JP2006058598A - Memory tag, process cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize electric connection to a memory tag attached to a component which can be attached to/detached from an image forming apparatus through spring material with simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: In the process cartridge which can be attached to/detached from the main body part of the image forming apparatus, a photoreceptor drum 30 rotates around a rotary shaft 40, and the memory tag 50 is attached to a rotating flange 44. The memory tag 50 is equipped with a memory IC, and connected to the memory IC to be provided with a nearly hemispherical tag side contact part 60. The main body part of the apparatus is provided with a main body side contact part 70 whose edge part 74 is composed of the foldable spring material, and the edge part comes close to the flange 44. When the photoreceptor drum 30 rotates, the edge part 74 of the main body side contact part 70 runs on and comes into surface-contact with the nearly hemispherical rise part of the tag side contact part 60, whereby the memory IC and the main body side contact part 70 are conducted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a memory tag, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, a memory tag that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body side using contact of a contact, a process cartridge including the memory tag, and the The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge is detachably mounted.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine using an electrophotographic image forming process, an electrostatic latent image is formed by selectively exposing a uniformly charged electrophotographic photosensitive member called a photosensitive drum, The electrostatic latent image is visualized with toner, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium for image recording. In such an apparatus, when the apparatus is used for a long period of time, the electrophotographic photoreceptor is worn away. In order to facilitate this replacement, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is made into a cartridge, or a process cartridge including a charging device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and the like around it is used.

  When these cartridges are consumed and it is time to replace them, they are removed by consumers and replaced with new electrophotographic photosensitive member cartridges. A memory module that can communicate with the image forming apparatus is sometimes attached to the replaceable consumable part in order to trace the history of the consumable part. For example, if the specifications of the electrophotographic photosensitive member are stored in the memory module, it can be determined whether or not the cartridge meets the specifications of the copying machine when the cartridge is replaced, and the performance of the copying machine can be guaranteed. Also, when collecting / recycling after replacement, the specifications of the electrophotographic photosensitive member cartridge can be read, so that the collection / recycling can be performed correctly. In addition, if the consumer's usage status is memorized, it can be easily read for failure analysis, and data such as consumer consumption trends can be collected, which helps to improve service. Can do.

  As such a memory module, a module in which a rewritable nonvolatile memory is arranged on a substrate, a module in which these are sealed with a resin, a module in a plastic case, or the like can be used. These can be made into small tags such as 15 to 30 mm square and a thickness of several millimeters, and are sometimes called memory tags.

  As a means for electrically connecting the memory tag mounted on the cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body, a contact type that uses a contact by a connector or a spring material, an issuing element / light receiving element is used. There are non-contact types such as those that perform optical communication and those that perform wireless communication using an antenna. Contact-type electrical connection means using an electrical contact portion made of a spring material is generally considered to have a simple configuration and low cost.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a combination of a memory tag attached to a process cartridge and a connector on a main body side that contacts a contact portion of the memory tag. Here, a mounting portion is provided on the upper surface of a drum frame that is a casing covering the photosensitive drum of the process cartridge, and a memory tag is attached thereto. The memory tag is a tag-like member in which a memory element is arranged in the center, contact parts are arranged on both sides of the memory tag, and abutting parts for abutting a connector on the main body side on both outer sides are arranged on a printed circuit board. . Here, the contact portion is a laminated film obtained by performing Ni plating on the copper foil surface of the printed board and further performing gold plating. The connector on the main body side has an electrical contact made of a metal spring material such as phosphor bronze which is an elastic member. The electrical contact has a base fixed to the connector and a distal end bent.

  That is, in Patent Document 1, the contact portion of the laminated film of the memory tag and the electrical contact of the elastic leaf spring material where the tip of the main body side connector is bent are brought into contact with the laminated film at the tip of the elastic leaf spring material. The surface of the contact portion is wiped by displacing the surface by about 0.5 to 2 mm to ensure conduction. In order to perform this wiping stably, the connector is abutted using the abutting portions at the outermost ends of the memory tag, and two electrical contacts of the connector are provided for each of the two contact portions of the memory tag.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a memory tag similar to that of Patent Document 1 is used, and a protruding rib serving as a guide for moving the connector is provided in order to smoothly contact the main body side connector with the memory tag. The

JP 2003-330335 A JP 2004-37876 A

  Contact-type electrical connection means using an electrical contact portion made of a spring material is generally considered to be simple in configuration and low in cost, but the configurations in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are complicated and expensive. ing. That is, the memory tag requires a space for two contact portions and a space for two butting portions in addition to the space for arranging the storage elements, and the size is increased. Further, the connector of the main body also requires two electrical contacts and two butting parts, and becomes large with a complicated configuration.

