JPH06314051A - Electrophotographic recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To appropriately inform of the necessity of replacing a photosensitive drum and a replacement procedure, etc., by recording and outputting a life display and a text display when the photosensitive drum is used to the limit. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 1 is provided with a function of a replacement display outputting means for printing and outputting a replacement notification for displaying the life display showing the necessity of replacing the photosensitlve drum when a value counted by a drum counter 16 becomes the number of sheets equivalent to the life of the photosensitive drum, for example it becomes 1000 sheets and for displaying the text display such as the photosensitive drum replacing procedure and a clear procedure for the drum counter 16 accompanying the replacement of the photosensitive drum, etc. And when the number of printed sheets counted by the drum counter 16 exceeds 1000 sheets, the replacement notification is printed and outputted by a laser printer 9, and the drum counter 16 and a page counter 17 are counted up. Thus, a device manager can appropriately carry out a replacement work in accordance with the replacement procedure mentioned on the text display without necessitating to look for the instruction manual so as to read it.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic recording apparatus using an electrophotographic recording system such as a facsimile machine, a page printer and a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic recording apparatus has a laser printer, for example, which draws a recording pattern on the outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum using a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image. After the toner, which is fine colored particles, is charged and attached, the toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the recording paper, and the toner transferred onto the recording paper is heated and fixed by the fixing unit.

The photosensitive drum has an OPC on the outer peripheral surface.
(Organic Photoconductor) A photoconductor is formed,
After charging the photosensitive drum, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member by irradiation with a laser beam, and toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image portion. Then, while the recording paper is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, static electricity is applied from the back side of the recording paper, whereby the toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred to the recording paper.

By the way, the photosensitive member of the photosensitive drum causes fatigue of the photosensitive member due to repetition of charging and exposure performed on the photosensitive member each time a recording operation is performed, resulting in deterioration of the characteristics of the photosensitive member, and exposure of the photosensitive member. Abrasion occurs due to friction between the body and the recording paper, and when this abrasion of the photoconductor progresses, the characteristics of the photoconductor deteriorate as described above, the amount of toner adhered to the photoconductor decreases, and the print density decreases. Or, the print quality is deteriorated due to uneven print density. Therefore, the photosensitive drum has a standard service life, for example, when the number of printed sheets is 10,000, which is a standard for the replacement time.

In a conventional device, the number of printed recording sheets is counted in a memory, and when the count value reaches the number corresponding to the service life, the LED display or liquid crystal display of the device indicates the time to replace the photosensitive drum. The life is displayed as shown, and the subsequent printing operation is prohibited until the photosensitive drum is replaced.

Then, the user of the apparatus confirms the necessity of exchanging the photosensitive drum by looking at the life display on the display, and while exchanging the photosensitive drum while seeing the exchanging procedure described in the instruction manual. , The operation associated with the replacement of the photosensitive drum, such as clearing the memory count, is also performed.

[0007]

In the conventional electrophotographic recording apparatus, when the photosensitive drum reaches the end of its life, only the life display is displayed on the display unit, so that the user who confirms the life display is required to explain each time. There is a problem that the proper replacement procedure cannot be understood unless the user has to take out the manual and search for the corresponding item column, and if he / she does not know the storage location of the instruction manual or loses it, etc.

In a facsimile machine, etc.,
Although a journal is printed out for each predetermined number of communication cases, the journal merely displays communication records of transmission and reception.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and outputs a record of the life of the photosensitive drum to the end and a text display showing the procedure for replacing the photosensitive drum on a recording sheet together. However, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic recording apparatus in which the necessity of replacement of the photosensitive drum and the replacement procedure are properly communicated, and the lifespan display is also displayed on the journal to be recorded and output. Is.

[0010]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In an electrophotographic recording apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern on the outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image, and transfers the toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum to a recording paper. A life detecting means for detecting that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of life, and a life display and a text display including a procedure for replacing the photosensitive drum when the end of life of the photosensitive drum is detected by the life detecting means. And a replacement display output means for recording and outputting the recording paper.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image, and the toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is recorded. In an electrophotographic recording apparatus for transferring onto paper, life detecting means for detecting that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of life, and when the life detecting means detects that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of life, And a journal output means for recording and outputting the display on the recording paper together with the journal display.

[0012]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the life detecting means detects that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life, a life display indicating the necessity of replacement of the photosensitive drum and a text display indicating the replacement procedure or the like are displayed. Is printed on the recording paper.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when recording and outputting the journal, if the life detecting means detects that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life, a life indication indicating the necessity of replacement of the photosensitive drum is displayed. Record output on recording paper together with the journal display.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A facsimile apparatus as an embodiment of the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a CPU for controlling the entire facsimile apparatus, and a ROM 3 storing a control program and the like via the bus line 2 for the CPU 1.
A RAM 4 capable of writing and reading various data at any time is connected.

