, only when the number of exchanges n is "0" and the limit flag F stored in the RAM 24 is set (1), the flag F is reset (0).

Next, the number of times n of replacements after the update is compared with a limit number of times set in advance based on the maintenance period of parts to be maintained other than the photosensitive drum 2 (replacement number comparison means). Then, if the number of replacements n is less than the limit number of times, it is not time for maintenance of the above-mentioned maintenance target component, and the main routine is started.

On the other hand, if the number of replacements n has reached the limit number, the limit flag F is set and a message is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 indicating that it is time for maintenance of the component to be maintained. . Further, after generating a predetermined warning sound by the buzzer 32, the main routine is started (maintenance time notification means). Moreover, the CPU 21
The program is set to execute the print determination process shown in FIG. 4 at appropriate times in the main routine.

That is, when it is time to execute the print determination process, the CPU 21 first determines whether or not the print start state has been set. If the print start state is not set, the process immediately returns to the main routine.

When the print start state is set by a print command from the host device 28, the card interface 27 is controlled to print the inserted memory card 26.
The stored data, that is, the number of printed sheets A is read. and,
The limit number of sheets corresponding to the life of the photosensitive drum 2 set in advance and the number of printed sheets A read from the memory card 26
Compare with. Here, if the number of printed sheets A is less than the limit number of sheets, the photosensitive drum 2 has reached the end of its lifespan, so the RA
Check the limit flag F in M23. And the same flag F
has been reset, the maintenance target parts other than the photoconductor drum 2 have reached the end of their service life, so the number of printed sheets A is updated by "+1" and the updated value is written to the memory card 26 as the current number of printed sheets A. After that, start the print routine.

That is, the host device 2 is operated by operating the drive motor 3 and operating the charging charger 4, exposure device 5, developing device 6, transfer charger 7, neutralization chargers 9 and 12, fixing device 13, etc. according to the electrophotographic process.
The print data sent from 8 is printed out on paper.

If the limit flag F is set, the maintenance period for the component to be maintained has passed, so it is determined whether the number of printed sheets A has reached a set number smaller than the limit number of sheets. Then, if the set number of sheets has not been reached, there is still sufficient printing operation, so the above-mentioned number of printed sheets A is updated by "+1" and the updated value is written to the memory card 26 as the current number of printed sheets A. After that, start the print routine.

On the other hand, if the number of printed sheets A has reached the set number, there is a risk that a failure will occur due to the lifespan of the parts to be maintained, so transition to the printing routine is prohibited,
Return to main routine.

On the other hand, if the number of printed sheets A read from the memory card 26 has already reached the limit number, the photosensitive drum 3 has reached the end of its lifespan, so a message is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 urging replacement of the drum. . Also, the buzzer 32
After generating a predetermined alarm sound, the process returns to the main routine.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, the photosensitive drum 2 and the memory card 26 are paired,
As information regarding the lifespan of the photosensitive drum 2, a counted value of the number of printed sheets is stored in the memory card 26. When the stored value in the memory card 26 reaches a limit number (for example, 10,000 sheets) corresponding to the lifespan of the photoreceptor drum 2, a message is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 urging the replacement of the photoreceptor drum 2. An alarm sound is emitted from the buzzer 32. As a result, the user knows that the photoreceptor drum 2 has reached the end of its lifespan, and turns off the power and opens the housing 1 vertically to replace the photoreceptor drum 2 and memory card 26 with new ones. .

After replacement, turn on the power. Then, since the memory value A of the memory card 26 is “0”, E
The stored value in the EPROM 25 is updated by "+1". That is, the memory card 2 is
The number of exchanges of 6 will be counted.

Then, when the number of times the memory card 26 is replaced reaches a value corresponding to the maintenance period of parts to be maintained other than the photoreceptor drum 2 (for example, 8 times = 80,000 times of printing), the liquid crystal display 31, a message indicating that it is time for maintenance of the parts subject to maintenance is displayed, and the buzzer 3
2, an alarm sound is emitted. As a result, the user knows that it is time for maintenance of the charger 4, developer 6, transfer charger 7, neutralization charger 9, 12, etc. other than the photoconductor drum 2, and requests maintenance of each part to specialized maintenance personnel. do.

[0035] In this case, printing operations can be performed without maintenance, and printing operations will not be hindered. However, if the number of printed sheets exceeds a predetermined number of sheets that is less than the limit number of sheets of the photosensitive drum 2 without performing maintenance after the maintenance period has passed, there is a risk that the parts to be maintained will break down due to their lifespans. Therefore, in this embodiment, the EEPROM 25
memory card 2 when the stored value has reached the limit number of times.
When the stored value of 6 reaches the predetermined number of sheets, the printing operation is prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to prevent failures during printing operations due to the lifespan of parts to be maintained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, not only the lifespan of the photoreceptor drum 2 but also the lifespan of other parts to be maintained can be automatically managed, so that failures due to lifespan can be prevented without any burden on the user. It can be prevented. As a result, a highly reliable and highly practical non-impact printer can be provided. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the embodiment described above, if the number of replacements of the memory card 26 reaches a preset limit number of times in the preprocessing after the power is turned on, an alarm is issued to indicate that it is time for maintenance of the maintenance/inspection parts. However, in this case, it is not possible to know that it is time for maintenance of maintenance/inspection parts unless the photosensitive drum 2 and memory card 26 are replaced and the power is turned on. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in the print determination processing routine, the memory card 2
When the number of printed sheets A read from 6 reaches the limit number, a message is displayed prompting the replacement of the photosensitive drum 2, but at this time, the number of times the memory card 26 stored in the EEPROM 25 has been replaced is 1 less than the limit number. In such a case, the program is set to simultaneously display a message on the liquid crystal display 31 indicating that it is time for maintenance of the component to be maintained. This is convenient because it is possible to replace the photosensitive drum 2 and maintain the maintenance target parts at the same time.

