Patent Grant
7826755
This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2008-001072 filed in Japan on 8 Jan. 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using electrophotography such as a copier, printer, facsimile machine or the like, in particular, relating to a tandem type image forming apparatus.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In conventional color printers, color multi-functional machines and the like, when a monochrome mode printing (including text printing) is implemented, usually no color image forming for colors (C/M/Y) is carried out, hence the photoreceptors and developing units for colors are kept from driving without applying any high voltage to the developing units while the photoreceptor and developing unit for black (BK) alone are driven. These image forming apparatus often employ a configuration in which two or more number of development transformers for image forming are used. Because the development transformer including the control circuit for controlling the transformer is markedly expensive, provision of such a development transformer for each developing unit leads to sharp increase of the machine cost.
When monochrome printing is selected in a system using an intermediate transfer element, it is necessary to perform control so as to stop not only the photoreceptors and developing units for colors but also to move and kept the intermediate transfer element away from the photoreceptors for colors or the like.
In view of cut down the cost of the machine, there has been devised a configuration in which one common development transformer is shared by all the developing units while high voltage is adapted to be applied also to C/M/Y color developing units even in a monochrome mode. Alternatively, patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open H5-197254) discloses an image forming apparatus of a fixed developing unit system in which a single developing bias power source is used in common so as to supply power only to the developing units that are activated by a switching means.
In the above way, according to the aforementioned conventional image forming apparatus, miniaturization and cost down of the machine are achieved by enabling the apparatus to operate with only a single development transformer, which is high in price.
However, in the configuration in which a single developing transformer is shared so as to constantly apply high voltage to each developing unit, there is the problem that when the photoreceptors for colors are stopped to drive, there occurs electric damage to each of the photoreceptors opposing the color developing units, producing defects on their surfaces.
Also, in patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open H5-197254), high accuracy of control timing is demanded in switching control of the developing bias voltage from the developing bias power source, hence the switching control circuit cannot but become complicated.
In view of the above, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus of a tandem type using a single common developing bias power source, in which damage to the photoreceptors for colors is reduced to as low as possible.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configurations and is characterized as follows.
An image forming apparatus of the present invention is one that is capable of performing monochrome printing and color-printing in a switchable manner, comprising: a plurality of photoreceptor drums; a plurality of developing units; a single intermediate transfer element; a plurality of drives for driving the plural photoreceptor drums; a single development transformer for supplying voltage to the plural developing units; a cumulative operation time measuring unit for calculating cumulative operation time for which the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing has been used in the monochrome printing; and, a controller for rotationally driving the photoreceptor drums for color printing by a predetermined angle, and is characterized in that the controller stops rotation of the photoreceptor drums for color printing during monochrome printing while applying the developing voltage from the single development transformer to all the developing units, and compares the cumulative operation time calculated by the cumulative operation time measuring unit with a cumulative operation threshold time and rotationally drives the photoreceptor drums for color printing by a predetermined angle when the cumulative operation time is determined to reach the cumulative operation threshold time.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the cumulative operation time measuring unit calculates the cumulative operation time based on the number of printouts or the rotated time of the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing.
Also, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the controller increases the angle by which the photoreceptor drums for color printing are rotationally driven, in accordance with the total cumulative number of rotations of the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the controller changes the lapse of time before the photoreceptor drums for color printing is rotationally driven, in accordance with the total cumulative number of rotations of the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention further includes a temperature sensor for measuring the ambient temperature of the apparatus, and is characterized in that the cumulative operation time measuring unit modifies the cumulative operation threshold time by multiplying the cumulative operation threshold time by a correction coefficient selected in accordance with the ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor.
Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the controller resets the cumulative operation time calculated by the cumulative operation time measuring unit when the monochrome printing ends.
