JP2017021304A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A non-regular consumable can be identified. A consumable that is attached to and detached from a main body includes a consumable coil L2 that receives power supplied from the main body, and a lighting time length that is set in advance based on the power received by the consumable coil L2. A lighting time adjusting unit 91 that adjusts the light emitting diode D2 to light only, and a light emitting diode D2 that lights only for the lighting time length adjusted by the lighting time adjusting unit 91, and the consumable side coil L2 and the lighting time adjustment The part 91 and the light emitting diode D2 are printed and wired as consumables. The main body section measures the lighting time length of the light emitting diode D1 via the light receiving element Q2, the light receiving element Q2 that detects the lighting of the light emitting diode D2, the main body side coil L1 that supplies power to the consumable side coil L2 for a predetermined time. The control unit 83 determines whether or not a regular consumable is attached depending on whether or not the measured lighting time length matches the lighting time length stored in the lighting time length storage unit 84. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a consumable that can be attached to and detached from a main body, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that determines whether or not a consumable that is attached is a regular one.

  In the image forming apparatus, consumables such as a drum unit and a toner container are detachably attached to the main body. When the replacement time is reached, it is necessary to remove and replace the consumables from the main body, and various techniques have been proposed for exchanging consumables. For example, technologies have been proposed that detect the wearing state of consumables wirelessly, or reset the accumulated usage amount to detect the replacement time of a consumable when a new consumable is attached. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 3). In some image forming apparatuses, a memory storing an identification code is attached to a consumable item, and the main body unit reads the identification code from the consumable item to determine whether it is a regular product.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-054808 JP 2000-085136 A JP 2005-329545 JP

  However, since the memory that stores the identification code can be easily removed, there is a possibility that it can be used for non-genuine products that are different in quality from the regular products. was there.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and aims at providing the technique aiming at solving the said subject.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a main body that performs image formation and a consumable that is configured to be detachable from the main body. The consumable is supplied from the main body. The power receiving unit that receives the power to be received, the lighting time adjusting unit that adjusts the light emitting unit to light for a preset lighting time length based on the power received by the power receiving unit, and the lighting time adjusting unit And the light receiving unit, the lighting time adjusting unit, and the light emitting unit are printed and wired on the consumables, and the main unit is connected to the power receiving unit. A power supply unit that supplies power for a predetermined time; a light receiving unit that detects lighting of the light emitting unit; and a lighting time length storage unit that stores the preset lighting time length; Measure the lighting time length of the light emitting unit and measure it. The consumable by whether the lighting time length that matches the lighting time length in which the preset stored is characterized by having a control unit for determining whether it is genuine.
The lighting time adjustment unit may include a capacitor and a resistor, and the lighting time length of the light emitting unit may be adjusted by changing a resistance value of the resistor.
Further, the lighting time adjustment unit may be covered so as not to be visible.
The power feeding unit and the power receiving unit may be configured by a coil, and the control unit may energize the power feeding unit for the predetermined time when the consumable is mounted and perform wireless power feeding by electromagnetic induction. Good.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to distinguish non-regular consumables.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the circuit diagram for detecting whether the consumables with which the main-body part was mounted | worn are regular goods. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation of each part of the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 2.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to configurations showing similar functions.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a color copying machine in which four image forming units 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, and 10 d are disposed in a main body unit 2. A document feeding unit 6 and an operation unit 7 are provided. The document reading unit 5 is disposed on the top of the main body unit 2, and the document feeding unit 6 is disposed on the top of the document reading unit 5. The operation unit 7 is disposed on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The operation unit 7 is provided with a display unit 71 and a numeric keypad 72. The user operates the operation unit 7 and inputs an instruction to perform various settings of the image forming apparatus 1 and execute various functions such as image formation. The display unit 71 is a display unit such as a liquid crystal display panel that displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming status, and the number of copies to be printed. The display unit 71 is a touch panel provided with a transparent pressure sensor on the surface of the liquid crystal display panel so that various instructions such as color printing, monochrome printing, double-sided printing, and various settings such as magnification setting and density setting can be performed. It has become.

  The document reading unit 5 includes a scanner 51, a platen glass 52, and a document reading slit 53. The scanner 51 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, and the like, and is configured to be movable in the direction in which the document MS is transported by the document feeding unit 6. The scanner 51 reads the document MS as image data in which each pixel is composed of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color components. The platen glass 52 is a document table made of a transparent member such as glass. The document reading slit 53 has a slit formed in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the document MS is conveyed by the document feeding unit 6.

  When reading a document placed on the platen glass 52, the scanner 51 is moved to a position facing the platen glass 52, and reads the document while scanning the document placed on the platen glass 52 to obtain image data. The acquired image data is output to the main unit 2. When reading the document MS conveyed by the document feeding unit 6, the scanner 51 is moved to a position facing the document reading slit 53, and the document MS by the document feeding unit 6 is moved through the document reading slit 53. The document MS is read in synchronism with the transport operation to acquire image data, and the acquired image data is output to the main body 2.

