KR20040051163A - Method for alarming replacement-time of articles for consumption in the printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for warning a replacement time of consumption articles in an electrophotographic-type imaging device is provided to decide the replacement time of the consumption articles in consideration of the use condition and use frequency of an imaging device and warn the decided replacement time. CONSTITUTION: A microcomputer calculates the number(W) of prediction print papers to be consumed to a consumption article warning request date(X) by the consumption article warning request date(X) set by a user, the number(Y) of papers capable of being printed in a corresponding consumption article and the number(Z) of mean print papers(S110-S150,S160,S170). The microcomputer judges whether the number(Y) of the papers is greater than the number(W) of the prediction print papers(S180). If the number(Y) of the papers is not greater than the number(W) of the prediction print papers, the microcomputer outputs a consumption article replacement warning message(S190).

Description

Warning method for replacing consumables in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus {METHOD FOR ALARMING REPLACEMENT-TIME OF ARTICLES FOR CONSUMPTION IN THE PRINTER}

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a consumable replacement time warning method for informing a user of a timely replacement time of a consumable part, for example, a developer.

As a representative example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, there is a laser printer which prints print data or image data generated by a computer in connection with a computer. This laser printer can perform a continuous printing operation by sequentially transferring a plurality of sheets of paper stacked in accordance with a user's printing command one by one and providing them to the printing area of the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, the components constituting such a laser printer, such as a developing device, is a consumable part whose lifespan is determined, and it can be ensured good print quality only if it is replaced at an appropriate time.

In general, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus displays a warning message to prompt the user to replace the developer when a certain number of sheets is left in consideration of the life of the developer with information on the number of sheets used or toner remaining in the memory in the developer. I'm using a way to tell. In other words, by subtracting the number of sheets printed so far from the number of sheets corresponding to the life of the developer, and displaying the developer replacement warning when the difference is detected below the predetermined number of sheets, the user is notified.

However, in the conventional consumable replacement time warning method as described above, the following problem may occur when the number of prints and the consumable purchase period differ depending on the conditions in which each image forming apparatus is used.

For example, a user may print 1000 copies a day, buy 3 days for consumables, and another user 100 prints a day, and buy 5 supplies for a day. According to the conventional method of outputting a warning message when the number of available copies remains, a user who prints 1000 sheets per day receives a warning message and cannot use the image forming apparatus for two days even if they apply for a consumable purchase immediately. Is generated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in consideration of the use conditions and the frequency of use of the image forming apparatus, by determining the consumables, for example, when the replacement of the developer according to its characteristics to warn by sudden absence of consumables printing It is an object of the present invention to provide a warning method for replacing consumables in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can prevent a problem.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for implementing a consumable replacement time warning method of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention;

2 is a flowchart for explaining a consumable replacement time warning method of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of confirming the average number of sheets of printing in the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1; Microcomputer 2; Development controller

2a; Page Counter 3; ROM

4; RAM6; EEPROM

7 high pressure generator 8 display unit

9; clock driver

Consumables replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the consumable replacement warning request date (X) set by the user operation, the number of printable sheets of the corresponding consumables (Y) and Having information such as the average number of prints Z; Calculating an expected number of prints (W) to be consumed up to the warning request date (X) by calculating X × Z; It is characterized by outputting a consumable replacement warning message if it is determined that the condition of Y> W is satisfied.

According to this, the replacement warning of the corresponding consumable is displayed in accordance with the demand date of the replacement of the consumable by the user's operation in consideration of the time required to purchase the consumable, so that it is possible to prevent a case in which printing cannot be performed due to the sudden absence of the consumable.

Here, when the consumable replacement warning request date X by the user is not set, the default value set at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus is used as the consumable replacement warning request date.