A modem 5 for processing data communication such as facsimile signals is connected to the bus line 2. The modem 5 is connected to the telephone line via an NCU 6 that switches between the telephone circuit side and the facsimile circuit (modem 5) side with respect to the telephone line.

A scanner 7 for reading a transmission original is connected to the bus line 2 via a reading controller 8 and a laser printer 9 is connected to the bus line 2 via a printer controller 10 to encode the read data of the scanner 7 into transmission data. An encoding / decoding circuit 11 is connected which converts the received data into print data.

Further, a control panel 12 having operation keys and an indicator is provided on the bus line 2 as a key controller.
13 and the display controller 14 are connected.

A battery 15 for a backup power source is connected to the RAM 4 and includes a drum counter 16, a page counter 17 and a journal counter 18.

The drum counter 16 functions as a life detecting means for detecting the passage of the life of the photosensitive drum of the laser printer 9, and is counted up (+1) every time one page is printed by the laser printer 9 to count the number of printed sheets. Is cleared when the photosensitive drum is replaced.

The page counter 17 is a counter for counting the total number of sheets printed in the past by the laser printer 9,
It is incremented (+1) every time one page is printed out and is not cleared even if the photosensitive drum is replaced.

The journal counter 18 performs one communication (transmission,
The count is incremented (+1) for each reception, and the journal is printed out by the laser printer 9 every 30 communications, for example.
Cleared when this journal is output.

When the count value of the drum counter 16 reaches a standard number (for example, 10000) corresponding to the life of the photosensitive drum, the CPU 1 displays a life indicating that the photosensitive drum needs to be replaced, and displays the life of the photosensitive drum. It has a function of an exchange display output means for printing out an exchange notice displaying a text display such as an exchange procedure and a procedure for clearing the drum counter 16 accompanying the exchange of the photosensitive drum.

The laser printer 9 draws a recording pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum using a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image, and charges the toner, which is fine colored particles, to the electrostatic latent image. Then, the toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the recording paper, and the toner transferred onto the recording paper is heated and fixed by the fixing unit.

The photosensitive drum has an OPC on the outer peripheral surface.
(Organic Photoconductor) A photoconductor is formed,
The part of the photoconductor that is irradiated with the laser beam is charged with static electricity,
Toner is charged and adheres to the electrostatically charged portion.
Then, while the recording paper is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, static electricity is applied from the back side of the recording paper, whereby the toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred to the recording paper.

In addition to reception and transmission, the facsimile apparatus also has a copy function for printing out the contents of the original read by the scanner 7.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

At the time of reception, the drum counter 16 and the page counter 17 are counted up each time one page is received and printed out (steps 1, 2, 3).
At the time of transmission, it is transmitted page by page (steps 4 and 5). And when reception or transmission is completed,
The journal counter 18 is incremented (step 6).

At the time of copying, the drum counter 16 and the page counter 17 are counted up every time one page is printed out by printing (steps 7, 8 and 9).

After the journal counter 18 is counted up or after copying is completed, it is determined whether the number of printed sheets of the drum counter 16 exceeds 10,000, and it is determined whether the journal counter 18 is the 30th communication (step 10,
11).

If the number of printed sheets of the drum counter 16 does not exceed 10000 and the journal counter 18 is within the 30th communication, the operation is finished.

When the journal counter 18 reaches the 30th communication, the journal counter 18 is cleared, the journal is printed out by the laser printer 9, and the drum counter 16 and the page counter 17 are counted up (steps 12 and 13). ,14). As shown in FIG. 4, the journal displays a journal display A of the communication date, communication start time, communication mode, communication destination, number of pages, communication time, and communication status for 30 communication.

When the number of printed sheets of the drum counter 16 exceeds 10,000, the laser printer 9 prints out a replacement notice, and the drum counter 16 and the page counter are printed.
Count up 17 (steps 15 and 16). As shown in FIG. 3, the replacement notice includes a life display B indicating the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum, and a text display C such as a procedure for replacing the photosensitive drum or a procedure for clearing the drum counter 16 accompanying the replacement of the photosensitive drum. Is displayed.

Then, the administrator of the facsimile apparatus confirms the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum by looking at the life display B from the printed exchange notice, and looking at the exchange procedure described in the text display C, The photosensitive drum is replaced and the drum counter 16 is cleared.

As described above, the count value of the drum counter 16 corresponds to the life of the photosensitive drum and the standard number of sheets (10000).
When the number of sheets reaches, the replacement notice that displays the life display B and the text display C is printed out. Therefore, the administrator does not need to search and look at the instruction manual, and the text display C is displayed.
Appropriate replacement work can be performed according to the replacement procedure described in.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, the CPU 1 prints out the journal and the count value of the drum counter 16 corresponds to the life of the photosensitive drum.
(0 sheets), the life display B indicating the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum and the text display C such as the procedure for replacing the photosensitive drum or the procedure for clearing the drum counter 16 accompanying the replacement of the photosensitive drum are displayed in the journal display A. It also has a function of a journal output unit that prints out together with.

