JP2000206832A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make faithfully formable a reproducing color even though the developing devices of plural colors are attached to the arbitrary position of an image forming device main body. SOLUTION: The discriminating members 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d of colors showing yellow, magenta, cyan and black are attached to the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d of corresponding colors, and the color information of the developing device attached is detected by detecting means 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d provided so as to correspond. Though the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d are attached at the arbitrary position along guide members 30a, 30b, 30c and 30d, the color information of a position to which it is attached is recognized by a controlling means 33 based on detected color information from the detecting means 32a, 32b, 32c and 32d, and control to transmit a color image data corresponding to the developing device of the position to which it is attached to laser beam radiating devices 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d which are exposure means to form the image of a desired color is executed, so that a color is faithfully reproduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer using an electrophotographic system, and is capable of forming images formed on an image carrier with toners of various colors. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms a color image or the like by transferring.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer, which is an image carrier, is visualized with a powder toner. The imaged toner image is transferred onto a recording medium (sheet) such as paper, and since the toner has not been fixed, the toner is melted by heat and fused on the sheet by pressing. .

In order to transfer the toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor onto the sheet, the sheet is fed to a transfer position facing the photoreceptor, and the back surface of the sheet, that is, the side opposite to the surface facing the photoreceptor is transferred. A predetermined voltage is supplied to a corona discharger, a transfer roller and the like to charge the sheet itself and transfer the toner image. In this case, when a toner image of a single color is transferred onto the sheet, there is no particular problem such as misregistration of the toner image. Therefore, the sheet is directly guided to the above-described transfer position via a guide or the like and conveyed. Thus, the sheet is charged and transferred.

On the other hand, in recent years, colorization has been advanced, and a method of forming a color image by sequentially transferring toner images of different colors on a sheet, has come into practice. At this time, the sheet sequentially forms toner images of different colors and is sent to the transfer position a plurality of times. Therefore, unless the overlapping position of the toner images is accurate, an image defect due to color misregistration occurs.

Therefore, conventionally, black, yellow,
Four image forming stations for individually forming toner images of magenta, cyan and the like are provided in parallel, and the sheets are conveyed to the transfer positions in the respective stations in order. As the transport mechanism, a transfer transport belt is provided and held by the electrostatic attraction action, and the sheet is transported to the transfer position of the toner image of each color described above, thereby increasing accuracy.
The color shift due to the superposition of the toner images is eliminated.

As described above, good transfer can be performed by adsorbing the sheet and transporting the sheet to the transfer position facing the photosensitive member. Further, in color image formation, in order to sequentially overlap a plurality of different colors, it is necessary to feed a sheet to a transfer position corresponding to each color.
In JP-A No. 79413, a sheet is adsorbed and sequentially conveyed to a transfer position of each color, and a faithful color image without color shift (color copy)
Can be reproduced.

In recent years, the demands of users have been diversified, and it has become possible to selectively copy a color original such as a black-and-white or an information magazine as needed. Therefore, in the color image forming apparatus, not only a color image is formed but also a copy (print) in black and white or a single color may be desired as described above. Further, due to networking, there is a case where a color copy, a black-and-white copy, or a single-color copy of a color other than black is desired for color image data.

[0008]

In the above-described color image forming apparatus, a plurality of developing devices corresponding to each color are provided detachably with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus.
Then, in order to reduce costs, the developing devices of the respective colors have the same structure and shape so that all of the developing devices can be used in common. For this reason, it has conventionally been required to mount a plurality of developing devices at predetermined positions. That is, unless the developing device is mounted at a predetermined color position, the color of the formed color image is different, and a faithful color image cannot be reproduced.

Conventionally, as described above, it has been necessary to mount the developing devices of the respective colors accurately at predetermined positions. However, when the configuration of all the developing devices is the same,
Regardless of the difference in color, development devices of different colors can naturally be mounted. That is, a developing device of an arbitrary color can be mounted at an arbitrary position, and the mounting error cannot be prevented.

Therefore, when the image forming operation is started without noticing the mounting error of the developing device, and the operator cannot obtain the reproduced image of the desired color, the operator notices the condition only when the operator cannot obtain the reproduced image of the desired color. Thus, if the operator notices a mistake in mounting the developing device, the operator performs the mounting / removing operation of the developing device again, and mounts the developing device to a correct position. However, if the user does not notice the mistake, the user may mistakenly recognize that the image forming apparatus is out of order.

Therefore, if the burden on the operator is increased and the image forming operation is started as it is, it is no longer possible to prevent erroneous recognition or the like due to insufficient color reproducibility.