In addition, the average number of prints (Z) using any one of the total average number of prints (Z1) and the latest average number of prints (Z2) of the consumables used to date, but the recent average number of prints (Z2) is sharp The information Z2 is used, and the information Z1 is used when the total average number of prints Z1 is large.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a) determining whether a consumable replacement warning request date X is set by a user; b) checking the number of printable sheets of paper (Y) of the current consumables by exchanging information with the sheets of paper counter; c) determining whether the condition of Y> 0 is satisfied and checking the average number of prints (Z) if satisfied; d) The estimated number of prints (W) to be consumed up to the consumable replacement warning request date (X) by multiplying the consumable replacement warning request date (X) in step (a) and the average number of prints (Z) in step (c). Calculating; e) comparing the number of printable sheets Y of the consumables identified in step (b) with the expected number of prints (W) calculated in step (d); f) outputting a print command if the condition of the comparison result Y> W in step (e) is satisfied; And g) increasing the number of accumulated sheets of printing and the number of sheets of the sheet number counter by one.

Here, in the step (c), if the condition of Y> 0 is not satisfied, a non-printable message is output.

In addition, the step (c) may include: c1) determining whether the number of initial prints is after replacing the consumables, and if the number of prints is the first print, storing the print time in a memory and setting the reference time; c2) recording print quantity information such as the cumulative number of prints to date, the total number of prints on the day and the total number of recent prints; c3) checking a reference time and calculating a recent total number of prints according to the reference time; And c4) calculating the average number of prints and the latest average number of prints with the information of steps c2) and c3).

In addition, in step c3), if one day has passed since the reference time, the latest total number of prints is subtracted from the latest total number of prints (Z2), and then the total number of prints is added to calculate the latest total number of prints.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described based on the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for implementing a consumable replacement time warning method of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a consumable replacement time warning of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for confirming the average number of sheets of printing in the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the system for implementing the consumable replacement time warning method of the present invention, the microcomputer 1, the developer control unit 2, ROM (3), RAM (4), EEPROM (6), high pressure It includes a generator 7, a display 8 and a clock driver 9.

The ROM 3 stores emulations and bios for various functions of the image forming apparatus, and the RAM 4 stores various data such as program data and print data generated by an application program of a computer. It is.

The page counter 2a of the developer control unit 2 counts the number of sheets when printing is made, and the toner amount detecting unit 2b detects the remaining amount of toner remaining in the toner cartridge.

The microcomputer 1 generally controls each component in the image forming apparatus according to a predetermined program stored in the ROM 3. In particular, the microcomputer 1 recognizes the replacement time of the toner cartridge of the image forming apparatus or the developer, which is a consumable part, and determines whether to display a warning message.

The high pressure generator 7 is for controlling the development process, and the display unit 8 functions to make the user aware of the state of the image forming apparatus such as a warning message.

In the EEPROM 6, corresponding consumable parts, i.e., the maximum number of prints (lifetime) of the developing device in this embodiment are stored in advance, and in addition, the total number of prints, the total number of prints on the day, and the latest (for example, seven days) total prints. The number of copies is stored. These information are used to calculate the average number of prints to be described later.

On the other hand, the system as described above for implementing the present invention, when printing the first sheet is the first printing, specifically when the first printing after replacing the developer, for recording and confirming the print time The watch driver 9 is provided. The time is a reference when obtaining the average number of prints for the total number of prints, and therefore, the clock driver 9 is required to be able to check the date and time even when the image forming apparatus is turned off.

Hereinafter, a consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus having the system as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The consumable replacement time warning method according to the present invention is characterized in that the consumables, for example, the developer replacement time, are determined and warned in consideration of the use condition of the image forming apparatus, the frequency of use, and the time required to purchase the consumables. When a certain number of sheets remains, the problem that the printing fails due to the sudden absence of consumables, which has been a problem in a simple way of warning the developer replacement time, can be solved.

That is, the consumable replacement time warning method according to the present invention includes information such as the consumable replacement warning request date (X) set by a user operation, the number of remaining printable sheets (Y), and the average number of prints (Z) of the corresponding consumables. have; Calculating an expected number of prints (W) to be consumed up to the warning request date (X) by calculating X × Z; If it is determined that the condition of Y> W is not satisfied, the consumable replacement warning message is output. If this is not the case, the consumable replacement warning message is output.