A drive control method for an image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus capable of performing monochrome printing and color printing in a switchable manner, including: a plurality of photoreceptor drums; a plurality of developing units; a single development transformer for supplying a developing voltage to the plural developing units; and a single intermediate transfer element, and comprises the step of: stopping rotation of the photoreceptor drums for color printing at the start of monochrome printing while applying the developing voltage from the single development transformer to all the developing units; calculating the cumulative operation time based on a cumulative operation time measuring unit for calculating the cumulative operation time of the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing; comparing the cumulative operation time calculated by the cumulative operation time measuring unit for calculating the photoreceptor drum for monochrome printing, with a cumulative operation threshold time to determine whether the cumulative operation time has reached the cumulative operation threshold time; and, rotationally driving the photoreceptor drums for color printing by a predetermined angle when the cumulative operation time is determined to have reached the cumulative operation threshold time.
According to the thus constructed image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to make the image forming apparatus as whole compact and also cut down the cost. Further, it is possible to suppress degradation due to coating wear-out of the photoreceptor drums.
Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the cumulative operation time is calculated based on the number of printouts or the rotated time of the photoreceptor drum, it is possible to easily detect degradation of the photoreceptor drums.
According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the photoreceptor drums become prone to degrade as they approach the end of life, the predetermined distance (the rotating angle) by which the photoreceptor drums for colors are rotationally driven is made greater so as to reduce the influence from that.
Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the time before the photoreceptor drums for color printing are rotationally driven is changed in accordance with the total cumulative number of rotations of the monochrome printing photoreceptor drum, it is possible to reduce the influence from degradation of the photoreceptor drums which become prone to worn away as they approach the end of life.
According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the cumulative operation threshold time is modified by multiplying a correction coefficient in accordance with the ambient temperature, it is possible to constantly produce clear images and text printing, by making correction taking into account the influence of the ambient temperature which will give great influence on image quality.
Finally, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the cumulative operation time is reset, so that the photoreceptor drums are rotated periodically before they are degraded too far, hence it is possible to positively lengthen the lives of the photoreceptors.
An image forming apparatus according to the best embodied mode of the invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
To begin with, before describing the specific configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present application, the overall schematic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus will be described briefly.
An image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment forms multi-colored or monochrome images on paper based on the image data of scanned originals or the image data transmitted via a network etc. For this purpose, image forming apparatus 100 includes: an exposure unit E; photoreceptor drums 101 (101a to 101d); developing units 102 (102a to 102d); charging rollers 103 (103a to 103d); cleaning units 104 (104a to 104d); an intermediate transfer belt 110; primary transfer rollers 130 (130a to 130d); a secondary transfer roller 140; a fuser 150; paper feed paths P1, P2 and P3; a paper feed cassette 160; a manual paper feed tray 170; and a paper output tray 180.
The image forming apparatus 100 thus constructed as above performs image forming at image forming portions Pa to Pd using image data corresponding to respective four colors, i.e., black (K), and cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y), the three prime colors of subtractive color mixture that are obtained by color separation of color images. Image forming portions Pa to Pd have the same configurations. For example, image forming portion Pa for black (K) is composed of photoreceptor drum 101a, developing unit 102a, charging roller 103a, transfer roller 130a and cleaning unit 104a and the like. These image forming portions Pa to Pd are arranged in a row in the intermediate transfer belt 110's direction of movement (sub scan direction).
Charging roller 103 is a charging device of a contact type which uniformly electrifies the photoreceptor drum 101 surface at a predetermined potential. Here, a contact-type charger using a charging brush or a non-contact type charger using charging wire may also be used instead of charging roller 103.
Exposure unit E as the exposure device includes an unillustrated semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror E1, a first reflecting mirror E2 and a second reflecting mirror E3, and illuminates photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d with light beams, i.e., laser beams, that are modulated based on the image data of separate colors, that is, black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Formed on photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d are electrostatic latent images based on the image data of respective colors of black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
Developing unit 102 supplies toner to the photoreceptor drum 101 surface with an electrostatic latent image formed thereon to develop the latent image into a toner image. Developing units 102a to 102d store black, cyan, magenta and yellow color toners, respectively so as to develop the electrostatic latent images for colors formed on photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d into toner images of black, cyan, magenta and yellow colors. Cleaning unit 104 removes and collects the toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 101 surface after development and image transfer.
