JPH03216666A - Electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to electrophotographic devices such as laser printers, copying machines, and facsimiles. [Prior Art] In conventional electrophotographic devices such as laser printers, the time to replace various consumables such as photoreceptors was detected based on count data of the number of electrophotographic image formations by a mechanical counter. Recently, non-volatile memory has become available at low cost. Non-volatile memory is used to electronically detect when it is time to replace consumables, and when the consumables are replaced, it is reset using an electronic information signal. devices have become more advantageous than mechanical counters.

However, when nonvolatile memory is used to electrically manage the replacement timing of consumables, there is a risk of data loss if the power is turned off while data in the memory is being rewritten.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide an electrophotographic apparatus that can reliably electrically manage information on replacing consumables and the like. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the above problems by providing a consumables replacement detection device and a signal from the detection device in an electrophotographic device that transfers an image formed on a photoreceptor to a transfer paper. The apparatus includes a rewritable non-volatile memory for storing consumables replacement information based on the memory, and a drive circuit for driving the memory, and rewrites the consumables replacement information in the memory while the drive motor of electrophotographic exposition is rotating. The problem was solved by an electrophotographic device characterized by the following.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, information related to data for detecting the time to replace consumables, such as the number of electrophotographic image formations or the usage time, is stored in a nonvolatile memory, and the consumables are replaced when a predetermined number of times or time is reached. A message will appear requesting.
When the photoreceptor and other consumables are replaced according to the display, replacement information, such as data on the number of image formations, is reset. The detection data and reset information regarding the time to replace consumables in the nonvolatile memory are rewritten when the power is turned on and the drive motor of the electrophotographic apparatus is turned on. When the drive motor is ON, it means that the user is in the middle of a job, and there is little possibility that the power will be turned off, so that the exchange information can be accurately rewritten.

〔Example〕 The details of the present invention will be explained based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall internal structure of a laser printer as an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the present invention. What is indicated by the symbol IO in the figure is equipped! It is the main body. The device main body IO is composed of an upper structure 10a and a lower structure IQb,
The upper structure 10a is attached to the lower structure 10b by a shaft 1l so as to be openable and closable. Inside the apparatus main body 10, a photoreceptor l2, for example a photoreceptor belt, is provided approximately in the center.

Around the photoreceptor 12, a charging means 13, a developing means l4, and a transfer means l are arranged in order in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor l2 shown by the arrow.
5. Arrange electrophotographic process means other than optical writing means, such as cleaning means 16. A paper feed cassette 19 is arranged above these electrophotographic process means, and an optical writing means 18 is arranged below. The paper fed by the paper feed roller 20 from the paper feed cassette l9 is conveyed to the upper side of the photoreceptor 12 at a timing determined by the registration roller 2l. The photoreceptor l2 is
In the example shown in the figure, it is rotated counterclockwise, and at that time, the surface is uniformly charged by the charging means l3, and the optical writing means l
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor I2 by being irradiated with laser light from the photoreceptor I2. This latent image is made visible by toner as it passes through the developing means l4. This visible image is formed on the photoreceptor 1
The image is transferred onto the lower surface of the sheet of paper conveyed to the upper side of 2 by the transfer means 15. The transferred paper is transferred to the transport guide 23
The image is guided between the fixing roller 17a and pressure roller 17b of the thousand fixing stages 17, and the visible image is fixed thereon. The paper that has left the fixing means 17 is further conveyed to a paper discharge section 25 by a paper discharge roller 24, guided by a discharge guide 26, and stacked on a wandering tray 27.

The optical writing means 18 is arranged below the base cover 29 of the main body IO of the apparatus.

The head cover 29 is disposed at the bottom of the device body 10, and is formed integrally with or separately from a pair of opposing side force bars by connecting them. The base cover and side cover directly or indirectly support most of the components mentioned above.

The hair cover 29 is made of a heat insulating thermosetting resin or the like. The base cover 29 is provided with parallel leg portions 30 on both sides, and a flat plate portion 31 connecting the leg portions 30 is provided with a bulge portion 32 that projects upward. Inside the bulge 32, as shown in FIG. 1, a space 33 is provided that opens downward. Further, the bulging portion 32 is provided with a slit-shaped window hole 34 that is long in the left-right direction in the figure and opens into the space 33 .

