Patent Application
20150125168
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-230541, filed on Nov. 6, 2013, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as copiers, facsimiles and scanners.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, an image control method detecting toner adherence quantity with an optical sensor is widely used as an image density guarantee of produced images. This method includes changing image forming conditions (development potential or LD writing density) to form plural reference patches on a photoreceptor or an intermediate transfer belt, and irradiating infrared LED light to the reference patches. The method further includes detecting reflection light (regular or irregular reflection light) with an optical sensor such as photodiodes and phototransistors, and converting the detection results to toner adherence quantities of the individual tone patches. Then, the toner adherence quantity relative to the potential is plotted to do linear approximation. This slope of the line is development γ. An image density control controlling image forming conditions (development potential) to obtain a targeted adherence quantity using the approximation straight line is known.
Japanese published unexamined application No. JP-2005-308833-A discloses a method of detecting a halftone patch with an optical toner concentration sensor and a patch image area with an imaging apparatus to form an image without background fouling and blurred edge. Japanese published unexamined application No. JP-2000-147848-A discloses a method of correcting a charge bias based on information detected by a temperature and humidity sensor to optimally keep a background potential.
However, when a charging bias is determined so as to have a predetermined background potential after developing bias is determined so as to have a potential calculated as above, a correlation between the charging bias applied at a charging position and a charging potential remaining at a developing position changes when a surface potential of a photoreceptor varies due to time or an influence of environment. Therefore, when the charging bias is not properly set, the narrow background potential causes background fouling, and the wider background potential causes a blurred edge. A method of lowering the charging bias to the developing bias to form and detect a background fouling pattern and forecasting the background potential from the background fouling quantity is disclosed. However, the method forms background fouling on the whole surface of a photoreceptor in the main scanning direction, resulting in increase of toner consumption.
The method disclosed in Japanese published unexamined application No. JP-2005-308833-A forms plural patch patterns, and therefore insufficiently controls a toner field, does not disclose a method of precisely controlling the background potential with only a P sensor, and the imaging apparatus is expensive. The method disclosed in Japanese published unexamined application No. JP-2000-147848-A is difficult to grasp the surface potential properties of the photoreceptor with only an environment sensor, and the background potential is not properly maintained depending on the usage environment.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus producing no abnormal images having background fouling and blurred edges while controlling toner consumption by forming a background fouling pattern for properly maintaining a background potential on not all the surface of a photoreceptor when controlling image quality.
These objects and other objects of the present invention, either individually or collectively, have been satisfied by the discovery of an image forming apparatus including an image bearer; a charger to charge the image bearer; an electrostatic latent image former to form an electrostatic latent image on the image bearer; an image developer to develop the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a visual toner image; a transferer to transfer the toner image on a transfer material; a toner concentration calculator to calculate a concentration of the toner; and an optical detector, wherein a least a toner patch image is formed on the image bearer with an irradiation quantity set such that an irradiated part potential is larger than that of the developing conditions, the toner patch image read by the optical detector, and the charging condition is corrected on the basis of a difference between a toner concentration of the toner patch image and a targeted toner concentration.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like corresponding parts throughout and wherein:
The present invention provides an image forming apparatus effectively preventing background fouling when the background potential is small and blurred edge when the background potential is large to produce quality images because of properly maintaining a background potential.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings. In describing exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner and achieve a similar result.
The intermediate transfer belt 1 is runnably supported by plural rollers 11, 12 and 13. An intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 15 is located at a position opposite to the roller 12. A second transfer roller 16 is located at a position opposite to the roller 13.
Plural paper feed trays 17 each containing recording papers 20 are located at the lower part of the apparatus. The recording paper 20 is fed by a pickup roller 21 and a paper feed roller 22, conveyed by a conveyance roller 23 and sent by a pair of registration rollers 24 to a second transferer in a predetermined timing. A fixing unit 25 is located on the downstream side in a paper conveyance direction of the second transferer. The number 26 is a paper discharge tray and 27 is a pair of switchback rollers in
The image forming operation in the apparatus is explained.