When the power supply of the image forming apparatus is "on" and operation starts (S100), the microcomputer 1 determines whether or not the consumable replacement warning request date X by the user is set (S110). At this time, when it is determined that the consumable replacement warning request date X is not set by the user, the microcomputer 1 uses the default value set at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus as the consumable replacement warning request date to use in subsequent calculations (S120). In this case, the default value is preferably about 7 days to 10 days, but may be set differently according to the use place or conditions of the image forming apparatus.

When the consumable replacement warning request date X is set by the user in step S110, the microcomputer 1 exchanges signals with the page counter 2a of the developer control unit 2 to the present total number of prints of the corresponding consumable. (S130), and subtracts the total number of prints up to the present from the number of printable papers corresponding to the life of the consumables stored in the EEPROM 6 to calculate the remaining number of printable sheets Y of the consumables ( S140).

Thereafter, the microcomputer 1 determines whether the remaining printable number Y of the consumables calculated in the operation step S140 is greater than "0" (S150). The message 'not possible' is output to the display unit 8 (S155).

If the remaining number of printables Y is greater than zero, the microcomputer 1 checks the average number of prints Z through a predetermined calculation (S160), and the demand date (X) for consumable replacement warning by the user and the average The expected number of prints W to be consumed up to the warning request date X is calculated by multiplying the number of prints Z (S170).

Thereafter, the microcomputer 1 compares the expected number of prints W with the number of printable remaining numbers Y to determine whether the number of printable remaining numbers Y is sufficient (S180).

If the condition Y> W is satisfied in step S180, the microcomputer 1 outputs a print signal to allow printing to proceed. When printing is completed, the number of sheets of paper is cumulatively counted by the page counter 2a of the developer control unit 2. On the other hand, if the above conditions are not satisfied, the microcomputer 1 causes the consumable replacement warning message to be displayed on the display unit 8 (S190), and then outputs a print signal to allow printing to proceed. Of course, at this time, when printing is completed, the number of sheets of paper is accumulated and counted by the page counter 2a of the developer control unit 2.

On the other hand, in the above step, the method (S160) for checking the average number of prints (Z), as shown in Figure 3, when the power is 'on' (S200), it is determined whether the printing of one page is the first printing (S210). When the print is the first print, the microcomputer 1 detects the first print time from the clock driver 9 and records it in the EEPROM 6 (S220), when calculating the average of the total number of print sheets of printing paper. Make it a standard.

When the printing and time setting check is completed, the number of sheets of paper is counted by the page counter 2a of the developer control unit 2 (S230), and the total number of prints on the EEPROM 6, the total number of prints on the day, the total number of recent prints, and the like. This is recorded (S240).

Here, in the recording of the number of prints, in contrast to the reference setting time, but since the data of the last day is not yet completed, a separate position for recording the number of prints of the latest one day is determined, and one day compared with the reference time. When this has elapsed, the number of prints for the last day is recorded in the total number of prints for the day. Thereafter, the latest average number of prints is subtracted from the recent total number of prints, and then the total number of prints is added to the day to calculate the updated total number of prints, and the total number of prints is added to the total number of prints on the day. Therefore, the updated number of prints remains one day before the reference time.

As described above, after calculating the total number of prints, the total number of prints on the day, and the latest total number of prints, the average number of prints is calculated using the above information (S250).

Here, the total average number of prints Z1 is obtained by dividing the total number of prints by the total elapsed days, and the recent average number of prints Z2 is obtained by dividing the recent total number of prints by 7 days. In this case, the latest printing date may be seven days or ten days, and is determined.

Multiply the average number of prints (Z) obtained by the above method with the user's replacement warning request date (X) by the user to obtain an estimated number of prints to be taken up to the warning request date (X). The remaining number of printable sheets is compared and used as a criterion for determining the warning message display as described above.

