JP2008039800A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus with a plurality of power supply cords, which enables a user or serviceman to easily know that some power supply cord is forgetfully not connected to a corresponding power source or disconnected from the power source and then the image forming apparatus operates defectively or in a restriction mode. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes a first power supply destination 11 and a second power supply destination F, first and second power supply cords 21 and 22 for connecting them to corresponding power sources, a connection switching unit 4 which distributes electric power supplied to the power supply destination 11 by the cord 21 to the power supply destination F, a detector 3 which detects a state of power supply to the power supply destination F by the cord 22, and a control unit 5, wherein the control unit 5 distributes the electric power to the power supply destination F from the cord 21 once the detector 3 detects the electric power not being supplied from the cord 22 to the power supply destination F. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, developing the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, and transferring and fixing the toner image to a recording medium, As a specific example, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function machine combining two or more of these.

  In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic system, the surface of an electrostatic latent image carrier (hereinafter also referred to as “image carrier”) is charged by a charging device, and an image exposure device or electrostatic recording is applied to the charged area. Forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed by an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus such as an apparatus, developing the electrostatic latent image by a developing apparatus to form a visible toner image, Finally, the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium, and the transferred toner image is fixed on the recording medium with heat and pressure by a fixing device.

Such image forming apparatuses can be roughly classified into a monochrome image forming apparatus and a color image forming apparatus (typically, a full color image forming apparatus) capable of forming an image using two or more colors of toner.
In a monochrome image forming apparatus, a toner image formed on an image carrier is directly transferred onto a recording medium using a transfer device, or is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer member by a primary transfer device. The image is transferred from the transfer member onto the recording medium by a secondary transfer device and fixed by a fixing device.

Known color image forming apparatuses include so-called four-cycle color image forming apparatuses and tandem color image forming apparatuses.
A four-cycle color image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image by charging the surface of an image carrier such as a photoconductor and exposing the image to the charged area. Develop to form a toner image. In such toner image formation, a plurality of developing devices containing different color toners are sequentially used to sequentially form different color toner images on the image carrier. Further, the toner images formed on the image carrier are sequentially superposed on the intermediate transfer member by using a primary transfer device, and are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member. A secondary image is transferred to a recording medium by a secondary transfer device, and fixed by a fixing device to obtain a color image.

  The tandem color image forming apparatus includes an image carrier such as a photoconductor, a charging device for charging the surface thereof, an electrostatic latent image forming device, a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, and the like. A plurality of image forming units are sequentially arranged along the intermediate transfer member according to the color of the toner, and the toner image formed on the image carrier in each image forming unit is transferred to the intermediate transfer member by the primary transfer device. After the primary transfer, the toner image or the multiple toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred to a recording medium by a secondary transfer device and fixed by a fixing device.

  Today, such an image forming apparatus is required to increase the image forming speed (increase the number of images formed per unit time). As the speed increases, for example, a toner image is heated on a recording medium. An increase in the amount of heat in the fixing device for fixing is required, and the energy for operating the image forming mechanism, the recording medium transport mechanism, and the like also increases.

  As a result, when supplying power to various power supply destinations (loads) in the image forming apparatus, the power supply from one power outlet may exceed the capacity that the power outlet can cover. The breaker of the power supply facility may be cut off, and each power supply destination may not be operated. In particular, there are cases where each power supply destination cannot be operated with only one general commercial power source.

  In view of this, it has been proposed that the high-speed image forming apparatus adopts a form in which the power supply destination in the image forming apparatus is divided so as to be less than the capacity that can be covered by one power outlet as the power acquisition form. For example, it has been proposed to divide a control power supply destination and a fixing power supply destination that consumes a large amount of power. Further, an image forming post-processing system such as a sorter that may be attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus may be one of the divided power supply destinations.

  In such an image forming apparatus, each of the divided power supply destinations is connected with a power cord for supplying power from an independent power supply facility system. As a result, one image forming apparatus has a plurality of power supplies. Will have the code.

Such an image forming apparatus having a plurality of power cords is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-295702 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-121681.
In the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-295702, the power supply destination is divided into an AC load and a DC load, and the AC load is supplied with power from the AC load system power cord and the DC load is supplied with the DC load system power cord. Power is supplied.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-121681 describes an image forming apparatus that has main and sub power cords and supplies power to a power supply destination corresponding to the respective power cords.

However, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of power cords, each of the plurality of power cords should be connected to a power outlet of a corresponding power supply facility. You may forget to connect to the network, or may be dropped for some reason after being connected.
In such a case, not only does the image forming apparatus not operate, but it may be difficult to distinguish whether the image forming apparatus is out of order or the cord is not connected.

  In this regard, in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-295702, a light emitting element capable of AC lighting is provided so that it can be determined whether or not the AC load power cord is connected to the power outlet for the cord. It is described that a voltage monitoring unit is provided.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-121681, a power detection circuit is provided on the sub power cord side, and only the main power cord is connected to a corresponding power source and the sub power cord is not connected to a corresponding power source. A display prompting the connection of the sub power cord is displayed on the display unit without determining that there is an abnormality.

JP 2003-295702 A JP 2005-121681 A

  However, according to the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-295702, it can be confirmed by the light emitting element that the AC power cord is connected, but the image must be a user who knows in advance that the light emission can be confirmed. If the cause that the forming apparatus does not operate normally cannot be identified, or it takes too much time to identify, and the DC power cord is not connected, the image forming apparatus does not operate and is not connected Is also not displayed, it is considered that users who do not know the situation will be troublesome for recovery as well.