Therefore, in the developing devices of the respective colors having the same structure and shape, only the developing devices of the colors corresponding to the determined positions can be configured to be detachable. In this case, it is necessary to provide a guide member having a special structure or an attaching / detaching means having a structure peculiar to the developing device, which increases costs. Moreover, since the appearance of the developing device is the same by the operator,
It may be suspicious that the developing device cannot be mounted at a different position, or it may be forcibly mounted. This not only causes confusion but also makes the mounting operation extremely troublesome.

According to the present invention, the developing device for each color can be mounted at an arbitrary position without using a special mechanism or configuration, and the operator's burden is reduced.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of faithfully reproducing a color image using a developing device having the same structure and shape.

That is, the object of the present invention is to make the structure of the developing device of each color the same and the same shape so that each component can be shared, so that the mounting position of the developing device of a plurality of different colors can be improved. This enables a faithful reproduction of a color image even if the image is mounted at an arbitrary position without deciding the color, and enables a single color copy or the like to be formed by selecting an image of a desired color.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for accommodating toner of each color for forming a color image and forming the image on an image carrier. A plurality of developing devices for developing the electrostatic latent images of the respective colors with the corresponding toner colors are provided in parallel, and the toner images formed by the developing devices of the respective colors are sequentially superimposed on a recording medium to obtain a desired color. In an image forming apparatus for forming an image, the developing device for each color is detachably provided at an arbitrary position, and when the developing device is attached to an arbitrary position, a device for inputting color information at the attached position is provided. Control means for controlling the exposure to be performed with image data of a color corresponding to a developing device of a color mounted on an electrostatic latent image to be formed on the image carrier, based on the color information input by the input means; It is characterized by having.

According to such a configuration, the mounting positions of the detachably provided developing devices of the respective colors are not determined, and the developing devices can be mounted at arbitrary positions. Therefore, when replacing the developing device, since the mounting position of the color is not determined, the developing device can be mounted at an arbitrary position, and the work is very simple, and the operator or the like is not confused at the time of mounting. In addition, problems due to erroneous mounting and the like do not occur.

Furthermore, after the mounting, the color information of the mounted developing device is inputted by the input means, and the control means based on the information, the toner image formed by the mounted developing device and the image exposure Inconsistency with the color at the time of removal can be eliminated, a toner image of a predetermined color can be formed, and a reproduced color image can provide a faithful one desired by the operator.
As a result, the burden on the operator due to the mounting of the developing device can be greatly reduced, obstacles caused by erroneous mounting can be eliminated, and operability, workability and safety of the device can be improved. In addition, all the developing devices can have the same structure and shape, and all the constituent components can be used in common. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of components.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the input unit is operated by an operator who has mounted the developing device to input color information corresponding to the mounted position. And a control unit that performs control in accordance with the color information input by operation. With such a configuration, the color information can be input without a doubt by inputting the color information according to the state of the wearing by the wearing operator.

Further, in the image forming apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the input means includes an identification member indicating a color corresponding to each developing device, and an identification member of the identification member. The control means is configured to input the detected color information to the control means. This eliminates the above-mentioned input operation by the operator, and can eliminate the input error. Therefore, the burden on the operator can be further reduced, and the operability can be further improved.

Further, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, according to the invention described in claim 4, the input means forms a toner patch image determined by a mounted developing device, and A detection sensor for detecting the toner color of the formed toner patch image is provided, and the color information from the detection sensor is input to the control means. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an identification member for identifying each color in the developing device of each color, so that the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Also,
It is also possible to eliminate mistakes and the like when providing the identification member.

In the image forming apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, according to the invention described in claim 5, the detection sensor is also used as a detection sensor for detecting a toner density provided in advance for performing image quality adjustment. Therefore, there is no need to provide any special means, and the object can be achieved by using the conventional components as they are.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the input unit may be configured to control the mounted developing device to transmit a predetermined toner patch image on the image carrier. After the image is formed on the recording medium, the image is temporarily transferred to a recording medium, a detection sensor for detecting the toner color of the transferred toner patch image is provided, and the color information detected by the detection sensor is input to the control means. It is characterized by the following. According to such a configuration, the means for recognizing the color of the mounted developing device, that is, the detection sensor is set to one.
The object can be achieved by providing only one. Therefore, the configuration can be further simplified, and the cost can be reduced. Also in this detection sensor, a conventionally provided sensor can be used as it is.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the image carriers are provided corresponding to each color, and each image carrier is provided corresponding to each image carrier. The developing device is provided detachably, and the control means is provided with an image data of a color corresponding to the developing device of the color mounted opposite to the image carrier, the exposure data being provided correspondingly to the image carrier. It is characterized in that it is controlled to send it to the means. According to such a color image forming apparatus, since the same structure and the same shape can be used in all the image forming stations for performing image formation, parts of the respective constituent elements can be commonly used as well as the developing apparatus. Therefore, cost reduction and the like can be contributed, and the image forming speed can be increased.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration including a control circuit configuration for detecting a mounting state of a developing device of each color and performing image forming control in accordance with the mounting state for describing a first embodiment of the present invention. is there. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a color image forming apparatus according to the present invention having the control configuration shown in FIG.