  The document feeding unit 6 includes a document placing unit 61, a document discharge unit 62, and a document transport mechanism 63. The document MS placed on the document placement unit 61 is sequentially fed out one by one by the document transport mechanism 63 and transported to a position facing the document reading slit 53, and then discharged to the document discharge unit 62. The document feeding unit 6 is configured to be retractable, and the upper surface of the platen glass 52 can be opened by lifting the document feeding unit 6 upward.

  The main body 2 includes image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d, photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d, charging devices 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, an exposure unit 13, and a developing device 14a. 14b, 14c and 14d, primary transfer rollers 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, an intermediate transfer belt 20, and cleaning devices 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d are provided.

  The four image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d correspond to different four color C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) image data, respectively. The photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are rotatably disposed in the four image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, respectively, and each color of the four image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d is provided. A visible image (toner image) is carried. The charging devices 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d are provided around the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, and charge the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, respectively. The exposure unit 13 exposes image information to the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, respectively. The developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d form toner images on the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, respectively. The primary transfer rollers 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d transfer the toner images on the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d to the intermediate transfer belt 20, respectively. The intermediate transfer belt 20 is provided adjacent to the four image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d. The cleaning devices 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d remove the developer (toner) remaining on the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d.

  In image formation by the image forming apparatus 1, first, the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11 a, 11 b, 11 c, and 11 d are uniformly charged by the charging devices 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, and 12 d, and the image data read by the document reading unit 5 is converted into image data. Based on this, the exposure unit 13 scans the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d to form an electrostatic latent image. Next, the electrostatic latent images formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are developed by the developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d to form toner images. The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 that moves while contacting the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. The toner images sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 are transferred onto the recording paper P at a time by the secondary transfer roller 17. The recording paper P is accommodated in a paper cassette 30 below the main body 2 and is conveyed to the secondary transfer roller 17 via a paper feed roller 31 and a registration roller 32. The toner image transferred onto the recording paper P is fixed on the recording paper P by the fixing device 18, and the printed recording paper P is discharged from the main body 2 to the discharge tray 34 by the discharge roller 33.

  The main body 2 is provided with toner containers 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d that supply toner to the four image forming units 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, respectively. The toner containers 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d include four colors C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) supplied to the four developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, respectively. Toner is contained. The toner containers 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d and the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are consumables that need to be replaced at an appropriate time due to their lifetime and maintenance. Hereinafter, the toner containers 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d and the photosensitive drums 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d will be described as consumables when it is not necessary to distinguish them.

  The consumables are respectively mounted at predetermined positions on the main body 2. FIG. 2 is an example of a circuit diagram for detecting whether or not the consumables attached to the main body are genuine. As shown in FIG. 2, a consumable item detection circuit 80 for detecting a consumable item is provided on the mounting surface of the main body 2 where the consumable item is mounted. The consumable item detection circuit 80 is provided on a mounting surface on which each consumable item is mounted. The control unit 83 is connected to each consumable product detection circuit 80 and determines whether each consumable product mounted via each consumable product detection circuit 80 is a genuine product. Further, the consumable item is provided with an identification circuit 90 for identifying the consumable item on the surface facing the consumable item detection circuit 80 when the consumable item is attached to the main body 2. The identification circuit 90 is printed and wired on the consumable item, and is configured so as not to be removed.

  The consumable item detection circuit 80 is connected to the control unit 83 and includes a mounting detection unit 81, a transistor Q1, a main body side coil L1, a light receiving element Q2, a resistor R1, and a current detection unit 82. .

  The identification circuit 90 includes a consumable coil L2, a rectifying diode D1, a capacitor C1, a resistor R2, and a light emitting diode D2.

  The attachment detection unit 81 is configured by, for example, a push button switch, and has a function of detecting that a consumable item is attached to the main body unit 2 and outputting the fact to the control unit 83.

  The control unit 83 is an information processing unit such as a microcomputer including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The ROM stores a control program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 83 reads the control program stored in the ROM and develops the control program in the RAM, thereby controlling the entire apparatus according to predetermined instruction information input from the operation unit 7. In addition, the control unit 83 functions as a determination unit 831 that determines whether or not the attached consumable item is a regular item, and a lighting time measurement unit 832 that measures the lighting time of the light emitting diode provided in the attached consumable item. To do. When the determination unit 831 detects that the consumable item is mounted via the mounting detection unit 81, the determination unit 831 turns on the transistor Q1 for a predetermined time to energize the main body side coil L1.

