JPS61200565A - Fixation cartridge and recording device with fixation cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To constitute a fixation cartridge detachably from a device and to facilitate the replacing operation of a discharge tube by providing coupling terminals which can be connected electrically to a discharge energy supply means and the discharge tube which is coupled with the coupling terminal and discharges discharge energy. CONSTITUTION:The 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd fixing device bodies 17a, 17b, and 17c incorporated in a housing 15 are arranged in order at right angles to the moving direction of transfer paper while shifting in position in the moving direction of the transfer paper so as to fix the transfer paper divisionally breadthwise. When the fixation cartridge 11 is inserted, it is guided by a guide rail 20 fixed on a copying machine body side and coupling terminals of the cartridge 11 are coupled with a main-body side connector 27, so that respective xenon lamps 16a, 16b, and 16c are connected electrically to a lamp driving circuit. Thus, the fixation cartridge is constituted detachably from a recording device body, so the replacing operation of the discharge tube is facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a constant N device of a recording device such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a facsimile receiver, and in particular, to a fixed N device of a recording device such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a facsimile receiver. The present invention relates to a flash fixing device that performs fixing using energy from a discharge tube, and particularly to a fixing cartridge designed to be a cartridge, and a recording device having the same.

(Prior Art) This type of flash fixing device is advantageous compared to other fixing methods, such as heat roller fixing, because it has no waiting time, low power consumption, and there is no risk of overheating. Compared to pressure fixing, it is advantageous in that the device is lighter, there are fewer drive irregularities, it does not depend on the paper quality and thickness of the transfer paper, and there is no expansion and contraction of the transfer paper, and it is a compact electronic device. Used in photocopy machines, etc.

The conventional flash constant N device uses a xenon rung (hereinafter referred to as
A discharge tube such as an e-Lang is placed facing the transfer material on which an unfixed image has been formed by the developer, and the discharge tube discharges and emits light, and the flash energy is used to displace the developer on the recording material. It is designed to melt and settle. The discharge tube is fixed to a terminal provided on the recording device main body side with a nut, etc., and a reflective shade is placed around the discharge tube to reflect the light from the discharge tube. It was fixed to the device body with screws, etc. Furthermore, glass was attached to the opening of the reflective shade to protect the discharge tube.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the case of such a conventional example, when the discharge tube breaks out due to its lifespan, in order to replace the discharge tube, the glass must be removed and the terminals of the discharge tube must be removed. had to be removed, and the user could not easily replace it. Therefore, a specialized service person has to be called, and the copying machine cannot be used during that time, and the dead time (the time when the user is unable to use the copying machine due to its malfunction) becomes long. There was a problem in that it interfered with the business of the user.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to facilitate the replacement work of the discharge tube of the flash fixing device, to enable the user to replace it himself, and to eliminate dead time. With the goal.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following features:
The fixing cartridge according to the invention includes a coupling terminal that can be electrically coupled to a discharge energy supply means provided in a recording device main body, and a discharge tube that is connected to the coupling terminal and discharges discharge energy. It consists of a recording device main body and a detachable device. Further, in the recording device according to the second invention, the discharge energy supply means provided in the recording device main body, the coupling terminal electrically connectable to the discharge energy supply means, and the coupling terminal connected to the discharge energy supply means to discharge the discharge energy. The recording device has a discharge tube that discharges energy, a fixing cartridge that is detachable from the main body of the recording device, and an image forming means that forms an unfixed image that is fixed by the energy from the discharge tube. .

(Example) The present invention will be explained below based on the illustrated example. In FIGS. 1 to 3 showing an electrophotographic copying machine as a recording device using the fixing cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 1 denotes a document mounting table made of a transparent member that moves back and forth in the direction of the arrow. It has become. Reference numeral 2 denotes a condensing light transmitting body that exposes a light image of the original on the original table 1 onto the photosensitive drum 3 through a slit, and the photosensitive drum 3 rotates in the direction of the arrow.

A corona charger 4 charges the photosensitive drum 3 uniformly. 5 is a developing device, which includes a uniformly charged photosensitive drum 3;
The electrostatic latent image formed by exposing the electrostatic latent image to a light image using the condensing light transmitting body 2 is visualized. On the other hand, a transfer paper P as a recording material is fed onto the drum surface by a paper feed roller 6 and a recording roller, and the image on the photosensitive drum 3 is transferred to a transfer charger 8 .