First, a general configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a digital color copying machine. A transparent document table 2 on which a document is placed and an operation panel to be described later are provided on the upper part of the digital copying machine 1. An automatic document feeder (ADF) 3 is mounted on the upper surface of the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the document table 2, and has a predetermined positional relationship with the document table 2. ing. This digital copier 1
A reading device 4 for reading an image of a document placed on the document table 2 is provided inside the main body, and an image forming unit 10
Is provided.

The automatic document feeder 3 feeds the documents placed on the placing table 3a one by one to the document table 2, and when the reading by the reading device 4 is completed, the document is discharged to the discharge tray 3b and at the same time the next document is discharged. The conveyance of the document is started, and the document is automatically sent to the document table 2. In the case of a document having images formed on both sides, the automatic document feeder 3 first conveys one side to the document table 2 and discharges the document when reading of that side is completed. Without reversing the front and back sides, the document is sent to the document table 2 again, and after reading the image on the opposite side of the document, the document is discharged and one side of the next document is fed to the document table 2. ing.

A reading device 4 for reading an image of a document sent to the document table 2 by the automatic document feeder 3 comprises:
A first scanning unit 5 and a second scanning unit 6 that are reciprocated in parallel with the document table 2 are provided. First
The scanning unit 5 supports an exposure lamp that illuminates the original, a mirror that reflects light reflected from the original to a target position, and the like. Further, the second scanning unit 6 includes a pair of reflecting mirrors for reflecting the reflected light image reflected by the above-mentioned mirror to the CCD 8 which is a reading element via the imaging lens 7 constituting the reading device 4. Supported.

The first scanning unit 5 runs at a predetermined scanning speed from a home position (the left side in FIG. 3) when reading an image of a document. Then, the second scanning unit 6 travels in the same direction at half the scanning speed. As a result, the image of the document is sequentially formed on the CCD 8 via the image forming lens 7, and the CCD 8 outputs read data that has been photoelectrically converted. The CCD 8 is provided with R, G, and B CCDs for color-separating the image if the original is color, or a color separation filter or the like is arranged in the optical path to read the color-separated image. Output data. CC
The read data output from D8 is converted into image data by the image forming unit 1 through a processing circuit that performs image processing for forming a color image or the like in the image forming unit 10 as described later.
Transferred to 0.

The image forming section 10 for reproducing the image data obtained via the reading device 4 as a visible image on a sheet has a sheet feeding device 11 provided below. The sheet feeding device 11 is provided with a sheet feeding unit that stores the sheets S in a sheet feeding cassette or a tray and separates and feeds the sheets one by one. The sheet sent out by the sheet feeding device 11 includes a registration roller 1 disposed in front of an image forming position.
It is sent to 2. The registration roller 12 is a well-known one, and is configured to convey a sheet to an image forming position in a timely manner.

An image forming unit 10 is provided above the sheet feeding device 11.
A transport belt mechanism 14 for movably holding a transfer belt 13 as a sheet holding member constituting the image forming apparatus is provided. The transport belt mechanism 14 includes a drive roller 15 that stretches the transfer transport belt 13 formed in an endless shape, and a driven roller 16. The transfer transport belt 13 is configured to transport the sheet P by electrostatically attracting the sheet P. Therefore, the driven roller 16 is moved to the registration roller 12 side.
The charging roller 17 is disposed so as to be in contact with the driven roller 16 and is pressed against the driven roller 16 via the transfer / conveying belt 13.

Further, a fixing device 18 for transferring a toner image transferred on a sheet S, which will be described later, to the sheet is disposed on the drive roller 15 side of the transport belt mechanism 14. As the sheet S passes between the fixing roller nips of the fixing device 18, the toner on the surface is melted and fused and fixed on the sheet surface. Further, the sheet S is transferred to the fixing device 1.
The sheet is conveyed while being fixed at 8, and is discharged by a discharge roller 20 via a transfer direction switching gate 19 to a discharge tray 21 provided so as to protrude outside the body of the copying machine 1.

The switching gate 19 selectively switches between discharging the fixed sheet to the discharge tray 21 as described above and re-supplying the sheet to the image forming position of the image forming section 10 again. The conveyance path of the sheet S is switched. If image formation on both sides of the sheet S is selected, the switching gate 19 is controlled so as to guide the sheet S to the switchback transport path 22. As a result, the sheet S is again conveyed to the registration roller 12 just before the image forming position in the image forming unit 10 after the sheet S is turned upside down via the switchback conveyance path 22.