In the space 33 of the base cover 29, an optical writing means l is provided.
8 various components directly to the base cover 29 itself. That is, in the figure, 36 is a scanner mode;
7 is a polygon mirror, 38 is an fθ lens, 39 is a second mirror, and 40 is a cylinder lens attached to the main body of the developing means 14. Light that blinks in response to an image information signal emitted from a laser unit (not shown) is incident on a polygon mirror 37 that is integrally attached to the shaft of a scanner motor 36, and is repeatedly deflected into polygons within a certain angular range. Polarized light is transmitted through fθ lens 3
8, the image is formed on a straight line at the optical writing position on the photoreceptor 12, and the projection point is corrected so that it moves at a constant speed.
The light enters the photoreceptor 12 via the mirror 39 and the cylinder lens 40 as shown in FIG. Main scanning is performed by deflecting light incident on the photoreceptor 12, and sub-scanning is performed by rotating the photoreceptor 12, thereby writing an image according to an image information signal and forming an electrostatic latent image.

After the optical writing means 18 is attached to the space 33, a temporary lid 41 is fitted to the space 33 to close the downward opening.

Since the bulging portion 32 is provided on the hair cover 29, the strength of the hair cover 29 is increased, and the accuracy of attachment of parts to be attached to the upper side of the hair cover 29 can be improved. In the embodiment, each element of the optical writing means 18 is directly attached to the base cover 29, but it may be configured as a unit and attached in the space 33.

Consumables for electrophotographic equipment include photoreceptor l2 and developing means l.
4. There is a cleaning means 16, etc., but in the case of the photoreceptor 12, for example, as shown in FIG.
The photoreceptor unit can be formed as a photoreceptor unit built into one case, and the photoreceptor unit can be replaced by attaching and detaching the photoreceptor unit with the upper structure 10a opened upward. Consumables replacement detection device 61 that detects replacement of the photoconductor unit
As shown in FIG. 3, the light sensor 62 includes a light emitter and a light receiver, and a light shielding lever 63 that blocks the detection light source from the light emitter to the light receiver of the light sensor 62. It has a rotatably supported lever part 63a and a light shielding plate 63b formed at the tip of the lever part 63a. The light shielding lever 63 is held by a spring 65, for example, by being pulled up to a position where the light shielding plate 63b is separated from the optical sensor 62 and does not block light.

A part of the new photoconductor unit, for example, a photoconductor helt 5L.
A claw 55 is provided for resetting the exchange information data when the exchange information is exchanged. The light shielding lever 63 is a spring 65
Normally, the optical sensor 62 as shown in FIG.
The light is kept unblocked.

When a new photoconductor unit is installed in a predetermined position in this state, the claw 55 attached to the photoconductor belt 5l slides on the upper surface of the lever part 63a of the light shielding lever 63 as shown in FIG. Push down part 63a. Therefore, the light shielding plate 63b enters between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the optical sensor 62 and blocks light. In this way, the optical sensor 62 detects that the photoreceptor 12 has been installed, issues a signal, and reloads consumables replacement information.

After mounting the photoreceptor 12, when the power is turned on and a job is started and the drive motor is driven, a shaft 66 connected to the drive motor (not shown) rotates. A cam 67 is connected to the shaft 66 via a spring or the like so that it can rotate relative to the shaft 66 within a predetermined angular range, for example, 90 degrees. axis 66
The rotation of the shaft 66 is transmitted to the cam 67 by the spring, and the cam 67 rotates following the rotation of the shaft 66. For example, a pin is fixed to the shaft 66, and the pin is configured to engage with a groove formed in a cam 67 supported by the shaft 66. When resistance is generated in the cam 67, the groove is closed against the spring force. Just the range, for example 90
”, the cam 67 is allowed to rotate with respect to the shaft 66. When the escape range is exceeded, the pin engages with the groove, the rotation of the shaft 66 is directly transmitted, and the cam 67 is forcibly rotated. When the resistance to the cam 67 disappears during its rotation, the cam 67 is pulled back by the tensile force of the spring, and the cam 67 rotates following the shaft 66 in the initial state.