  Also in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-121681, when the main power cord is not connected, the image forming apparatus does not operate and is not displayed to indicate that it is not connected. Is thought to be troublesome for recovery.

  Therefore, the present invention can form an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, develop the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, and transfer and fix the toner image on a recording medium. An image forming apparatus provided with a plurality of power cords to be connected to different power supply system power supplies, where there is only one power supply system power supply, or a power supply to a plurality of power supply system power supplies It is a first object to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used without causing an extremely inconvenient situation for a user that the apparatus cannot be used at all until the time of expansion.

  The present invention is also an image forming apparatus capable of solving the first problem, wherein a part of the plurality of power cords forgets to connect to a corresponding power source, or a part of the power cord is disconnected from the power source. A second problem is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a user or a serviceman can easily know the malfunction of the image forming apparatus due to the operation or the operation in the restriction mode and can appropriately and quickly respond according to the situation. .

In order to solve the first problem, the present invention provides:
An image forming apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and fixes the toner image. 1 power supply destination and second power supply destination, a first power cord for connecting the first power supply destination to the first power supply system power supply, and the second power supply destination as the first power supply system power supply A second power cord for connecting to a second power supply system power source different from the first power cord, and power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination by the first power cord A connection switching unit for distributing to a power supply destination, a detection unit for detecting a power supply state from the second power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination by the second power cord, and the connection switching unit A control unit for controlling the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured such that the detection unit is the second unit. When it is detected that power is not supplied from the power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination by the second power supply cord, the first power supply destination is supplied from the first power supply system power supply by the first power supply cord. An image forming apparatus is provided that controls the connection switching unit so that the power supplied to the second power supply destination is distributed.

  According to this image forming apparatus, when the detection unit detects that power is not supplied from the second power supply system power source to the second power supply destination by the second power cord, the connection switching unit causes the first power cord to The power supplied from the first power supply system power supply to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination. Thereby, the image forming apparatus can be operated.

  Therefore, even in a place where there is only one power supply system power supply or in a period until the power supply is added to a plurality of power supply system power supplies, a situation in which the user cannot use the image forming apparatus at all is caused. The device can be used without

  Here, the “power supply destination” is a portion of the image forming apparatus that is operated by being supplied with electric power. A fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording medium, a sorter that may be attached to the image forming apparatus, or the like. In addition to the post-processing apparatus, a power source in the image forming apparatus that operates with power supplied from an external power source and supplies power to a control unit that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus can also be referred to as “a power supply destination”. .

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the first power supply destination may be one or plural. When there are a plurality of first power supply destinations, the plurality of first power supply destinations are usually different types of power supply destinations. The number of second power supply destinations may be one or more. Even when there are a plurality of second power supply destinations, the plurality of second power supply destinations are usually different types of power supply destinations.

  For example, for the first power supply destination, there is a first power supply destination as a power supply destination classified into the first group, and the first group power supply destination includes at least one first power supply destination. Can be illustrated. For the second power supply destination, there is a second power supply destination as a power supply destination classified into the second group, and the second group power supply destination includes at least one second power supply destination. Can be illustrated.

  For example, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one first power supply destination as the first power supply destination, and includes a plurality of second power supply destinations as the second power supply destination, The thing with which the said 2nd power cord for connecting to the said 2nd power supply system power supply separately to each of these 2nd power supply destination can be mentioned. In the case of this image forming apparatus, the detection unit may be provided for each second power supply destination. In that case, when the control unit detects that no power is supplied from the second power supply system power source to the second power supply destination corresponding to the detection unit, even if one of the plurality of detection units is detected, The connection switching unit may be controlled such that power supplied from the first power supply system power supply to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention also consumes power when power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit. A restriction mode for restricting power may be set.
Such a restriction mode prevents power consumption from exceeding the capacity of the first power supply system power supply, and restricts power consumption that can prevent a safety device (for example, a breaker) provided for the power supply from operating and preventing the image forming apparatus from operating. Mode.

In the restriction mode, the image forming operation speed may be decreased from the normal speed (original normal speed) (an example of the restriction mode).
When image formation is performed sequentially and the restriction mode is set in the mode, the image formation interval may be made longer than the normal image formation interval (original normal image formation interval) (another example of the restriction mode) ).
In the former limiting mode example, the image forming speed is reduced, so that power consumption can be reduced. In the latter limiting mode example, a heating member (typically a heating roller or a heating roller) for fixing the toner image on the recording medium. Belt) can be heated more slowly than usual, and power consumption can be reduced accordingly.

  Here again, regarding the “power supply destination”, a control unit that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus by the image forming apparatus and a driving unit (such as a motor) that drives a movable part (such as an electrostatic latent image carrier) in the image forming apparatus. Drive unit) and a fixing unit for fixing the toner image to the recording medium, and further includes a power source (power source mounted in the image forming apparatus) for operating the control unit and the drive unit. In this case, it is possible to exemplify a case where a power source for operating at least the control unit and the driving unit is provided as the first power supply destination and at least the fixing unit is provided as the second power supply destination.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus controls the operation of the image forming apparatus, a drive unit (driving unit including a motor or the like) for driving a movable part (an electrostatic latent image carrier or the like) in the image forming apparatus, and a toner image as a recording medium. And a post-processing device (such as a sorter), and a power source (power source mounted in the image forming apparatus) for operating the control unit and the driving unit. In this case, the first power supply destination includes at least the power source and the fixing unit for operating the control unit and the drive unit, and the second power supply destination includes at least the post-processing device. The case can be illustrated.