On the other hand, the image forming section 10 is arranged above the above-mentioned transport belt mechanism 14, in particular, on the linear portion (horizontal portion) of the transfer transport belt 13, in the order from the upstream in the transport direction in the vicinity of the transfer transport belt 13. The first, second, third and fourth image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc and Pd are arranged side by side. The transfer conveyance belt 13 is stretched between the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16 as described above, and is driven to run in the arrow Z direction by the rotation of the driving roller 16. Then, the sheet conveyed through the registration roller 12 is transferred to the transfer conveyance belt 13 by the action of the charging roller 17.
To be held electrostatically. The sheet S is sequentially conveyed to each of the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd as the transfer conveyance belt 13 travels.

Each image forming station Pa, Pb, P
c and Pd have substantially the same configuration, and are a photosensitive member 23 which is a drum-shaped image carrier that is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow F in the figure.
a, 23b, 23c, and 23d. Chargers 24a, 24b, 24 for uniformly charging the photosensitive members are provided around the respective photosensitive members 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d.
c and 24d, and a developing device 25a according to the present invention for visualizing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor with toner of each color.
Transfer means 25b, 25c, 25d and a transfer means 2 for transferring the developed toner image to a sheet, which are provided in contact with the back surface of the transfer / transport belt 13 to constitute the transfer device of the present invention.
6a, 26b, 26c, 26d, and a cleaning device 27a, which removes toner remaining on the photoreceptor surface after transfer.
27b, 27c and 27d are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction of the photoconductor.

Each of the photoconductors 23a, 23b, 23c,
A semiconductor laser device that emits dot light modulated in accordance with image data, a deflecting device that deflects light from the semiconductor laser device in the main scanning direction, and a laser beam deflected by the deflecting device Laser irradiation devices 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d which constitute exposure means including f-θ lenses and the like for imaging (exposure)
Each is provided. The deflecting device generally includes a rotating polygon mirror, and a mirror motor for rotating the polygon mirror at high speed is incorporated.

As will be described later, the laser irradiator 28a receives image data corresponding to a color component image of a color original image corresponding to the color of the corresponding developing device 25a. That is, when the developing device 25a contains the toner corresponding to yellow (Y), the laser irradiation device 28
To a, yellow image data obtained by data conversion for reproducing yellow from the input R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color image data is input, and image exposure is performed using the yellow image data. Will be.

The laser irradiation device 28b receives image data corresponding to a color component image of a color original image corresponding to the color of the developing device 25b. That is, the developing device 25b
Contains magenta (M) toner, the laser irradiation device 28b receives R,
Data conversion is performed to reproduce magenta from the G and B components, and magenta image data is input, and image exposure is performed.

Further, the laser irradiation device 28c receives image data corresponding to the color component image of the color original image corresponding to the color of the developing device 25c. That is, the developing device 25c
Contains cyan (C) toner, the laser irradiation device 28c receives R, R of the input color image data.
The G and B components are converted into data for reproducing cyan, the cyan image data is input, and image exposure is performed.

The laser irradiation device 28d receives image data corresponding to the color component image of the color original image corresponding to the color of the developing device 25d. That is, the developing device 25
When d contains black (BK) toner, black image data converted corresponding to black is input to the laser irradiation device 28d, thereby performing image exposure. In particular, for black image data, the input R, G, and B components are substantially the same.
The image is input to the laser irradiation device 28d in order to perform black development.

As a result, the photosensitive member 23 at each image forming position
On the a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the color of the color-converted document is formed. Then, the developing device 25 of each image forming station Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd
a, developing device 25b, developing device 25c, developing device 25d
, And is reproduced as a toner image corresponding to the color image of the document.

The first image forming station Pa
And a registration roller 12 for adsorbing the sheet to the transfer belt 13 as described above.
7, the sheet S sent through the registration roller 12 is reliably electrostatically attracted to the transfer / conveyance belt 13, and in this state, the conveyance belt mechanism 14 is used.
, The paper is sequentially conveyed to the first to fourth image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd without shifting. Therefore, the sheet S is formed by the photoconductors 23 formed at the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd.
The toner images of the respective colors on a, 23b, 23c, and 23d are transferred so as to be sequentially superimposed, and a color image is reproduced.