When a print start order is entered, rollers on and around the photoreceptor drum 2, the intermediate transfer belt 1 and the paper feed conveyance route start rotating in a predetermined timing to start feeding the recording paper 20 from the paper feed tray 17. Meanwhile, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2 is charged by the charger 3 to have a uniform potential and irradiated with writing light from the writing unit 4 according to image data. The photoreceptor drum 2 bearing an electrostatic latent image which is a potential pattern after irradiated on its surface is provided with a toner from the developing unit 5 to develop the electrostatic latent image to have a specific color. There are four photoreceptor drums 2 in
The toner image developed on each of the photoreceptor drums 2 is first transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 1 with a first transfer bias applied to the first transfer roller 6 and a pressure force at a contact point with the intermediate transfer belt 1. The first transfer operation is repeated for 4 times while matching the timing to form a full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 1. The full-color toner image is second transferred on the recoding paper 20 conveyed by the pair of registration rollers 24 in a predetermined timing. Then, the second transfer is made by a second transfer bias applied to the second transfer roller 16 and a pressure force. The recording paper 20 the full-color toner image is transferred on passes the fixing unit 25 to fix the toner image thereon with heat.
The recording paper is conveyed straight to the paper discharge tray 26 in single-sided printing, and conveyed downward to a paper reversing area in double-sided printing. A conveyance direction of the recording paper 20 having reached the paper reversing area is reversed, and the recording paper goes out of the paper reversing area from its rear end side. This is called switchback operation turning the recording paper 20 upside down. The overturned recording paper 20 does not return to the fixing unit 25 and meets the original paper feed route through a paper refeeding conveyance route. Then, a toner image is transferred thereon as it is in the single-sided printing and discharged through the fixing unit 25. This is the double-sided printing.
The photoreceptor drum 2 having passed the first transferer bears a first transfer residual toner on its surface, and which is removed by the photoreceptor cleaning unit 7 formed of a blade and a brush. Then, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2 is uniformly discharged by the quenching lamp 8 and ready to be charged for the next image formation.
The intermediate transfer belt 1 having passed the second transferer bears a second transfer residual toner on its surface, and which is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 15 formed of a blade and a brush. Then, the intermediate transfer belt 1 is ready for the next transfer of a toner image. These operations are repeated to make the single-sided or double-sided print.
The image forming apparatus in
Next, the image density adjustment pattern and the detection configuration are explained. In this embodiment, an image density adjustment pattern is formed in series and a detection sensor has one head. As
The main purpose of the image density adjustment is to guarantee image density of produced images. The image density adjusting method of detecting the toner adherence amount with an optical sensor and adjusting imaging conditions such that the toner adheres in a desired amount to maintain a specific image density of produced images is widely used. This method is explained in brief.
The imaging conditions (the developing potential or the writing density of the LD) are changed to from plural standard toner patches on the photoreceptor or the intermediate transfer belt. LED light is irradiated to the toner patch, and reflection light (regular reflection light or diffusion reflection light) therefrom is detected an optical sensor such as photodiodes and phototransistors. The detected results is converted into a toner adherence amount to obtain the adherence amount of each toner patch. Then, the toner adherence amount of the toner patch is plotted relative to the developing potential to calculate the developing γ which is an inclination of the approximation straight line and a development threshold voltage Vk which is an x-intercept. From the primary straight line of each color, the developing potential capable of obtaining a target adherence amount. Form the developing potential, the developing bias and the charging bias are determined, and the imaging condition is readjusted to obtain proper image density.
In the electrophotographic image forming method, variation of the charging potential of a photoreceptor accompanied with deterioration of the surface thereof due to environmental variation and increase of production volume causes variation of background potential. Specific examples of abnormal images due to the variation of the background potential include background fouling which is toner adherence to non-image area when lowered and blurred edge in halftone when raised. Therefore, the background potential needs to properly be set. Currently, the background potential is changed to a predetermined value according to the environmental variation such as temperature and humidity. However, this does not detect whether abnormal images are actually produced, and image quality may not be improved.
Conventionally, a background fouling pattern intentionally formed as shown in
However, the background fouling pattern causes a toner to adhere to the whole surface of the photoreceptor drum in the main scanning direction as shown in
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention is explained.
