JPH09190141A - Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an abnormal sound from being generated at the initial use of a process cartridge. SOLUTION: The process cartridge is provided with a display means 11 displaying an unuse state and a device main body is provided with a recognition means 12 recognizing the information of the display means 11 and consisting of a switch means 12 and a judgement part 13. When the unuse state of the process cartridge is recognized by the recognition means 12, a photoreceptor drum 1 is rotated by a driving part 15 as preparation before an image forming action. At this time, the rotational speed of the drum 1 is set to be more rapid than the rotational speed of an image forming time. Thus, the abnormal sound is prevented from being generated caused by friction between a cleaning blade 2a and the drum 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the process cartridge can be attached / detached.

Here, as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, L
ED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), electrophotographic facsimile machines, and electrophotographic word processors.

Further, as the process cartridge, is the charging means, the developing means or the cleaning means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus? Alternatively, at least one of the charging means, the developing means, and the cleaning means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally made into a cartridge so as to be attachable to and detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, or at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member. It is a unit that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus by integrally forming a cartridge with the body.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge is used as an image forming apparatus. A process cartridge system detachable from the main body is employed. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself without relying on a service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system
Widely used in image forming apparatuses.

In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described above, a charging means for uniformly charging the photoconductor drum around the photoconductor drum, which is an electrophotographic photoconductor, and a static charge on the photoconductor drum. An exposure device for forming an electrostatic latent image, a developing device for converting an electrostatic latent image into a visible image, a transfer device for transferring a visible image onto a transfer material that is a recording medium, and a photosensitive drum. It has a cleaning device for removing the residual toner, and also has a fixing device for fixing the visible image transferred to the recording medium.

The photosensitive drum, the charging means, the developing device, and the cleaning device described above are unitized as a process cartridge and made replaceable with respect to the main body of the apparatus, which enables maintenance-free operation and always provides stable images. Obtainable.

In the schematic structure as described above, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum by the exposure device is visualized as a toner image by the developing device, transferred to the recording medium by the transfer device, and then fixed. Transported to the device. Then, after the toner image is fixed on the recording medium, the sheet is ejected out of the apparatus by the conveying means. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum without being transferred is removed by a cleaning blade and stored in a waste toner container.

Conventionally, immediately after the power of the main body of the image forming apparatus is turned on, as a preparatory operation for the image forming operation,
A pre-multi-rotation operation is performed in which the photosensitive drum, the fixing device, and the like are rotated for a predetermined time. As a result, the surface potential of the photosensitive drum is stabilized, the remaining amount of the developer is detected, the transfer roller is cleaned, the fixing device is warmed up, and the like.

By the way, in the above image forming apparatus,
When a cleaning device having an elastic cleaning blade is used, when the cartridge is not used, an appropriate amount of lubricant is applied to the edge portion of the elastic cleaning blade mainly for the purpose of reducing the frictional force with the photosensitive drum in the initial stage of use. Was often applied. At the same time, it has been desired for this lubricant to have a property that it is difficult to separate from the edge portion. That is, for a certain period of time until sufficient residual toner is collected to obtain a lubricating effect on the edge portion,
This is so that the lubricating effect can be maintained for a long time.

[0010]

The present invention is a further development of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge capable of preventing the generation of abnormal sound at the beginning of use, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus equipped with the process cartridge.

[0012]

The above object can be achieved by an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a process cartridge according to the present invention. In summary, the present invention provides a process cartridge detachable from the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
An electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process unit that acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member and includes at least an elastic cleaning unit in which an edge portion is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a display unit that displays information about an unused state of a process cartridge. And the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body has a recognition means for recognizing the information of the display means, and represents the unused state of the display means when it is determined that the process cartridge is unused. It is a process cartridge characterized in that the electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before erasing information and before starting an image forming operation, and the rotation speed thereof is made higher than the speed during the image forming operation.

