CN100504655C - Image forming device and method for determining identification information update - Google Patents

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a developing rotary unit configured to attach a plurality of developing cartridges, the developing cartridges respectively having cartridge storage portions for respectively storing identification information about the corresponding developing cartridges, a communicating unit that communicates with the cartridge storage portions, a storage unit configured to store the identification information, and a control unit that reads the identification information from the cartridge storage portions of all the developing cartridges through the communicating unit and writes the read identification information into the storage unit so as to update the identification information stored in the storage unit when a power supply of the image forming apparatus is turned ON or a body cover for the developing rotary unit is closed.

Description

Image forming device and method for determining identification information update

technical field

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a color printer or a facsimile that forms an image by using electrophotography and a method of determining an update of identification information, and more particularly, to a method in which identification information including information on service life is stored An image forming apparatus in which the cartridge storage portion is provided in a developing cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus.

Background technique

In general, an image forming apparatus such as a color printer using electrophotography includes an image forming apparatus composed of a photosensitive member; a charging unit for charging the peripheral surface of the photosensitive member; a charging unit for selectively exposing the photosensitive member. an exposure unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface; and a developing cartridge for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. The developing rotor has a substantially cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported, which is provided at a position adjacent to the photosensitive member and develops four colors (yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K). A cartridge (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge") is replaceably mounted on the developing rotary.

Also, cartridge storage portions (hereinafter referred to as cartridge memories) are respectively provided in cartridges, and the cartridge memories store identification information with which toner colors, toner colors, Amount of remaining toner, driving time, number of printed sheets, and manufacturing time. Each cartridge communicates with a control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the main body) through the communication unit, and the identification information written to the memory of each cartridge is read by the control unit and stored in the main body memory . A nonvolatile memory is often used for the memory provided in each cartridge.

Then, when a predetermined event occurs, the control unit of the main body updates information on the service life of the cartridge such as the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge, the driving time, and the number of printed sheets per development, and communicates with the cartridge through the communication unit. The cartridge memory communicates to write the current identification information to the cartridge memory.

As a technique for realizing communication between the memory of each cartridge and the control unit on the main body side, there is known a method of performing reading/writing of the cartridge memory in a non-contact manner through an antenna portion (for example, see JP-A-2002- 296984 and JP-A-2000-187415).

Since the cartridges can be replaced, it is also possible to propose a usage method in which, for example, when a large amount of printing is to be performed, the cartridge in use is taken out and stored, and a new cartridge is installed for a large number of printings, while the same cartridge is taken out And the old storage box is reinstalled. In such a usage method, it is necessary to write the current data of the identification information on the service life to the cartridge memory and make the identification information on the service life coincide with the current data before taking out the cartridge. The reason is that, when reinstallation is performed, the information on the service life read out from the cartridge memory is inaccurate. Therefore, it is impossible to perform accurate lifetime management of the cartridge.

Also, in JP-A-2002-296984, when the cartridge is to be taken out, the control unit of the main body communicates with the cartridge memory, and writes the current data of the cartridge to the cartridge memory. Also, in JP-A-2000-187415, when a cartridge is newly installed, the control unit of the main body communicates with the cartridge memory of the cartridge thus installed, and reads out identification information written to the cartridge memory.

In this type of image forming apparatus, the replacement position (attachment and detachment position) is predetermined as a position where the cartridge can be normally taken out from the developing rotary body, and when a predetermined operation is performed in the operation portion of the main body In operation, the control unit of the main body rotates the developing rotary to place the cartridge designated to be taken out at the replacement position. As a result, the user performs an operation for opening the cover of the main body and taking out a desired cartridge, and installing a new cartridge to the developing rotary and closing the cover, so that the cartridge can be replaced. By performing a series of operations for providing an instruction to take out the cartridge and open and close the cover in the operation section, the control unit of the main body can recognize that the cartridge has been replaced normally.

Thus, in a normal state, the cartridge cannot be taken out from the developing rotary. There is a possibility that the cover of the main body may be opened or the power of the main body may be turned off due to a user's erroneous operation when the developing rotary is rotated during printing or during initialization processing at power-on. In such a case, the rotation of the developing rotary is stopped. However, in some cases where the cover of the main body is opened or the power supply of the main body is turned off, the cartridge for a certain color may be stopped at the attaching and detaching position.

At this time, it can be assumed that the user takes out the cartridge at the replacement position, and installs another cartridge for the same color. Considering that the replacement of the cartridge is abnormal, usually the control unit of the subject cannot detect that the cartridge for that color has been replaced.

In this case, the identification information on the cartridge of the same color managed by the control unit of the main body is associated with the removed cartridge at this time, and does not coincide with the identification information written to the cartridge memory of the newly installed cartridge. Therefore, if printing is subsequently performed in this state, there is a problem that accurate lifetime management of the cartridge cannot be performed.

For example, the remaining toner amount will be described as one of the information on the service life in the identification information, and there are problems as follows. For example, assume that the situation described above occurs, and the cartridge for Y color is taken out, and the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge for Y color is 1%. At this time, the control unit of the main body stores the amount of 1% remaining toner associated with the cartridge for the Y color. On the other hand, assume that the amount of remaining toner in the newly installed cartridge for Y color is 90%.

As described above, the control unit of the main body updates the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge for the Y color every time of development. However, the amount of remaining toner associated with the cartridge for Y color stored by the control unit of the main body is 1%. Therefore, the control unit of the main body updates the remaining toner amount from 1% every time developing. When an event occurs in which the identification information of the cartridge memory is to be updated, current identification information including information on the service life is written to the cartridge memory for the cartridge of the Y color. When the amount of remaining toner is 0%, the cartridge is determined to be empty, and a request to replace the cartridge for the Y color is provided to the user. Therefore, in this case, the newly installed cartridge for the Y color is determined to be empty even though the remaining toner has a sufficient amount. Therefore, there is a problem that a box for Y color cannot be used.

On the contrary, assuming that the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge for Y color taken out is 90%, and the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge for Y color newly installed is 1%, the main body The control unit considers that a sufficient amount of toner still remains in the newly installed cartridge for the Y color. Actually, the amount of remaining toner is very small. Therefore, there is a problem in that a situation occurs in which a printed image is blurred while printing is continued.

Incidentally, in JP-A-2002-296984, in the case where an instruction for taking out a cartridge is provided, identification information is always written to the cartridge memory. Therefore, the user needs a long waiting time to actually take out the cartridge. More specifically, in this type of image forming apparatus, the position at which the control unit of the main body can communicate with the cartridge memory and the position at which the cartridge can be taken out are often determined. In the case where an instruction for taking out a certain cartridge is provided, an operation is performed for first rotating the developing rotary to move the cartridge designated to be taken out to a position where communication with the control unit of the main body can be performed, and The current identification information is written from the control unit of the main body to the cartridge memory of the same cartridge, and then the developing rotary body is rotated to move the same cartridge to the take-out position. It takes a long time to actually take out the same box.

On the other hand, when such an operation is performed to provide an instruction for taking out a certain cartridge, the user desires to take out the same cartridge quickly. For this purpose, in the case where an instruction for taking out the cartridge is provided, it is preferable to immediately rotate the developing rotary, thereby moving the cartridge to the taking-out position. Therefore, the user's waiting time from performing an operation for providing an instruction to take out the cartridge to actually taking out the cartridge can be shortened. However, in such a case, as described above, there is a possibility that the identification information written to the cartridge memory of the cartridge thus taken out may not be current.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method of determining an update of identification information, which are performed when the unit controller of the main body cannot recognize that the cartridge is replaced, for example, during the rotation of the developing rotor Even when the cartridge is replaced when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off, accurate life management of the cartridge is possible.

Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method of determining an update of identification information, which can immediately determine whether the current identification information is written to the cartridge when an instruction for taking out is provided. box memory.

Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method of determining an update of identification information which can take out a cartridge to shorten the user's waiting time when the current identification information is written to the cartridge memory, And it is in the case that the current identification information is not written based on the result of said determination, after writing the current identification information to the cartridge memory of the cartridge and writing the current identification information to the cartridge memory of the cartridge thus taken out , to be able to remove that same box.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an image forming device is provided, comprising:

a developing rotary unit configured to mount a plurality of developing cartridges respectively having cartridge storage portions for storing identification information on corresponding developing cartridges, respectively;

a communication unit that communicates with the cartridge storage portion;

a storage unit configured to store the identification information; and

a control unit that stores all the developing cartridges from the cartridges of all the developing cartridges through the communication unit when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on or the main body cover for the developing rotary unit is closed. partially reading the identification information and writing the read identification information into the storage unit, so as to update the identification information stored in the storage unit.

According to the present invention, there is also provided an image forming device, comprising:

a developing rotary unit configured to mount a plurality of developing cartridges respectively having cartridge storage portions for storing identification information on corresponding developing cartridges, respectively;

a communication unit that communicates with the cartridge storage portion;

a storage unit configured to store the identification information; and

a control unit that stores all the developing cartridges from the cartridges of all the developing cartridges through the communication unit when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on or the main body cover for the developing rotary unit is closed. partially reading the identification information, comparing the read identification information with the identification information stored in the storage unit and determining whether to update the identification information stored in the storage unit with the read identification information based on a result of the comparison. The identification information in the unit.

Preferably, the identification information includes information on the amount of remaining toner of each developing cartridge.

According to the present invention, there is also provided an image forming device, comprising:

a developing rotary unit configured to mount a plurality of developing cartridges respectively having cartridge storage portions for storing identification information on corresponding developing cartridges, respectively;

a communication unit that communicates with the cartridge storage portion;

a storage unit configured to store the identification information; and

a control unit that determines whether or not a developing cartridge is located at a replacement position in the developing rotary unit when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on or a main body cover for the developing rotary unit is closed And based on the determination result, it is determined whether to update the identification information stored in the storage unit.

Preferably, the control unit reads the identification information from the cartridge storage portion located at the replacement position through the communication unit, and compares the read identification information with the information stored in the storage unit. Identification information. The control unit determines whether the identification information stored in the storage unit is updated based on a result of the comparison.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for determining an update of identification information, including:

reading the identification information from the cartridge storage parts of all the developing cartridges through the communication unit;

writing the read information into a storage unit of the image forming apparatus to update the identification information stored in the storage unit,

wherein the reading process and the writing process are performed when a power source of the image forming apparatus is turned on or a main body cover for a developing rotary unit of the image forming apparatus is closed; and

Wherein, the developing rotator unit includes a plurality of the developing cartridges, and the developing cartridges respectively have the cartridge storage parts, and the cartridge storing parts are respectively used for storing the identification information about the corresponding developing cartridges.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for determining an update of identification information, including:

reading the identification information from the cartridge storage parts of all the developing cartridges through the communication unit;

comparing the read information with the identification information stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus,

determining whether to update the identification information stored in the storage unit with the read identification information based on the structure of the comparison process,

wherein the reading process, the comparing process, and the determining process are performed when a power source of the image forming apparatus is turned on or a main body cover for a developing rotary unit of the image forming apparatus is closed; as well as

Wherein, the developing rotator unit includes a plurality of the developing cartridges, and the developing cartridges respectively have the cartridge storage parts, and the cartridge storing parts are respectively used for storing the identification information about the corresponding developing cartridges.

Preferably, the identification information includes information on the amount of remaining toner of each developing cartridge.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for determining an update of identification information, including:

determining whether a developing cartridge is located in a replacement position in a developing rotary unit of the image forming apparatus;

determining whether to update identification information stored in a storage unit of the image forming apparatus based on a result of the determining process of the replacement position,

Wherein, the determining process of the replacement position and the updated said determination process; and

Wherein, the developing rotator unit includes a plurality of the developing cartridges, and the developing cartridges respectively have the cartridge storage parts, and the cartridge storing parts are respectively used for storing the identification information about the corresponding developing cartridges.

Preferably, the method also includes:

reading the identification information from the cartridge storage portion at the replacement position through a communication unit; and

comparing the read identification information with the identification information stored in the storage unit,

Wherein the determining process is performed based on the result of the comparing process.

Therefore, with the above configuration and method, when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, the identification information on the developing cartridges of the respective colors in the storage portion is forcibly updated. As a result, in the case where the developing cartridge is replaced when the control unit cannot recognize that the developing cartridge is replaced, for example, when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off during the rotation of the developing rotary body unit, accurate determination of the cartridge can also be performed. Service life management.

With the above-described configuration and method, it is possible to update the identification information on the developing cartridge of the storage unit only for the developing cartridge determined to be definitely replaced. As a result, an error can be avoided between the information on the amount of remaining toner managed by the storage unit and the information on the actual amount of remaining toner in the developing cartridge. Therefore, accurate lifetime management for the cartridge can also be performed in the case where the developing cartridge is replaced when the control unit cannot recognize that the developing cartridge is replaced.

With the above configuration and method, it is possible to determine with high precision whether replacement has been performed.

With the configuration and method described above, in the case where there is a developing cartridge placed in the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, it can be assumed that the developing cartridge has been replaced. In this way, the identification information on the developing cartridge of the storage unit can be updated. As a result, accurate lifetime management for the cartridge can also be performed in the case where the developing cartridge is replaced when the unit controller cannot recognize that the developing cartridge is replaced.

According to the present invention, there is also provided an image forming device, comprising:

a developing rotary unit configured to mount a plurality of developing cartridges each having a cartridge storing portion;

a communication unit that communicates with the cartridge storage portion; and

a storage unit configured to store identification information on the amount of remaining toner in each developing cartridge,

Wherein, the storage unit includes a first storage area for storing current remaining toner information and a second storage area for storing previously written remaining toner information.

Preferably, the image forming device further includes:

a receiving unit that receives an instruction for taking out the developing cartridge; and

a control unit that determines whether the current toner remaining amount information stored in the first storage area for the developing cartridge designated by the instruction is the same as that stored in the second storage area Corresponding to the previously written toner remaining amount information on the developing cartridge specified by the command,

Wherein, when the current toner remaining amount information corresponds to the previously written toner remaining amount information, the developing cartridge specified by the instruction moves to a replacement position in the developing rotary unit ;as well as

Wherein, when the current toner remaining amount information does not correspond to the previously written toner remaining amount information, the communication unit uses the current toner remaining amount information to update the information stored in the After the identification information in the cartridge storage portion of the developing cartridge specified by the instruction, the developing cartridge specified by the instruction is moved to the replacement position.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for determining an update of identification information, including:

receive an instruction to remove any developer cartridge;

determining whether the current toner remaining amount information on the developing cartridge specified by the command stored in the first storage area is the same as that stored in the second storage area on the developing cartridge specified by the command Corresponding to the previously written toner remaining amount information of the developing cartridge;

when the current toner remaining amount information corresponds to the previously written toner remaining amount information, moving the developing cartridge specified by the instruction to a replacement position in the developing rotary unit; and

When the current remaining toner amount information does not correspond to the previously written remaining toner amount information, the current remaining toner amount information is used to update the information stored in the information set by the instruction through a communication process. After the identification information in the cartridge storage portion of the designated developing cartridge, the developing cartridge designated by the instruction is moved to the replacement position.

In the above configuration and method, by judging whether the information written to the first storage area and the second storage area agree with each other, it is therefore possible to easily and immediately determine whether to write the current toner remaining amount information to the cartridge storage portion.

In the above construction and method, when the current toner remaining amount information is written to the cartridge storage portion of the developing cartridge designated by the instruction, the same developing cartridge is therefore immediately taken out. As a result, the user's waiting time can be shortened. Also, in the case where the current toner remaining amount information is not written, the current toner remaining amount information is written to the cartridge storage portion of the developing cartridge and then taken out. As a result, the current toner remaining amount information can be written to the cartridge storage portion of the developing cartridge thus taken out.