  The control unit of the connection switching unit is configured such that the power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit. When the power supply from the two power supply system power supply is started, the connection switching unit may be controlled such that the distribution of the power from the first power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination is canceled. .

By releasing the distribution, the second power supply destination can receive the original power from the second power supply system power supply, and the image forming apparatus can form an image in the normal mode instead of the restriction mode which is considered disadvantageous for the user. .
The control unit of the connection switching unit may be at least partially shared with the control unit that controls the image forming operation.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an operation unit of the connection switching unit, and the power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is supplied to the second power by the connection switching unit. Even when the image forming apparatus is capable of canceling the distribution of power from the first power supply system power source to the second power supply destination by an operation input by the operation unit in a state where the power is distributed to the supply destination. Good.

In order to solve the second problem, the present invention
An image forming apparatus that solves the first problem, comprising: a display unit that displays a power supply state to the power supply destination; and a display control unit that controls a display operation of the display unit. A parallel supply unit is provided for allowing the power for operating the display control unit and the display control unit to be supplied in parallel from any of the power supply destinations of the power supply destinations, The display control unit is configured such that at least one of the plurality of power cords is connected to a corresponding power supply system power supply from a state in which the plurality of power cords are connected to a corresponding power supply system power supply. An image forming apparatus is provided that causes the display unit to perform display in accordance with the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power supply until the power supply cord is in the state.

  According to this image forming apparatus, similarly to the image forming apparatus that solves the first problem, a place where only one power supply system power supply exists or a period until the power supply is added to a plurality of power supply system power supplies. In such a case, the apparatus can be used without causing a very inconvenient situation for the user that the apparatus cannot be used at all.

  In addition, according to the image forming apparatus, all of the plurality of power cords can be changed from the state in which at least one of the plurality of power cords is connected to the corresponding power supply system power source to the corresponding power supply system power source. Until the connected state, display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source is made on the display unit.

  Therefore, forgetting to connect some of the multiple power cords to the corresponding power supply, disconnecting some of the power cords from the power supply, resulting in malfunction of the image forming apparatus or operation in the restricted mode. Can easily know and respond appropriately and promptly depending on the situation (for example, forgetting to connect to a forgotten code, reconnecting a dropped code, or being in a restricted mode that could be disadvantageous for the user If possible, you can take action to return the restricted mode to the normal mode so that you do not continue to use it).

  The display control unit is connected to a power supply system power source corresponding to at least one power cord among the plurality of power cords, and all of the plurality of power cords are connected to corresponding power supply system power sources, respectively. The display displayed on the display unit when it is not in the connected state may be deleted when all of the plurality of power cords are connected to the corresponding power supply system power sources.

  In the display control unit, power is supplied to at least one of the plurality of power supply destinations, and power is supplied to all of the plurality of power supply destinations that require power supply. If not, at least one of an abnormal display and a display prompting connection of the power cord may be displayed on the display unit.

  The display control unit may display which power cord is connected to the power source when causing the display unit to perform display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source. Good.

  The display control unit performs display related to which power cord is not connected to the power source when the display unit performs display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source. But you can.

  The display control unit may perform display related to the presence of an unconnected power cord when causing the display unit to perform display according to a connection state of the power cord to a corresponding power supply system power source.

  As described above, when the power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit, the restriction mode for limiting the power consumption May be set. In that case, when the restriction mode is set, the display control unit causes the display unit to display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power supply. May be displayed.

  As described above, in the limited mode, the image forming operation speed may be decreased from the normal speed.In this case, in the state where the image forming operation speed is decreased from the normal speed, the display control unit When the display unit performs display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source, it may display that the image forming operation speed is reduced from the normal speed. .

  As described above, when the image formation is performed sequentially sequentially and the restriction mode is set in the mode, the image formation interval may be made wider than the normal image formation interval. When the display control unit causes the display unit to perform display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power supply in a state that is wider than the image formation interval, the image formation interval is the normal image formation interval. You may display that it is expanded more.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an electrostatic latent image carrier, the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium. An image forming apparatus having a plurality of power cords that can be fixed and to be connected to separate power supply system power sources, where there is only one power supply system power source, It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used without causing a very inconvenient situation for the user that the apparatus cannot be used at all until a power supply system power supply is added.

  Further, according to the present invention, in such an image forming apparatus, forgetting to connect a part of the plurality of power cords to the corresponding power source, disconnecting the part of the power cord from the power source, and the operation of the image forming apparatus thereby It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which a user or a service person can easily know the operation in the defective or restricted mode, and can respond appropriately and quickly according to the situation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a monochrome image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 includes a drum-type photoconductor PC that is rotationally driven as an electrostatic latent image carrier. In this example, the photoconductor PC is a negatively chargeable photoconductor. The photoconductor PC is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1 by a photoconductor drive motor (not shown in FIG. 1).

  Around the photoconductor PC, a charger CH, an image exposure device Exp, a developing device D, a primary transfer device T1, a cleaner CL1 provided with a cleaning blade b in contact with the photoconductor, and the like are arranged in this order. In this example, the primary transfer device T1 faces the photoconductor PC via an intermediate transfer belt B which is an example of an intermediate transfer member. Here, the apparatus T1 performs primary transfer of a toner image on the photoreceptor to the belt B, which will be described later, by a primary transfer roller Tr1.

  The intermediate transfer belt B is wound around rollers Br1 and Br2, and one of these rollers (for example, the roller Br1) is rotated by a motor (not shown) to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing.