Thereafter, the transfer paper is separated from the photosensitive drum 3 by a separating means 9 and sent to a guide 10. A fixing cartridge 11 is disposed above the guide 10, and is configured to irradiate a transfer paper conveyed on the guide 10 with flash light to melt and fix the toner on the transfer paper. The transferred paper is sent to a paper ejection belt unit 12 and ejected onto a tray 13. Further, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 3 is scraped off and collected by the cleaning means 14.

The fixing cartridge will be described in detail below. The fixing cartridge 11 emits a flash of light inside the housing 15! tube 16
three fixing device main bodies 17a having.

17b and 17c are incorporated.

On the actual flow side, the fixing device main body incorporated in the housing 15 has a first constant-N device main body 17a, a second constant-N device main body 17a, A fixing device 11b and a third fixing device main body 17c are arranged in this order, and the transfer paper is divided in the width direction so that areas corresponding to each fixing device are fixed. Further, each of the fixing device main bodies 17a, 17b, and 17c is disposed at a position shifted from the moving direction of the transfer paper.

Taking the first fixing device main body 17a as an example, each fixing device main body has a xenon rung (hereinafter referred to as X) as a discharge tube.
(referred to as an e-lamp) 16a, a reflective shade 18a that reflects the light emitted from the Xe rung 16a, and a Xe rung 16
and a glass 19a that protects the glass. That is, the Xe rung 16a is attached to a reflective shade 18a having a parabolic cross-sectional shape, and the opening of the reflective shade 18a is closed with a glass 19a. The second and third fixing device main bodies 17b and 17c also have the same configuration as the first fixing device main body 17a. This fixing cartridge 11
is removable from the copying machine main body, but this is because a guide rail 20 is fixedly installed on the copying machine main body side, and the fixing cartridge 11 is guided and supported along the guide rail 20, and is attached to the copying machine main body. A handle portion 15a is formed on the front side of the fixing cartridge 11.

(Fuser car) At the rear end of the IJ fluoride 1, there are Xe rungs 16a and 16b for a rung drive circuit as a discharge energy supply means provided on the main body of the copying machine.

A coupling terminal 21 is provided for electrically connecting 16c. From the coupling terminal 21, each fixing device main body 17a,
Cords 23 . . . are connected to terminals 22, . ...is connected.

On the other hand, a fixing cartridge 1 is mounted on the side wall 24 on the side of the copying machine main body.
A main body side connector 27 for connecting a board 25 incorporating a rung drive circuit, a capacitor 26, etc. is attached to the connecting terminal 21 provided in the fixing cartridge 11, and when the fixing cartridge 11 is inserted, the connector 27 is connected to the guide rail 20. The coupling terminal 21 of the fixing cartridge 11 is connected to the main body side connector 27 while being guided by the Xe rungs 16a, 16b, 1.
6c is electrically connected to the rung drive circuit.

Also, the fixing cartridge 11 on the front side of the idle rail 20
A cleaner 2 is installed on the population side at right angles to the guide rail 20.
8 are provided, and when the fixing cartridge 11 is inserted or removed, the glasses 19a, 19b of each fixing device main body 17a, 17b, 17c are provided.

19c comes into contact with the fuser cartridge to wipe away dirt on the glass surface, and even if the glass surface of a new fixing cartridge is dirty during replacement, the dirt will be wiped off and loss of flash energy due to dirt will be prevented. Fixing performance is always maintained at an appropriate level. Furthermore, when a user or the like inspects the glass surface, the glass surface can be cleaned by simply taking out and taking out the fixing cartridge 11, thereby saving the user the trouble of taking out the fixing cartridge 11 and cleaning it.

The control of driving each Xe lamp "16a, 16b, 16c" will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

Figure 9 shows the drive circuit for the Xe rung.
~Rtll is a resistor, C1~C2゜ is a capacitor, D, -
Da is a diode, Ll is a coil, 5CR1 to SCR,
is a thyristor, T, ~T, is a transformer, and Xs! -X
e 3 is the Xe rung, DR1~DR, is the driver, PD
is a photo sensor, S1 to S are input SWs, and CPU is a microcomputer. FIG. 1O is a flowchart showing the control.