  In Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the contact portion of the memory tag is wiped and then fixed contact is made, the memory tag needs to be provided at a fixed position of the process cartridge. Therefore, there are restrictions on the location of the memory tag, for example, the memory tag cannot be placed at a position that rotates around the rotation axis.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a memory tag that can be electrically connected by a spring material with a simple configuration, the memory tag, a process cartridge including the memory tag, and an image forming apparatus that detachably mounts the process cartridge. And to provide. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a memory tag that can be electrically connected by a spring material to a component that rotates around a rotation axis with a simple configuration, a process cartridge including the memory tag, and a process cartridge. An image forming apparatus that is detachably mounted.

  A memory tag according to the present invention is a memory tag that is provided on a component that is detachable from an image forming apparatus main body and that rotates about a rotation axis, the tag frame attached to a rotating portion of the component, and the tag frame A memory for storing information relating to the process cartridge; and a memory connected to the memory, disposed on a surface of the tag frame, and in contact with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. And a tag-side contact portion that conducts between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body and has a substantially hemispherical outer shape or a cross-sectional outer shape including a part of an arc.

  The memory tag according to the present invention is a memory tag provided in a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and is attached to a rotating part of the process cartridge, and mounted on the tag frame. And a memory for storing information relating to the process cartridge; and a memory connected to the memory and disposed on a surface of the tag frame, and in contact with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side; A tag-side contact portion that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body side and has a substantially hemispherical outer shape or a cross-sectional outer shape including a part of an arc.

  The process cartridge according to the present invention is a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and has a memory tag that can communicate with the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the memory tag rotates the process cartridge. A tag frame attached to a portion to be mounted, a memory mounted on the tag frame and storing information on the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body, and connected to the memory and disposed on the surface of the tag frame In contact with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side to conduct between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body side, and has a substantially hemispherical outer shape or a cross-sectional outer shape including a part of an arc. The tag side contact part which has these.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and is provided on a memory tag provided in the process cartridge and on the image forming apparatus main body side. A main body side contact portion that comes into contact with the memory tag, and the memory tag is mounted on a rotating portion of the process cartridge, and is mounted on the tag frame, and the process cartridge And a memory for storing information related to the image forming apparatus main body, and a memory connected to the memory and disposed on the surface of the tag frame, and in contact with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. A tag side contact portion that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body side and has a substantially hemispherical outer shape or a cross-sectional outer shape including a part of an arc. And wherein the door.

  According to the above configuration, the memory tag includes the tag frame body, the memory, and the tag side contact portion connected to the memory are arranged, and the tag side contact portion has a substantially hemispherical outline or a cross-sectional shape including a part of an arc. It has the external shape. Therefore, the contact part on the main body side smoothly contacts the outer shape of the substantially semispherical outer shape or the cross-sectional shape including a part of the arc of the tag side contact part, even if a spring material that has been used conventionally is used. can do. The contact at this time can contact the surface of the substantially hemispherical outer shape even if the contact portion on the main body side is a spring material, for example, a leaf spring shape, and on the conductor layer on the circuit board as in the conventional example. Compared to the line contact when wiping, the contact can be performed stably. In particular, when a memory tag is provided in a part that rotates around the rotation axis of a component, the tag side contact portion smoothly moves while following a raised semi-spherical outline or a cross-sectional outline including a part of an arc. Surface contact can be made.

  As described above, according to the memory tag, the process cartridge, and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, electrical connection by a spring material is possible with a simple configuration, and in particular, a memory provided in a component that rotates around a rotation axis. The tag can be electrically connected with a spring material with a simple configuration.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, a photosensitive drum in a process cartridge in a copying machine is taken up as a part to which a memory tag according to the present invention is attached, but it may be applied to a single photosensitive drum. In addition to the photosensitive drum, a holder can be attached to the rotating component as long as it rotates around the rotation axis. The process cartridge is described as including a charging roller, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit in addition to the photosensitive drum. However, the process cartridge may include the photosensitive drum and may not include all of them. Further, elements other than these, for example, a power source may be included.