Even when the count value of the drum counter 16 reaches the standard number (10,000 sheets) corresponding to the life of the photosensitive drum, the laser printer 9 is continuously movable.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG.
Steps 21 to 29 are the same as steps 1 to 9 above.

After the journal counter 18 is counted up or after the copying is completed, it is judged whether the journal counter 18 is the 30th communication (step 30).

If the journal counter 18 is within the 30th communication, the operation is terminated, and the journal counter 18 is 30
When the communication count is reached, the journal counter 18 is cleared and it is determined whether the number of printed sheets of the drum counter 16 exceeds 10,000 (steps 31, 32).

If the number of printed sheets of the drum counter 16 does not exceed 10,000, the laser printer 9 prints out a journal, and the drum counter 16 and the page counter 17 are counted up (steps 33 and 34). As for the journal printed out here, as shown in FIG. 4, only the journal display A is displayed.

The number of prints on the drum counter 16 is 1000
If the number of sheets exceeds 0, the laser printer 9 prints out the journal and counts up the drum counter 16 and the page counter 17 (steps 35 and 3).
6). As shown in FIG. 6, the journal printed out here includes a journal display A, a life display B indicating the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum, a drum counter 16 accompanying the photosensitive drum replacement procedure and the photosensitive drum replacement. The text display C such as the clearing procedure of is displayed.

The administrator of the facsimile machine confirms the necessity of the replacement of the photosensitive drum by looking at the life display B from the printed and printed journal, and while watching the replacement procedure described in the text display C, replaces the photosensitive drum. And the drum counter 16 is cleared.

If the administrator checks the print quality by looking at the journal and determines that there is no particular problem with the print quality, the photosensitive drum is not replaced and the photosensitive drum that has reached the end of its life is continuously used. You can also In this case, the photosensitive drum can be effectively used for longer than the standard life. Moreover, even if the printer is continuously used without complying with the current life, the same life display B and text display C are displayed each time the next journal is printed out. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the photosensitive drum each time. The exchange procedure can be properly communicated to the administrator.

In this way, when the journal is printed out,
When the count value of the drum counter 16 reaches the standard number (10000 sheets) corresponding to the life of the photosensitive drum, the life display B and the text display C are displayed together, so the administrator searches for the instruction manual. There is no need to look at it, you can perform the appropriate replacement work according to the replacement procedure described in the text display C, and if there is no problem with the print quality, continue to keep the photosensitive drum at the discretion of the administrator and exceed the standard life. It can be used effectively for a long time.

In the above embodiment, the laser printer 9 is used.
Although the facsimile apparatus including the printer has been described, the printer is not limited to the one using a laser beam, and an LED
It can be applied to recording devices that use photoconductors that have a long life, such as printers that use a printer, printers that use a fluorescent lamp and a liquid crystal shutter, and are not limited to facsimile devices, and can be connected to other office equipment. It can also be applied to a printer device used as a copy machine, a copying machine, and the like.

[0048]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the photosensitive drum reaches the end of its life, the life display and the text display are recorded and output on the recording paper. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the photosensitive drum and the replacement procedure. Can be properly communicated and there is no need to search and look at the instruction manual, and the proper replacement work can be performed according to the text display.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life when recording and outputting the journal,
Since the life display is printed on the recording paper together with the journal display, it is possible to convey the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum together with the journal display. Moreover, even if the administrator decides to continue using the photosensitive drum effectively for longer than its life, the life indicator is displayed for each recording output of the journal to notify the administrator of the necessity of replacing the photosensitive drum. Can be urged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus showing an embodiment of an electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an exchange notice according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a normal journal according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a journal in which a life display and a text display of the above embodiment are displayed together.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 CPU 16 as replacement display output means and journal output means Life detection means

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display area H04N 1/29 Z 9186-5C

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electrophotographic apparatus which forms an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern on an outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image, and transfers the toner attached on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum to a recording paper. In the recording apparatus, life detecting means for detecting that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of life, and when the life detecting means detects that the life of the photosensitive drum has reached the end of life, a procedure for replacing the photosensitive drum And an exchange display output means for recording and outputting a text display including the above on a recording paper. 2. An electrophotographic system in which an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern is formed on the outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image, and the toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred to recording paper. In the recording apparatus, life detecting means for detecting that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life, and when the life detecting means detects that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life, the life indication is displayed together with the journal display. An electrophotographic recording apparatus, further comprising: a journal output unit for recording and outputting on a recording sheet.