Intermediate transfer belt 110 arranged over photoreceptor drums 101 is wound and tensioned between a drive roller 110a and a driven roller 110b, forming a looped moving path. Arranged opposing the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110 are photoreceptor drum 101d, photoreceptor drum 101c, photoreceptor drum 101b and photoreceptor drum 101a in the order mentioned. Primary transfer rollers 130a to 130d are arranged at positions opposing respective photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d across this intermediate transfer belt 110. The positions at which intermediate transfer belt 110 opposes photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d form respective primary transfer stations. This intermediate transfer belt 110 is formed of a film of about 100 μm to 150 μm thick.
In order to transfer the toner images carried on the surfaces of photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d to intermediate transfer belt 110, each of primary transfer rollers 130a to 130d is applied by constant-voltage control with a primary transfer bias that has the opposite polarity to that of the static charge on the toner. With this arrangement, the toner images of individual colors formed on photoreceptor drums 101 (101a to 101d) are successively transferred, one over the other, to the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110 so that a full-color toner image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110.
If image data involving only part of colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black is inputted, among the four photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d electrostatic latent images and hence toner images are formed only for the photoreceptor drums 101 that correspond to the colors of the input image data. For examples upon monochrome image forming, only the electrostatic latent image or toner image for photoreceptor drum 101a corresponding to black color is formed, so that the black toner image alone is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110.
Each of primary transfer rollers 130a to 130d is composed of a shaft formed of metal (e.g., stainless steel) having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm and a conductive elastic material (e.g., EPDM, foamed urethane, etc.,) coated on the shaft surface, and uniformly applies a high voltage to intermediate transfer belt 110 through the conducive elastic material.
The toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110 by image transfer at primary transfer stations is conveyed as intermediate transfer belt 110 rotates to the secondary transfer station where the belt opposites secondary transfer roller 140. During image forming, secondary transfer roller 140 is abutted with a predetermined nip pressure against the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110, in the area where the interior side of intermediate transfer belt 110 comes into contact with the peripheral surface of drive roller 110a. When paper fed from paper feed cassette 160 or manual paper feed tray 170 passes through the nip between secondary transfer roller 140 and intermediate transfer belt 110, a high voltage of a polarity opposite the polarity of the static charge on the toner is applied to secondary transfer roller 140. This causes the toner image to transfer from the outer peripheral surface of intermediate transfer belt 110 to the paper surface.
The toner that has been transferred from photoreceptor drums 101 to intermediate transfer belt 110 and remains on intermediate transfer belt 110 without being transferred to the paper is collected by cleaning unit 120 in order to prevent color contamination at the next operation.
The paper with the toner image transferred thereon is lead to fuser 150 and heated and pressurized while passing through between heat roller 150a and pressure roller 150b. Thereby, the toner image is firmly fixed to the paper surface. The paper with the toner image fixed thereon is discharged by a paper discharge roller 180a onto paper output tray 180.
Image forming apparatus 100 includes a paper feed path P1 that extends approximately vertically to convey the paper stacked in paper feed cassette 160 to paper output tray 180 by way of the nip between secondary transfer roller 140 and intermediate transfer belt 110 and fuser 150. Arranged along paper feed path P1 are a pickup roller 160a for delivering paper from paper feed cassette 160, sheet by sheet, into paper feed path P1, conveying rollers r10 for conveying the delivered paper upwards, a registration roller 190 for leading the conveyed paper to the nip between secondary transfer roller 140 and intermediate transfer belt 110 at a predetermined timing and paper discharge roller 180a for discharging the paper to paper output tray 180.
Image forming apparatus 100 also incorporates a paper feed path P2 that extends from manual paper feed tray 170 to registration roller 190, having a pickup roller 170a and conveying rollers r10 arranged therealong. There is also another paper feed path P3 that extends from paper discharge roller 180a toward the upstream side of registration roller 190 in paper feed path P1.