First, a stain source is supplied to the AC 100V line shown in Fig. 9 by the main SW (not shown), and a low voltage power source for the CPU etc. is supplied by the AC-DC converter (not shown). From the voltage doubler section, which is boosted to υDO280V by
Charge is performed to cause Xe 1 to Xe 3 to emit light with a predetermined energy. Then, the voltage charged in this main capacitor C1 is divided by resistors R, , R, and A of the CPU.
It is input to the /D input terminal and constantly monitored.

At this time, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, by turning on the main SW, 9 CPUs are 5 tartl,
Initialization is performed to set predetermined conditions such as the memory and Ilo shown in step f1, and in step 2, monitoring of the charging voltage, checking of various conditions such as the presence or absence of transfer paper, the number of copies, etc. Read the conditions and proceed to step 3 only when copying is possible. Stella f3 checks the copy start SW (not shown), and when it is not pressed, it returns to step 2 and repeats this, and when it is pressed, it goes to step 4.
Proceed to. Step 4 is to control the timing of various processes. To explain in more detail, first, the timing pulses obtained from the main motor etc. are counted with a counter etc., and the O
The N and OFF timings are set in advance in a resistor, etc., and the counter and these registers are compared, for example, at each count up, and the ON and OFF timings of the corresponding load are determined.
This is to turn off the power. In step 5, whether or not the machine is operating normally is monitored using input means (not shown) installed at various locations, and necessary data is stored or rewritten based on these conditions. In the event of an abnormality, it also handles the abnormality. For stage f6, the CP shown in Figure 10
The fixing timing input means S1, which is the input of U, is checked, and if it is not the fixing timing, proceed to step 7. In step 7, it is determined whether or not the process has ended, and if the process has not been completed, the process returns to step f4, and this is repeated. If the process is finished, the process returns to step f2 and becomes the timing state.

If the fixing timing is received from the fixing timing input means S1 in step 6, the process proceeds to step 8. From this point on, each condition obtained in step 2 or step 5 is used.In step 8, the document density is read from the photosensor shown in FIG. The charging voltage is input to A/Dφ and similarly A/D converted, and the cartridge signal is input to the CPU IP (in the present invention, ON = black, 0FF = colored cartridge) to ensure proper light emission. Calculate the time and store this value in Renostar, and in STETSU f9, C
Select an appropriate number of flashes according to the length of the transfer paper P input to the PU IP in the feeding direction, and store it in the register.
In step IO, the appropriate number of arc tubes (
For example, assuming that approximately 7011 m can be fixed with one Xe rung, in the present invention, since there are three
It is possible to fix 10 cm in the main scanning direction, and therefore 70 cm in the main scanning direction.
(The number of arc tubes in the main scanning direction can be controlled at one interval) is stored in the reso star. As mentioned above, the values stored in these registers are used in step 4, and to explain the operation in more detail, the trigger of Xe rung lXe1 from OPφ is shown in FIG. The first signal is output, and this signal is thyris p
SCR,, is sent to the gate of SCR, via driver DR,. This results in thyristors SCR, , SC
R is turned on, and the thyristor SCR applies a high voltage to the trigger electrode of the Xe rung Xe 1 via the transformer T. This causes the Xe rung Xe 1 to start discharging and emit light. At the same time, since the thyristor SCR is also turned on, a discharge current flows, resulting in a complete light emitting state. Next, when the above-mentioned luminescence time is reached (T shown in Fig. 11),
,-a), the CPU sends the OPl and SikatO7 signals to the gate of the thyristor SCR, via the driver DR. As a result, the thyristor SCR is turned ON, and as a result, the electric charge of the capacitor C6, which had been charged through the resistor R6, is discharged through the thyristor 5CR8, so that a reverse bias is applied to the thyristor SCR, which had been turned ON. , thyristor SCR, is turned off. Therefore, the Xe rung Xe 1 stops emitting light.

Also, T after turning on thyristor 5CR8 (charging time)
, depending on the conditions (length in main scanning direction), Xe rung Xe
1 → Xe rung Xe 2 → XeXe rung Xe, X
e rung Xe 1 → Xe run f Xe 2 or X
e-Rung Xe 1 is repeated a predetermined number of times. 1st
Figure 1 shows the timing chart of the light emission of each Xe rung.
Lamp lighting time, T.

indicates the photoelectric time of the main capacitor C1.