The display means has a member whose form changes only in one direction, and the change of the form of the member represents the information of the unused state, and the recognition means presses the display means to change the form. It is preferable to have a switch member to be turned on and a judging unit to judge the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member.
According to another aspect, the display unit is a readable / writable non-volatile storage unit in which the information indicating the unused state is stored when the product is shipped, and the recognition unit is the non-volatile storage unit. It is preferable to have an electric contact part and a judgment part for judging the unused state based on the information obtained from the non-volatile storage means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a process cartridge detachably mountable to the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least an edge of the electrophotographic photosensitive member which acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member. A recognition means for recognizing the information on the display means by the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body having a process means including an elastic cleaning member with which parts are brought into contact with each other, and a display means indicating information on an unused state of the process cartridge. And a temperature detection unit for detecting the ambient temperature, when the process cartridge is determined to be unused, the information indicating the unused state of the display unit is erased, and the ambient temperature is a predetermined temperature. When it is determined that the speed is higher, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before the image forming operation is started, and the rotation speed thereof is set at the time of the image forming operation. Process cartridge characterized by faster than degrees is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge can be attached and detached and which forms an image on a recording medium, (a) an electrophotographic photosensitive member and the electrophotographic apparatus. An electrophotographic image forming device is provided which has a process unit that acts on a photoconductor and includes at least an elastic cleaning unit in which an edge portion is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photoconductor, and a display unit that displays information on an unused state of a process cartridge. When the apparatus main body has a recognition unit that recognizes the information of the display unit, and when it is determined that the process cartridge is unused, the information indicating the unused state of the display unit is erased, and the image forming operation is performed. Remove the process cartridge that rotates the electrophotographic photosensitive member for a predetermined time before entering, and makes the rotation speed faster than the speed during image forming operation, in the main body of the device. And mounting means for enabling attached, (b) a transport means for transporting the recording medium, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus characterized by having a are provided.

Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge is attachable / detachable and forms an image on a recording medium, (a) an electrophotographic photosensitive member and the electrophotographic apparatus. A process unit that acts on the photoconductor, the process unit including at least an elastic cleaning unit in which an edge portion is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photoconductor; and a display unit that displays information on an unused state of the process cartridge,
When the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a recognition means for recognizing the information of the display means and a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature, the display is made when it is determined that the process cartridge is unused. The information indicating the unused state of the means is erased, and when it is determined that the ambient temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before the image forming operation is started, and the rotation speed is imaged. An electrophotographic image, comprising: mounting means for removably mounting the process cartridge, which is faster than the speed during the forming operation, in the apparatus main body, and (b) a transport means for transporting the recording medium. A forming device is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of identifying unused state information of the process cartridge or the process cartridge used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus by an identifying means, the identifying means comprising: A display means for indicating an unused state of the process cartridge, and a recognition means for recognizing the information, wherein the display means
It is composed of a member accompanied by a change in the form of only one direction, the form before the deformation represents information of an unused state, the recognition means is a switch member for deforming by pushing the display means, and the switch member is pushed. An identification method for identifying the unused state information of the process cartridge is provided, which comprises a determination unit that determines the unused state based on the signal obtained by.

[0018]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, a process cartridge according to the present invention,
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 Example 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1 showing the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and the process cartridge showing the process cartridge of the present invention, the drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter
A photosensitive drum 1) is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a driving unit 15, and its surface is uniformly charged by a charging roller 3 which is a primary charging means, and then a laser beam from an exposure device 7 is reflected. It is exposed by passing through the member 8 and a latent image is formed. In the present embodiment, the drive speed of the drive unit 15 can be changed in at least two steps according to a command from the control unit 14. After that, the latent image is visualized by the developing device 4 with toner as a developer. Paper cassette 17
Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred by the transfer roller 5 which is a transfer unit onto the transfer material 9 which is a recording medium that is transferred by the paper feed roller 16 and the transfer unit 40, and then the fixing device 10 is operated. It becomes a permanent image as it passes.

On the other hand, the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum 1 is collected by the cleaning device 2. As the configuration of the cleaning device 2, for example, a cleaning blade 2a that abuts an edge portion of urethane rubber with a predetermined pressure,
A sheet composed of a squeeze sheet 2b or the like that prevents the scraped toner from scattering to the outside is used.