Paper discharge roller 180a is adapted to rotate in both forward and reverse directions, and is rotated in the forward direction to discharge the paper to paper output tray 180 at the time of one-sided image forming for forming an image on one side of the paper and at the time of the second side image forming in duplex image forming for forming images on both sides. On the other hand, at the time of the first side image forming in duplex image forming, paper discharge roller 180a is driven in the forward direction until the rear end of the paper passes by fuser 150 and then rotated in reverse while it is holding the rear end of the paper to lead the paper into paper feed path P3. Thereby, the paper with an image formed on only one side thereof during duplex image forming is lead to paper feed path P1 with its printed face down and its front edge inverted to the rear.
Registration roller 190 leads the paper that has been fed from paper feed cassette 160 or manual paper feed tray 170 or that has been conveyed through paper feed path P3, to the nip between secondary transfer roller 140 and intermediate transfer belt 110 at a timing synchronized with the rotation of intermediate transfer belt 110. For this purpose, registration roller 190 stops rotating when photoreceptor drums 101 and intermediate transfer belt 110 start operating, while the paper that was started to be fed or conveyed in advance of rotation of intermediate transfer belt 110 is stopped from moving in paper feed path P1 with its front end abutting against registration roller 190. Thereafter, registration roller 190 starts rotating at such a timing that the front edge of the paper and the front end of the toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 110 meet each other at the position where secondary transfer roller 140 and intermediate transfer belt 110 come in pressure contact with each other.
Here, when full-color image forming is performed using all the image forming portions Pa to Pd, primary transfer rollers 130a to 130d are made to abut intermediate transfer belt 110 against respective photoreceptor drums 101a to 101d. On the other hand, when monochrome image forming is performed with image forming portion Pa alone, the primary transfer roller 130a alone is made to abut intermediate transfer belt 110 against photoreceptor drum 101a.
<Description of the Basic Configurational Concept of the Image Forming Apparatus of the Present Invention>
Next, the bias configurational concept of the image forming apparatus of the present invention constructed as above will be described.
Image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention is characterized by its developing units 102. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention is constructed such that developing units 102 share a single development transformer, which constantly applies high voltage to each developing unit while color-printing photoreceptors 101b to 101d are adapted to stop their rotational drive during monochrome printing, and that the cumulative operation time of black photoreceptor drum 101a for monochrome printing is calculated, and when this calculated time exceeds a predetermined fixed time (cumulative operation threshold time T), the unoperated color-printing photoreceptor drums are rotationally driven by a predetermined angle (equivalent to the circumferential distance corresponding to the angle).
With this configuration, color-printing photoreceptor drums 101b to 101d are forcibly rotated by a predetermined angle so as to restore the photoreceptor surface, which is being degraded, by making the fresh surface in each drum oppose the color developing unit, whereby it is possible to suppress electric damage to each photoreceptor that opposes the color developing unit and prevent occurrence of defects on the photoreceptor drum surface. Further, no complicated control drive circuit is needed, hence it is possible to cut down the cost of the apparatus.
<Specific Configuration and Operation of the Image Forming Apparatus According to the First Embodiment>
Now, the configuration of image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, mainly the configuration of the controller including a CPU will be described.
As shown in
Controller 200 is constructed such that CPU 201 loads each control program from storage 202 and executes the loaded control program to thereby achieve image forming process control.
Controller 200 also includes a control means that receives sensor output signals from diverse sensors and outputs control signals to diverse drives to implement image forming process control and totally governs the whole image forming apparatus.
One example of the sensors is a toner concentration sensor 215 which is disposed in developing unit 102 and detects the toner concentration to keep the content ratio between the toner and carrier at constant. The controller controls and actuates one of the drives, namely a toner supplying portion 213 in developing unit 102 so as to supply toner in accordance with the output signal from this sensor.
The controller also controls a charging unit (charging roller) 210 for uniformly electrifying the photoreceptor drum 101 surface at a predetermined potential, a developing bias applying unit 211, a total operation time measuring unit 203, a photoreceptor drum driver 212, a laser emitter 214 in exposure unit E and the like. The operation of cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 will be described below.
Subsequently, referring to the flow chart of
When starting monochrome printing (containing text, images, etc.) first (Step S100), controller 200 turns “ON” the motor for driving the monochrome-printing photoreceptor (for BK print) (Step S110). Then, after controlling charging unit 210 so as to apply the bias for charging (Step S120), the controller turns “ON” the developing bias power source (Step S130). With these procedures, an image forming operation is started.
