JPH0246472A - Control method for electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the control of action timing and abnormality detection by setting a timer at a value obtained by dividing the making one turn time of a photosensitive body by N, performing a prescribed action whenever a timer outputs and comparing a mark signal corresponding to one turn of the photosensitive body with N-timer signals. CONSTITUTION:The value is obtained in such a way that the time required for the photosensitive body belt 2 having an area in which an image cannot be formed to make one turn is divided by N, and the timer 17 is set at the value. The photosensitive body belt 2 is provided with a reference position mark hole, which is detected by a mark sensor 16. Whenever the timer counts up the N-divided value, each part of an electronic device 1 performs a prescribed action. In case the mark sensor 16 generates a signal before the timer counts up the N-value corresponding to the making one turn of the photosensitive body belt 2, a process controller 20 detects abnormality. Thus, the control of action timing is facilitated to prevent malfunction.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable to electrophotographic devices such as copying machines and laser printers;
In particular, the present invention relates to a method of controlling an electrophotographic apparatus having a photoreceptor in which an image cannot be formed.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in a copying machine having a belt-shaped photoreceptor, the photoreceptor is usually formed into an endless shape by fusing the ends of a rectangular belt. is something that cannot be created. Therefore, the copying operation must be performed in synchronization with the moving position of the photoreceptor, but conventionally, a disk with slits is used and the operation timing of each charger, etc. in the copying machine is determined by counting the slit signals. That's what I was doing.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, using a slit disk as described above increases the number of parts, and the accuracy of timing control in the copying operation depends on the detection accuracy of the slit position. This has the problem of requiring a relatively expensive detection mechanism.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a control method for an electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention provides an electrophotographic apparatus having a photoreceptor in which an image cannot be formed in a part.
A value is obtained by dividing the time required for the rotation into N equal parts, and the timer is divided into N equal parts according to a mark signal generated based on the detection of a mark indicating a reference position provided on the photoreceptor. and update the timer with the same set time each time the timer ends, and perform predetermined operations in each part of the electrophotographic device as necessary each time the timer ends,
Further, the present invention is characterized in that an abnormality is detected when the mark signal is generated before the timer expires N times corresponding to one revolution of the photoreceptor.

[For production]

According to the above control method, the time required for the photoconductor to make one revolution is divided into N equal parts, and each time N/1 of the time required for one revolution, which is measured by a timer, elapses, electronic control is performed as necessary. Since each part of the photographic apparatus performs a predetermined operation, the operation timing can be easily and inexpensively controlled without using a slitting machine.

In addition, if the mark signal is generated before the timer N times corresponding to the time for the photoconductor to complete one rotation is completed, based on the mark signal, for example, erroneous generation of the mark signal, fluctuation in the moving speed of the photoconductor, etc. Since the occurrence of an abnormality is detected, malfunctions of the electrophotographic apparatus can be prevented.

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, a photoreceptor belt 2 as a photoreceptor is arranged approximately in the center of a main body 1 of a copying machine serving as an electrophotographic device, and a photoreceptor belt 2 is connected to a drive roller 3 and a driven roller 4. A rack is passed between them and can be moved around between them.

The drive roller 3 is rotationally driven by a belt motor 6 via a power transmission section 5. The photoreceptor heald 2 is formed into an endless shape by joining the ends of a sheet-like photoreceptor, and the joined portion is an area where image formation is impossible. Note that a hole (not shown) is provided in the photoreceptor belt 2 as a mark indicating a reference position in the circumferential direction.

Above the photoreceptor belt 2, a light source 7 (not shown) for illuminating an original and a SELFOC lens 8 for guiding light from the original to the photoreceptor belt 2 are arranged. Further, along the outer periphery of the photoreceptor belt 2, a charger 10, a developer tank 11,
A transfer charger 12 and a static elimination lamp 13 are arranged. Furthermore, a paper feed section 14 is provided obliquely in front of the photoreceptor belt 2, and a fixing section 15 is provided behind the photoreceptor belt 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, this copying machine has the photoreceptor heald 2
It is equipped with a mark sensor 16 and a timer 17 for detecting the upper mark. Now, set the circumference of photoconductor heald 2! , the time required for the photoreceptor heald 2 to make one revolution is L. Since there is actually an error of ΔP in the circumferential length of each photoreceptor belt 2, the time required for the photoreceptor heald 2 to make one revolution is becomes t+ΔL. Therefore, when controlling the drive timing of each part in this copying machine, the time t+ΔL required for one rotation of each photoreceptor heald 2 is measured, and the value (t+Δt)/N, which is divided into N equal parts, is calculated in units of one clock. do. Then, starting from the time T0 when the mark signal M shown in FIG. 2(a) is generated, the timer 17 repeatedly measures the time (1+Δt)/N divided into N equal parts.
As shown in b), the timer 17 supplies the time-up signal U to the counter 18 at each time T1, T2, . . . when one measurement by the timer 17 ends. The counter 18 counts the number of times the timer 17 has timed up, and
When the next mark signal M is sent from the mark sensor 16, it is assumed that the photoreceptor belt 2 has made one revolution, the count value is reset, and a new run I is started. Further, the counter 18 sends a signal indicating that it has received the mark signal M and the time-up signal U to the process controller 20, and the process controller 20 starts the timer 1.
If there is a necessary operation in each load 21 such as the charging charger 10, transfer charger 12, etc. at each time-up time T, T2, etc. of 7, the load 21 is instructed to do so, and the moving speed of the photoreceptor belt 2 is changed. The rotational speed of the belt motor 6 is controlled to be constant.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2(a), the process controller 20 detects, for example, the mark signal M at time T even though the photoreceptor belt 2 has not yet completed one revolution due to noise or the like. When supplied, at that point counter 1
In order to prevent the copying machine from malfunctioning due to the reset of timer 8 and the start of a new copy cycle, if the mask signal M is supplied before the timer 17 times up N times, the The mark signal M is ignored.

