JPH0619244A - Electrophotographic device provided with process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the reliability of various kinds of information, without infiltrating the noise of a high voltage installation into a communication equipment even if a high voltage charger is included in a process cartridge by using an optical communicating means between the process cartridge and a device main body. CONSTITUTION:A main body side circuit is composed of a CPU41 controlling information on the life and characteristic of the process cartridge, and the exchange number information of consumabless on the process cartridge, and a main body side receiver 34 for transmitting a digital signal from a serial interface 42 to a process cartridge side. The circuit of the process cartridge side is composed of a process cartridge side transmitter-receiver 32 for transmission with the main body device, and a battery 40. Thus, even if a contact for the high voltage charger is provided at a location near to the light receiving/ emitting part of the optical communication means, the noise of the high voltage installation is prevented from infiltrating into communication information, and the reliability of the information can be improved.

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 process cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electrophotographic apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic process such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a laser printer or a facsimile, particularly a small electrophotographic apparatus, can easily replace a process element having a long life or supply a consumable item. In order to be able to carry out, it is widely practiced to make a process cartridge which is attachable to and detachable from a main body device as a unit in which a plurality of process elements are integrated.

Since the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge itself and the information on the number of times of replacement of consumables related to the process cartridge are stored for each process cartridge, such information is stored in the process cartridge and mounted in the apparatus main body. It has been previously proposed to send and receive information to and from the device body.

For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 58-132758, an image forming condition on the main body side is provided in an electric storage means on the process cartridge side, and an electric signal is transmitted to a main body device via an electric connector means. And an image forming apparatus using a process cartridge is disclosed.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-230172, a writable and readable non-volatile memory in a process cartridge stores image forming conditions and process cartridge usage information, and a main body device has a non-volatile memory drive unit. An image forming apparatus is disclosed. In these known image forming apparatuses, an electrical connector is used as the above-mentioned various information communication means between the process cartridge and the main body apparatus.

However, the process cartridge often includes a charger which uses a high voltage power source. In such a case, when a method of transmitting and receiving the above-mentioned various information through an electrical contact is adopted, Since the contact for high-voltage power supply to the above-mentioned charger and the contact for information communication are often provided close to each other, stray capacitance generated in the contact for information communication causes a high-voltage device when the charger is turned on. Noise may be stored in the memory due to the noise of the process cartridge, which is a problem in terms of ensuring the reliability of information when transmitting and receiving the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge itself and the number of times the consumable parts are replaced regarding the process cartridge. It was.

In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to separate the connection part of the high voltage power supply and the electrical connection part for information communication between the process cartridge and the main body device from each other.
From the viewpoint of facilitating the replacement of the process cartridge, it is difficult to provide these two connecting portions separately.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the reliability of the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge itself and the information on the number of times of replacement of consumables regarding the process cartridge of the electrophotographic apparatus having the process cartridge is essential for the electrophotographic apparatus. In consideration of the fact that the high pressure charger is included in the process cartridge,
To provide an electrophotographic apparatus capable of ensuring the reliability of the above various information without separating the positions of the high-voltage power supply contact to the charger and the information communication contact, and preventing noise of the high-voltage device from entering the communication information. Is an issue.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a process cartridge having a plurality of process elements including a high-pressure charger integrally formed as a unit that can be attached to and detached from a main unit. A means for holding the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge itself and information on the number of times consumable parts have been replaced regarding the process cartridge as electrical information, a communication means and a power supply device for communicating the above various information with the main body device. In the electrophotographic apparatus having a communication means for communicating the above-mentioned various information with the process cartridge, the main body device is an optical device in which the communication means of the process cartridge and the main body device has a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. It is a communication means.

[0009]

Since the optical communication means having the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion is used as the communication means between the process cartridge and the main body device for the above various information, the contact for the high voltage charger is the light receiving and emitting light of the optical communication means. Even if it is provided in a position close to the section, the noise of the high-voltage device does not enter the communication information, and the reliability of the information is significantly improved.

The problems other than the above of the present invention and the means for solving the same will become apparent from the description of the embodiments described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment of a laser printer to which the present invention is applied. The main body device 10 is composed of an upper structure 10a and a lower structure 10b, which are pivotally attached to each other by a shaft 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, the free end of the upper structure 10a is flipped up to open a large mouth. It is a so-called clamshell type that can.

The photoconductor drum 1 is provided at the substantially center of the apparatus 10.
2 are provided, and around them, the charging charger 13 and the optical writing means 18 are arranged in this order in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow.
An incident position of the writing laser light L from the developing unit 14, a developing unit 14, a transfer charger 15, and a cleaning unit 16 are provided. An optical writing unit 18 is arranged below these electrophotographic process units, and a paper feeding cassette 19 having a paper feeding roller 20 is further provided below the optical writing unit 18.

The sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 20 from the sheet feeding cassette 19 is conveyed to the transfer portion between the upper side of the photoconductor 12 and the transfer charger 15 at a timing by the registration roller pair 21. Charger 13
The toner image formed on the photoconductor drum 12 through the steps of uniform charging by means of light, optical writing by means of the writing laser beam L, and development by the developing means 14 is transferred to transfer paper under the action of the transfer charger 15. To be done. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is fixed by a fixing device 17 including a fixing roller 17a having a built-in heater and a pressure roller 17b in pressure contact with the heater.
3 is discharged and stacked.

The upper structure 10a includes a transfer paper transport guide, a transport roller, a registration roller pair 21, and a transfer charger 15.
Is fixed to the lower structure 10b, and the optical writing means 18,
A paper feed cassette 19, a paper feed roller 20, and a fixing device 11 are fixed.

Photoreceptor drum 12 and charging charger 1
3, the developing means 14 and the cleaning means 16 integrally constitute a process cartridge 30. The replacement of the process cartridge 30 is performed by jumping up the upper structure 10a to open the process cartridge 30 and inserting and removing the process cartridge 30 in the direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the process cartridge 30, and also shows the inside of the front side plate.
In the side plate on the front side, the micro switch 33 is embedded with the pressing portion exposed on the lower surface of the process cartridge. When the process cartridge 30 is inserted in the direction of arrow A and set at a predetermined position, the micro switch 33 is pressed by a member (not shown) fixed to the lower structure 10b of the main body device to be turned on and attached to the process cartridge main body. Is detected.

Inside the side plate on the front side of the process cartridge 30 in FIG. 3, there is further provided a recessed portion 35 whose lower surface is open. In FIG. 3, the front side parallel to the insertion / removal direction A of the process cartridge 30. A process cartridge side transmitter / receiver 32 is provided on the inner surface facing toward.

Transmitter / receiver 32 on the process cartridge side
As shown in FIG. 4, the non-volatile memory 36 and the light emitting unit 3 are
7 and a light receiving unit 38, and is composed of a printed circuit board having an optical transmitting / receiving device. The transmitter / receiver 32, the battery 40 as the power source of the electric circuit on the process cartridge side, and the micro switch 33 are connected as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the lower structure 10b of the main body device 10, the process cartridge 30 is inserted in the direction of arrow A corresponding to the recessed portion 35 of the process cartridge and moved to a predetermined position to move to the main body device 10. The process cartridge 30 is provided with a protrusion 31 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) into which the tip is inserted when the cartridge is mounted on the process cartridge 30. At the tip of the protruding portion 31, there is a recessed portion 35.
The light receiving portion and the light emitting portion having a light receiving surface and a light emitting surface at positions facing the light emitting surface of the light emitting portion and the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion of the process cartridge side transmitter / receiver 32 on the inner surface of the recessed portion 35 in the state of being inserted into. A main body side transmission / reception device 34 including 37 is provided. Therefore, transmission / reception and writing to the memory are possible only when the process cartridge 30 is attached to the main body.

Process cartridge 30 and main unit 10
The direction of the optical axis of the light beam from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion for performing information communication with and is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction A of the process cartridge 30 when the process cartridge 30 is attached to / detached from the main body device 10. Has become. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface of the optical transmitting / receiving device from being contaminated by the toner scattered from the developing means 14 and the cleaning means 16 when the process cartridge 30 is replaced.

Further, since the transmitter / receiver 32 on the process cartridge 30 side is provided inside the recessed portion 35 provided in the process cartridge 30, light from the heater of the fixing device and laser light from the laser writing optical device 28 are provided. It is prevented from entering the transmission / reception device 32, and transmission / reception of erroneous information is prevented.

The block diagram of the optical transmission / reception circuit shown in FIG. 4 will be described in more detail. The main body side circuit manages the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge, and the number of times the consumables have been replaced regarding the process cartridge.
A U41, a serial interface 42 for exchanging information from the CPU 41 into a format of a non-volatile memory, and a main body side transmitting / receiving device 34 for transmitting a digital signal from the serial interface 42 to the process cartridge 30 side. Process cartridge 3
The circuit on the 0 side is a cartridge side light receiving section 38 for transmitting / receiving to / from the main body apparatus, a cartridge side light emitting section 37, a micro switch 33, and a buffer 39 for prohibiting input / output to / from the nonvolatile memory 36 when the micro switch 33 is off. , A nonvolatile memory 36 and a battery 40 which is a power source of an electric circuit on the process cartridge side.