Description of drawings

The above-mentioned objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer through the detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the main parts of the configuration printer;

2A to 2C are typical views showing stop positions of the developing rotary unit;

FIG. 3 is a view showing the electronic configuration of the printer;

4A and 4B are views for explaining the structure of the cartridge memory;

5 is a diagram for explaining that two storage areas having the current toner remaining amount information storage area and the previously written toner remaining amount information storage area are allocated for storing information about the remaining toner in each cartridge. a view of the amount of information in a region of the subject memory;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the unit controller in printing;

7 is a flowchart for explaining a first embodiment of processing to be performed when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed according to the present invention;

8 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of processing to be performed when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed according to the present invention;

9 is a flowchart for explaining a third embodiment of processing to be performed when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed according to the present invention;

10 is a flowchart for explaining a fourth embodiment of processing to be performed when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed according to the present invention; and

Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when an instruction for taking out a cartridge for a certain color is received through the taking out operation section.

Detailed ways

An image forming apparatus (for example, a color printer) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram typically showing main components constituting a color printer 10 . The vertical direction is shown by arrows in FIG. 1 .

The printer 10 includes a charging unit 30, an exposure unit 40, a developing rotary unit 50, a first transfer unit 60, an intermediate transfer member 70, and a cleaning unit along the rotation direction of a photosensitive unit 20 as a latent image carrier for carrying a latent image. unit 75, and further includes: a second transfer unit 80; a fixing unit 90; a display unit 95 constituted by a liquid crystal panel or the like for reporting notification to the user; and a control unit 100 for controlling each of these units and The operation of the printer 10 is controlled. The control unit 100 will be described below.

The photosensitive unit 20 has a cylindrical conductive base and a photosensitive layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the conductive base, and is rotatable around a central axis, assuming that the photosensitive body rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 1 .

The charging unit 30 is a device for charging the photosensitive member 20 , and the exposure unit 40 is a device for forming a latent image on the charged photoreceptor 20 by irradiating laser light. The exposure unit 40 has a semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror, and an F-θ lens, and irradiates modulated laser light onto the charged photosensitive member 20 based on an image signal input from the control unit 100 .

The developing rotor unit 50 has a rotor 55 as a rotor and four cartridges mounted to the rotor 55 . The rotary body 55 is rotatable about the rotary shaft 50a, and the four cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54 can be mounted and detached respectively through cartridge replacement ports which will be described below.

Also, cartridge memories for storing identification information including information on service life such as the amount of remaining toner are provided in respective predetermined portions of the cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54, which are not shown in FIG. is shown. The control unit 100 can wirelessly communicate with each cartridge through the antenna 124 provided in a predetermined portion of the printer 10 . Ideally, the cartridge memory should be a nonvolatile memory capable of saving data even in a state in which the power is turned off or the printer 10 is detached. EEPROM or ferroelectric memory (ferroelectric RAM) such as flash memory may be used for the nonvolatile memory.

The first transfer unit 60 is a device for transferring the monochrome toner image formed on the photosensitive member 20 to the intermediate transfer member 70 when toners of four colors are sequentially superimposed and transferred , a full-color toner image will be formed on the intermediate transfer member 70 .

The intermediate transfer member 70 is an endless belt, and the intermediate transfer member 70 is rotated and driven at substantially the same peripheral speed as the photosensitive unit 20 . The reading sensor RS for synchronization is provided near the intermediate transfer member 70 . The reading sensor RS for synchronization is used to detect the reference position of the intermediate transfer member 70 and obtain a synchronization signal Vsync in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main-scanning direction. The reading sensor RS for synchronization has a light emitting unit for emitting light and a light receiving unit for receiving light. The reading sensor RS for synchronization generates a pulse signal when the light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through a hole formed in a predetermined position of the intermediate transfer member 70 . One pulse signal is generated every time the intermediate transfer member 70 rotates once.

The second transfer unit 80 is a device for transferring a single-color toner image or a full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer member 70 to a recording medium such as paper, film, or cloth.

The fixing unit 90 is a device for fixing a single-color toner image or a full-color toner image that has been transferred onto a recording medium onto a recording medium such as paper, thereby forming a permanent image.

The cleaning blade 76 is formed of rubber and abuts on the surface of the photosensitive member 20 . The cleaning blade 76 scrapes and removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive member 20 after the toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 70 by the first transfer unit 60 .

The photosensitive unit 75 is provided between the first transfer unit 60 and the exposure unit 40 , and has the photosensitive member 20 , the charging unit 30 , a cleaning blade 76 , and a waste toner for accommodating toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 76 . agent containing part.

Next, the operation of the thus constructed printer 10 will be schematically described. First, when a print instruction is supplied, the photosensitive member 20 and the intermediate transfer member 70 are rotated under the control of the control unit 100 . Then, the reading sensor RS for synchronization detects the reference position of the intermediate transfer member 70 , and thus outputs a pulse. This pulse signal is sent to the control unit 100 . Thereafter, the control unit 100 controls the following operations based on the received pulse signal.

The photoreceptor 20 is continuously charged by the charging unit 30 at the charging position by rotating. With the rotation of the photosensitive member 20 , the area of the photosensitive member 20 that has been charged reaches an exposure position, whereupon a latent image corresponding to image information of a first color such as yellow Y is formed in the area by the exposure unit 40 . With the rotation of the photosensitive member 20, the latent image formed on the photosensitive member 20 reaches a developing position. At this time, the rotating body 55 is rotated by the control of the control unit, and the cartridge for yellow is moved to a position relative to the photosensitive member 20, and development with yellow developer is performed by the cartridge for yellow. As a result, a yellow toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 20 .

With the rotation of the photosensitive member 20 , the yellow toner image formed on the photosensitive member 20 reaches the first transfer position, and is transferred to the intermediate transfer member 70 by the first transfer unit 60 . In this case, a first transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to that to which the toner is charged is applied to the first transfer unit 60 . Meanwhile, the second transfer unit 80 is separated from the intermediate transfer member 70 .

The above-described processing is repeatedly performed for the second color, the third color, and the fourth color, and then the toner images of the respective colors corresponding to the respective image signals are superimposed on the intermediate transfer member 70 and thus transferred. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 70 .

With the rotation of the intermediate transfer member 70 , the full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer member 70 reaches the second transfer position, and is transferred onto the recording medium by the second transfer unit 80 . The recording medium is conveyed from the paper feed tray 92 to the second transfer unit 80 through the paper feed roller 94 and the registration roller 96 . Also, when the transfer operation is to be performed, the second transfer unit 80 is pressed against the intermediate transfer member 70, and furthermore, a second transfer voltage is applied.

The full-color toner image transferred onto the recording medium is heated and pressurized by the fixing unit 90 and fixed onto the recording medium. On the other hand, after the photosensitive member 20 has passed the first transfer position, the toner adhering to the surface is scraped off by the cleaning blade 76 and prepares for charging to form the next latent image. The toner thus scraped off is collected in the waste toner containing portion.

Next, the stop position of the developing rotary unit 50 will be described. 2A to 2C are typical views showing stop positions of the developing rotary unit 50 . In FIGS. 2A to 2C, 58 denotes a cartridge replacement port, 51a, 52a, 53a, and 54a denote developing rollers for cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54, respectively, and 51b, 52b, 53b, and 54b denote cartridges for cartridge 51, respectively. , 52, 53 and 54 cartridge memory. In the following description, it will be assumed that the cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54 contain toners of C, M, K, and Y, respectively.

In this case, the developing rotary unit 50 is rotated and driven counterclockwise in a direction opposite to the photosensitive member 20 by the control of the control unit 100 . Three kinds of positions, ie, a standby position, a developing position (communication position), and a detachment position are determined. The standby position is a position determined in a standby state in which the printer does not perform image processing operations, and the developing rollers of all cartridges are kept separated from the photosensitive member 20 and furthermore any cartridge cannot be passed through the cartridge replacement port 58 as shown in FIG. 2A The location to take out.