  In the following, a case where a memory tag is used as the memory module will be described. There are various types of memory tags in the market, but in the following, the term memory tag includes a wide range of devices that include electrically rewritable memory devices and that can read and write data in memory devices through external communication. As expected.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 that is an electrophotographic copying machine. The image forming apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 12 and a process cartridge 20 that is detachably provided on the apparatus main body 12. The process cartridge 20 is a cartridge in which main elements for forming an electrophotographic image including the photosensitive drum 30 are combined. The apparatus main body 12 further includes an exposure optical system 14 for exposing the photosensitive drum 30, a transport system 16 for transporting an image transfer medium such as paper, and a stocker 18 for storing unused paper or the like.

  The process cartridge 20 is incorporated in the apparatus main body 12 in a replaceable manner, and each element for forming an electrophotographic image is housed in the cartridge housing 22. An exposure unit 24 is provided in a part of the cartridge housing 22, and inside the photosensitive drum 30 having a photosensitive layer, a charging roller 32 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 30, and light from the exposure unit 24. The developing means 34 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 30 by the image into a visible toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium by a transfer roller or the like, and then the photosensitive drum 30. The cleaning means 36 for removing the toner remaining on the toner is accommodated.

  The memory tag for storing information related to the process cartridge 20 is preferably provided on the outside of the process cartridge 20 so as to facilitate communication with the apparatus main body 12. The photosensitive drum 30 rotates around the rotation axis so that the electrophotographic image forming process such as charging-exposure-development-transfer-cleaning can be efficiently repeated. The memory tag is provided on the rotating end surface of the photosensitive drum 30.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the photosensitive drum 30 that rotates around the rotation shaft 40. The photoreceptor drum 30 is obtained by applying an organic photoreceptor on an aluminum cylinder having an outer diameter of, for example, 30 to 40 mm. Flange 42, 44 made of resin having good lubricity such as polyacetal is fitted to both end faces of the cylinder in the longitudinal direction. At the center of the flanges 42 and 44, an opening 46 (not shown) is provided through which a metal shaft passes as the rotation center shaft of the photosensitive drum 30.

  The memory tag 50 is attached to the flange 44 on one side. Since the AC voltage is applied to the photosensitive drum 30 in the process of charging, development, and the like, and noise due to this may affect the wireless communication of the memory tag 50, the flange 44 on the side where the memory tag 50 is attached is It is preferable that the flange is located on the side far from the portion connected to charging, developing, or the like.

  Since the memory tag 50 is fixedly attached to the flange 44 that rotates about the rotation axis 40, the memory tag 50 also rotates about the rotation axis 40. The memory tag 50 is electrically connected to the main body side contact portion 70 fixedly provided on the apparatus main body portion 12 by contact, and the conduction is caused by the rotating memory tag 50 facing the main body side contact portion 70 and contacting there. Done while you are.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side sectional view of the memory tag 50. The memory tag 50 is an electronic component mounting circuit module having a substantially rectangular shape, and a memory IC 54 is disposed in the tag frame 52. The tag frame 52 has a circuit board 56 on which the memory IC 54 is disposed as a base, the memory IC 54 is mounted on one side of the circuit board 56, and a resin sealing portion 58 is provided to protect this. A substantially hemispherical tag side contact portion 60 is provided on the opposite side of the tag frame 52 where the memory IC 54 is disposed. The tag side contact part 60 is connected to a terminal for communicating with the apparatus main body part 12 in the memory IC 54.

  The memory IC 54 is an IC chip that is electrically rewritable and includes a nonvolatile memory element, and an EEPROM or the like having an appropriate structure can be used. The circuit board 56 is a double-sided wiring board, and an appropriate glass epoxy board or the like can be used. The connection between the memory IC 54 and the tag side contact portion 60 can be performed using a through-hole wiring or the like. The resin sealing portion 58 can be formed by resin potting using a frame. Or it is good also as a tag frame body of a resin case body by resin molding including the circuit board 56. FIG. As the resin, for example, an epoxy resin for semiconductor elements can be used. As an example of the dimensions, the circuit board 56 has a rectangular shape with a thickness of about 0.4 mm and sides of about 15 to 30 mm. The memory IC 54 has a thickness of about 0.9 mm, and its size is about several millimeters both vertically and horizontally. The total thickness of the tag frame 52 can be about 2 to 3 mm. These numerical values are merely examples for explanation, and other values may be used.