Then, cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 for monochrome printing is actuated (Step S140). The measuring unit renews the cumulative operation time with the progress of printing, and it is determined whether the cumulative operation time on the cumulative operation time measuring unit reaches the cumulative operation threshold time “T” (Step S150). When the cumulative operation time has not yet reached this cumulative operation threshold time “T”, the control returns to Step 110 and continues the monochrome printing operation.
Here, specifically this cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 detects the number of printouts or the number of rotations of the photoreceptor drum and calculates the cumulative operation time based on the thus detected value.
Next, when the cumulative operation time reaches this cumulative operation threshold time “T” (Step S150; YES), cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 turns “ON” the drives for the color (CL) printing photoreceptor drums (Step S160). Then, controller 200 perform such control as to move the color (CL) printing photoreceptor drums by X mm (Step S180) and resets the cumulative operation time calculated by cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 (Step S190) and ends the monochrome printing (Step S200).
The reason that the number of printouts or the number of rotations of the monochrome-printing photoreceptor drum is used as the information based on which the cumulative operation time is calculated by cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 is that degradation and wear-out of the coating of the photoreceptor drum depend on the wear-out of the coating due to contact with the recording paper, and that it is possible to exactly reflect coating wear based on the number of rotations of the photoreceptor drum before or after a printing operation.
Though cumulative operation time measuring unit 203 is not necessarily reset, in contrast to the way as it is done at Step S190, it is possible to achieve more precise control without making any special correction if the cumulative operation time is reset every time because the ambient environment and other factors of image forming apparatus 100 is changing.
Further, since, depending on “the total cumulative number of rotations (corresponding to the life of the photoreceptor drum)” of black photoreceptor drum 101a, it becomes difficult for the degraded portions to recover or the degraded area of the photosensitive layer becomes greater, as shown in Table 1 below, it is possible to promote recovery of the color-printing photoreceptor drums by performing control such that the “angle (distance)” to be rotated gradually becomes greater as the “total cumulative number of rotations” of black-printing photoreceptor drum 101a increases.
Specifically, when the distance X mm each of the color (CL) printing photoreceptor drums is driven is determined, which range the total cumulative number of rotations of black-printing photoreceptor drum 101a falls in, of the predetermined classifications as to the total cumulative number of rotations shown in Table 1, is determined first, then the distance X to be driven is selected based on the range thus determined.
Since the above control rotates each of the color-printing photoreceptor drums so as to position the new surface into place before the photoreceptors are degraded too far, it is possible to restore the photoreceptor surface which is going to be deteriorated.
Similarly, as shown in Table 2, it is possible to have the same effect at above by gradually decreasing the number of rotations (the predetermined time) before the color-printing photoreceptor drums are rotated next, with the increase of the total cumulative number of rotations of the photoreceptor drum.
<The Operation of the Image Forming Apparatus According to the Second Embodiment>
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of
As shown in Table 3 below, the cumulative operation threshold time “T” is shortened so as to actuate the restoring operation earlier below 20 deg. C. because the cleaning blade becomes harder at the temperature than at normal temperature (20 to 30 deg. C.), hence the photoreceptor coating becomes easily worn down. In contrast, since the coating is worn down slowly when the ambient temperature is 30 deg. C. or higher, the cumulative operation threshold time “T” is made longer so as to start the restoring operation with some delay. This setting makes it possible to obtain equivalently deteriorated condition without depending on the ambient environment.
The flow chart of
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various changes and modifications can be added within the scope of the appended claims. That is, any embodied mode obtained by combination of technical means as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the technical art of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-001072 | Jan 2008 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5376998 | Suzuki et al. | Dec 1994 | A |
| 20040136742 | Saito et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20050069334 | Hashimoto et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20070025778 | Akizuki et al. | Feb 2007 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 5-197254 | Aug 1993 | JP |
| 2002-148888 | May 2002 | JP |
| 2002-148889 | May 2002 | JP |
| 2007-65631 | Mar 2007 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090175635 A1 | Jul 2009 | US |