A lubricant 2c is applied to the edge portion of the cleaning blade 2a in order to reduce the frictional force between the cleaning blade 2a and the photosensitive drum 1.
As the lubricant, for example, fluororesins such as ethylene tetrafluoride and vinylidene fluoride, titanium oxide, strontium titanate, carbon fluoride, zinc stearate, etc. are used so that the average particle diameter becomes about 0.5 to 10 μm. What is crushed into is used.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
As an example, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging roller 3, and the developing device 4
The cleaning device 2 and the cleaning device 2 are integrated by a frame 6 and are in the form of a cartridge that can be removed from the image forming apparatus by a mounting means 30 provided in the apparatus body. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state when the cartridge is inserted.

The cartridge side is provided with a display means 11 indicating the unused state of the cartridge, and the image forming apparatus main body side is provided with a switch means 12 which is a recognition means for recognizing the information of the display means 11. Recognition means 12
The information from is judged by the judgment unit 13 in the control unit 14,
The drive speed of the drive unit 15 is determined based on the information.

In FIGS. 4 to 7, the recognizing means including the display means 11, the switch means 12 and the determining portion 13 is used to determine how the cartridge is in the unused state (initial state). An example of the method is shown.

The display means 11 comprises a frame portion 11a and a deformable portion 11b. One side of the deformable portion 11b is fixed to the frame body portion 11a, and is only rotatable inside the frame body portion 11a around the fixed portion. The other one side is fixed so as to be hooked on a protrusion 11c provided on the inner surface of the frame 11a.

On the other hand, the switch means 12 includes a pressing portion 12
a, a spring member 12b, a frame body portion 12c, and a switch member 12d, and the pressing portion 12a is movable by the spring member 12b inside the frame body portion 12c.
Is connected to the display means 1 by the spring member 12b.
We are receiving power toward the 1st side. A switch member 12d is attached to the end of the frame body portion 12c.

FIG. 4 shows a state before the unused cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus. At this time, the switch member 12d is in the OFF state.
As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge is further attached to the spring member 12b.
When the deformation portion 11b of the display means 11 pushes the pressing member 12a with some deformation, the pressing member 12a pushes the switch member 12d to turn on the switch. At this point, it can be determined that the cartridge is unused.

When the cartridge is further inserted into the back and completely mounted on the main body side, the deformation of the deformable portion 11b progresses further, and as shown in FIG. 6, the deformable portion 11b gets over the protruding portion 11c of the frame portion 11a and comes off. . Then, the pressing member 12a is returned to its original position by the force of the spring member 12b, and the switch is turned off. At this point, the initial information of the cartridge will be erased.

In the cartridge in which the initial information is erased, even if it is mounted in the main body of the apparatus, the deforming portion 11b is inwardly free as shown in FIG. 7, so that the pressing force of the pressing member 12a can be obtained. Therefore, it is not determined that the initial state is set.

The display means and the recognition means are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The display means 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a means and a configuration for changing the form (irreversible deformation) in only one direction. Also, the recognition means is not particularly limited as long as the display means 11 can be surely deformed and the switch can be pressed.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a flowchart in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a case where the main power source of the image forming apparatus is OFF, and FIG. 9 shows a case where the main power source of the image forming apparatus is ON. It is a flowchart of.

Unused display means 1 in this embodiment
In No. 1, since unused information can be displayed only once at the moment the mounting of the cartridge is completed, it is necessary for the judgment unit 13 on the main body side to recognize and store the information at that moment.

However, since the replacement work of the cartridge is performed regardless of the power-on state, it is indispensable that the control is always operating when the cartridge is mounted.

In FIG. 8, the cartridge (CRG in the figure
Is displayed on the image forming apparatus main body (F1), at least the control unit 14 is automatically turned on (F2) in association with the mounting operation, and the determination unit 13 is ready for operation. The means for automatically turning on the power of the control unit 14 is not particularly limited, for example, a method in which a detection switch is installed in the mounting path of the cartridge and the power is automatically turned on when the cartridge passes therethrough.

After the power is turned on, the ON / OFF state of the switch member 12d in the switch means 12 is confirmed (F3).
Here, if the switch ON is detected, since the cartridge is in the initial state, unused information is written and stored in the determination unit 13 (F4), and then the power is automatically turned OFF (F5).

On the other hand, if the switch is OFF, it means that the cartridge has already been used. Therefore, the judgment unit 13 does not store new information and the power is turned OFF as it is.