Also, when an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 20 is to be formed from the selected toner, a development position is determined. As shown in FIG. 2B, the developing roller of one of the cartridges (in the example of FIG. 2B, the developing roller 51a provided in the cartridge 51) is opposed to the photosensitive member 20, and a predetermined developing bias is applied, so that the toner agent to form an electrostatic latent image. Also in the developing position, none of the cartridges can be taken out through the cartridge replacement port 58 .

The development location also serves as a communication location for other cassettes. Cartridge memories 51b, 52b, 53b, and 54b are provided at the ends of the surfaces of the cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54, respectively. As described above, the cartridge memories 51b, 52b, 53b, and 54b store identification information including information on the service life of the cartridge, such as the amount of remaining toner.

When the developing rotor unit 50 is placed at the developing position as shown in FIG. 2B, the cartridge memory (in the example of FIG. 2B, the memory 54b of the cartridge 54) of one of the cartridges other than the cartridge placed at the developing position is set. It is placed at a position opposite to the antenna 124 provided in the main body of the printer 10, and communication between the control unit 100 and the cartridge memory can be performed through the antenna 124. In FIG. 2B, the first one in the counterclockwise direction of the cartridge placed at the developing position, that is, the cartridge of the color that has been developed just before the color being developed, is placed at the communication position. This implies that the development location is arranged as a communication location for other cassettes.

In other words, the positional relationship among the cartridge memory of each cartridge, the photosensitive member 20 and the antenna 124 is determined in such a manner that the developing position is set as the communication position.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 2B , the photosensitive member 20 is developed in cyan C color by the developing roller 51 a of the cartridge 51 while the control unit 100 can write the current identification information to the cartridge memory 54 b of the cartridge 54 . Thus, with this structure, the current identification information can be written to the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the color that has been developed just before the color being developed.

Next, replacement positions will be described. Alternative positions can only be assumed when performing operations for installing and dismounting the cassette. When the developing rotor unit 50 is placed in the replacement position, one of the cartridges appears in the cartridge replacement port 58 as shown in FIG. 2C and can be taken out through the cartridge replacement port 58 . FIG. 2C shows a state in which the cartridge 54 for yellow appears in the cartridge replacement port 58 . Also, a cartridge can be newly installed through the cartridge replacement port 58 . In the replacement position, the developing rollers provided in all the cartridges are placed at positions located away from the photosensitive member 20 . Therefore, only one cartridge present in the cartridge replacement port 58 can be taken out when the developing rotor unit 50 is placed at the replacement position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from damaging the device due to careless installation and removal of the cartridge.

Also, a body position sensor 106 (body position will be referred to as HP hereinafter) for detecting the body position of the developing rotor unit 50 is provided in the printer 10, which sensor 106 is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Referring to Fig. 3, the electronic structure of the printer 10 will be explained. Fig. 3 shows a block structure according to the present invention. Since the blocks for controlling the photosensitive unit 75 and the blocks for controlling the exposure unit 40 are not essential in the present invention, they are not shown.

The control unit 100 includes two controllers, a unit controller 101 and an image processing controller 102 . Both of these two controllers 101 and 102 each have a CPU.

The image processing controller 102 has a function of receiving various data such as image data generated by application software of an external computer system such as a personal computer (not shown), and the image processing controller 102 102 has a function of converting RGB data of red, green, and blue as image data into YMCK data of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black to generate image data for printing. Also, the image processing controller 102 has a function of counting the dot value of each of the color YMCK based on the image data for printing with the thus generated YMCK. Then, the image processing controller 102 transmits the image data for printing in the color YMCK and the dot value of each color image of YMCK to the unit controller 101 . The dot value indicates the number of dots to be formed on the recording paper when printing is performed as known.

The unit controller 101 controls the charging unit 30, the exposure unit 40, the first transfer unit 60, the photosensitive unit 75, the second transfer unit 80, the fixing unit 90, and the display unit 95, and based on input from the image processing controller 102 such as Various signals such as image signals for printing control the developing rotary unit 50 . In FIG. 3 , a rotary driving portion 107 is shown as a part for driving the developing rotary unit 50 . The developing rotary unit 50 is driven by a stepping motor.

The unit controller 101 manages three memories, namely ROM 103, RAM 104, and main body memory 105. The ROM 103 stores various programs for controlling the printer 10, and the RAM 104 is used to temporarily store various information on the printer 10 and is used as a work memory. The main body memory 105 will be described later.

And, the unit controller 101 receives a signal from the take-out operation section 206 . The take-out operation section 206 is used to select a cartridge to be taken out from the developing rotary unit 50 .

Also, a detection signal is input from the HP sensor 106 to the unit controller 101 . In addition, the unit controller 101 monitors the states of a power switch (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) 108 and a main body cover opening and closing detection switch (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) 109 , and if any It detects the power-on operation and, if any, the opening and closing operation of the main body cover (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ).

In addition, the unit controller 101 can wirelessly communicate with the cartridge memories 51b, 52b, 53b, and 54b provided in the cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54 mounted to the developing rotary unit 50 through the transmitting/receiving portion 123 and the main body side antenna 124. . The transmission/reception section 123 has a function of modulating data transmitted from the unit controller 101 and demodulating data received from the cartridge memory. As described above, a cartridge memory that can communicate with the unit controller 101 is placed at the communication position.

Referring to Figs. 4A and 4B, the structure of the cartridge memory, including the data transmission and reception structure, will be described. FIG. 4A is a perspective plan view showing the structure of the cartridge memory 54b, and FIG. 4B is a block diagram for explaining the internal structure of the cartridge memory and the transmission/reception section. A description will be given of the cartridge memory 54b provided in the cartridge for yellow 54, and the description can also be applied to the other cartridge memories 51b, 52b, and 53b.

If the predetermined positional relationship between the cartridge memory 54b and the main body side antenna 124, for example, the mutual distance is less than 10 mm, information can be transmitted and received with each other in a non-contact state. Cartridge storage 54b has a very small size and thickness as a whole, and can also be adhered to an object with either side having adhesive properties as a seal. The cartridge memory 54b is called a memory tag, and various types have been put on the market.

The cartridge memory 54b has a planar coil as a non-contact IC chip 54c, a capacitor 54d for resonance and an antenna 54e formed by etching metal coating, and these are mounted on a plastic film and covered with a transparent cover sheet.

The non-contact IC chip 54c has a rectifier 54f, a signal analysis section RF (Radio Frequency) 54g, a control section 54h, and a memory unit 54i. The memory unit 54i is an electrically readable/writable nonvolatile memory such as a NAND type flash ROM, and can store written information and can read stored information from the outside. The antenna 54e of the cartridge memory 54b and the antenna 124 on the main body side communicate wirelessly with each other, and read and write information stored in the memory unit 54i. In addition, a high-frequency signal generated in the transmission/reception portion 123 of the control unit 100 is induced as a high-frequency magnetic field through the antenna 124 on the main body side. This high-frequency magnetic field is absorbed by the antenna 54e of the cartridge memory 54b, and rectified by the rectifier 54f, thereby becoming a DC power source for driving the respective circuits in the IC chip 54c.

Identification information including information on the service life of the cartridge such as the amount of remaining toner is stored in the memory unit 54i of the cartridge memory 54b, and is updated by the unit controller 101 every time a predetermined event occurs.

The main body memory 105 is used to store identification information on the cartridges 51 , 52 , 53 , and 54 mounted to the developing rotary unit 50 . Ideally, the main body memory 105 should be a nonvolatile memory capable of retaining data even when the printer power is turned off.

When a predetermined time occurs, the unit controller 101 operates for reading identification information from the cartridge memory of each cartridge and writing the same identification information to the main body memory 105, and then updating information on the service life of the cartridge (for example, each the amount of remaining toner in the cartridge, the driving time for each development, or the number of printed sheets), and communicates with the cartridge memory to write the current identification information to the cartridge memory.

