JPH1024641A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a stable printing work to comply with a power supply in a country of specifications by switching power supply specifications for a fixing means according to information relative to a country where an image forming device for sending an image from external equipment is used. SOLUTION: A user selects a country of specifications using a control panel 100 when starting a printer for the first time, and detects a code of the country with the help of a controller 101 and further, sends the code to a printer engine 102. The printer engine 103 identifies an AC power supply to be made by the code and sends a drive signal 110 to a heater drive circuit. If the drive signal 110 is entered, a photo-triac 111 is activated to turn a drive signal 112 ON so that a triac 114 is switched ON. In turn, electric current is run to a heater 113 to heat it up. Thus it is possible to supply a stable print sample and perform stable printing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technical field of an image forming apparatus suitable for use in a page printer such as a laser beam printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, laser beam printers have become widespread in terms of their printing quality and low price. As shown in FIG. 7, a general laser beam printer includes an MP tray 10, a paper supply solenoid 20, a paper supply roller 21, a paper supply lifter 22, a paper supply pad 23, a laser unit 24, a toner cartridge 25, and a transfer roller 26. , A fixing device 27, a paper feed sensor 28, a paper discharge sensor 29, an MP tray paper presence / absence sensor 30, and the like, and a CPU (not shown) for controlling these components.

In FIG. 7, an engine starts a printing operation in response to a print signal from a printer controller (not shown), and a laser unit 24 and a sheet feeding solenoid 2 are started.
0, the fixing device 27 is driven. When the paper feed solenoid 20 is driven, the paper feed lifter 22 moves and pushes the paper on the tray 10 forward. Then, the leading edge of the paper comes into contact between the paper feed roller 21 and the paper feed pad 23 that are rotating at the same time, and the paper is fed.

[0004] A vertical synchronization signal is sent to the printer controller a predetermined time after the fed paper passes the sensor 28. This time is a value that is determined in advance based on the actual paper position, mechanical variation, and the like. The printer controller sends out image data according to the signal and a horizontal synchronizing signal generated from the scanner unit 24 already operating. The toner adheres to the drum in the cartridge 25 according to the image data, is transferred to the recording medium by the transfer roller 26, is fixed by the fixing device 27, and the printing is completed. The sensors 28 and 29 also perform jam detection.

[0005]

However, the laser beam printer has the following problems.

For example, the heater is driven by switching the signal of a predetermined pulse width within a certain period of time.
Since this switching operation affects conduction noise or lighting equipment used in the vicinity, the AC power supply is set to 50H.
Since it is necessary to change the pulse width depending on whether the frequency is z or 60 Hz, a frequency detection circuit is required, which has been a factor of cost increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing stable printing in accordance with the power supply in the country of use. is there.

[0008]

Therefore, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention achieves the above object by the following constitution.

(1) A latent image forming means for forming a latent image by irradiating a photosensitive member with an image sent from an external device by a polygon mirror, a transferring means for transferring the formed latent image to a recording medium, In an image forming apparatus having a thermal fixing unit for fixing a transferred recording medium, a power supply specification to the fixing unit is set in accordance with country of use information of the image forming apparatus to which an image is transmitted from the external device. An image forming apparatus comprising switching means for switching.

(2) The image forming apparatus according to (1), further comprising a switching unit for switching an output timing of a primary charging voltage applied to the photoconductor in accordance with the country of use information. .

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. When a country of use is input on an operation panel, an input commercial power supply and an external environment are automatically determined.
This is an embodiment in which an engine is changed to perform optimal control.

The above details will be described with reference to embodiments.

[0013]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. FIG.

In the block diagram of FIG. 1, 100 is an operation panel, 101 is a printer controller, and 102 is a printer engine.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a power supply situation in each country.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the heater driving unit.
110 is a drive signal from a CPU (not shown), 111
Is a photo triac, 112 is a triac drive signal, 113 is a heater, 114 is a triac, 115
Is a commercial AC power supply.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are time charts of drive signals, and FIG.
d) shows the case of 50 Hz. b) and e) are time charts of the commercial AC power supply of each frequency, and c) and f) are heater ON currents.