Then, the fourth image forming station Pd
Between the fixing device 18 and the fixing device 18, a neutralizer 29 is provided almost directly above the drive roller 15 of the transport belt mechanism 14. Therefore, the sheet S that has passed through the fourth image forming station Pd has three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan.
The toner images of four colors including color or black are superposed and transferred, and the electrostatic attraction state with the transfer belt 13 is released by the operation of the charge eliminator 29. 13 and sent to the fixing device 18. The static eliminator 29 is supplied with an AC voltage and performs an AC corona discharge to remove the charged charges.

In the color digital copying machine 1 having the above-described configuration, the sheet S is accommodated in a sheet feeding cassette or a tray constituting the sheet feeding mechanism 11 in order to form an image on the sheet. Are sent one by one. The fed sheet S is fed via a transport roller or the like provided in a transport path to the registration roller 12 in order to feed the toner image to each transfer position of the toner image in each of the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd. . The leading edge of the fed sheet P is detected by a sensor (not shown) or the like, and is temporarily stopped at the position of the registration roller 12 by a signal output from the sensor. Then, at a timing with each of the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd, the sheet is fed to the transfer / conveying belt 13 rotating in the arrow Z direction shown in FIG.

At this time, due to the action of the charging roller 17, the transfer / conveying belt 13 is given a predetermined charge, and the sheet S is electrostatically attracted to the transfer belt 13. Thereby, while passing through the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd, stable conveyance is performed in a sucked state,
The toner images of each color formed in each station are sequentially transferred and superimposed.

That is, each image forming station Pa, P
b, Pc, and Pd, the toner image of each color is
3a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, which are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the surface of the conveyed sheet P electrostatically attracted by the transfer / conveyance belt 13. Then, finally, the fourth image forming station Pd
When the transfer of the toner image is completed, the sheet S is separated from the transfer and conveyance belt 13 by the action of the charge remover 29 from the leading end of the sheet S. Then, the peeled sheet S is guided to the fixing device 18, and the color toner image superimposed and transferred on the sheet S is melted and fixed, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

The color digital copying machine 1 performs processing for reproducing the read data read by the reading device 4 as described above as a toner image in the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd. Will be described. Normally, read data from the reading device 4 is R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color separation data, and data that can be processed by the image forming unit 10 are Y (yellow), M (Magenta), C (cyan), and BK (black) image data. Therefore, in order to perform the color conversion processing and the like, the digital copying machine 1 is provided with a well-known image processing circuit (not shown).

Subsequently, the developing device 25 for each color according to the present invention.
An embodiment of the present invention for forming a color image when a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are mounted at arbitrary positions will be sequentially described.

(First Embodiment of the Present Invention) In order to transfer a toner image according to the present invention to a sheet S and form a color copy or a single-color copy of a desired color, the image forming unit 10 as described with reference to FIG. The photoconductor 23 (23a,
23b, 23c, and 23d), the transfer conveyance belt 13 and the transfer conveyance belt 1 that convey the sheet S so as to contact the sheet S.
Transfer means 26 (26a, 26b, 2) for transferring the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 23 to the sheet attracted by
6c, 26d).

As described above, the electrostatic latent images corresponding to each color formed on the photosensitive member 23 are developed by the developing devices 25 (2
5a, 25b, 25c, and 25d), the sheet S is visualized, and is adsorbed and conveyed by the transfer / conveyance belt 13.
Transcribed above. At this time, if the color image mode is designated, all the image forming stations Pa, Pb, P
c and Pd operate to form toner images of the respective colors on the photoreceptor 23, which are successively superimposed on one sheet S and transferred to form a color image on the sheet S.

When the single color mode is designated, one or two of the image forming stations P corresponding to the designated color at that time are selectively operated. For example, in the black and white mode, the image forming station corresponding to the black toner developing device is operated, and the other three color image forming stations are inactive. In the red mode, the image forming stations are changed to yellow and magenta. Only the two corresponding image forming stations are operated, and the other image forming stations corresponding to black and cyan are set to the non-operating state.

In this case, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
When the mounting positions of c and 25d are set to predetermined positions, the control is executed by the same control as that of the related art. However, according to the present invention, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
Since c and 25d all have the same structure and configuration, they are provided detachably from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 and are provided so as to be arbitrarily mountable at their respective positions.

Therefore, according to the conventional example, the developing device 25
If the mounting positions of a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are set at predetermined positions, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the different colors are not reproduced when a color image is formed. . That is, the image forming station P
Image data of a predetermined color is input to a, Pb, Pc, and Pd, and the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d are driven according to the image data of the color.

However, in FIG. 2, the developing devices 25a and 25a
When the mounting position of the developing device 5c is reversed,
Since the developing device 25c is mounted at the position 5a, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 23a by yellow image data is developed by the cyan toner developing device 25c, and a completely different color color is used. An image will be formed.