After that, when the user turns on the main power source to use the image forming apparatus (F6), first, the unused information of the determination unit 13 is confirmed (F7), and if there is unused information, it is abnormal. In order to prevent noise, the rotational speed of the pre-multi-rotation performed for a predetermined time is increased as a preliminary preparation before the image forming operation (F8). After the completion of the previous multi-rotation, the unused information of the cartridge in the determination unit 13 is erased (F10) to prevent the repetition of this operation. Then, a standby state in which an image forming operation is possible at any time is entered (F11).

On the other hand, when there is no unused information in the control unit 14, the normal pre-multi-rotation is performed (F9) and then the standby state is entered (F11).

Next, when the main power source of FIG. 9 is turned on, the cartridge (indicated as CRG in the figure) is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus (F12), and the ON / OFF state of the switch member in the recognition means 12 is confirmed. Yes (F13). Here, if the switch ON is detected, since the cartridge is in the initial state, unused information is written and stored in the determination unit 13 (F14).

On the other hand, if the switch is OFF, the cartridge has already been used, and the determination unit 13 does not store new information. After that, steps F16 to F19 are the same as those in FIG.

Now, the reason why the pre-multi-rotation rapid rotation is effective in preventing the generation of abnormal noise at the initial stage of cartridge use in a high temperature environment will be described.

The high frictional force between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum, which causes the abnormal temperature, becomes higher as the blade becomes softer due to the high temperature and the contact area increases. Then, the contact area tends to increase as the followability of the blade to the moving photosensitive drum surface increases.

Therefore, as the moving speed of the photosensitive drum becomes slower, the followability of the blade is improved, so that the contact area is increased and, as a result, the frictional force is increased and the abnormal noise is apt to be generated. That is, the slower the process speed is, the more disadvantageous the abnormal sound at the initial stage of the cartridge is. On the contrary, as the moving speed of the photoconductor drum becomes faster, the followability of the blade is lowered, so that the contact area is reduced, and as a result, the frictional force is lowered and the generation of abnormal sound can be prevented. In other words, even if the lubricant is hard to come off from the blade edge portion, which normally causes an initial abnormal sound, by performing quick rotation at the time of front multiple rotation,
It can be used with confidence.

By the way, it is difficult to uniformly indicate the speed increase amount of the quick rotation for preventing the generation of the abnormal sound to all the image forming apparatuses. This is because the generation conditions vary depending on the contact condition of the cleaning blade, the rubber hardness, the friction coefficient, the friction coefficient of the photosensitive drum, the type of lubricant, and the like. Therefore, it is necessary to check the minimum speed at which the initial abnormal sound does not occur in each image forming apparatus for the speed increase.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of pre-multi-rotation in this embodiment. The purpose of the pre-multi-rotation shown here is to evenly charge the drum surface, detect the remaining amount of toner, clean the transfer roller, and prevent the generation of abnormal noise due to rapid rotation when the cartridge is in the initial state. The operation procedure is as follows.

After turning on the main power source, the photosensitive drum starts to rotate, and at the same time, the primary charging is started. At this time, if the cartridge is in the initial state, it is rotated at a speed faster than usual. Then, the operation of detecting the remaining amount of toner is performed. As the remaining toner amount detection operation information, any means such as optical detection, magnetic detection, or electrostatic capacitance detection may be used. A bias having a reverse polarity to that of the normal transfer operation is applied to the transfer roller to perform the cleaning operation. Here, in the fixing device, since the on-demand method which does not require the preheating time is assumed in the case of this embodiment, it is not described in the timing chart, but in the case of the heat roller fixing device, A certain amount of preheating time is required to reach the temperature of.

Regarding the time t (sec) required for the normal multi-rotation without fast-forwarding, for uniform charging, it is a time for the photosensitive drum to rotate two times or more, and for toner remaining amount detection, it is 2 ˜3 seconds, and for the cleaning of the transfer roller, it is sufficient if the transfer roller has a time of about 3 rotations or more. By the way, in the case of the heat roller fixing device, it takes about 1 minute even if the fixing device is small.