The secondary transfer roller Tr2 of the secondary transfer device T2 faces the roller Br1 via the belt B. A secondary transfer residual toner cleaner CL2 is provided for the belt portion on the roller Br2. In FIG. 1, a timing roller pair TR is provided upstream of the secondary transfer roller Tr2 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium S, and a fixing unit F is provided downstream.
A post-processing device FN such as a sorter may be provided further downstream of the fixing unit F.

  As shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later, the fixing unit F includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller (a recording medium S onto which a toner image is transferred) that is paired with the fixing roller f2. And a fixing power source f1 for supplying power for heating the fixing roller to a predetermined temperature (fixing temperature) for fixing the toner image.

An outline of an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus A will be described.
The surface of the photoconductor PC that is rotationally driven is charged to a predetermined potential by the charger CH, and image exposure according to an image to be formed from the image exposure device Exp is performed on the charged area, whereby the surface of the photoconductor PC is exposed. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  This electrostatic latent image is reversely developed using negatively chargeable toner in this example by the developing roller Dr of the developing device D to become a visible toner image. The toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt B that is driven to rotate by the primary transfer roller Tr1.

  On the other hand, the recording medium is pulled out from a recording medium (for example, recording paper) supply unit (not shown) and supplied to the timing roller pair TR. The timing roller pair TR feeds the recording medium S to the secondary transfer area in accordance with the timing at which the toner image on the belt B arrives at the secondary transfer roller Tr2. Then, the toner image on the belt B is secondarily transferred to the recording medium S by the secondary transfer roller Tr2.

  The recording medium S to which the toner image has been transferred is passed through a fixing unit F, where the toner image is fixed under heat and pressure, and then discharged to a discharge tray by a discharge roller (not shown). When the post-processing device FN is provided, the post-processing device FN is discharged to the predetermined post-processing.

  Like the image forming apparatus A described above, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier, the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium. In the image forming apparatus to be fixed, the amount of heat for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium to the recording medium increases as the image forming speed (the number of images formed per unit time) increases. A lot is required.

  Further, as the recording medium conveyance speed and the image forming speed increase, the energy for operating the recording medium conveyance mechanism and the image forming mechanism also increases. As a result, the capacity that can be covered by one power outlet will be exceeded, and for example, it will not be possible to operate with one general commercial power source. Therefore, as a power acquisition form adopted by such a high-speed image forming apparatus, a configuration in which the power supply destination inside the apparatus is divided so as to be less than the capacity that can be covered by one power outlet is taken, and as a result, there are a plurality of power cords It becomes a form.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus A also has two power cords 21 and 22.
The power supply destination of the power cord 21 applies a high voltage to the main controller 5 that controls the operation of the apparatus A, the drive unit 6 including the photoconductor drive motor, and the charger CH to charge the surface of the photoconductor. It is a low-voltage power supply 11 (an example of a first power supply destination) that supplies power to the high-voltage power supply 7 and the like, and the power supply destination of the power cord 22 is a fixing unit F (including a fixing power supply f1 and a fixing device f2). One example of the second power supply destination).
The fixing power source f1 is an energization drive circuit for turning on / off the heater lamp when the fixing device f2 is a heater lamp type fixing device, and is an induction heating power source when the fixing device is an induction heating type fixing device.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a power supply circuit and a control circuit of the image forming apparatus A. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus A includes a connection switching unit 4 and a power supply detection unit 3. The connection switching unit 4 supplies power supplied from a first power supply system power supply (not shown) to the first power supply destination (here, the low voltage power supply 11) by the first power cord 21 to the second power supply destination (here, fixing). A connection switching part for distributing to part F). The power detection unit 3 is a detection unit that detects a power supply state to the fixing unit F by a second power cord 22 from a second power supply system power supply (not shown).

Information from the power supply detection unit 3 is input to the main control unit 5. The main control unit 5 controls the driving unit 5, the high voltage power source 7, etc., and the fixing unit F and the relay driving unit 4 </ b> D of the connection switching unit 4.
The display unit DP and the operation unit OP indicated by broken lines in FIG. 2 will be described later.

In the image forming apparatus A, when both the power cord 21 and the power cord 22 are connected to the corresponding power supply system power supplies and the main switch SW is turned on, the following is performed. The main control unit 5 determines that there is power supply on the power cord 22 side based on the information on the presence / absence of power supply from the power source detection unit 3, that is, the power cord 22 is connected to the power source. The fixing unit F is switched to the power cord 22 side by the switching unit 4. At this time, since the power cords 21 and 22 are both connected to the corresponding power sources, and the power is supplied from the power cord 22 to the fixing unit F, the main control unit 5 sets the image forming apparatus A to “ "Normal mode (mode in which the image forming speed of apparatus A is maximized and operating at the highest performance in the specification)".

However, when the power cord 21 is connected to the power source but the power cord 22 is not connected and the main switch SW is turned on, the following occurs.
The main control unit 5 determines that there is no power supply on the power cord 22 side based on the information on the presence / absence of power supply from the power source detection unit 3, that is, the power cord 22 is not connected to the power source. Without switching the switching unit 4, power is supplied to the fixing unit F from the power cord 21 side.

At this time, since only the power cord 21 is connected and power is distributed from the power cord 21 to the fixing unit F, the main control unit 5 sets the image forming apparatus A to the “restricted mode”. . Here, the restriction mode is a mode in which the image forming speed is lowered than usual, the apparatus A is operated within the rated range of the power supply facility and the power cord 21, and the breaker is not dropped.
The flowchart of FIG. 3 shows a connection switching control operation by the main control unit 5 depending on whether or not the power cord 22 described above is connected.