Next, the operation of the fixing device of this embodiment will be explained. First, a transfer sheet with an unfixed toner image formed on its upper surface in a transfer process is conveyed onto a guide 9. Assuming that the maximum width transfer paper is used, first the first Xe lamp 16a is turned on for a predetermined time (Ts-a
) A in the figure when light is emitted.

area is established. Next, transfer paper to the second Xe rung 1
While moving to the position 6b, the main capacitor C1 is charged to a predetermined value (charging time is T), and the second Xe rung 16b emits light for a predetermined time (T, -b ''), indicating B in the figure. , are fixed.Then, the transfer paper is transferred to the third
The main capacitor C3 is charged to a predetermined value while moving to the e-lung 16c position (charging time is T), and the third
The Xe lamp "16c" emits light for a predetermined time (Ts-c) to fix the area CI in the figure.

In this way, each Xe rung 16a, 16b is divided into time periods.
.

16c repeatedly emits light in order, and then enters in order, B*-C,
, A, ... until the entire transfer paper is fixed.
The e-lungs emit light repeatedly, and when the entire transfer paper is fixed, the e-lungs stop emitting light. Each Xe rung 16a
, 16b, and 16a are set in advance according to the size of the transfer paper, as described above.

Here, the timing of the light emission is adjusted so that there is at least no gap between the fixing areas adjacent in the direction of travel of the transfer paper, for example, the area A1 and the area A. Each Xe rung 16a is arranged in such a way that there is no gap between adjacent fixing areas in the perpendicular direction, for example, A1 and B, and B and C1.

The arrangement of 16b and 16c is considered.

Figure 13 shows the range of the area in the transfer paper traveling direction that is effectively fixed by one light emission from the Xe rung, but this varies depending on the distance from the Xe rung to the transfer paper, etc. It is something that changes. Further, this range varies depending on the type of toner. In other words, the emission energy of the Xe lamp is smaller in the peripheral area, but
If the toner has a low melting point, the fixing area will expand and be fixed over a wide range, but if the toner has a high melting point, the fixing area will become narrow. Therefore, for example, if the fixing area is narrow, it is necessary to shorten the light emission interval of each Xe rung.

In addition, Fig. 14 shows the luminescence curve of the Xe rung.
It is also possible to change the above-mentioned fixing area by changing the light emission time like T1 or Ill. Furthermore, by increasing the number of flashes and irradiating the same place with multiple flashes, the fixing performance will be further improved.

Next, the replacement work when the Xe rung is broken will be explained.

When the Xe rung runs out, an error detection device (not shown) outputs an indication that the υ rung has run out, notifying the user that the rung has run out. The fixing cartridge is replaced based on this display. First, open the front cover 1a, grasp the handle portion 15a provided on the fixing cartridge 11, and pull it out along the guide rail 20. At the same time as the fixing cartridge 11 is pulled out, the coupling terminal 21 is detached from the main body side connector 24.

After taking out the old fixing cartridge 11, a new fixing cartridge 11 is inserted all the way along the guide rail 20 and installed. The coupling terminal 21 provided on the fixing cartridge 11 is positioned by the guide rail 20 and automatically connected to the main body side connector 24 to connect each new Xe rung 16a.

16b and 16c are electrically connected to the rung drive circuit,
Close the front cover 1m to complete the conversion work.

Next, FIGS. 15 to 17 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figures, the same components as in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, The difference from the example is that the fixing device main body 17 is integrated with a photosensitive drum 3 as an image forming means, a corona charger 4, a developing device 5, and a cleaning means 14 into a single body 29 to form a fixing cartridge. It is. The conversion of the fixing cartridge 30 is carried out by the user manually pulling out the IJ hook 30 from the fixing car. Arrow X in the figure indicates the direction of movement of the fixing cartridge when it is attached or detached.

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the fixing cartridge 30,
The front side is the part that becomes the back side when attaching and detaching.