In this embodiment, a background pattern is formed and detected after an ordinary image quality adjustment operation (tone pattern formation and detection calculate developing γ to determine imaging conditions such as charging bias, developing bias and writing LD power). Based on the detection result, the charging bias is corrected to keep proper background potential. Operations in this embodiment are explained, referring to
First, an optical sensor is corrected (ST01). An LED current is adjusted such that a regular reflection light from the background of the intermediate transfer belt is received by a photodetector at 4.0+0.5 V. Next, an image density adjustment pattern (tone pattern) is formed (ST02). The image density adjustment pattern is shown in
Next, reflection light from the toner pattern is detected (ST03). LED light is irradiated to a standard toner pattern, and the reflection light is detected by a phototransistor. In this embodiment, only a regular reflection light is detected from a black pattern and both of a regular reflection light and an irregular reflection light are detected from a color pattern. This is because both of the reflection light are used in a color toner adherence amount conversion algorism mentioned later.
Next, the sensor detection value is converted to a toner adherence amount (ST04). The reflection light from the standard pattern formed in ST03 is detected by an optical sensor 18 as an optical detector located near the outer circumference of the photoreceptor drum 2 as shown in
Next, the developing capacity is calculated (ST05). The adherence amount data calculated in ST04 is plotted to the developing potential when the image density adjustment pattern is formed in
Next, an imaging bias is calculated (ST06). The developing potential [−V] is calculated from the relational expression obtained in ST05 as shown in
Next, a method of converting the developing potential into the developing bias. In this embodiment, the irradiated part potential is calculated using the following formulae as a fixed value. A variation of the writing LD power calculated in ST07 is a fixed value 30 [−V].
In a system including a photoreceptor surface potential meter, the irradiated part potential is preferably measured each time.
Developing bias [−V]=Developing potential+50 [−V] (1)
wherein the irradiated part potential is 50 [−V].
Charging bias [−V]=Developing bias [−V]+200 [−V] (2)
wherein the background potential is 200 [−V].
The background potential is a potential difference set by offsetting the developing bias to prevent background fouling.
Next, the writing LD power is calculated (ST07). The writing LD power is calculated, based on the variation of the charging bias. When a part where the derivative of the light attenuation curve in
[Writing LD Power]=αVc+β (3)
Procedures for determining coefficients α and β in the formula (3) are explained. Writing is performed changing the writing LD power at some stages while the photoreceptor surface potential has a predetermined value. The surface potential of the written part of the photoreceptor is measured by a potential sensor experimentally installed. Further, the charging bias is changed at some stages to obtain a light attenuation curve for each charging bias. This enables it to plot a relation between the charging bias and the writing LD power. From the relation, the writing LD power with a light attenuation curve at each charging potential having a predetermined derivative. Then, a proper writing LD power at each charging potential can be plotted. The linear approximation formula of the plot is determined by least-squares method to determine the coefficients α and β. Thus, the writing LD power is calculated using the formula (3).
Finally, an imaging bias is set (ST08). The imaging conditions are set to the developing bias and the charging bias calculated in ST06, and the writing LD power calculated in ST07.
As mentioned above, the developing γ and the developing potential are calculated, and the imaging bias and the writing LD power are determined. However, there is a case where the charging bias is corrected according to the temperature and the number of produced images to properly keep the background potential and prevent background fouling. Even in this case, when the charging potential varies and the charging bias is not set such that the background potential has a proper value, abnormal images having background fouling and blurred edge are produced. In order to solve this problem, In the present invention, a patch pattern is formed after the tone pattern is formed to correct the imaging condition according to the detection result. Hereinafter, the image quality adjustment operation is explained, referring to
First, imaging conditions of forming a patch pattern are set (ST11). The imaging conditions, i.e., charging bias Vc and developing bias Vb of forming a patch pattern are set to those determined in the above image quality adjustment operation. The writing LD power determined from experiment is used. In this embodiment, the writing LD power making the background potential 50 [−V] is used. The experimental method is mentioned later.
Next, a patch pattern is formed (ST12).
Next, reflection light from the patch pattern is detected (ST13). LED beam is irradiated to the patch pattern formed in ST12 and the reflection light is detected by a phototransistor. In this embodiment, regular reflection light is detected from a black pattern, and regular reflection light and irregular reflection light are detected from a color pattern.
Next, the sensor detection value is converted into a toner adherence amount (ST14). The conversion is made similarly to ST04. The sensitivity correction coefficients α and β calculated in the calculation flow of the developing γ and the developing potential.