  2 switches the power supply path from the power cord 22 to the fixing unit F ON / OFF, and turns on / off the path for distributing and supplying power from the power cord 21 to the fixing unit F. The connection switching unit 4 shown in FIG. The relay 41 includes a relay 41 and a relay driving unit 4D that drives the two relays.

  Here, the relay 41 is a normally closed type relay that is closed (ON) when not driven from the relay driving unit 4D, and the relay 42 is opened when not driven from the relay driving unit 4D. This is a normally open type relay that is turned off.

  These are driven simultaneously from the relay drive unit 4D so that the supply path on the power cord 21 side and the power cord 22 side are not short-circuited, so that the opening / closing operation of each circuit is always reversed. Yes. In addition, to prevent an instantaneous short circuit due to a switching delay, if the relay that is turned on is turned off and then the other relay that is turned off is turned on after a predetermined time when the risk of short circuit is sufficiently low, Safer. Furthermore, although the configuration example in which both relays exist separately is shown here, a single relay of a type that switches two paths by one relay drive circuit may be used. In this case, since the drive circuit is not independent, control to prevent short circuit is unnecessary, and the risk of short circuit due to malfunction of the drive circuit can be prevented.

The connection switching unit 4 shown in FIG. 2 may perform connection switching as follows.
That is, contrary to the above-described pattern, when the relay 41 is not driven from the relay driving unit 4D, the relay 41 is a normally open type relay that is open (OFF), and the relay 42 is not driven from the relay driving unit 4D. Sometimes a normally closed relay with the circuit closed (ON) may be used. In this case, the connection switching control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is reversed.

That is, when it is determined that there is power supply on the power cord 22 side, that is, the power cord 22 is connected to the power source, the power cord is used to supply power to the fixing unit F without switching the connection switching unit. The operation is performed in the “normal mode” while keeping the 22 side. When it is determined that there is no power supply on the power cord 22 side, that is, the power cord 22 is not connected to the power source, the power is supplied to the fixing unit F from the power cord 21 side by switching the connection switching unit. Distribute and operate in “restricted mode”. In this way, similar control is possible even when the relay is reversed.
The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows the connection switching operation of the main control unit 5 when such control is performed.

The “restricted mode” described above is a mode for suppressing the power consumption of the entire image forming apparatus, and the following cases can be given as specific examples.
(1) The image forming speed is reduced from the normal normal speed. In other words, by reducing the conveyance speed of the recording medium and the image forming speed, the power consumption of the drive unit that drives each unit can be reduced, and the passage time of the recording medium also becomes longer in the fixing unit F. Even when the amount of heat equivalent to that at the time of fixing when the toner is fast is applied to the recording medium and the toner image thereon, the amount of heat required per unit time can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption.

(2) The image forming interval is increased from the normal normal interval. In this case, unlike the case where the image forming speed is reduced, the recording medium conveyance speed and the image forming speed are the same as those in the normal time, and therefore the effect of reducing the power consumed by the drive unit in the apparatus reduces the image forming speed. Lower than when. However, since the passing amount of the recording medium per unit time in the fixing device f2 is reduced, the necessary heat amount can be reduced, and as a result, the power consumption of the entire apparatus can be suppressed. Further, since the image forming speed is not changed, there is an advantage that the recording medium conveyance control and the sequence control related to image formation are relatively simple.

  In the power distribution described above, when the power cord 22 is not connected to a power source, the power consumption is suppressed to a predetermined low range with respect to the power consumption when both power cords are connected, and the power cord 21 side The use of the device A in accordance with the purpose of preventing the breaker from falling was a passive method as viewed from the user side.

  However, in an actual use situation of the image forming apparatus, there is convenience in another active aspect. In the place where there are no two power supply facilities (in other words, two power supply system power supplies), the user and the service person connect only the power cord 21 and do not intentionally connect the power cord 22 so that the device A is automatically connected. In other words, the device A can be operated by restricting the power to the power supply capacity of one power cord, that is, the operation within a range that can be covered by only one power supply facility. This is because it is possible to operate a device that requires a plurality of power cords with no restrictions even in a place where it is impossible to operate at all. It is a scene that was used in an effort.

  In the image forming apparatus A described above, the first power supply destination is the low-voltage power supply 11 and the second power supply destination is the fixing unit F. However, the second power supply destination is the post-processing apparatus FN. Also good.

Further, the present invention is not limited to this, and if two or more power supply facilities (power supply system power supplies) are necessary and have a plurality of power cords, at least one of the first group of power supply destinations including at least one first power supply destination is used. The power supply can be distributed and supplied to the second group of power supply destinations including one (for example, a plurality) of second power supply destinations. At that time, the power cords connected to the respective power supply system systems Any configuration may be used as long as the power consumption is reduced within the total capacity range, and the configuration is not limited to the above-described configuration.
When a plurality of power supply destinations are included in the second group, each of the power supply destinations may be individually connectable to a corresponding power source using a power cord. In this case, a power source detection unit is provided for each power supply destination, and when it is detected that even one of the plurality of power source detection units does not supply power, second power is supplied to the first group power supply destination. You may make it distribute to a group power supply destination.

  In the image forming apparatus A, when the second power cord 22 is operated without being connected to the power source, the operation is performed in the limited mode. At a certain point, the second power cord 22 is connected to the power source. When the power supply by the cord 22 becomes possible, the restriction mode may be canceled. That is, in the image forming apparatus operating in the restriction mode, when the second power cord 22 is connected to the power source, power supply is detected by the power source detection unit 3, so that the main control unit 5 supplies power by the power cord 22. If this state is regularly monitored, it is possible to know the timing, that is, that the second power cord 22 is connected to the corresponding power source.