For the sake of simplicity, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are assumed to be the developing devices containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (black) toners, respectively. Conventionally, the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d are controlled so that yellow, magenta, cyan, and black image data are input. Therefore, when the mounting positions of the developing devices 25a and 25c are reversed, cyan image development is performed for yellow image exposure at that position, and yellow image development is performed for cyan image exposure. Therefore,
The reproduced color is completely different from the desired one,
A normal color image cannot be formed.

To briefly explain the present invention, the developing device 25
a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are recognized, and in accordance with this recognition, the developing devices 25a, 25
b, 25c, 25d, the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d of the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd.
The image data of the color to be transferred to 28d is controlled. Thereby, as described above, the developing devices 25a and 25
When the mounting position of the developing device 5c is reversed, the developing device of that color is recognized in advance, and accordingly, the developing device 2
Image data corresponding to yellow is sent to the laser irradiation device 28c in the image forming station Pc corresponding to the position where 5a is mounted.

That is, the laser irradiation device 28c of the image forming station Pc is controlled so that cyan image data is originally input, but yellow image data is input. Then, cyan image data is input to the laser irradiation device 28a of the image forming station Pa. As a result, normal color development can be performed without development in different colors, and a color image reproduced with faithful colors can be formed.

Further, even in a single-color image, it is possible to form an image with a designated color. As a result, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are all configured to have the same structure and shape, and a desired image can be obtained even if the mounting and dismounting positions are arbitrarily set. Therefore, the burden on the operator can be greatly reduced. Further, the developing device 25
Since a, 25b, 25c, and 25d all have the same shape and structure, the components to be used, for example, the developing roller, the stirring member, the toner replenishing member, the toner hopper, and the like can be shared, so that the cost can be reduced.

Therefore, a configuration specifically embodying the outline of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part including a control circuit configuration showing the concept of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, each developing device 25a, 25b, 25
c and 25d have the same structure and the same external appearance, respectively, and are detachably provided along guide members 30a to 30d provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The guide members 30a to 30d are not unique to the present invention, and can be any of those conventionally known.

Each of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, 25
At d, identification members 31a to 31d indicating the color information of the contained toner color are attached (attached) to the same positions. Each of the identification members 31a to 31d is constituted by a bar code indicating a color, a label engraved with a color corresponding to the toner color, or the like.

The developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, 2
In a state where 5d is attached, the identification members 31a to 31
Detecting means 32a to 32d for reading the color information of the identification members 31a to 31d are arranged on the main body side of the image forming apparatus 1 corresponding to the positions where d is provided. The detecting means 32a to 32d are provided with the attached developing devices 25a and 25d.
B, 25c, and 25d are provided so as to face the identification members 31a to 31d, and are read through openings (windows) of the guide members 30a to 30d. Detection means 32
When the identification members 31a to 31d are configured by barcodes, a to 32d are configured by barcode readers, and when the identification members 31a to 31d are color labels, configured by color sensors and the like.

The detection signals of the detecting means 32a to 32d, that is, the color information, are inputted to a control means 33 comprising a CPU for controlling the main body of the image forming apparatus, a ROM, a RAM and the like. In particular, when the front door of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened and the developing device 25 is pulled out and mounted, and the front door is closed, the control unit 33 attaches the developing device to the detecting units 32a to 32d. Command to recognize the condition. As a result, the detection means 32a to 32d operate, detect the detection, and send the detection result to the control means 33.

The control means 33 is also connected to the reading device 4 described with reference to FIG. 2, and inputs reading information of the reading device 4, in particular, read data of R, G, B from the CCD 8, and performs image processing. Is connected to the image processing circuit (not shown). The image processing circuit converts the read data into data that can be output processed by the printer, that is, the image forming unit 10, performs necessary image processing, and performs image data of each color, that is, Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan). The color image data of blue) and BK (black) are created and stored in the image data memory.

Here, the image data of each color described above is converted into Y, M, C, and BK data for reproducing the color of the read original by using the read color data obtained from the reading device 4, and Developing devices 25a, 25b, 25 that can be reproduced
In order to send the image data converted to c and 25d, this is temporarily stored in the image data memory. For example, if the read document is green, the green (G) read data
Y, M, and C conversions are performed to convert the image data to a developed color capable of reproducing green, that is, yellow (Y) and cyan (C) image data.
The converted image data of Y and C is stored.

Thus, by sending the Y and C image data to the laser irradiation device corresponding to the color of the developing device, and developing with each color, that is, yellow and cyan toner, a green color image can be reproduced. Become. Such conversion processing and the like are not specific to the present invention, but are well-known in the related art, and the well-known technology is used as it is.