FIG. 5 shows a light emitting portion 37 (transmitting side) and a light receiving portion 38 which are respectively provided on the main body side and the process cartridge 30 side.
It is a circuit diagram which shows the concrete circuit structure of (reception side). The light emitting unit 37 converts the impedance of the transmission signal by the buffer BUF1 and turns on / off the transistor Tr1. Tr
At 1, the light emitting diode LED is turned on / off to convert the digital signal into optical information. On the other hand, the light receiving unit receives the optical information sent from the light emitting unit by the phototransistor PTr,
The transistor Tr2 is turned on / off, and a signal is output as a digital signal to the next block through the buffer BUF2 (39).

On the cartridge side, the buffer BU
The output of F2 is turned on / off by a micro switch 33 that is turned on when the cartridge is mounted on the main body, and writing to the nonvolatile memory 36 is prohibited when the Proseca cartridge is not mounted. The reason why the writing to the nonvolatile memory 36 is prohibited is that the process cartridge has the built-in power supply 40, and therefore it can be operated even if taken out from the main body device, and if light enters the light receiving part, it may cause malfunction. is there.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the memory access timing, and shows that the memory access in the process cartridge is executed after the heater of the fixing device is turned off during the printing period. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the malfunction caused by the noise light generated from the writing device during the printing period.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the optical communication means transmits and receives the life and characteristic information of the process cartridge and the information on the number of times the consumables regarding the process cartridge have been replaced. Transmission and reception are possible without being disturbed by the noise of the charger, and reliable communication is possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the light emitting and receiving portion from being contaminated by the toner that is scattered when the process cartridge is inserted and removed, and it is possible to ensure good transmission and reception.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a light beam emitted from the laser writing optical device or the like of the main body device from entering the light receiving portion of the process cartridge and prevent malfunction.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, malfunction due to noise light can be prevented by avoiding writing to the non-volatile memory during the printing period when the emission frequency of laser light is high.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, by prohibiting the fixing heater from being turned on during communication, it is possible to prevent light emitted from the heater from being received by the light receiving portion, and prevent malfunction. You can

Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, since it is detected that the process cartridge is not mounted in the main body device and writing to the non-volatile memory is prohibited thereby, the non-volatile memory is erroneously detected. A malfunction in which information is written can be prevented, and information in the nonvolatile memory can be protected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment of a laser printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper structure is opened and the process cartridge is attached to the main body apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the process cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a transmission / reception circuit that performs information communication between the process cartridge and the apparatus main body.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a specific circuit configuration of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the access timing of the memory.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Main Device 12 Photoreceptor 13 Charging Charger 14 Developing Device 15 Transfer Charger 16 Cleaning Means 17 Fixing Device 18 Laser Writing Device 30 Process Cartridge 31 Protrusions (Protrusions) 32 Process Cartridge Transmitter / Receiver Device 33 Micro Switch (Cartridge Mounting Detecting Means) 34 Main Unit Side Transmitting / Receiving Device 35 Recessed Portion (Recess) 36 Nonvolatile Memory (Information Holding Means) 37 Light Emitting Section 38 Light Receiving Section 41 CPU (Control Means)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Takeshi Motohashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Iwa Matsumae 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Shares Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Takahiro Tamiya 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A process cartridge having a plurality of process elements including a high-pressure charger integrally formed as a unit that can be attached to and detached from a main body device, wherein the process cartridge has life and characteristic information of the process cartridge itself and a process. It has a means for holding information on the number of times of replacement of consumable items regarding the cartridge as electrical information, a communication means for communicating the above various information with the main body device, and a power supply device, and the main body device communicates the above various information with the process cartridge. In the electrophotographic apparatus having a communication unit for performing the above, the communication unit of the process cartridge and the main body apparatus is an optical communication unit having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. 2. The direction of the optical axis of the light beam from the corresponding light emitting portion to the light receiving portion of the process cartridge and the main body device is orthogonal to the moving direction of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is replaced. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The light receiving portion and the light emitting portion of the optical communication means on the side of the process cartridge are provided on the inner side surface of the concave portion of the process cartridge into which the tip of the convex portion of the main body device is inserted and removed when the process cartridge is attached and detached. 3. The light receiving portion and the light emitting portion of the optical communication means on the apparatus side are provided at positions on the outer surface of the tip end portion of the convex portion facing the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion on the process cartridge side. Electrophotographic device. 4. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling communication by the optical communication means so as to be prohibited during a printing operation period. 5. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling to turn on a heater in the fixing device during the communication by the optical communication means. 6. The process cartridge side is provided with mounting detection means to the main body device, and control means is provided to control so as to prohibit writing to the information holding means when the process cartridge is not mounted to the main body device. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic apparatus is provided.