  However, even if power supply is started by the second code 22 during the image forming operation, switching the connection switching unit 4 during the image formation has an influence on the image formation when operating in the limited mode. Also, the control becomes complicated. In this case, it is possible to easily return to the normal mode by switching when the apparatus A shifts to the standby state after the job during image formation is completed.

  That is, when the power supply by the second code 22 is started, the apparatus A waits for the shift to “standby” and shifts to “standby”. Alternatively, if it is already “standby”, the connection switching unit 4 changes the power supply to the fixing unit F side from the power distribution supply state from the first cord 21 side to the independent power supply state from the second cord 22 side. By switching, the mode can be changed without affecting the image forming operation. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows the operation of the main control unit 5 when such switching control is performed.

  Since this switching operation is only relay connection switching, the operation of the image forming apparatus does not stop for a long time, and the fixing unit F is OFF for a short time during connection switching. Can be done in a short time. Therefore, even when a plurality of jobs are continuously received, the print job (image forming job) after switching can be resumed almost without delay. Further, even if a large number of jobs are being printed without switching between print jobs, the supply of the recording medium is stopped once and all the images are formed on the recording medium in the middle of image formation. As described above, it is possible to switch from the restriction mode to the normal mode, and then resume the job that has been temporarily stopped.

  As shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, a display unit DP that is supplied with power from the low-voltage power source 11 and is display-controlled by the main control unit 5, and an operation unit OP connected to the main control unit 5 may be provided.

  According to this circuit configuration, when the second power cord 22 is connected to the power source when the image forming apparatus A is operating in the restriction mode, the main control unit 5 knows that, and the main control unit 5 A message indicating that the restriction mode can be canceled is displayed on the display unit DP. The user can release the restriction mode via the main control unit 5 by operating the operation unit OP while viewing the display.

  When the release operation can be decided by the user's operation input, for example, when performing the release operation, as a confirmation message once, "Whether the second power cord is definitely connected to another power supply facility?" By prompting the user to confirm again, or by displaying a warning that “A safety device such as a breaker will work if connected to a power supply facility of the same system”, the second power supply is easily connected to the same power supply facility. By connecting the power cord and automatically switching to the normal mode, problems such as the breaker falling can be prevented.

  When the user inputs a release operation, the switching is not performed during the image forming operation and the connection is switched after the “standby” is performed, or the supply of the recording medium is temporarily stopped to form the image. It is desirable that switching is performed after image formation is completed on the recording medium inside, and the normal mode is resumed. The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows an example of such a control operation by the main control unit 5.

  By the way, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of power cords, there may be a problem that the device does not operate normally when all the power cords are not connected. When there is a power cord that is not connected when the device is installed or moved, it may take time to operate the device if it is difficult to find it. Also, for general users who are not familiar with the power supply specifications and installation method of the device, if the power cord is disconnected for some reason, some cords are connected, so find the power cord that has been disconnected. In some cases, it takes time to restore the apparatus.

Therefore, instead of the circuit configuration of FIG. 2, for example, the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 7 may be adopted.
7 includes a low voltage power supply 12 as a second power supply destination in the circuit configuration of FIG. 2, a display unit 10 and a display control unit 9 for controlling the display unit 10, and further from any of the low voltage power supplies 11 and 12. However, it is a circuit provided with a parallel supply unit 8 for enabling power to be supplied to the display control unit 9 and the display unit 10.
The power supply information acquired in the power supply detection unit 3 is input to both the main control unit 5 and the display control unit 9.

The low-voltage power supply 12 can generate a minimum power that is a combination of the power required for the control of the display control unit 9 and the power required for the display of the display unit 10. Further, the power necessary for the operation of the display control unit 9 and the display unit 10 can be supplied from the low-voltage power supply 11. However, if the power supply cord 21 and the power supply cord 22 are both connected when directly connected in parallel, the output voltage generated from the low-voltage power supply 11 and the low-voltage power supply 12 is simultaneously displayed on the display control unit 9. In addition, since the voltage is applied to the display unit 10, there is a possibility that a short circuit is caused by the voltage difference between the power supplies 11 and 12. In addition, there is also a problem that current flows in from the operating power supply because the power supply is not operating when power is not supplied to one of the power supplies.
Therefore, a parallel supply unit 8 is provided as means for preventing this.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the parallel supply unit 8 includes two diodes. The low voltage power supply 11 is connected to the anode of one diode, and the low voltage power supply 12 is connected to the anode of the other diode. Are connected to the display control unit 9 and the display unit 10. By adopting this parallel supply unit, when one of the power supplies 11 and 12 is not working, current may flow into the power supply 11 or the power supply 11 or 12 may be short-circuited when the voltages of both power supplies are different. Is prevented.

  When the power cord 21 is connected and the power cord 22 is not connected, that is, when the power cord 22 is connected by mistake without connecting the power cord 21, the circuit configuration of FIG. According to this, since the power cord 11 that supplies power to the first power supply destination (here, the low voltage power supply 11) is not connected, the apparatus itself cannot be operated. However, since the power source is connected to the low-voltage power source 12 on the power cord 22 side and power is supplied to the display control unit 9 and the display unit 10 via the parallel supply unit 8, the display unit 10 displays that effect. be able to.

  For example, “message prompting connection of power cord 21”, “message warning about disconnection of power cord 21”, and the like. Thereby, the user can know that the power cord 21 is not connected, and the device can be operated by connecting the power cord 21.