On the wall of the IJ Fusso 0 (fixing car on the back side), there is a fixing car attached to the copying machine body, a positioning pin 30a for correctly correcting the position of the IJ Fusso 30, and a high voltage is supplied to the charger 4 mentioned above. connector 31 and developing device 5 for
The connector 32 for applying a bias voltage to the Xe rungs 16a, 16b, 16 of the fixing device main body 17
A coupling terminal 21 for supplying discharge energy to the photosensitive drum 3 is arranged so as to surround a drive connecting member 33 for driving the photosensitive drum 3. The concave and convex portions of the connecting member 33 fit with the concave and convex portions of the copying machine main body to determine the position, and at the same time, the driving force of the copying machine main body is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 3.

Even in this embodiment, the fixing device main bodies 17 are arranged in three units in the same positional relationship as in the first embodiment.

The lifespan of the Xe rung of the fixing device main body 17 is set in accordance with the amount of toner in the developing device 5, so that the lifespan of the Xe rung does not expire before the toner runs out. Further, the life of the photosensitive drum 3 is also comparable.

In this way, by integrating the photosensitive drum 3, charger 4, and developing device 5 as other image forming means into the fixing cartridge together with the fixing device main body, all that is needed is to replace the fixing cartridge 30, and almost no other maintenance is required. No longer needed. Therefore, there is no need for maintenance by a professional service person as in the past, and good quality copies of images can always be obtained.

As described above, in this embodiment, three Xe rungs are used, but the structure can also be applied to some other conventional rungs.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention has the above-described configuration and effects, and in the fixing cartridge according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the discharge tube runs out due to its lifespan, the replacement work can be performed as follows: This can be easily done by simply replacing the fixing cartridge, so there is no need to call in a specialized service person like in the past, and the user can do the conversion themselves.The amount of time the recording device cannot be used due to a discharge tube burnout is extremely shortened. However, it is possible to obtain the effect that there is no hindrance to the user's work. Further, in the recording device according to the second aspect of the present invention, by using the fixing cartridge having the above-mentioned effects, maintenance is extremely easy, and it is possible to provide a recording device that is always stable and provides nine fixing performance. It has the effect of

[Brief explanation of drawings]

@ Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophotographic copying machine using the fixing cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 with the fixing cartridge removed, and Figure 3 The figure is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the device in Figure 1;
FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the fixing cartridge of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is the fixing car shown in FIG. 4)
Figure 6 (a) is a schematic side view of the IJ fluoride guide rail, and Figure 6 (b) is a schematic side view of the fixing car of the device shown in Figure 1. Rear end 111J f) Side sectional view showing the vicinity of the connector on the main body side, Figure 7 is a side view of the guide rail in Figure 6 (A), Figure 8
The figure is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of discharge tubes in the fixing cartridge in Figure 4, Figure 9 is a control circuit diagram of the fixing cartridge in the apparatus in Figure 1, and Figure 10 is a flowchart of control of the fixing car. FIG. 11 is a timing chart of the control circuit diagram in FIG. 9, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the fixing area on the recording paper fixed by the fixing cartridge in FIG. 1, and FIG. A schematic side view of the vicinity of the discharge tube showing the fixing area to be fixed, FIG. 14 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the amount of light emitted by the discharge tube and the light emission time, and FIG. 15 is a fixing car according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view showing the state in which the fixing cartridge of an electrophotographic copying machine using IJ Fluoso is pulled out, Figure 16 is a perspective view of the fixing cartridge in Figure 15, and Figure 17 is the rear end side of the guide rail of the device in Figure 15. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the main body side connector. Explanation of symbols 11... Fixing cartridge 15... Housing

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) It has a coupling terminal that can be electrically coupled to a discharge energy supply means provided in the recording device main body, and a discharge tube that is connected to the coupling terminal and discharges discharge energy, and the recording device main body and A fixing cartridge characterized by being removable. (2) The fixing cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising at least a process mechanism having a developer among the image forming means of the recording apparatus main body. (3) It has a discharge energy supply means provided in the recording device main body, a coupling terminal that can be electrically coupled to the discharge energy supply means, and a discharge tube that is connected to the coupling terminal and discharges discharge energy. A recording apparatus comprising: a fixing cartridge that is detachable from the recording apparatus main body; and an image forming means for forming an unfixed image fixed by energy from the discharge tube. (4) The recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising at least a process mechanism having a developer among the image forming means of the recording apparatus main body.