On the other hand, in the case of performing the fast rotation, the fog toner and the abrasion dust of the photosensitive drum due to the rubbing between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum are sufficiently accumulated at the blade edge, and the photosensitive drum is rotated at the normal rotation speed. It is necessary to continue the front multi-rotation until the friction is low enough not to cause when returning. This required time also varies depending on the rotation speed of the drum, the contact condition of the cleaning blade, the configuration of the developing device, and the like, so it is necessary to check the minimum required time for each image forming apparatus.

An example of the image forming apparatus using this embodiment is shown below.

Process speed: 40 mm / sec Photoconductor drum: Organic photoconductor surface layer, outer diameter Φ30 Cleaning blade: Urethane, rubber hardness 65 °, contact pressure 35 gf / cm Lubricant: Fluorine carbon is applied to the blade edge Developer : Magnetic one-component toner Fixing device: On-demand method

In the case of the present embodiment, under the environment of 32.5 ° C., when the cartridge was unused, an abnormal sound was generated at the initial stage of use, but the process speed was 70 mm / se.
When set to c or higher, the abnormal sound no longer occurs. or,
Regarding the pre-multi-rotation time, if it is 70 mm / sec, 5
The original speed (40mm / sec) if it is done for about 0 seconds
The abnormal noise did not occur when it was returned to.

Incidentally, about 5 seconds is usually sufficient for the pre-multi-rotation when the cartridge is not in the unused state.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the unused state of the cartridge can be detected, and the abnormal sound at the initial stage of use can be reliably prevented.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus and the process cartridge according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. The same members as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, since the unused information of the cartridge is represented by a mechanical structure consisting of a relatively large number of parts, there is a concern that the operation may be defective due to, for example, defective parts. In view of this, in the present embodiment, the display means for indicating unused information is composed of the non-volatile storage means 18, and the recognition means for recognizing the information of the display means is composed of the connection section 19 and the judgment section 20. It became simpler and made it possible to transmit information more reliably. When it is determined that the cartridge is in the unused state, the operation of increasing the rotation speed of the previous multi-rotation is the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the non-volatile storage means 18 is fixed to the cartridge side. On the other hand, the connection unit 19 and the determination unit 20 which are the recognition means are provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. As shown in FIG. 13, the connecting portion 19 is arranged at a position where the connecting portion 19 is connected to the nonvolatile storage means 18 when the cartridge is completely attached to the apparatus main body.

Information is exchanged between the non-volatile storage means 18 and the judgment section 20 provided in the main body control section 14.

The non-volatile storage means 18 is not particularly limited as long as it rewritably stores and holds signal information. For example, a RAM or a rewritable ROM.
Or the like, or a magnetic storage means such as a magnetic recording medium or a magnetic bubble memory. In the present embodiment, NV (NonVo
Latent) RAM is used.

The connecting portion 19 has a structure including at least an electric contact portion and a contact holding member (neither of which is shown), and particularly if the connecting portion 19 can surely be connected to the electric contact of the nonvolatile memory means 18. There is no limit.

The judging section 20 is a section for reading, judging, and erasing the information in the non-volatile storage means 18, and constitutes a part of the control section 14 of the apparatus main body.

In the flowchart of this embodiment shown in FIG. 14, when the main power source is turned on (F20), the presence / absence of unused information in the NVRAM 18 on the cartridge is automatically confirmed (F21). If it is the unused information, the rotation speed of the previous multiple rotation is increased (F22). After the previous multi-rotation is completed, the unused information in the NVRAM 18 is erased (F
24) Do not repeat the same operation. afterwards,
A standby state is set (F25).

On the other hand, when there is no unused information in the NVRAM 18, the normal pre-multi-rotation is performed (F23) and then the standby state is set (F25).

As described above, according to this embodiment,
Since unused information is displayed using a non-volatile storage means,
Since the configuration is simplified and the unused information of the cartridge can be transmitted more reliably, the initial abnormal sound can be reliably prevented.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
6 will be described.

In the present embodiment, the temperature detecting means 21 is additionally provided in the structure substantially similar to that of the image forming apparatus of the second embodiment, the cartridge is in the unused state, and the ambient temperature of the image forming apparatus is not used. When it is determined that the temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the operation of increasing the rotation speed of the previous multi-rotation is performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the control for increasing the rotation speed of the pre-multi-rotation is always performed if there is unused information of the cartridge. However, in the present embodiment, the initial abnormal sound is liable to occur at a high temperature. Since the rotation speed is increased only below, the optimum pre-multi-rotation time can always be set. That is, in a normal environment in which the initial abnormal sound does not occur, there is an advantage that the user does not have to wait an unnecessary time.