  The tag side contact part 60 is a contact having a function of contacting the main body side contact part 70 provided on the apparatus main body part 12 side and connecting the memory IC 54 and a control part (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body part 12 side. is there. Specifically, it has a substantially hemispherical shape made of a conductor such as metal. Such a tag side contact portion 60 can be obtained by connecting a conductor ball such as a solder ball or a gold ball to a connection terminal on the circuit board 56 by soldering or the like, and adjusting it to an appropriate outer shape if necessary. . As described above, the connection terminal on the circuit board is connected to the terminal of the memory IC 54 by the board wiring or the like. The size of the tag side contact portion 60 can be appropriately determined depending on the degree of contact with the main body side contact portion 70. For example, it can be a hemisphere having a radius of about 3 to 5 mm. Of course, it may be a different size. In order to obtain a larger shape, for example, a core part formed of plastic or the like and a conductor layer having an appropriate thickness on the surface may be formed by coating or plating.

  Instead of the substantially hemispherical shape, a tag-side contact portion having a smooth surface rising shape may be used. FIG. 4 shows an example of a tag-side contact having a cross-sectional shape including a part of an arc shape. FIG. 4A shows a tag-side contact portion 62 having an arc cross-sectional shape, and FIG. 4B shows a flat top portion. FIG. 5 is a view showing a tag side contact portion 64 having an outer shape whose slope is constituted by a part of an arc shape. The tag-side contact portions 62 and 64 having such an outer shape may be prepared in advance by attaching a conductor having such an outer shape to the tag frame 52. However, the substantially hemispherical shape described in FIG. Sometimes it can be obtained by heating and flowing to adjust the shape.

  Returning to FIG. 2 again, the main body side contact part 70 is a contact member having a function of contacting the tag side contact part 60 and connecting the memory IC 54 and a control part (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body part 12 side. . Specifically, it is a metal plate including a root portion 72 fixed to the apparatus main body portion 12 and a tip portion 74 having a bend. Due to this bending, the distal end portion 74 has an appropriate elasticity against an external force. The main body side contact portion 70 has conductivity such as phosphor bronze, and can be obtained by cutting an elastic metal plate into an elongated plate having an appropriate width and bending it to an appropriate shape. An appropriate surface treatment such as gold plating may be performed on the tip portion 74.

  In FIG. 2, the main body side contact part 70 and the flange 44 of the photosensitive drum 30 are illustrated separately for the sake of explanation. Actually, the main body side contact portion 70 and the flange 44 of the photosensitive drum 30 are arranged in close proximity. The arrangement is performed so as to satisfy the following condition. That is, when the photosensitive drum 30 rotates and the main body side contact portion 70 and the tag side contact portion 60 face each other, the bending of the front end portion 74 of the main body side contact portion 70 is substantially hemispherical of the tag side contact portion 60. When the tag-side contact portion 60 does not face the body-side contact portion 70, the bending of the tip 74 of the body-side contact portion 70 does not come into contact with the flange 44 and is in the air. Is to become the free end of

  In order to avoid unexpected contact between the flange 44 and the main body side contact portion 70 when the process cartridge 20 is inserted into the apparatus main body portion 12, the main body side contact portion 70 is attached to an appropriate movable base. The movable base can be configured so as to be freely retractable with respect to the flange 44 side in accordance with the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 20. In this case, when the process cartridge 20 is removed from the apparatus main body 12, the main body side contact part 70 is sufficiently separated from the flange 44 as shown in FIG. 2, and the process cartridge 20 is inserted into the apparatus main body 12. After being in the predetermined position, the main body side contact portion 70 approaches the flange 44 and settles to a predetermined contactable position.

  The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 having such a configuration will be described. The case where an old process cartridge is pulled out from the apparatus main body 12 and a new process cartridge 20 is inserted is taken as an example. In the state where the old process cartridge is pulled out, the main body side contact portion 70 becomes a free end in the air, and a control unit (not shown) connected to the main body side contact portion 70 detects the contact opening, and the process cartridge Know that there is no. Of course, other means may be used to know that there is no process cartridge. Next, a new process cartridge 20 is inserted into the apparatus main body 12. At this time, if necessary as described above, the main body side contact portion 70 can be temporarily set to the retracted position. The process cartridge 20 is guided in the insertion direction by a guide portion, a positioning portion or the like of the apparatus main body 12 (not shown), is properly inserted to a predetermined installation position, and is fixed there. At that time, the main body side contact part 70 is in a predetermined contactable position with the flange 44 of the process cartridge 20.