The cam 67 is rotated by the rotation of the drive motor, and when it comes into contact with the lever part 63a of the light-shielding lever 63 during rotation, the cam 67 is rotated to escape, but if the set relief angle is exceeded, the pin and groove of the above example are not protected. The cam 67 is forcibly rotated by the shaft 66, and as the cam 67 rotates, the lever portion 63a is gradually pushed up. Since the claw 55 of the newly installed photoreceptor unit is in contact with the lever part 63a, the claw 55 is broken off by pushing up the lever part 63a. By breaking the claw 55, the restraining force holding down the lever part 63a is released, and the light shielding lever 6l is moved to the cam 6.
7 and the force of the spring 65, it is returned to the light-shielding release position shown in the fourth [fflA].

Since the tensile force of the spring is applied to the shaft 66 of the cam 67, when the resistance caused by the contact of the lever part 63a against the cam 67 becomes smaller, the cam 67 returns by the relief angle due to the action of the spring and rotates to follow the shaft 66. do. When the cam 67 comes into contact with the lever part 63a that is in the light shielding release position during rotation, it resists the force of the spring and escapes, causing a phase shift within a predetermined angular range between it and the shaft 66 and rotating. However, when the resistance disappears, it is pulled again by the spring force and rotates without out-of-phase with the shaft. With this configuration, no matter what angular position the shaft 66 is stopped at, the contact point between the cam 67 and the lever part 63b will be at a position shifted from the dead center of the cam 67. Therefore, a new photoreceptor is installed and the claw 5
5 moves down the rear part 63a, the cam 67 can easily escape and rotate against the spring force. Therefore, the light shielding lever 63 can be reliably pushed down by the claw of the new photoreceptor unit.

In the control device of an electrophotographic apparatus, as shown in FIG.
Data for detecting when to replace consumables, such as the number of electrophotographic image formations and usage time, is written in 1. Based on the data in the non-volatile memory 71, the CPU 72 determines whether it is time for replacement. When the time for replacement comes, CPLJ7
A signal is sent to the LED 7 3 from the output terminal PORT 3 of 2, the LED 73 lights up to notify the user that it is time for replacement, and the replacement request is stored in the non-volatile memory 71. When a predetermined part such as a photoconductor unit is replaced and the replacement is detected by, for example, the consumables replacement detection device 61 shown in FIG. It is input to the input terminal PORT1. When a signal indicating that the light sensor 62 is blocked is input, printing becomes possible, and when the print i button is pressed, the CPU 72 connects to the output terminal P.
A signal is sent from the ORT2 to the drive motor 74, and the drive motor 74 is driven. The cam 67 is driven by the drive motor 74.
is rotated, and the claw 55 of the photoreceptor is broken. At this time, CP
A reset signal is sent from U72 to the non-volatile memory 7l to cancel the exchange request data, the exchange request is canceled, and at the same time, the LED 73 is blinked to indicate that the exchange has been confirmed and turned off. Writing of a replacement request to the nonvolatile memory 7l is performed while the drive motor for image formation is rotating. [Effect] According to the present invention, the rewriting of the consumables replacement information in the nonvolatile memory is performed while the drive motor for image formation is being driven, so that the power is turned off during the rewriting of the replacement request and replacement request release information. There are almost no errors, and data is now rewritten reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an electrophotographic apparatus using the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a photoconductor unit as an example of consumables, etc. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a consumables replacement detection device, Fig. 4 is a front view of the consumables replacement detection device, and A is a light-shielding release. position,
B is a diagram showing the light shielding position, and FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of a part of the control device. 12...Photoconductor 6l...Consumables replacement detection device 7l...Non-volatile memory 72...CPU 1 1 buried 1 The bladder is long gone 7 stories 1 2 Figure 12 Figure 4 (A) 61 (B)

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electrophotographic device that transfers an image formed on a photoreceptor to a transfer paper, comprising: a consumables replacement detection device; and a rewritable non-volatile device that stores consumables replacement information based on a signal from the detection device. 1. An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising: a digital memory; and a drive circuit for driving the memory, and rewriting consumables replacement information in the memory while a drive motor of the electrophotographic apparatus is rotating.