When the user starts up the printer for the first time, the user selects a country of use, for example, the United States on the operation panel 100 (FIG. 2). Then, the controller 101 detects this,
The subsequent menu is displayed in the official language of the country, that is, English, and the country code of use, for example, 01 shown in FIG. 3 is transmitted to the printer engine.

From this code, the printer engine 102 determines that the input AC power is 115 V / 60 Hz, and sends it to the heater drive circuit as shown in FIG.
Drive signal 1 with a pulse width of 8.333 ms according to Hz
10 (FIG. 5a).

When Germany is selected as the country of use, the controller transmits the country of use code, for example, 05 in FIG. 3 to the printer engine.
/ 50Hz and pulse width 10m corresponding to 50Hz
The s drive signal 110 is transmitted (FIG. 5D).

When the drive signal 110 is input, the photo triac 111 operates, and the triac 114 is turned off.
The drive signal 112 is turned ON to set the signal to N. Then, a current flows through the heater 113 to be heated. The photo triac 111 is used for the purpose of insulating the CPU and the AC power supply.

With the above configuration and operation, when the phase of the AC input matches the phase of the drive signal and one pulse of an ON signal having a unit width is output, the heater is always turned on for one wave, so that the accuracy of heater control is improved. Conducted noise and the effect on lighting fixtures consuming power from the same power line can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment,
The heater control was switched according to the power supply situation in the country of use.
However, different countries use different types of paper,
The printing quality depends on the components contained in the paper,
It was necessary to switch high-pressure control. For example, paper used in India contains a lot of talc,
When printing a large number of continuous sheets, the image is printed with some missing points.

The second embodiment is a corresponding embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

The flowchart of FIG. 6 is a part of a program for controlling the printer engine, and is a part for completing continuous printing and preparing for receiving a next print command.

In step S00, it is monitored whether printing is continued. If the printing is continued, the process returns to the main routine. If not, the development output is stopped (S01), and the transfer cleaning bias is output (S02).

Development is to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum. The transfer includes a print bias and a cleaning bias. In the case of the print bias, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is attracted to the transfer roller, so that the toner image is transferred to the paper therebetween. When a cleaning bias is applied, toner is transferred from the transfer roller to the photosensitive drum, and the transfer roller is cleaned.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to S03 and waits for a lapse of a predetermined time, and the primary charging DC is stopped (S04). The primary charging is for smoothing the potential on the photosensitive drum, and usually only AC is applied at the end of printing.

However, in the case of Indian paper, it is known that the application of only AC has an adverse effect on the image. Therefore, as described in the first embodiment, the use country information is received from the controller in S05, and if it is India, the primary charging AC is stopped (S06).

After a lapse of a predetermined time (S07), the primary charging AC is output (S08).
09), the motor is stopped, and the primary charging is stopped (S1).
0).

Thus, a stable print sample can be provided by switching the high-pressure control depending on the paper used.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By switching the control of the heater and the high pressure depending on the country of use, a stable print sample can be provided, and stable printing can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a power supply situation in each country.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a heater driving unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a power supply according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional laser beam printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 MP tray 21 Paper feed roller 22 Paper feed lifter 23 Paper feed pad 27 Fixing device 28 Paper feed sensor 29 Paper discharge sensor 30 Paper presence sensor 100 Operation panel 101 Printer controller 102 Printer engine

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A latent image forming means for irradiating an image sent from an external device to a photoreceptor by a polygon mirror to form a latent image, a transferring means for transferring the formed latent image to a recording medium, and the transferring means And an image forming apparatus having a heat fixing unit for fixing the recorded recording medium, wherein a power supply specification to the fixing unit is switched according to country of use information of the image forming apparatus to which an image is transmitted from the external device. An image forming apparatus comprising switching means. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
An image forming apparatus comprising: a switching unit that switches an output timing of a primary charging voltage applied to the photoconductor in accordance with the country of use information.