In addition, for example, when a predetermined time occurs, the unit controller 101 operates for communicating with the cartridge memory of a new cartridge when the cartridge is mounted to the developing rotary unit 50, reading identification information stored in the cartridge memory , and store the same identification information in the main body memory 105, and then update the information on the service life of the cartridges (for example, the amount of remaining toner in each cartridge, the driving time for each development, or the number of printed sheets) , and communicate with the cartridge memory to write the current identification information to the cartridge memory.

The main body memory 105 stores identification information on the cartridges 51, 52, 53, and 54 mounted to the developing rotary unit 50, and every time development is performed as described above, the unit controller 101 updates information on service life such as remaining toner dose. Specifically, two storage areas including a current toner remaining amount information storage section (hereinafter referred to as a current toner area) and a previously written toner remaining amount information storage section (hereinafter referred to as a previously written area) A zone is assigned to an area for storing information on the amount of remaining toner in each cartridge, as shown in FIG. 5 . These two storage areas are provided with areas for four cassettes 51 , 52 , 53 and 54 respectively.

The area for the cartridges of the respective colors in the write-in-first area is an area for storing information on the amount of remaining toner that is written to the respective cartridge memories when the close timing of updating the identification information occurs, More specifically, the information of the memory unit of the cartridge memory. When printing is performed, then the toner of the color used in printing is reduced. In this case, the unit controller 101 calculates the amount of toner used for each color in printing based on the dot value sent from the image processing controller 102, and also calculates the amount of remaining toner after this printing. quantity. This obtains the current remaining amount of toner, and the area for storing the current remaining amount of toner is the current toner area.

For calculation to obtain the current remaining amount of toner, for example, it is preferable to subtract the amount of toner used at this time from the amount of remaining toner stored in the previous writing area. Also, various methods of calculating the amount of used toner based on the dot value are known. Preferably, any known method is used.

As for the area of the main body memory 105 for storing information on the amount of remaining toner in each cartridge, since two storage areas, that is, the current toner area and the previous writing area are set, when the user provides When a certain cartridge is taken out, it is possible to immediately determine whether the current identification information, specifically, the current amount of remaining toner is written to the cartridge memory of the same cartridge, as will be apparent from the description below. Additionally, it can be determined whether the cartridge was indeed replaced.

Next, writing of identification information to the cartridge memory will be mainly described schematically with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the unit controller 101 in printing, assuming that an event in which the identification information of the cartridge memory is to be updated is development. More specifically, it is assumed that the identification information of the cartridge memory is updated every time development is performed.

When image data for printing and a print start signal are received from the image processing controller 102, the unit controller 101 arranges the cartridge for the first color at the developing position through the rotary body driving portion 107, and performs the first color printing. Develop (step S10). When the development of the first color ends, the unit controller 101 rotates the developing rotor unit 50 by the rotor driving portion 107 (step S11), and arranges the cartridge for the next color (in this case, the second color) in the developing position. At this time, the box of the previous color (in this case, the first color) is placed in the communication position, as shown in FIG. 2B. Therefore, in this state, the unit controller 101 develops the second color, and communicates with the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the last color to read the current identification information on the cartridge from the main body memory 105 and write the identification information to Cassette memory (step S12). As a result, the identification information of the cartridge memory is updated to the current identification information. This is the process of updating the identification information on the development of the previous color as described in step S12. Of course, this identification information also includes information on the service life such as the amount of remaining toner and the driving time.

Likewise, when the development of the third color and the update of the identification information in the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the second color, and the development of the fourth color and the update of the identification information in the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the third color are completed, the step The determination at S13 is YES, and the unit controller 101 rotates the developing rotor unit 50 by the rotor driving portion 107 (step S14) for processing of updating identification information on development of the previous color (step S15). More specifically, in this case, the cartridge performing development of the fourth color is placed in a communication position to write current identification information to the cartridge memory of the same cartridge. The unit controller 101 places the developing rotor unit 50 at the standby position (step S16), upon which the processing ends.

Although the number of printed sheets is 1 in the above description, it is preferable that, corresponding to the number of sheets in the case where multiple sheets are to be printed, the first color on the first page should be developed in step S10, and steps S11 to The processing of S13 should then be repeated.

For the amount of remaining toner in each cartridge, the main body memory 105 includes two storage areas having a current toner area and a previously written area, as described above. For the method of using the information on the amount of remaining toner in these two storage areas in the updating of the identification information on the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the previous color in Step S12 and Step 15 of FIG. 6 , it will be performed describe. Here, only the amount of remaining toner will be described.

For example, assuming that a certain color (i.e., Y color) is developed, the unit controller 101 calculates the remaining toner in the cartridge of the Y color after this development based on the dot value of the Y color sent from the image processing controller 102 amount. This is the current remaining toner amount, and the unit controller 101 first writes information on the current remaining toner amount to the area for the Y color box in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 . At this time, the information on the area for the Y color box in the previously written area is not changed.

Then, the next color is developed. At this point, the Y color box is placed in the communication position. Therefore, the unit controller 101 communicates with the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge to read information on the amount of remaining toner from the area for the Y color cartridge in the current toner area of the main body memory 105, and The same information is written to the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge, and then, the same information is written to the area for the Y color cartridge in the previously written area to update the area for the Y color cartridge in the previously written area information about the amount of remaining toner in .

The above-described operations are repeated for the update of the amount of remaining toner in the update of the identification information in the cartridge memory for the cartridge of the previous color in steps S12 and S15 of FIG. 6 .

As can be seen from the foregoing, for a cartridge for a certain color, when written in the main body memory 105 in the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area, the sum of the information about the amount of remaining toner is written In a case where the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the area for the cartridge of the same color in the previously written area agrees with each other, it is presumed that the current identification information is written to the cartridge memory.

And, but in some cases where the identification information of the cartridge memory is to be updated every time development is performed as described above, the cartridge for a certain color that is written in the main body memory 105 in the current toner area The information on the remaining toner amount of the area of and the information on the remaining toner amount of the area for the cartridge of the same color written in the previously written area do not agree with each other. A description will be provided for this.

In order to write the current amount of remaining toner in step S12 or S15 in FIG. 6, that is, the amount of remaining toner after the last development, to the cartridge memory of the cartridge for the last developed color, based on the The calculation of the current amount of the remaining toner of the dot value sent by the processing controller 102 and transfer the current amount of the remaining toner to the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 Writing will end when the write timing is reached.

However, the timing at which the point value is sent from the image processing controller 102 to the unit controller 101 is not constant. In some cases, the timing of sending the point value to the unit controller 101 is delayed for some reasons, for example, the image processing controller 102 has a large amount of processing at this time and the writing to the cartridge memory Before the timing of is reached, the current amount of remaining toner cannot be written to the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 .

In these cases, when the identification information of the cartridge memory is to be updated, the unit controller 101 writes the information on the remaining toner written to the current toner area of the main body memory 105 to the same cartridge memory for the same color. amount of information.

After the identification information of the cartridge memory is updated, the unit controller 101 obtains information on the current amount of remaining toner based on the dot value of the same color sent from the image processing controller 102, and The information of the current amount of toner is written to the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 . At this time, no processing is performed on the area for the cartridge of the same color in the previously written area. Therefore, at this time, the information on the current toner area for the same color and the information on the previously written area do not agree with each other.

For example, a box for Y color will be considered. Assume that before the development of the Y color, information on the amount of remaining toner in the area of the cartridge for the Y color in the current toner area in the main body memory 105 and the information on the amount of the remaining toner in the previous writing area for the Y color Information on the amount of remaining toner in the area of the cartridge of the color is both indicated by A. Therefore, it is assumed that information on the current amount of remaining toner is written to the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge before development.

Assuming that the transfer of the Y color dot value from the image processing controller 102 is delayed after the development of the Y color, and before the timing of writing to the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge arrives, the amount of the remaining toner after the development of the Y color The current amount cannot be written to the area for the cartridge of the Y color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105, however, information about the amount of the remaining toner to be written to the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge at this time Indicated by A written to the area of the cartridge for the Y color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 .