Next, a difference between a standard background fouling adherence amount and the patch pattern adherence amount is calculated (ST15). A difference ΔM/A between a toner adherence amount of the patch pattern and a standard background toner adherence amount is calculated. The standard background toner adherence amount is a background fouling adherence amount when the background potential is 50 [−V]. When there is a difference between the patch pattern adherence amount and the standard background toner adherence amount, the charging potential is corrected such that the background potential has a proper value.
Next, a correction amount of the charging potential Vc is calculated from the above difference and the developing γ (ST16). From the developing γ, the developing γ calculated in the developing potential calculation flow, and ΔM/A calculated in ST15, a charging potential correction amount ΔVc is calculated by the following formula using ΔVc (Table) which is a ΔVc correction amount to experimentally determined ΔM/A.
ΔVc=ΔVc (Table)×developing γ (def)/developing γ (4)
wherein ΔVc (Table) is a ΔVc correction amount previously determined from experiment; and developing γ (def) is a standard γ in the imaging system of an object product.
The developing γ is used because ΔVc is small when the developing γ is high and ΔVc is large when the developing γ is low. Vc is calculated using the following formula.
Vc′=Vc+ΔVc (5)
Finally, the imaging conditions are changed to the writing LD power calculated in ST07 and the charging bias calculated in ST16 (ST17).
Next, the preparation procedure of the ΔVc (Table) which is a Vc correction amount in thus embodiment is explained. In the standard developing γ, from the imaging bias (charging bias and developing bias) when a target adherence amount is obtainable, the charging bias is switched for some stages to change the background potential and intentionally raise background fouling. As a result, a relation between the background potential and a toner adherence amount due to background fouling as shown in
Next, a procedure for setting the writing LD power in this embodiment is explained. The writing LD power is set from Vd and a table of temperature, and a method of making the table is explained as follows. First, as
Next, another embodiment of the present invention is explained. Background fouling pattern formation and detection are independently made. Based on the background fouling pattern, charging potential is corrected. Imaging bias is fixed when not corrected to adjust image quality, only LD power is corrected, based on environment table.
In each of the above embodiments, execution determination is made in a minimum timing to suppress consumption of toner. Since the surface potential of a photoreceptor varies according to environment, from information of the temperature sensor detecting environmental temperature of an image forming apparatus, the execution determination may be made when the temperature varies over a predetermined threshold since the previous time of controlling background potential. In addition, the surface potential of a photoreceptor varies due to variation of its film thickness as time passes. The execution determination may be made when the number of prints produced by an image forming apparatus is a predetermined quantity. These execution determinations prevents production of abnormal images such as background fouling and blurred edge while suppressing consumption of toner.
A tone pattern is formed, image quality adjustment of determining developing γ from the toner pattern is performed, and a patch pattern is irradiated on a photoreceptor such that background potential is narrowed to form a toner image having background fouling. Toner adherence amount of the background fouling is detected by a sensor. Based on the detection result, charging potential is corrected to properly keep background potential, and prevent background potential and blurred edge.
Since irradiation quantity is corrected according to temperature detection result by a temperature detection sensor, a writing LD power for background patch pattern is determined from temperature to constantly maintain a difference between charging potential and patch pattern potential. Thereby, toner adherence amount of patch pattern relative to variation of the background potential is precisely measured.
Since irradiation quantity is corrected according to charging conditions when a toner patch image is formed, a writing LD power for background patch pattern is determined from temperature to constantly maintain a difference between charging potential and background fouling patch pattern potential. Thereby, toner adherence amount of background fouling patch pattern relative to variation of the background potential is precisely measured.
Based on the temperature detection result, correction of charging conditions is subject to execution determination with toner patch image prevents abnormal images such as background fouling and blurred edge while suppressing consumption of toner more than when constantly controlled. Further, based on the number counter information, correction of charging conditions is subject to execution determination with toner patch image prevents abnormal images such as background fouling and blurred edge while suppressing consumption of toner more than when constantly controlled.
The above embodiment is a full-color copier as image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a printer, a monochrome copier, a facsimile, a plotter or their complex machine. The present invention further includes other image forming apparatuses such as full-color copiers using four-tandem direct transfer methods and one-drum intermediate transfer methods, and monochrome copiers using one-drum direct transfer methods.
Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-230541 | Nov 2013 | JP | national |