  When the image forming apparatus 10 knows that the process cartridge 20 has been inserted by a detection unit (not shown), the image forming apparatus 10 initializes the process cartridge 20. That is, first, a signal from the main body side contact portion 70 is checked, and when the main body side contact portion 70 remains in the open state, the photosensitive drum 30 is rotated. By this rotation, the memory tag 50 is rotated together with the rotation of the flange 44, and the tag-side contact portion 60, which has a substantially hemispherical shape, eventually comes to a position facing the body-side contact portion 70. And the front-end | tip part 74 of the main body side contact part 70 rides on the substantially hemispherical bulge of the tag side contact part 60, and moves, making a surface contact. At this time, a control unit (not shown) knows that the contact is short-circuited by a signal from the main body side contact unit 70. Therefore, the control unit can perform necessary communication with the memory IC 54 during the contact short circuit. The communication can read and write the memory contents by serial communication, and may supply power if necessary. Once the contact short circuit is detected, the rotation of the process cartridge 20 is stopped until the data communication for initialization is completed, and the contact short circuit state can be continuously maintained. Alternatively, the process cartridge 20 may be continuously rotated, and data communication may be performed a plurality of times by using a contact short circuit that is repeated periodically.

  When the initialization is completed, a normal copying operation is performed. Each time the photosensitive drum 30 rotates, the tip end portion 74 of the main body side contact portion 70 rides on the substantially hemispherical bulge of the tag side contact portion 60 and moves while contacting the surface. Therefore, if necessary, a control unit (not shown) can communicate with the memory IC 54 of the memory tag 50 at each contact short-circuit timing.

  Thus, since the tag-side contact portion 60 has a smooth raised shape such as a substantially hemispherical shape, even if the main body-side contact portion 70 is used as a general leaf spring bent shape, Since contact can be made, contact contact can be stabilized.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the photosensitive drum in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is the top view and side sectional view of a memory tag in an embodiment concerning the present invention. In embodiment which concerns on this invention, it is a figure which shows the other example of the tag side contact shape of a memory tag.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus, 12 Apparatus main body part, 14 Exposure optical system, 16 Conveyance system, 18 Stocker, 20 Process cartridge, 22 Cartridge housing, 24 Exposure part, 30 Photosensitive drum, 32 Charging roller, 34 Developing means, 36 Cleaning Means, 40 Rotating shaft, 42, 44 Flange, 46 Opening, 50 Memory tag, 52 Tag frame, 54 Memory IC, 56 Circuit board, 58 Resin sealing part, 60, 62, 64 Tag side contact part, 70 Main body side Contact part, 72 root part, 74 tip part.

Claims (4)

A memory tag provided on a component that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and rotates about a rotation axis,
A tag frame attached to the rotating part of the component;
A memory mounted on the tag frame and storing information about the process cartridge;
Connected to the memory, disposed on the surface of the tag frame, and contacted with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side to conduct between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body side. A tag side contact portion having a cross-sectional shape including a hemispherical shape or a part of an arc; and
A memory tag comprising: A memory tag provided in a process cartridge that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
A tag frame attached to a rotating part of the process cartridge;
A memory mounted on the tag frame and storing information about the process cartridge;
Connected to the memory, disposed on the surface of the tag frame, and contacted with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side to conduct between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body side. A tag side contact portion having a cross-sectional shape including a hemispherical shape or a part of an arc; and
A memory tag comprising: A process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body,
A memory tag capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus main body side;
The memory tag is
A tag frame attached to a rotating part of the process cartridge;
A memory mounted on the tag frame and storing information about the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body;
Connected to the memory, disposed on the surface of the tag frame, and contacted with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side to conduct between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body side. A tag side contact portion having a cross-sectional shape including a hemispherical shape or a part of an arc; and
A process cartridge comprising: An image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body,
A memory tag provided in the process cartridge;
A main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side and in contact with the memory tag;
Have
The memory tag is
A tag frame attached to a rotating part of the process cartridge;
A memory mounted on the tag frame and storing information about the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body;
Connected to the memory, disposed on the surface of the tag frame, and contacted with a main body side contact portion provided on the image forming apparatus main body side to conduct between the memory and the image forming apparatus main body side. A tag side contact portion having a cross-sectional shape including a hemispherical shape or a part of an arc; and
An image forming apparatus comprising:

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