When writing to the cartridge memory ends, then, the unit controller 101 writes A to the area for the cartridge of the Y color in the previously written area of the main body memory. After the identification information of the box memory for the Y color is updated, then, the unit controller 101 obtains information on the remaining toning in the Y color box after the last development based on the dot value of the Y color sent from the image processing controller 102. Information about the current amount of the dose. In the case of A' (A'<A), the unit controller 101 writes the current toner remaining amount information A' to the area for the cartridge of the Y color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105. At this time, no processing is performed on the area for the cartridge of the Y color in the previously written area. Therefore, the information on the amount of remaining toner is held as A in the area of the cartridge for the Y color in the previously written area.

In other words, at this time, the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the cartridge memory of the Y color cartridge is A, while the information written to the cartridge for the Y color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 is A. The information on the amount of remaining toner in the area of is A', and the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the area of the cartridge for the Y color in the previously written area is A.

From the above description, it can be found that the information on the amount of remaining toner written in the area for a certain color in the current toner area and the information on the amount of remaining toner written in the previously written area of the main body memory 105 In a case where the information on the amount of remaining toner for the area of the cartridge of the same color does not agree with each other, the current identification information is not written to the cartridge of the same color.

The information on the service life in the identification information on the cartridge includes information on the driving time and the number of printed sheets in addition to the amount of remaining toner. In the updating of the identification information in steps S12 and S15 of FIG. 6 , information on the service life other than the amount of remaining toner is always updated to current information. The reason is as follows. Information on the service life other than the amount of remaining toner, such as driving time and the number of printed sheets, can be directly calculated by the unit controller 101 . Therefore, after development, these information can be written to a predetermined area in the main body memory 105 for the cartridge of the same color before the timing of writing to the cartridge memory is reached.

In this way, information on the amount of remaining toner among the information on the service life of the cartridge can be obtained based on the point value sent from the image processing controller 102, while other information on the service life can be obtained directly by the unit controller 101. calculate. In this regard, in some cases, the information on the amount of remaining toner is different from other information on the service life.

Based on the above structure, for the present invention, four embodiments will be described in terms of characteristic operations. All the embodiments that will be described below are performed when the unit controller 101 detects that the power is turned on or that the main body cover of the printer main body 10 is closed.

More specifically, as described above, when the control unit of the main body cannot recognize that the cartridge is exchanged, for example, when the cover of the main body is opened when the developing rotary unit is rotated or when the power is turned off, the cartridge is replaced. In this case, the present invention can perform precise life management for the cartridge. Therefore, it is preferable to make the identification information of the main body memory 105 coincide with the identification information of the cartridge memory when the main body cover is closed or the power is turned on. Therefore, when the power is turned on or it is detected that the main body cover of the printer 10 is closed, the unit controller 101 executes processing that will be described below.

<First embodiment>

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing processing in the first embodiment according to the present invention. When it is detected that the power is turned on by turning on the power switch 108 or that the main body cover is closed according to the state of the main body cover opening and closing detection switch 109 is detected as YES at step S20), the unit controller 101 controls the rotation body driving section 107 to rotate the developing rotary body unit 50 (step S21). When a detection signal is received from the HP sensor 106, HP is detected (step S22). When HP is detected, the unit controller 101 controls the rotating body driving section 107 to move the first cartridge to the communication position (step S23). The unit controller 101 previously determines any one of the four cassettes 51, 52, 53, and 54 to be the first cassette.

As a result, communication of the unit controller 101 with the cartridge memory of the first cartridge can be performed. Accordingly, the unit controller 101 communicates with the cartridge memory to read all the identification information written to the cartridge memory (step S24). When reading the identification information from the cartridge memory, the unit controller 101 writes all the identification information thus read to an area in the main body memory for writing identification information on the first cartridge (step S25). The information on the amount of remaining toner read from the cartridge memory is written in both the current toner area and the previously written area for the color of the first cartridge.

As a result, all identification information on the first cartridge in the main body memory 105 is updated and set to have the same contents as those areas of the cartridge memory in the first cartridge.

When the identification information on the first cartridge in the main body memory 105 is updated, the unit controller 101 then controls the rotary body driving part 107 to rotate the developing rotary body unit 50 (step S26), thereby converting the next cartridge, namely, the The box of the second color is moved to the communication position (step S27).

As a result, communication of the unit controller 101 with the cartridge memory for the cartridge of the second color can be performed. Accordingly, the unit controller 101 communicates with the cartridge memory to read the identification information written to the cartridge memory (step S28). When reading the identification information from the cartridge memory, the unit controller 101 writes all the identification information thus read to the area for writing the identification information on the cartridge of the second color (step S29). Similarly, information on the amount of remaining toner read from the cartridge memory is written to both the current toner area and the previously written area of the cartridge for that color.

When the above-described processing has been performed for both the third-color cartridge and the fourth-color cartridge, the determination at step S30 is YES. Therefore, the unit controller 101 ends the processing.

As described above, the first embodiment is based on the consideration that the abnormal replacement of the cartridge is performed, regardless of the determination of whether the abnormal replacement of the cartridge is actually performed. In the case where the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, the identification information on the cartridges for the respective colors in the main body memory 105 is forcibly updated with the identification information read from the cartridge memory. And in the case where the cartridge is replaced when the unit controller 101 cannot recognize that the cartridge is replaced, for example, when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off during the rotation of the developing rotor unit 50, the cartridge alignment can therefore also be performed. Accurate service life management.

<Second Embodiment>

According to the processing of the first embodiment, the identification information on the cartridges for the respective colors in the main body memory 105 is forcibly updated with the identification information read from the cartridge memory of the cartridges, and is used to store the remaining information on each cartridge. The content of the information on the amount of remaining toner in both the current toner area and the previously written area in the area of the main body memory 105 for the information of the amount of toner is also updated to be read from the cartridge memory information about the amount of remaining toner.

However, as described above, the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the cartridge memory does not always correspond to the current information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area of the main body memory 105 . According to the first embodiment, in some cases, a situation where the content of the current toner area in the main body memory 105 is updated with old information on the amount of remaining toner occurs as follows.

For easy understanding, it is assumed that the abnormal replacement of the cartridge is not performed but ends in a normal state and the power supply is turned off. At this time, for a certain cartridge, there is a possibility that the transfer of the dot value of the color from the image processing controller 102 may be delayed in the update of the identification information after the last development before the power was turned off, and The current amount of remaining toner cannot be written to the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 until the writing timing to the cartridge memory is reached. In this case, the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the cartridge memory is equal to the information written to the previously written area.

According to the first embodiment, when the power is turned on in this state, the contents of the current toner area and the previously written area for the same color in the main body memory 105 are rewritten to be read from the cartridge memory information about the amount of remaining toner and is updated accordingly. Therefore, the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area at this time is incorrect old information on the amount of remaining toner.

In other words, in such a case, there is a possibility that there may be a slight error between the amount of remaining toner managed by the main body memory 105 and the actual amount of remaining toner in the cartridge. When such a situation is repeated many times, an error between the amount of remaining toner managed by the main body memory 105 and the actual amount of remaining toner in the cartridge increases.

The second embodiment is for avoiding such a situation, and will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 . When it is detected that the power switch 108 is turned on so that the power is turned on accordingly or when it is detected that the main body cover is closed depending on the state of the main body cover opening and closing detection switch 109 (in the case of YES determination at step S40), the unit controls The controller 101 controls the rotor driving portion 107 to rotate the developing rotor unit 50 (step S41). When a detection signal is received from the HP sensor 106, HP is detected (step S42). When HP is detected, the unit controller 101 controls the rotary driving section 107 to first move a cartridge to the communication position (step S43). The color of the cartridge moved to the communication position at this time is predetermined by the unit controller 101 .

As a result, communication of the unit controller 101 with the cartridge memory of the first cartridge can be performed. Accordingly, the unit controller 101 communicates with the cartridge memory to read all the identification information written to the cartridge memory (step S44). The reason for reading all identification information is that a cartridge may be replaced and when a cartridge has been replaced all identification information in master memory 105 about that cartridge will be updated.