On the other hand, in the determination of the warning message display, if the recent average number of prints on the paper is sharply increased, it is determined based on the latest average number of prints (Z2), and if the total average number of prints is large, the total average number of sheets (Z1). ) Is judged based on stability.

According to the present invention as described above, according to the characteristics of the consumable replacement warning by the user in consideration of the conditions of use of the image forming apparatus, the frequency of use and the time required to purchase the consumables, the consumable replacement time is determined according to its characteristics By notifying the user, it is possible to prevent a problem that printing is not possible due to a sudden consumable member, and thus it is possible to further improve the reliability and convenience of use of the product.

In addition, the consumable replacement time warning method of the present invention has an advantage that the consumable replacement time warning method can be configured in a general configuration without the addition of additional parts, so that the consumable can be configured at no cost.

While the invention has been shown and described in connection with the preferred embodiments for illustrating the principles of the invention, the invention is not limited to the construction and operation as shown and described. That is, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that many changes and modifications to the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, all such suitable changes and modifications and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

As a method to warn of replacement time of consumable parts used in electrophotographic image forming apparatus, The consumable replacement warning request date X set by the user operation, information on the number of printable sheets Y of the corresponding consumables, and the average number of prints Z; Calculating an expected number of prints (W) to be consumed up to the warning request date (X) by calculating X × Z; A method of warning of replacement of consumables in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, characterized by outputting a consumable replacement warning message if it is determined that the condition of Y> W is satisfied. The method of claim 1, When the consumable replacement warning request date by the user is not set (X), the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, characterized in that the default value set at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus is used as the consumable replacement warning request date. The method of claim 1, The average number of prints (Z) may use any one of the total average number of prints (Z1) of the consumables used so far and the latest average number of prints (Z2) used for one week, and the above-mentioned average number of prints is abrupt. And the information Z1 when the information Z2 and the total average number of prints are large, the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. a) determining whether a consumable replacement warning request date X is set by a user; b) checking the number of printable sheets of paper (Y) of the current consumables by exchanging information with the sheets of paper counter; c) determining whether the condition of Y> 0 is satisfied and checking the average number of prints (Z) if satisfied; d) the estimated number of prints (W) to be consumed up to the consumable replacement warning request date (X) by multiplying the consumable replacement warning request date (X) of step (a) and the average print number Z of step (c). Calculating; e) comparing the number of printable sheets Y of the consumables identified in step (b) with the expected number of prints (W) calculated in step (d); f) outputting a print command if the condition of the comparison result Y> W in step (e) is satisfied; And g) printing and increasing the number of cumulative sheets of paper of the sheet number counter by one; consumable replacement time warning method of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The method of claim 4, wherein If the consumable replacement warning request date (X) by the user in step (a) is not set, the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, characterized in that the default value set at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus is used. The method of claim 4, wherein And (c) outputting a non-printable message if the condition of Y> 0 is not satisfied in the step (c). The method of claim 4, wherein step (c) comprises: c1) determining whether the number of prints is the first after the replacement of consumables, and if the number of prints is the first print, storing the print time in a memory and setting the reference time; c2) recording print quantity information such as the cumulative number of prints to date, the total number of prints on the day and the total number of recent prints; c3) checking a reference time and calculating a recent total number of prints according to the reference time; And c4) calculating the average number of prints (Z1) and the latest average number of prints (Z2) with the information of steps c2) and c3); and when the consumables of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus are included; Warning method. The method of claim 7, wherein In the step c3), if one day has passed from the reference time, the electrophotographic image forming method is to calculate the latest total number of prints by subtracting the latest average number of prints (Z2) from the total number of recent prints and then adding the total number of prints on the day. Warning when to replace consumables in the device. The method of claim 7, wherein The average number of prints (Z) may use any one of the total average number of prints (Z1) and the latest average number of prints (Z2) of the consumables used to date, and, if the recent average number of prints is sharp, the information Z2 may be used. And the information Z1 when the total average number of prints is large, the consumable replacement time warning method of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.