Then, the control means 33 controls the Y, M, C and B processed as described above when the image forming operation is started.
The color image data of K is output to each of the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28a.
Input control to 28d. In this case, the control unit 33 controls the developing devices 25a and 25a mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.
In accordance with the mounting positions of 5b, 25c, and 25d, image data of the corresponding colors are transmitted to laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d.
It is controlled to send to.

Therefore, the control means 33 inputs the color information of the detection means 32a to 32d corresponding to the mounting positions of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d as described above, and stores the color information in advance in the storage means 34. Stores the color information. Thereby, when starting the image forming operation,
The mounting position of the developing device 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d for each color is determined by the control unit 33 based on the color information in the storage unit 34.
Therefore, image data of a color corresponding to the developing device 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d corresponding to the color at the mounting position is sent to the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d.

For example, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
When c and 25d are mounted as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 33 knows the mounting state from the storage unit 34, and the laser irradiation device corresponding to the mounting position of the yellow toner developing device 25a. The image data of Y (yellow) is stored in a developing device 25b of magenta toner.
The M (magenta) image data is stored in the laser irradiation mounting 28b corresponding to the mounting position of the cyan toner developing device 25.
The laser irradiation mounting 28c corresponding to the mounting position of c
(Cyan) image data and the black toner developing device 2
Control is performed so that black (BK) image data is input to the laser irradiation device 28d corresponding to 5d.

Therefore, if the mounting positions of the adjacent developing devices 25a and 25b are reversed, the state is detected by the detecting means 32a to 32d, and the color information corresponding to the arrangement position is stored. It is stored in the means 34. Accordingly, the control unit 33 sends the yellow (Y) image data to the laser irradiation device 28a in a normal mounting state, but sends the magenta (M) image data in accordance with the mounting of the developing device 25b corresponding to magenta. Send. Then, control is performed so that yellow (Y) image data is sent to the laser irradiation device 28b. Further, other laser irradiation devices 28c, 2
The image data of the above-mentioned color is sent to 8d.

Thus, when a full-color image is formed, the image data of Y, M, C and BK corresponding to the color of the mounted developing device, particularly the color of the developing device mounted at an arbitrary position, are converted into respective laser beams. Since the color image is sent to the irradiation devices 28a to 28d, the reproduced color image is a faithful reproduction of the developed color image.

The color image data is read not only by the reading device 4 but also when reproducing color image data sent from another personal computer or the like.

The laser irradiating device 2 which is naturally used not only for full-color images but also for monochromatic copying is used.
8a to 28d are attached to the developing devices 25a and 25
Selective driving is performed corresponding to 5b, 25c, and 25d. For example, when performing black and white copying, when the developing device 25d for the black toner is mounted on the rightmost side in FIG. 28b-28d
Is not sent image data to the image forming station Pb.
To Pd are inactive.

Therefore, when performing copying with a single color designated by the operator, it is necessary to selectively use any of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d corresponding to the designated color to form an image. The drive of the laser irradiation device corresponding to the mounting position of the developing device can be controlled, and a copy of the color designated by the operator can be provided without fail.

As described above, the developing unit 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d is taken out from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 for toner supply or replacement, and after toner replenishment or a new developing apparatus is mounted. . At this time, the mounting positions of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d for the respective colors are not predetermined, and may be mounted at arbitrary positions, and the mounting and replacement work is facilitated.

Then, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
If c and 25d are all mounted, the control unit 33 detects each color information corresponding to the mounted position.
The developing device of the color corresponding to the mounted position can be operated by starting the image forming operation, and the image data of the color corresponding thereto can be faithfully obtained by the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d. Send to Therefore, even if the arrangement positions of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are different from those before, the reproduced color can be reproduced with a faithful color designated by the operator.

Therefore, the operator operates the developing devices 25a, 25
When the mounting positions of 5b, 25c, and 25d are mistaken, the burden on the operator can be greatly reduced, such as saving the trouble of performing the mounting work again. For this reason, the operating rate of the color image forming apparatus can be improved by omitting the mounting work again.

Further, each of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
Since c and 25d are all the same, various components constituting the developing device can be all the same, the number of components can be reduced, and the components can be commonly used, so that the cost can be reduced and the design can be rationalized.

The developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c,
When all the 25d are not mounted, the detecting means 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d can simultaneously detect the mounted state. That is, since the color information cannot be recognized, it can be detected that the camera is not mounted. Therefore, it is possible to form an image in the mounted developing device.

(Another aspect according to the first embodiment of the present invention) According to the above-described first embodiment of the present invention,
Detecting means 32a to 32d are provided to detect the mounting positions of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d for the respective colors, and the destination of the image data is automatically controlled. Therefore, the burden on the operator can be reduced. That is, it is not necessary to mount the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d at predetermined positions, and the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d can be mounted at arbitrary positions.