When the identification information is read from the cartridge memory, the unit controller 101 determines whether the cartridge has indeed been replaced (step S45).

Whether or not the cartridge has been replaced is determined at step S45 by comparing the identification information read from the cartridge memory at step S44 with the identification information written in the main body memory 105 corresponding to the cartridge of the same color. For information to be used for comparison, it is necessary to use information that can be clearly distinguished from another cartridge for the same color. For this reason, it is preferable to use information on service life as characteristic information on each cartridge in the identification information.

Although the information on the service life includes information on the amount of remaining toner, the driving time, and the number of printed sheets, it is preferable to use the information on the amount of remaining toner in order to determine whether the cartridge has been replaced in step S45. . The reason is as follows. Although the consumption amount of toner in development is very small, the difference in the consumption amount of toner in development can also be expressed with respect to the amount of remaining toner. For this reason, a larger number of bits than the number of bits used to represent the driving time or the number of printed sheets is allocated. By using the information on the amount of remaining toner, it is therefore possible to determine with high precision whether or not the cartridge has been replaced in step S45.

The information on the amount of remaining toner written corresponding to the cartridge for the first color in the main body memory 105 includes two types of information on the amount of remaining toner, that is, the information written to the current toner area. The amount of remaining toner and the amount of remaining toner written to the previously written area. When the information on the amount of remaining toner in the identification information read from the first cartridge memory at step S44 is the same as the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area or written to the previous In the case where the information on the amount of remaining toner written in the area agrees, it is determined that the first cartridge has not been replaced. When the information on the amount of remaining toner in the identification information is combined with the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area and the amount of remaining toner written to the previously written area In the case that the information in the box is not consistent, it is determined that the first box has been replaced.

Obviously, when the information on the amount of remaining toner in the identification information read from the first cartridge memory coincides with the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area, It may be determined that the replacement has not been performed.

Also, the information on the remaining toner amount in the identification information read from the first cartridge memory does not agree with the information on the remaining toner amount written to the current toner area but is written In the case where the information on the amount of remaining toner to the previously written area matches, it can be determined that the update of the identification information after the last development before the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed for the first cartridge is in progress. , the transmission of the dot value for the same color from the image processing controller 102 is delayed, and the current amount of remaining toner cannot be written to the main body memory 105 until the timing for writing to the cartridge memory is reached The current information on the amount of remaining toner is written to the cartridge memory in the update of the identification information after subsequent development in the area for the cartridge of the same color in the current toner area of , as described above. Therefore, even if it is determined that the replacement has not been performed, there is no problem.

When it is determined in step S45 that the first cartridge has been replaced, the unit controller 101 overwrites the identification information read from the first cartridge memory in step S44 into the main body memory 105 for writing the identity of the cartridge of the first color area of information (step S46). At this time, the information on the amount of remaining toner read from the cartridge memory is written to both the current toner area and the previously written area of the first cartridge for the color. As a result, the identification information on the cartridge of the same color in the main body memory 105 is updated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S45 that the first cartridge has not been replaced, the process proceeds to step S47, where it is determined whether or not the processing has ended for all four cartridges.

Therefore, when the processing for the first cassette ends, the unit controller 101 then repeats the processing from step S43 to step S47 for the second, third, and fourth cassettes. When processing is complete for all four boxes, processing is ended.

As described above, in the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the cartridge has been replaced. Only for a cartridge determined to be replaced, the identification information on the cartridge of the main body memory 105 is updated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an error from being generated between the amount of remaining toner managed by the main body memory 105 and the actual amount of remaining toner in the same cartridge. Also, information on the amount of remaining toner is used as information for determining whether the cartridge has been replaced. As a result, it is possible to determine with high precision whether replacement is performed.

As a result, also in the case where the cartridge is replaced when the unit controller 101 cannot recognize that the cartridge is replaced, for example, when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off during the rotation of the developing rotor unit 50, it is also possible to perform Precise lifetime management of cartridges.

<Third embodiment>

In the third embodiment, in the case where there is a cartridge that may have been replaced, the identification information on the cartridge in the main body memory 105 is forcibly updated with the identification information read from the cartridge memory of the cartridge, and will be referred to in FIG. 9 The flow chart is described.

When it is detected that the power switch 108 is turned on and the power is turned on accordingly or when it is determined from the state of the main body cover open and close switch 109 that the main body cover is closed (in the case of YES in step S50), the unit controller 101 The rotor driving portion 107 is controlled to rotate the developing rotor unit 50 (step S51). At this time, the rotary body driving portion 107 supplies a driving pulse to the stepping motor and rotates the developing rotary body unit 50 . In this case, the unit controller 101 retrieves the drive pulses output from the rotation drive section 107 and starts counting the number of drive pulses from when an instruction to start rotation is supplied to the rotary body drive section 107 .

Then, a detection signal is output from the HP sensor 106 . Based on the number of drive pulses counted from when an instruction for rotation is supplied to the rotating body driving section 107 to when a detection signal is received from the HP sensor 106 (step S52), the unit controller 101 determines whether any cartridge is set for replacement. The location and, if any, the color of the box is determined (step S53).

More specifically, one HP occurs for one rotation of the developing rotor unit 50 , and the position of each color cartridge in the developing rotor unit 50 is determined and registered in the unit controller 101 . Also, the number of rotations of the developing rotary unit 50 in one driving pulse is also registered in the unit controller 101 . Therefore, the unit controller 101 can obtain the number of rotations of the developing rotary unit 50 from the number of driving pulses counted from when an instruction for starting rotation is supplied to the rotary driving portion 107 to when HP is detected, and can determine whether there is Any box is placed in an alternate position and the color of that box, if any, can be determined.

When the unit controller 101 determines in step S53 that there is no cartridge placed at the replacement position, the process ends. If it is judged that the box for a certain color is placed in the replacement position, the box for the same color is moved to the communication position (step S54), and all identification information is read from the box memory of the box (step S55), and The identification information thus read is written to an area in the main body memory 105 for writing identification information on the cartridge for the same color (step S56). In this way, the processing is ended.

The processing at steps S55 and S56 is the same as the processing at steps S28 and S29 in FIG. 7 . Also, in the processing at step S56, when the identification information read from the cartridge memory is to be written to the main body memory 105, the information on the amount of remaining toner read from the cartridge memory is written to the Both the current toner area and the previously written area of the cartridge.

As described above, in the third embodiment, if there is a cartridge placed at the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, based on the assumption that the cartridge has been replaced, the information about the cartridge in the main body memory 105 The identification information of is forcibly updated by the identification information read from the cartridge memory of the cartridge.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, also when the unit controller 101 cannot recognize that the cartridge is replaced, for example, when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off during the rotation of the developing rotor unit 50, the cartridge is replaced. In the case of the case, accurate lifetime management for the cartridge is also possible.

<Fourth Embodiment>

In the third embodiment described above, the cartridge placed at the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed is regarded as being exchanged, and the identification information on the cartridge of the main body memory 105 is used from the cartridge's The identification information read from the cartridge memory is forcibly updated. In this case, however, there is a possibility that, for the cartridge placed at the replacement position, for the same reason as described at the beginning of the second processing configuration, the remaining toner There may be a discrepancy between the amount of toner and the actual amount of remaining toner in the cartridge.

The fourth embodiment is for avoiding such a situation, and a flowchart for this processing is shown in FIG. 10 . The processing of steps S60, S61, S62, S63, S64 and S65 in Fig. 10 is the same as the processing of steps S50, S51, S52, S53, S54 and S55 in Fig. 9 respectively, and the processing of steps S66 and S67 in Fig. 10 is respectively The same processing as steps S45 and S46 in FIG. 8 .

Therefore, repeated and brief description will be made for the processing in FIG. 10 . When it is detected that the power switch 108 is turned on and the power is turned on accordingly or when it is determined from the state of the main body cover open and close switch 109 that the main body cover is closed (in the case of YES in step S60), the unit controller 101 The developing rotary unit 50 is rotated (step S61). At this time, the unit controller 101 retrieves the drive pulses output from the rotation drive section 107 and starts counting the number of drive pulses from when an instruction to start rotation is supplied to the rotary body drive section 107 .