  In addition, in the case of the circuit configuration of FIG. 7, in addition, an indication of “the risk that the breaker will fall if both the power cords 21 and 22 are connected to the same power source equipment” and “the power cord 21 is connected to a different power source equipment”. "Prompt indication to urge you to perform" and "Display to prompt you to remove the power cord 22 when connecting the power cord 21 when there is only one system power supply facility" are also included, for example, a breaker Can be prevented in advance.

  It should be noted that not only a device having a configuration including the first and second power cords, such as the image forming device A, but also an image forming device in which all the power cords need to be connected in a device having no power distribution / supply function. In this case, at least one power cord is connected if a display control unit capable of supplying power from any of the plurality of in-device power supplies and a display unit controlled thereby are provided. If it is in a state, it is possible to display a message prompting the connection of the remaining power cord on the display section or an abnormal display indicating that there is a power cord that is not connected, so as the power cord is connected, It will help the installer quickly install the device until the timely display content is changed and all power cords are connected.

  Further, in the case where there are a plurality of power cords and there are a plurality of small-capacity power supplies for supplying power to the display control unit and the display unit controlled thereby, the parallel supply unit is shown in FIG. The configuration may be expanded from the case of two systems, and the diodes may be connected in parallel by the number of power supplies supplied in parallel.

  After all the power cords have been connected, the display showing the power cord connection status displayed on the display unit, the display prompting connection, etc. are deleted, and information that is not necessary for normal use is not displayed. The display range of the display unit can be effectively used for other purposes.

The information regarding the connection of the power cord displayed on the display unit described above may be information regarding which power cord is connected or information regarding which power cord is not connected.
In addition, displaying that there is an unconnected power cord and notifying the user or the device installer that all the power cords are not connected also helps to install the device.

  In addition, as in the image forming apparatus A in FIG. 1, the power supply destination that belongs to the first group that must be connected to the power supply (the voltage-stopping power supply 11 in the apparatus A) and the minimum operation of the apparatus are required. For this purpose, when the power supply connection is not necessarily required, but the power supply destination (the fixing unit F in the apparatus A) belonging to the second group in which a certain function of the apparatus does not operate unless it is connected or operates in the restricted mode is included. When all of the power cords that supply power to the group power supply destinations are not connected, by performing an error display on the display unit, or by prompting the power cord connection for the first group power supply destinations, Information including the power connection priority order can be notified to the user and the device installer. As a result, the installer can know the shortest procedure for operating the device, and the user and installation can determine which outlet connection is required for temporary operation even when power outlets are insufficient. Can know.

  In the image forming apparatus A, it has been explained that the power supply equipment can be operated in the restricted mode even in an environment where only one system is used. It can be annoying. In addition, when another power supply facility is added or the device is moved to a place where there are two power supply facilities, if only the power cord 21 is connected and used, it will be in normal mode if both are connected. It will be disadvantageous for the user because it will continue to use where it can be used in the restricted mode. Furthermore, when the display indicates that the power cord 22 is not connected when operating in the restricted mode, there is also a problem that it is difficult to recognize that the power cord 22 is operating in the restricted mode.

  In such a case, the user needs information that the power cord is not connected at first, but it is less annoying to display that it is operating in the restricted mode after the period has passed, and the importance level Is also expensive.

  In order to improve these problems, the information on the connection state of the power cord, that is, the information that the power cord 22 is not connected is replaced with information indicating that the power cord 22 is operating, or the image forming speed is displayed. May be displayed, or information indicating that the image forming interval is widened (in other words, the number of images formed per unit time is limited).

  As a result, instead of continuously displaying the information that the power cord 22 is not connected or only the power cord 21 is connected, the display indicating that the power mode is in the restricted mode is continued. It is possible to suppress annoying display even when used in a place where there is no power supply, and that it is operating in the restricted mode even when power supply facilities are added or the equipment is moved to a place with dual power supply facilities User can know.

  Furthermore, it is better if the extended information is displayed by operation input accompanying the display of the restriction mode. This is because the display related to the connection status of the power cord that is not normally displayed is temporarily displayed as extended information. If the power supply equipment is in a situation where two systems can be used, the power cord is based on that information. This is because, by connecting 22, it is possible to maximize the performance of the apparatus in the normal mode. In this case, when the mode is changed to normal mode, the display indicating that it is operating in the restricted mode is automatically deleted, and the device is operating in the normal mode (normal usage mode without limitation). It is desirable not to perform extra display.

  The present invention is an image forming apparatus provided with a plurality of power cords, where there is only one power supply system power supply, in a period until a power supply is added to a plurality of power supply system power supplies, etc. The present invention can be used to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used without causing a very inconvenient situation for the user that the apparatus cannot be used at all.

  The present invention is also an image forming apparatus provided with a plurality of power cords, forgetting to connect a part of the plurality of power cords to a corresponding power source, disconnecting a part of the power cord from the power source, and thereby The present invention can be used to provide an image forming apparatus in which a user or a service person can easily know the malfunction of the image forming apparatus or the operation in the restriction mode, and can appropriately and quickly respond to the situation.

  The present invention can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus that does not include an intermediate transfer body and transfers a toner image on an electrostatic latent image carrier directly to a recording medium, and a color image forming apparatus such as a 4-cycle type or a tandem type. .

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a power supply circuit and a control circuit of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart showing a connection switching control operation using a connection switching unit by a main control unit in the circuit shown in FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a connection switching control operation by the main control unit. 12 is a flowchart showing still another example of connection switching control operation by the main control unit. 12 is a flowchart showing still another example of connection switching control operation by the main control unit. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating another example of the power supply circuit and the control circuit of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of a parallel supply part.