  The transistor Q1 functions as a switch for switching whether to energize the main body side coil L1 according to the control of the determination unit 831. The transistor Q1 has a gate terminal connected to the control unit 83, a collector terminal connected to the power supply voltage via the main body side coil L1, and an emitter terminal grounded. When the determination unit 831 turns on the transistor Q1 for a predetermined time, the main body side coil L1 is energized for a predetermined time. When the determination unit 831 turns off the transistor Q1, the energization of the main body side coil L1 is stopped. Therefore, since the main body side coil L1 is energized only when necessary, power consumption can be reduced.

  The main body side coil L1 has one end side connected to the power supply voltage, the other end side connected to the collector terminal of the transistor Q1, and a consumable side coil L2 provided at the opposite position. The consumable part coil L2 is provided on the consumable part so as to face the main body side coil L1 when the consumable part is mounted on the main body part 2. The consumable coil L2, the capacitor C1, the resistor R2, and the light emitting diode D2 are connected in parallel. A rectifying diode D1 is provided between one end side of the consumable coil L2 and one end side of the capacitor C1.

  When the main body side coil L1 is energized to generate magnetic flux, the consumable side coil L2 is electromotive. That is, when the determination unit 831 energizes the main body side coil L1, wireless power feeding by electromagnetic induction is performed between the main body side coil L1 and the consumable side coil L2. This eliminates the need for harness connection for mounting consumables on the main body 2 and simplifies the structure. The resistance value of the resistor R2 is adjusted at the time of shipment from the factory so that the light emitting diode D2 is lit for a preset lighting time length based on the electromotive force of the consumable coil L2 and the storage capacity of the capacitor C1. That is, since the lighting time length represents identification information for identifying each consumable item, the capacitor C1 and the resistor R2 may be covered with an insulator or the like so that the set values cannot be visually observed. The capacitor C1 and the resistor R2 constitute the lighting time adjustment unit 91 of this embodiment. The light emitting diode D2 is configured to output identification information to the main body by lighting for a lighting time length adjusted by the electromotive force of the consumable coil L2, the storage capacity of the capacitor C1, and the resistance value of the resistor R2. ing.

  On the main body 2 side, a light receiving element (phototransistor or the like) Q2 is provided so that the light receiving surface comes to a position facing the light emitting surface of the light emitting diode D2. The light receiving element Q2 has a collector terminal connected to the power supply voltage and an emitter terminal connected to the current detector 82. In addition, a connection point provided between the emitter terminal of the light receiving element Q2 and the current detection unit 82 is grounded via a resistor R1.

  The light receiving element Q2 is turned on when the lighting of the light emitting diode D2 is detected, and is configured to output a current to the current detection unit 82. When the light emitting diode D2 is turned off, the light receiving element Q2 is turned off.

  The current detection unit 82 has a function of detecting a current output from the emitter terminal of the light receiving element Q2 when the light receiving element Q2 is turned on, and is connected to the control unit 83.

  The lighting time measurement unit 832 measures the time during which the light receiving element Q2 is turned on via the current detection unit 82, and obtains it as the lighting time length of the light emitting diode D2.

  When the lighting time length is measured by the lighting time measuring unit 832, the determination unit 831 refers to the lighting time length storage unit 84 and measures the lighting time length and the lighting time stored in the lighting time length storage unit 84. Compare the length. The lighting time length storage unit 84 stores in advance lighting time lengths of regular consumables that can be used in the image forming apparatus 1. When the measured lighting time length matches the stored lighting time length, the determination unit 831 determines that a regular consumable is attached, and the measured lighting time length matches the stored lighting time length. If not, it is determined that a non-consumable consumable is attached.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the operation of each part in the circuit diagram shown in FIG.

  The attachment detection unit 81 waits until the consumable is attached to the main body 2 (No in Step s11 and Step s11). When mounted (Yes in step s11), the determination unit 831 controls the transistor Q1 to be ON for a predetermined time, and the main body side coil L1 is energized for a predetermined time (step s12). When the main body side coil L1 is energized, an electromotive force is generated in the consumable side coil L2 by electromagnetic induction (step s13), and the light emitting diode D2 is lit for a lighting time set in advance by the resistance value of the resistor R2 (step s13). s15).

  When the light receiving element Q2 detects the lighting of the light emitting diode D2 (step s16), the lighting time measuring unit 832 measures the time during which the current is output from the light receiving element Q2 via the current detecting unit 82, whereby the light emitting diode The lighting time length of D2 is measured (step s17).

  The determination unit 831 compares the lighting time length measured by the lighting time measurement unit 832 with the lighting time length stored in the lighting time length storage unit 84 (step s18), and determines whether they match (step s19). .

  If they match (Yes in step s19), the determination unit 831 recognizes the attached consumable as a regular product (step s20), and ends this process.