The control procedure for copying with this copying machine will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, it is determined whether a copy start is instructed by pressing a print switch (not shown) or the like (SL). If a copy start is instructed, driving of the photoreceptor heald 2 is started (S2).

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the mark signal M is detected by the mark sensor 16 (S3). If the mark signal M is detected, it is assumed that the photoreceptor belt 2 has reached the reference position, and the timer 17 is activated by the counter 18. Start counting the number of time-ups (S4).

Next, it is determined whether or not the timer 17 has timed up (S5). If the timer has timed up, the counter 18 is counted up by adding 1 to the count value of the counter 18 (S6). It is determined whether or not there is (S7). If an action to be executed is registered, that action is executed (S8).

Next, it is determined whether or not the mark signal M is detected in step S9.
), if the mark signal M is detected, it is determined whether the count value of the counter 18 is the final value N (SIO). If the count value of the counter 18 is the final value N, the mark signal M is a regular signal at the stage when the photoreceptor heald 2 has actually completed one revolution, so the counter 18 is reset and initialized. Sll).

On the other hand, if the count value of the counter 18 at the time when the mark signal M is detected is not the final value N, the mark signal M is an erroneous signal based on noise or the like, so the counter 18 is not initialized.

After that, it is determined whether or not copying of a predetermined number of sheets has been completed (512).
), if the predetermined number of copies have been completed, the end process (S
After performing step 13), the process returns to S1, and if the predetermined number of copies have not been completed, the process returns to S5 to start the next copy.

[Example 2] Next, a second embodiment will be described based on FIG.

In this second embodiment, the configuration of the copying machine itself is the same as that in the first embodiment, but for example, due to a malfunction of the heald motor 6, its rotational speed rises above the set value, and the rotation speed required for the photoconductor heald 2 to make one revolution is If the time is shorter than the predetermined time t+Δt, the mark signal M will be generated before the timer 17 finishes N times of time-ups.In this case, if the mark signal M is ignored and processing is continued, the held motor Therefore, in the second embodiment, if the mark signal M is generated before the timer 17 completes N times of time-up, it is inconvenient that the copying operation continues with the rotational speed of the timer 17 being abnormal. As a result, the occurrence of an abnormality is detected and the rotation of the bell 1-motor 6 is stopped.

Specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the generation of the mark signal M is detected during execution of the copying operation (S9).
), and subsequently, when it is determined (SIO) that the count value of the counter 18 is not the final value N, the belt motor 6 etc. are stopped and trouble handling (S14) is performed. Note that the processing in each step other than SIO and S14 in FIG. 5 is the same as the processing in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so the explanation will be omitted.

In each of the above embodiments, a control method for a copying machine has been described, but the same control method can also be applied to electrophotographic devices other than copying machines, such as a laser printer.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the method for controlling an electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention provides a control method for an electrophotographic apparatus having a photoreceptor in which an image cannot be formed in a part, in which the time required for the photoreceptor to make one revolution is N. Calculate the value divided into equal parts, set the value divided into N equal parts in a timer according to the mark signal generated based on the detection of the mark indicating the reference position provided on the photoreceptor,
Each time the timer ends, the timer is updated with the same set time, and each time the timer ends, each part of the electrophotographic device performs a predetermined operation as necessary. This configuration is such that an abnormality is detected when the mark signal is generated before the corresponding N timer expires.

As a result, the time required for the photoreceptor to make one revolution is divided into N equal parts, and a predetermined operation in the electrophotographic apparatus is performed as necessary every time N/1 of one revolution, which is measured by a timer, has elapsed. Since this is done, it is possible to easily and inexpensively control the operation timing without using a slitting machine.

In addition, if the mark signal is generated before the timer N times corresponding to the time for the photoconductor to complete one rotation is completed, based on the mark signal, for example, erroneous generation of the mark signal, fluctuation in the moving speed of the photoconductor, etc. Since we have made it possible to detect the occurrence of abnormalities,
This makes it possible to prevent malfunctions of the electrophotographic device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a flowchart 1 showing the control procedure of a copying machine.
-1 Figure 2 (a) is a time chart showing the generation timing of the mark signal, Figure 2 (b) is a time chart showing the generation timing of the time-up signal, and Figure 3 is an explanation showing the internal structure of the copying machine. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the copying machine, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the copying machine in the second embodiment. 2 is a photoreceptor belt (photoreceptor), 16 is a mark sensor (mark signal generator), and 17 is a timer. □7 Tsukasa

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In an electrophotographic apparatus having a photoreceptor in which an image cannot be created in part, the time required for the photoreceptor to make one revolution is divided into N equal parts, The value divided into N equal parts is set in the timer according to the mark signal generated based on the detection of the mark indicating the reference position provided on the photoreceptor, and the timer is updated with the same set time every time the timer ends. At the same time, each part of the electrophotographic apparatus performs a predetermined operation as necessary each time the timer ends, and the mark signal is output before the timer ends N times corresponding to one revolution of the photoreceptor. 1. A control method for an electrophotographic apparatus, characterized in that an abnormality is detected when an error occurs.