JPH10171323A - Cleaning blush exchange notice control method of electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly notify a user of the exchange period of a cleaning brush by notifying the user, when the cumulative time of the drive of the cleaning brush exceeds a previously set reference time. SOLUTION: An electrophotographic device shaft to a printable state with a print emabling signal 11. The cleaning brush is driven with a cleaning brush driving signal 12, to update the value of a cleaning brush driving time counter 14. The feeding of a sheet of paper is started with a feeding signal 13, to start printing and when printed image data piles up, the feeding of the paper is stopped. While the cleaning brush is driven, a cleaning brush driving time counting function works, regardless of intermittent printing, so that the amount of the actual use of the cleaning brush is measured. When the counter 14 exceeds a previously set cleaning brush exchange notice time T, notice that the exchange of the cleaning brush is urged is executed with a cleaning brush exchange notice signal 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning brush replacement notification control method for an electrophotographic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing process of an electrophotographic apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The corona discharge phenomenon caused by the charger 1 is as follows. When the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 2 is charged to P2 (V), and the laser light 3 modulated by the image data signal is irradiated on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2, the light is attenuated due to light attenuation. Only lower the potential to P0
(V). The developer 6 in which the toner 4 which is a powder ink and the carrier 5 which is frictionally charged with the toner 4 are mixed at a certain ratio, the toner 4 becomes positive (+) by the rotation of the magnet roll 7 and the carrier 5 becomes The negative electrode (−) is triboelectrically charged. The toner 4 is attracted to the carrier 5 by electrostatic force, the carrier 5 is attracted to the magnet roll 7 by magnetic force, and the developer 6 is conveyed to the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 by rotation of the magnet roll 7.

The potential P1 (V) of the magnet roll 7 is intermediate (P0 <P1 <P2 (V)) between the surface potential P2 (V) on the high side of the photosensitive drum 2 and the surface potential P0 (V) on the low side. Therefore, the toner 4 charged to the positive electrode (+) is attracted to a portion on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 having a potential P0 (V) lower than the potential P1 (V) of the magroll 7.

A negative electrode generated by the corona discharge phenomenon of the transfer unit 8
The toner 4 on the photosensitive drum 2 charged to the positive electrode (+) by the charge of (−) is attracted to the paper 9 and transferred. The toner image transferred onto the paper 9 is fixed by heat and pressure, thereby completing a series of printing processes.

Generally, about 80% of the toner 4 on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred to the paper 9, but about 20% of the remaining toner 4 remains on the photosensitive drum 2. AC corona 10
The discharge phenomenon described above removes the charge of the photosensitive drum 2 and the residual toner 4 to weaken the suction force and facilitates cleaning. The erase lamp 11 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to lower the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 2. Cleaning is facilitated, and the cleaning brush 12 rotates to remove and collect the residual toner 4 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

Next, a conventional cleaning brush replacement notification control method will be described. In general, an electrophotographic apparatus has a print page number counting function for counting the number of prints, and holds information on the cumulative number of print pages in a print page number counter. For example, in the case of a page printer, a printed page number counting function is activated by printing, and the number of printed pages in a specified sheet size is stored in a printed page number counter as information. The notification for prompting the replacement of the conventional cleaning brush is a method using the printed page number counting function originally provided in the above-described electrophotographic apparatus.

A conventional procedure for notifying the user to replace the cleaning brush will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The cleaning brush page number counter 25 that holds the number of pages used by the cleaning brush as information sets “0” when the cleaning brush is replaced or in an initial state of the electrophotographic apparatus. The electrophotographic apparatus is shifted from the non-printing state to the printable state by setting the print enable signal 21 to logic "H". At this time, the cleaning brush is driven by setting the cleaning brush drive signal 22 to logic "H". By setting the paper feed signal 23 to logic "H" in a printable state, the paper feed is started to start printing, and by printing, the print page number counting function is activated to update the value of the print page number counter 24. The value of the cleaning brush page number counter 25 is also updated.

[0008] Cleaning brush page number counter 25
Is greater than the predetermined number N of cleaning brush replacement notification pages, the cleaning brush replacement notification signal 26 becomes logic "H", and a notification prompting replacement of the cleaning brush is made.

By setting the paper feed signal 23 to logic "L", paper feed is stopped and printing is completed. Printable signal 2
By setting 1 to logic "L", the electrophotographic apparatus is changed from the printable state to the non-printing state. At this time, the cleaning brush is stopped by setting the cleaning brush drive signal 22 to logic "L".

The operator is prompted that the cleaning brush replacement notification signal 26 is at logic "H", replaces the cleaning brush, sets "0" to the cleaning brush used page counter 25 again, and outputs the cleaning brush replacement notification signal. 26 becomes logic "L".

Conventionally, a high-speed electrophotographic apparatus has an intermittent printing function of alternately repeating execution and prohibition of printing in a printable state. In order to transition to the printable state, a startup time for the photosensitive drum to reach a constant speed rotation and a mag roll drive time for the developer to be sufficiently frictionally charged are required,
This is an effective function that can execute printing without spending time for transitioning from a non-printing state to a printable state when printing is performed discontinuously.