In FIG. 15, the temperature detecting means 21 is
The image forming apparatus may be provided at any place as long as the ambient temperature can be detected. Further, the temperature detecting means is not particularly limited as long as it is a temperature sensor having an accuracy of about ± 1 ° C. at the room temperature level.

Incidentally, the atmospheric temperature at which the initial abnormal noise is likely to occur is around about 30 ° C. according to the study by the present inventors.

The information from the temperature detecting means 21 is used as the control unit 1.
A determination unit 20 in 4 is entered to determine the magnitude relative to a predetermined temperature level.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of this embodiment. When the main power source is turned on (F30), the presence / absence of unused information in the NVRAM 18 on the cartridge is automatically checked (F31). If there is no unused information, the normal pre-multi-rotation mode is entered (F33), and then the standby state is entered (F37). If you have unused information,
Then, the room temperature is detected and it is determined whether the temperature is 30 ° C. or higher (F32). Here, if the temperature is lower than 30 ° C., the normal pre-multi-rotation mode is entered (F35), then the unused information in the NVRAM 18 is erased (F36), and the standby state is entered (F37). If the room temperature is 30 ° C. or higher, the rotation speed of the previous multi-rotation is increased (F34), the unused information in the NVRAM 18 is erased (F36), and the standby state is set (F37). The unused information in the NVRAM 18 is erased so that the same operation is not repeated.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the unused information of the cartridge is displayed by using the non-volatile storage means, the room temperature information is also added, so that the initial abnormal sound is liable to occur at a high temperature. It is possible to increase the rotation speed of the photosensitive drum only under the circumstances, and there is an advantage that the user does not have to wait an unnecessary time in a normal environment in which an initial abnormal sound does not occur.

[0073]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the generation of abnormal sound in the initial stage of use, and the process cartridge in a good use condition, and the electronic cartridge equipped with the process cartridge. A photographic image forming apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the process cartridge of FIG. 1 is attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing operations of a display unit and a recognition unit of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the display means of FIG. 4 contacts the recognition means and turns on the switch means.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing that the switch means of FIG. 5 is turned off.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing that the display unit of FIG. 4 stops displaying an unused state.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing control when the main power supply is off in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing control when the main power source is turned on in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart of control according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram illustrating an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram showing a process cartridge of Example 2.