  On the other hand, if they do not match (No in step s19), the determination unit 831 recognizes the attached consumable as an unauthorized product (step s21), and ends this process. When the discriminating unit 831 recognizes that the product is non-genuine, the determination unit 831 may display a message on the operation unit 7 that the quality cannot be guaranteed because the product is non-genuine.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 2 that performs image formation, and consumables (toner containers 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d configured to be detachable from the main body 2 and photosensitive drums). 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d), and the consumables are set in advance based on the power receiving unit (consumables side coil L2) that receives the power supplied from the main body 2 and the power received by the power receiving unit. A lighting time adjusting unit (capacitor C1, resistor R2) 91 for lighting the light emitting unit (light emitting diode D2) for the length of lighting time set, and a light emitting unit for lighting for the lighting time length adjusted by the lighting time adjusting unit 91 The power receiving unit, the lighting time adjusting unit 91, and the light emitting unit are printed and wired as consumables. The main unit 2 includes a power feeding unit (main unit side coil L1) that supplies power to the power receiving unit for a predetermined time, and a light emitting unit. Light up It has a light receiving unit (light receiving element Q2) to detect and a lighting time length storage unit 84 that stores a preset lighting time length, and the control unit 83 measures the lighting time length of the light emitting unit via the light receiving unit. Whether or not the consumable is a regular product is determined based on whether or not the measured lighting time length matches the stored lighting time length. For this reason, since the power receiving unit, the lighting time adjusting unit 91, the light emitting unit, and the (identification circuit 90) are printed and wired to the consumables, the identification circuit 90 attached to the regular consumables is diverted to the non-regular consumables. In the case where a non-genuine consumable that does not have the identification circuit 90 is mounted, it can be easily distinguished. In addition, since the consumables can be identified, it is possible to prevent misuse of other types of consumables having the same structure.

  The lighting time adjustment unit 91 includes a capacitor C1 and a resistor R2, and the lighting time length of the light emitting unit is adjusted by changing the resistance value of the resistor R2. Therefore, the lighting time length can be adjusted with a simple configuration. Moreover, since the light emission time length adjusting unit is covered with an insulator or the like so as not to be visible, it is possible to prevent the production of a copy product.

  In addition, the power feeding unit (main body side coil L1) and the power receiving unit (consumable side coil L2) are composed of coils, and the control unit 83 energizes the power feeding unit for a predetermined time when electromagnetic consumables are mounted, and electromagnetic induction. To perform wireless power feeding. This eliminates the need for harness connection when a consumable is mounted on the main body 2, thereby simplifying the structure. In addition, since power is supplied to the consumables only when necessary, power consumption can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body part 5 Original reading part 6 Original feeding part 7 Operation part 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Image forming part 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d Photosensitive drum 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Charging apparatus 13 Exposure Units 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d Developing devices 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d Primary transfer rollers 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d Cleaning device 17 Secondary transfer roller 18 Fixing device 20 Intermediate transfer belts 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d Toner container 30 Paper cassette 31 Paper feed roller 32 Registration roller 33 Discharge roller 34 Discharge tray 51 Scanner 52 Platen glass 53 Document reading slit 61 Document placement section 62 Document discharge section 63 Document transport mechanism 71 Display section 72 Numeric keypad 80 Consumable detection circuit 81 Attached Detection unit 82 Current detection unit 83 Control unit 831 Discrimination unit 832 Lighting time measurement unit 84 Lighting time length storage unit 90 Identification circuit 91 Lighting time adjustment unit MS Document P Recording paper L1 Body side coil L2 Consumable side coil Q1 Transistor Q2 Light receiving element R1, R2 Resistor C1 Capacitor D1 Rectifier diode D2 Light emitting diode

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body that performs image formation; and a consumable that is configured to be detachable from the main body.
The consumables are
A power receiving unit that receives power supplied from the main body;
A lighting time adjusting unit for adjusting the light emitting unit to light for a preset lighting time length based on the power received by the power receiving unit;
The light emitting unit that is lit only for the lighting time length adjusted by the lighting time adjustment unit,
The power receiving unit, the lighting time adjusting unit, and the light emitting unit are printed and wired to the consumables,
The main body is
A power feeding unit for supplying power to the power receiving unit for a predetermined time;
A light receiving portion for detecting lighting of the light emitting portion;
A lighting time length storage unit that stores the preset lighting time length;
The lighting time length of the light emitting unit is measured via the light receiving unit, and the consumable is a regular product depending on whether or not the measured lighting time length matches the preset lighting time length stored. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that determines whether or not there is an image. The lighting time adjustment unit
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a capacitor and a resistor, wherein the lighting time length of the light emitting unit is adjusted by changing a resistance value of the resistor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting time adjusting unit is covered so as not to be visible. The power feeding unit and the power receiving unit are configured by coils,
The said control part energizes the said electric power feeding part for the said predetermined time, when the said consumable goods are mounted | worn, and performs wireless electric power feeding by electromagnetic induction. Image forming apparatus.

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