The operation of counting the number of pages using the cleaning brush at the time of the intermittent printing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The cleaning brush page number counter 35 sets “0” when the cleaning brush is replaced. By setting the printable signal 31 to logic "H", the electrophotographic apparatus is shifted from the non-printing state to the printable state. At this time, the cleaning brush is driven by setting the cleaning brush drive signal 32 to logic "H". When the print image data is ready, the paper feed signal 33 is set to logic "H" to start the paper feed and start printing. When the print image data is delayed, the paper feed is stopped by setting the paper feed signal 33 to logic "L", and printing is prohibited until the next print image data is prepared without setting the print enable signal 31 to logic "L". .

At this time, the printable state is continued, and the cleaning brush drive signal 32 is driven with the logic "H". Next, when the print image data is ready, the paper feed signal 3
By setting 3 to logic "H", paper feeding is started and printing is resumed. When printing is performed, the printed page number counting function operates to update the value of the printed page number counter 34 and also update the value of the cleaning brush used page number counter 35.

When paper feeding or printing is prohibited in intermittent printing, the cleaning brush is driven, but the printed page count function does not work, so the actual usage of the cleaning brush and the control usage There was a gap.

[0015]

The above-described prior art cleaning brush replacement notification control method is based on the number of pages printed using the cleaning brush. There was a gap between usage and control usage, resulting in the cleaning brush being used beyond its proper replacement time.

The cleaning performance of the cleaning brush which has exceeded the replacement time is deteriorated, and causes a memory phenomenon in which the previous image data remains in the next printing and a fogging phenomenon in which the toner adheres to the non-printing portion, thereby reducing the printing quality. There was a problem that could inhibit.

Further, when the cleaning performance is deteriorated, a filming phenomenon in which the toner is fused to the surface of the photosensitive drum may occur, causing a problem that the life of the photosensitive drum is significantly shortened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush replacement notification control method for an electrophotographic apparatus, which solves the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art and appropriately notifies a cleaning brush replacement time.

[0019]

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic apparatus provided with a cleaning brush for removing toner adhering to the surface of a photoreceptor, wherein the accumulated time of driving the cleaning brush exceeds a predetermined reference time. This is achieved by notifying the time of replacement of the cleaning brush.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that the configuration of the electrophotographic apparatus including the printing process is the same as that of FIG. 4, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, a cleaning brush driving time counter 14 for holding the accumulated time of driving the cleaning brush as information is set to "0" when the cleaning brush is replaced or in an initial state of the electrophotographic apparatus.

By setting the print enable signal 11 to logic "H", the electrophotographic apparatus is changed from the non-printing state to the print enable state. At this time, the cleaning brush is set to logic "H" so that the cleaning brush is activated. Drive. Here, when the cleaning brush is driven, the cleaning brush driving time counting function is activated, and the value of the cleaning brush driving time counter 14 is updated.

When the print image data is ready, the paper feed signal 13 is set to logic "H" to start paper feeding and printing starts. When the print image data is delayed, the paper feed signal 13 is set to logic "L". The paper feed is stopped, and printing is prohibited until the next print image data is prepared without setting the print enable signal 11 to logic "L".

Next, when the print image data is ready, the paper feed signal 13 is set to logic "H" to start paper feed and resume printing. Regardless of intermittent printing, while the cleaning brush is being driven, the cleaning brush driving time counting function operates to count the actual usage of the cleaning brush. When the cleaning brush drive time counter 14 exceeds a predetermined cleaning brush replacement notification time T, the cleaning brush replacement notification signal 15 is set to a logic "H" to notify the replacement of the cleaning brush.

By setting the paper feed signal 13 to logic "L", paper feed is stopped and printing is completed. Printable signal 1
By setting 1 to logic "L", the electrophotographic apparatus is shifted from the printable state to the non-printing state, and at this time, the cleaning brush drive signal 12 is set to logic "L" to stop the cleaning brush. The operator is prompted that the cleaning brush replacement notification signal 15 is at logic "H", and sets the cleaning brush drive time counter 14 to "0" again by replacing the cleaning brush. It becomes "L".

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning brush replacement notification control method for an electrophotographic apparatus that appropriately notifies a cleaning brush replacement time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a timing chart of a cleaning brush replacement notification control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart of a conventional cleaning brush replacement notification control method.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart of a conventional cleaning brush replacement notification control method during intermittent printing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophotographic apparatus.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... Charging device, 2 ... Photoconductor drum, 3 ... Laser light, 4 ... Toner, 5 ... Carrier, 6 ... Developer, 7 ... Magnet roll, 8 ... Transfer device, 9 ... Paper, 10 ... AC corona, 11 ...
Erase lamp, 12 ... Cleaning brush.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electrophotographic apparatus provided with a cleaning brush for removing toner adhered to the surface of a photoreceptor, when a cumulative time for driving the cleaning brush exceeds a predetermined reference time, the cleaning brush is replaced. Notification method for exchanging a cleaning brush of an electrophotographic apparatus.