13 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which the process cartridge of FIG. 10 is attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of control according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram illustrating an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of control according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive member) 2 Cleaning device 3 Charging roller (charging means) 4 Developing device 6 Frame 11 Display means 12 Recognition means 13 Judgment section 14 Control section 15 Drive section 30 Mounting means 40 Conveying means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Tadashi Onimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Satoshi Inami 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kya Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Jun Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein an electrophotographic photosensitive member and elastic cleaning which acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least an edge portion of which is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member. A process means including a means, a display means for displaying information on an unused state of the process cartridge, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body has a recognition means for recognizing the information on the display means, and the process cartridge is When it is determined that the electrophotographic photosensitive member is unused, the information indicating the unused state of the display means is erased, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before the image forming operation is performed, and the rotation speed is image-formed. A process cartridge characterized by being made faster than its operating speed. 2. The display means has a member whose form changes in only one direction, and the change in form of the member represents information on the unused state, and the recognition means pushes the display means. 2. The process cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: a switch member for changing the form, and a determination unit for determining the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member. 3. The display means is a readable / writable non-volatile storage means in which the information indicating the unused state is stored at the time of shipment of the product, and the recognition means is an electrical storage device connected to the non-volatile storage means. The process cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a contact portion and a determination portion that determines the unused state based on information obtained from the nonvolatile storage means. 4. A process cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member and elastic cleaning which acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least an edge portion of which is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body has a process unit including a member and a display unit that displays information about an unused state of the process cartridge, and a recognition unit that recognizes the information on the display unit and an ambient temperature. An image when it is determined that the process cartridge has an unused temperature, the information indicating the unused state of the display means is erased, and the ambient temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature. The electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before starting the forming operation, and the rotation speed thereof is made higher than the speed during the image forming operation. Process cartridge. 5. The display means has a member whose form changes in only one direction, and the change of the form of the member represents information on the unused state, and the recognition means pushes the display means. 5. The process cartridge according to claim 4, further comprising a switch member for changing the form, and a determination unit for determining the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member. 6. The display means is a readable / writable non-volatile storage means in which the information indicating the unused state is stored at the time of shipment of a product, and the recognition means is an electrical storage device for the non-volatile storage means. The process cartridge according to claim 4, further comprising a contact portion and a determination portion that determines the unused state based on information obtained from the nonvolatile storage means. 7. The process cartridge comprises a cleaning unit as the process unit, a charging unit or a developing unit, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member, which are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is removable. 8. The process cartridge comprises a cleaning unit as the process unit, at least one of a charging unit and a developing unit, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member, which are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is formed into an image forming apparatus main body. It is made detachable with respect to
Process cartridge of any one of 6 to 6. 9. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein a process cartridge is attachable / detachable and forms an image on a recording medium, wherein (a) an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least the electrophotographic photosensitive member that acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body has a process unit including an elastic cleaning unit in which an edge portion is brought into contact with a photoconductor, and a display unit that displays information on an unused state of a process cartridge. When it is determined that the process cartridge is unused, the information indicating the unused state of the display unit is erased, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member is erased for a predetermined time before starting an image forming operation. Mounting means for detachably mounting the process cartridge, which rotates the body and makes the rotation speed faster than the speed during the image forming operation, to the apparatus main body, (B) A conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 10. The display means has a member whose form changes in only one direction, and the change in form of the member represents information on the unused state, and the recognition means pushes the display means. 10. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a switch member for changing the form, and a determination unit for determining the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member. 11. The display means is a readable / writable non-volatile storage means in which the information indicating the unused state is stored at the time of shipment of a product, and the recognition means is an electrical storage device for the non-volatile storage means. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a contact portion and a determination portion that determines the unused state based on information obtained from the nonvolatile storage means. 12. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein a process cartridge is attachable / detachable and forms an image on a recording medium, wherein (a) an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least the electrophotographic photosensitive member which acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body has a process unit including an elastic cleaning unit in which an edge portion is brought into contact with a photoconductor, and a display unit that displays information on an unused state of a process cartridge.
When the process cartridge is determined to be unused, the information indicating the unused state of the display unit is displayed when the process cartridge is determined to be unused. When the erase operation is performed and it is determined that the ambient temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is rotated for a predetermined time before the image forming operation is performed, and the rotation speed thereof is made faster than the speed during the image forming operation. Mounting means for removably mounting the process cartridge on the apparatus main body; (b) transporting means for transporting the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: 13. The display means has a member whose form changes in only one direction, and the change in form of the member represents information on the unused state, and the recognition means pushes the display means. 13. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a switch member for changing the form, and a determination unit for determining the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member. 14. The display means is a readable / writable non-volatile storage means in which the information indicating the unused state is stored at the time of shipment of a product, and the recognition means is an electrical storage device for the non-volatile storage means. 13. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a contact portion and a determination portion that determines the unused state based on information obtained from the nonvolatile storage means. 15. The process cartridge comprises a cleaning unit as the process unit, a charging unit or a developing unit, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member, which are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 14, which is removable. 16. The process cartridge comprises a cleaning unit as the process unit, at least one of a charging unit and a developing unit, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member, which are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is formed into an image forming apparatus main body. 15. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is removable. 17. The process cartridge according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5 or claim 9, 10, 12, 1
A method for identifying unused state information of a process cartridge used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to 3, using the identifying means, the identifying means including display means for indicating an unused state of the process cartridge, The display means includes a recognition means for recognizing the information, and the display means is a member accompanied by a unidirectional change in shape, and the shape before deformation represents information in an unused state. Identifying the unused state information of the process cartridge, which comprises a switch member for pressing and deforming the means, and a determination unit for determining the unused state based on a signal obtained by pressing the switch member. Identification method.