Then, a detection signal is received from the HP sensor 106 (step S62). Based on the number of driving pulses counted from when an instruction for rotation is supplied to the rotating body driving section 107 to when a detection signal is received from the HP sensor 106, the unit controller 101 determines whether any cartridge is placed at the replacement position and if so, Then determine the color of the box (step S63).

When the unit controller 101 determines in step S63 that no cassette is placed in the replacement position, the process ends. If it is judged that the cartridge for a certain color is placed at the replacement position, the cartridge for the same color is moved to the communication position (step S64), and all identification information is read from the cartridge memory of the cartridge (step S65).

When the identification information is read from the cartridge memory, the unit controller 101 determines whether the cartridge has indeed been replaced (step S66).

Whether or not the cartridge has indeed been replaced is determined at step S66 by comparing the identification information read from the cartridge memory at step S65 with the identification information written corresponding to the cartridge in the main body memory 105 . As described above, the information on the amount of remaining toner is used for the information to be compared.

Therefore, if the information on the amount of remaining toner in the identification information read from the cartridge memory at step S65 is the same as the information on the amount of remaining toner written to the current toner area or written to the previous In the case where the information on the amount of remaining toner written in the area coincides, the unit controller 101 determines that the cartridge placed at the replacement position has not been replaced, and if the information on the amount of remaining toner in the identification information read from the cartridge memory The information on the amount of toner agrees with neither the information on the remaining toner amount written to the current toner area nor the information on the remaining toner amount written to the previously written area, and it is judged The box has been replaced.

When judging in step S66 that the cartridge has indeed been replaced, then the unit controller 101 overwrites the identification information read in step 65 from the cartridge memory into the identification information on the cartridge of the same color in the main body memory 105 (step S67 ). At this time, information on the amount of remaining toner read from the cartridge memory is written to both the current toner area and the previously written area of the same cartridge for that color. As a result, the identification information on the cartridge of the same color in the main body memory 105 is updated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S66 that the same cartridge has not been replaced, the unit controller 101 ends the process.

Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, if a cartridge is placed at the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, it is determined whether the cartridge has indeed been replaced. Only if the cartridge has indeed been replaced, the identification information of the main body memory 105 is updated. This is based on the consideration that the cartridge is not always replaced even if there is a cartridge placed in the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, if there is a cartridge placed at the replacement position when the power is turned on or the main body cover is closed, the cartridge may have been replaced, and it is determined whether the cartridge has indeed been replaced. If it is determined that the cartridge has been replaced, the identification information on the cartridge of the main body memory 105 is updated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an error from being generated between the amount of remaining toner managed by the main body memory 105 and the actual amount of remaining toner in the same cartridge. Also, information on the amount of remaining toner is used as information for detecting whether the cartridge has been replaced. As a result, it is possible to determine with high precision whether replacement has been performed.

As a result, also in the case where the cartridge is replaced when the unit controller 101 cannot recognize that the cartridge is replaced, for example, when the main body cover is opened or the power is turned off during the rotation of the developing rotor unit 50, it is also possible to perform Precise lifetime management of cartridges.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . This operation shown in FIG. 11 is performed when the take-out operation section 206 is operated to provide an instruction to take out a cartridge of a certain color.

The user provides an instruction for the cartridge of the Y color by taking out the operation section 206 . At this time, the unit controller 101 receives from the take-out operation section 206 a control signal indicating that an instruction for taking out a cartridge of the Y color is provided. When receiving this control signal, the unit controller 101 judges in step S21 that an instruction for taking out is provided, and then compares the area information on the cartridge for the Y color in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 and the information on the area of the cartridge for the Y color in the previously written area, and it is judged whether they coincide with each other (step S22).

If they coincide with each other (YES at step S22), the cartridge of the Y color may indeed be taken out because the current identification information including the current amount of remaining toner is written to the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the Y color. In this case, the unit controller 101 controls the rotating body driving section 107 to move the cartridge of the Y color to the replacement position (step S23). As a result, the user can take out the cartridge of Y color, and can install a new cartridge of Y color.

However, if they do not coincide with each other (NO at step S22), the current amount of remaining toner is not written to the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the Y color. As a result, if the cartridge is set to be definitely taken out, accurate lifetime management of the same cartridge cannot be achieved. Therefore, in this case, the unit controller 101 controls the rotating body driving section 107 to move the cartridge of the Y color to the communication position (step S24), and communicates with the cartridge memory of the cartridge of the Y color, thereby updating the cartridge memory The identification information of (step S25).

At this time, the unit controller 101 writes information on the amount of remaining toner in the area for the Y color cartridge in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 as the amount of remaining toner. Accordingly, the identification information of the cartridge memory is updated to current information including information on remaining toner. Also, when updating the identification information of the cartridge memory, the unit controller 101 writes information on the amount of remaining toner for the Y color cartridge in the current toner area of the main body memory 105 to the previous write area The area used for the Y colorbox in . As a result, for the Y color, the information in the area for the Y color cartridge in the current toner area coincides with the information in the area for the Y color cartridge in the previously written area.

When the identification information of the cartridge memory is updated, the unit controller 101 controls the rotary body driving section 107 to move the cartridge of the Y color to the replacement position (step S26). As a result, the user can take out the cartridge of Y color, and can install a new cartridge of Y color.

As described above, according to this operation, in the case where the current identification information is written to the cartridge memory specifying the cartridge to be taken out, the cartridge is set to be taken out immediately, and thus the user's waiting time can be shortened. Also, in the case where the current identification information is not written, the cartridge is set to be taken out after the current identification information is written to the cartridge memory of the cartridge, so that the current identification information can be written to the cartridge of the cartridge thus taken out. memory.

Although the above description has been made for the case where the event for updating the identification information written to the cartridge memory is development, it is only exemplary and not limiting.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to particularly preferred embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made based on the teachings of the invention. It is apparent that such changes and modifications are within the spirit, scope and purpose of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-235762 filed on August 13, 2004 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-261968 filed on September 9, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (4)

1. image processing system comprises:

Development rotary body unit, it is configured installs a plurality of Delevoping cartridges, and described Delevoping cartridge has the box storage compartment respectively, and described box storage compartment is respectively applied for the identification information of storage about the described Delevoping cartridge of correspondence;

Communication unit, it is communicated by letter with described box storage compartment;

Storage element, it is configured and stores described identification information; With

Control module, when the power supply of described image processing system is switched on or the body cover that is used for described development rotary body unit when being closed, described control module determines whether that Delevoping cartridge is arranged in the replacement position of described development rotary body unit and determines whether to upgrade the described identification information that is stored in described storage element based on described definite result.

2. image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control module reads described identification information by described communication unit from the described box storage compartment that is positioned at described replacement position, and identification information that is relatively read and the described identification information that is stored in the described storage element; And

Whether wherein said control module is updated based on the described identification information that the result of described comparison determines to be stored in the described storage element.

3. the method for updating of a definite identification information comprises:

Determine whether that Delevoping cartridge is arranged in the replacement position of the development rotary body unit of image processing system;

Result based on the described deterministic process of described replacement position determines whether to upgrade the identification information in the storage element that is stored in described image processing system,

Wherein, when the power supply of described image processing system is switched on or the body cover that is used for the described development rotary body unit of described image processing system when being closed, carry out the described deterministic process of described replacement position and the described deterministic process of described renewal; And

Wherein, described development rotary body unit comprises a plurality of described Delevoping cartridges, and described Delevoping cartridge has the box storage compartment respectively, and described box storage compartment is respectively applied for the identification information of storage about the Delevoping cartridge of correspondence.

4. method as claimed in claim 3 also comprises:

Read described identification information by communication unit from the described box storage compartment that is positioned at described replacement position; And

Compare identification information that is read and the described identification information that is stored in the described storage element,

The described deterministic process of wherein said renewal is carried out based on the result of described comparison procedure.

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