Explanation of symbols

A Image forming apparatus PC Photoconductor CH Charger Exp Image exposure apparatus D Developing apparatus Dr Developing roller T1 Primary transfer apparatus Tr1 Primary transfer roller CL1 Cleaner b Cleaning blade B Intermediate transfer belts Br1 and Br2 Belt winding roller T2 Secondary transfer Device Tr2 Secondary transfer roller TR Timing roller pair F Fixing portion f1 Fixing power supply f2 Fixing device FN Post-processing device S Recording medium

11 Low voltage power supply 21 and 22 Power cord 3 Power supply detection unit 4 Connection switching unit 4D Relay drive unit 41 and 42 Relay 5 Main control unit 6 Drive unit 7 High voltage power supply 8 Parallel supply unit 9 Display control unit DP, 10 Display unit OP operation Part

Claims (18)

An image forming apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and fixes the toner image. 1 power supply destination and second power supply destination, a first power cord for connecting the first power supply destination to the first power supply system power supply, and the second power supply destination as the first power supply system power supply A second power cord for connecting to a second power supply system power source different from the first power cord, and power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination by the first power cord A connection switching unit for distributing to a power supply destination, a detection unit for detecting a power supply state from the second power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination by the second power cord, and the connection switching unit A control unit for controlling the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured such that the detection unit is the second unit. When it is detected that power is not supplied from the power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination by the second power supply cord, the first power supply destination is supplied from the first power supply system power supply by the first power supply cord. An image forming apparatus that controls the connection switching unit so that power supplied to the second power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination. The first power supply destination includes at least one first power supply destination, the second power supply destination includes a plurality of second power supply destinations, and each of the plurality of second power supply destinations includes The second power cord for individually connecting to the second power supply system power supply is connected, the detection unit is provided for each second power supply destination, the control unit, When at least one of the plurality of detection units detects that power is not supplied from the second power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination corresponding to the detection unit, the first power supply system power supply The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection switching unit is controlled so that power supplied to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination. When the power supplied from the first power supply system power supply to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit, a restriction mode for limiting power consumption is set. Item 3. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1 or 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the restriction mode, the image forming operation speed is lowered from a normal speed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when image formation is performed sequentially and the restriction mode is set in the mode, the image formation interval is wider than the regular image formation interval. A control unit that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus; a driving unit that drives a movable part of the image forming apparatus; and a fixing unit that fixes a toner image on a recording medium. At least the control unit as the first power supply destination The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a power source for operating the driving unit; and at least the fixing unit as the second power supply destination.   A control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus; a driving unit for driving a movable part of the image forming apparatus; a fixing unit for fixing a toner image on a recording medium; and a post-processing device. 6. A power source for operating at least the control unit and the driving unit and the fixing unit as one power supply destination, and at least the post-processing device as the second power supply destination. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. In the state where the power supplied from the first power supply system power supply to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit, the power supply from the second power supply system power supply is performed. The control unit of the connection switching unit controls the connection switching unit so that distribution of power from the first power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination is released when started. 8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7. An operation unit for the connection switching unit, wherein power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution of power from the first power supply system power supply to the second power supply destination can be canceled by an operation input by the operation unit. A display unit for displaying a power supply state to the power supply destination, and a display control unit for controlling a display operation of the display unit, the power for operating the display unit and the display control unit being A parallel supply unit is provided for enabling parallel supply from any of the power supply destinations to which power is supplied among the power supply destinations, and the display control unit includes at least one of the plurality of power cords The power corresponding to the power cord from the state in which one power supply system power supply is connected to the state in which all of the plurality of power cords are respectively connected to the corresponding power supply system power supplies The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit performs display in accordance with a connection state to a supply system power source. The display control unit is connected to a power supply system power source corresponding to at least one power cord among the plurality of power cords, and all of the plurality of power cords are connected to corresponding power supply system power sources, respectively. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display displayed on the display unit when not in a state of being erased is erased when all of the plurality of power cords are respectively connected to the corresponding power supply system power sources. In the display control unit, power is supplied to at least one of the plurality of power supply destinations, and power is supplied to all of the plurality of power supply destinations that require power supply. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least one of an abnormal display and a display prompting connection of a power cord is displayed on the display unit when the display unit is not in a state. The said display control part makes the display regarding which power cord is connected to a power supply, when making the said display part perform the display according to the connection state to the corresponding power supply system power supply of the said power cord. Item 13. The image forming apparatus according to Item 10, 11 or 12. The display control unit, when causing the display unit to perform display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source, causes the display unit to perform display regarding which power cord is not connected to the power source. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10. The display control unit, when causing the display unit to perform display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source, makes a display regarding the presence of an unconnected power cord. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13. When the power supplied from the first power supply system power source to the first power supply destination is distributed to the second power supply destination by the connection switching unit, a restriction mode for limiting power consumption is set, and In the state where the restriction mode is set, the display control unit sets the restriction mode when causing the display unit to display according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power supply. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatus displays a message indicating that the image is present. In the restriction mode, in a state where the image forming operation speed is lowered from the normal speed and the image forming operation speed is lowered from the normal speed, the display control unit supplies the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power supply. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when the display unit performs display according to a connection state, it is displayed that the image forming operation speed is reduced from a normal speed. When the image formation is successively performed and the restriction mode is set in the mode, the display control unit is configured so that the image formation interval is wider than the normal image formation interval and the image formation interval is wider than the normal image formation interval. 17. When displaying the display unit according to the connection state of the power cord to the corresponding power supply system power source, the display unit displays that the image forming interval is wider than the normal image forming interval. Image forming apparatus.