Furthermore, the photosensitive drum 2 and the memory card 26
It is also possible to consider an electrophotographic device that can be replaced with another one while the power is turned on. Even in such an apparatus, when replacing the photosensitive drum 26, the casing 1 is opened vertically and separated, so the pre-processing routine shown in FIG. This can be handled by configuring the program to run accordingly.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the alarm sound by the buzzer 32 may be made to distinguish between when the photosensitive drum 2 reaches the end of its life and when it is time for maintenance of other parts to be maintained. By doing this, the liquid crystal display 3
1 can be omitted. Further, the alarm may be issued only by displaying a message on the liquid crystal display 31, and the alarm sound by the buzzer 32 may be omitted.

By the way, maintenance personnel perform work such as replacing or repairing parts subject to maintenance that have reached the end of their service life in response to maintenance requests, but after completing the work, the number of replacements stored in the memory card 26 stored in the EEPROM 25 is It is necessary to initialize it to "0". Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, by installing a memory card 26a for maintenance only in place of the memory card 26 for counting the number of printed sheets in the card interface 27, the value stored in the number of exchanges in the EEPROM 25 can be initialized to "0". This simplifies maintenance work, which is convenient. In addition, in FIG. 6, the same parts as in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows the preprocessing performed by the CPU 21 in this case after the power is turned on. That is, when the power is turned on, the CPU 21 determines the type of memory card installed in the card interface 27 from the recorded information of the card. If the memory card 26 is for counting the number of printed sheets, the main routine is entered after the preprocessing shown in FIG. 3 is executed.

On the other hand, in the case of the memory card 26a exclusively for maintenance, the content of the address in the EEPROM 25 that stores the number of times the memory card has been replaced is cleared to zero (exchange number clearing means). Then wait for the power to be turned off.

[0043] Therefore, after the maintenance personnel completes the work such as replacing or repairing the maintenance target parts that have reached the end of their service life, they transfer the memory card 26 dedicated to maintenance that they carry to the card interface 27.
Attach it to the camera and then turn on the power. By doing this,
The contents of the address storing the number of memory card exchanges in the EEPROM 25 become zero. Thereafter, the maintenance person only has to turn off the power, insert the memory card 26 for counting the number of printed sheets into the card interface 27 instead of the memory card 26a exclusively for maintenance, and then turn on the power. In addition, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, such as applying the invention to a copying machine or the like that operates according to an electrophotographic process.

[0044]

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically manage the lifespan of parts to be maintained, which have a longer lifespan than the photoreceptor, with a simple and inexpensive configuration, without burdening the user. It is possible to provide an electrophotographic apparatus that can reliably prevent breakdowns due to life and improve reliability.

[0045] According to the invention corresponding to claim 2, maintenance of parts to be maintained which have reached the end of their service life can be carried out at the same time as the replacement of the photoreceptor, thereby achieving the effect that maintenance work can be carried out efficiently. Further, according to the invention corresponding to claim 3, it is possible to prevent failures due to the lifespan of parts to be maintained from occurring during printing operations.

Furthermore, according to the invention corresponding to claim 4, there is an effect that the work of zeroing out the memory value of the number of exchanges of the constant memory type memory element that counts the number of exchanges of the memory device for counting the number of printed sheets can be easily carried out. play.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a non-impact printer that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration in the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing pre-processing after power-on of the CPU in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing print determination processing by the CPU in the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing print determination processing by the CPU in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing preprocessing after the CPU is powered on in the embodiment of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols] 2... Photosensitive drum, 4... Charger, 5... Exposure device, 6... Developing device, 7... Transfer charger, 8... Cleaning device, 9, 12
...static charger, 13...fusing device, 21...CPU, 25...EEPROM, 2
6...Memory card (card for counting the number of printed sheets), 26a...
Memory card (maintenance card), 31...LCD display,
32...Buzzer.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A storage device for storing a count value of the number of printed sheets is detachably provided, and when the stored value of the storage device reaches a limit number of sheets, the life of the photoconductor is determined and the photoconductor is replaced. In an electrophotographic apparatus in which a storage device is also replaced, a rewritable constant-memory storage element that stores the number of times the storage device has been replaced, and a replacement number that updates the stored value of the storage element each time the storage device is replaced. counting means;
exchange number comparison means for comparing the stored value of the storage element updated by the counting means with a preset limit number of times; 1. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising: maintenance time notification means for notifying that it is time for maintenance of maintenance target parts other than the photoreceptor. 2. The maintenance time notification means detects when the storage value of the storage device reaches the limit number of sheets when the storage value of the storage element is one less than the limit number of times as determined by the replacement number comparison device. 2. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic apparatus notifies that a maintenance target component other than the body is due for maintenance. 3. Printing operation is prohibited when the stored value of the storage device reaches a predetermined value after the stored value of the storage element reaches the limit number of times.
The electrophotographic device described. 4. A dedicated maintenance device for clearing a value stored in the number of exchanges of the permanent storage type storage element, and a dedicated maintenance device installed in place of the storage device at a location where the storage device is removably installed. 2. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising replacement number clearing means for clearing the replacement number storage value of said permanent storage type storage element to zero when the power is turned on in a state where the memory element is in a state where the number of replacements has been changed.