Therefore, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25
detecting means 32a to 32d for detecting the mounting positions of the c and 25d.
32d is provided, and color information corresponding to the position is input to the control means 33. However, the input position of the color information may be input by using an operation panel or the like without using the detection units 32a to 32d, instead of using the detection units 32a to 32d.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, an image condition of the image forming apparatus 1, for example, copy (print)
An operation panel 35 having a number of keys for designating the number of sheets, image density, magnification, and the above-described full-color mode, single-color mode, and the like is connected. A display device 36 is also provided on the operation panel 35, and can display necessary information.

For this reason, on the control means 33 side, when the attaching / detaching operation of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d is performed, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are displayed on the display device 36.
For example, a message indicating the 25d mounting position is displayed. At this time, the mounting positions are set to 1, 2, 3, and 4 from the right side in FIG. 1, which are displayed on the display device 36, and information of Y, M, C, and BK is input to the display position. The storage unit 34 stores the input color information. For example,
If the black developing device 25d is mounted on the rightmost side, "B" is input to the portion corresponding to the display position "1". In this way, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 2
The operator wearing 5c and 25d can input color information according to the mounting position.

Even in such a configuration, when the image forming operation is started, the control means 33 sends the color image data to the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d in accordance with the position of the color information stored in the storage means 34. The color formed by the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d of the attached colors can be sent without mistake.

Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator when attaching / detaching and replacing the developing device, to prevent troubles, failures, and damage to components due to erroneous mounting, and to improve the operability, workability, safety, etc. of the device. .

Each of the developing devices 25a, 25 containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (black) toners.
Among the b, 25c, and 25d, the black developing device 25d having the largest usage amount is the developing device 25a, 25
Often, the external shape is different from b and 25c. That is, the size of the toner hopper and the like can be increased, and the frequency of toner supply can be reduced.

Therefore, the mounting position of only the developing device 25d for the black toner is determined, and the developing devices 25a, 25
5b and 25c can be similarly implemented by making the structures and shapes identical. That is, identification members 31a, 31b, and 31c indicating color information may be provided only for the three color developing devices 25a, 25b, and 25c, and detection means 32a, 32b, and 32c may be provided correspondingly. Further, the detecting means 32a, 32b, 32
The input by the operator may be performed as described above without providing the c and the identification members 31a, 31b, 31c.

(Second Embodiment of the Present Invention) According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the identification member 31 and the detecting means 3 serve as means for inputting color information of the developing device to be mounted.
2 or the operator inputs position and color information.

According to the second embodiment, as the input means for inputting the color information of the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d to be mounted, the color information can be input without providing an identification member indicating the color information. The object is achieved by a simple configuration only by providing a detecting means for detection.

Referring to the configuration diagram shown in FIG.
There are provided toner detection sensors 37a, 37b, 37c, and 37d for detecting toner images, particularly toner patch images, formed corresponding to the respective photoconductors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d. The toner detection sensors 37a, 37b, 37
As c and 37d, those provided for performing image adjustment can be used as they are.

The toner patch image is defined as the image forming unit 10
Is formed in order to perform adjustment control so that the density and the like of the toner image formed by the above are always constant. For this reason, the patch image is formed in an area determined based on predetermined conditions, for example, the charging potential of the photoconductor 23, exposure, a developing bias voltage in the developing device, and the like. Then, the color and density of the formed toner patch image are determined by the toner detection sensors 37a, 37b, 37c, and 38 described above.
d and the like are provided for detection.

By comparing the detection result with a predetermined reference density, image forming conditions such as the density of the detection result serving as the reference density, for example, adjustment control of the charging potential and the developing bias voltage are performed. I have.

That is, in order to adjust the image quality and the like, the toner detection sensors 37a, 37b, 37c, 37d
3a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c, and 23c detect the developed toner patch image so that the density thereof becomes constant in advance.
25d or the like, or a corona charger 24a,
Adjustment control of the charging voltage and the like of 24b, 24c, 24d is performed. Therefore, the toner detection sensor 37
By configuring a, 37b, 37c, and 37d with color sensors, the density and the color information can be recognized together.

Therefore, when the image forming apparatus 1 is in a standby state when the image forming operation is not started, the control unit 33 executes the image quality adjustment control before the image forming operation is started.
For example, the developing devices 24a and 24 by the main body of the image forming apparatus 1
When the attachment / detachment work of b, 24c, 24d and other work are executed and the front door is closed, the adjustment mode is automatically set,
The photoconductors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d are rotationally driven. Then, the surface potential of the photoreceptor is formed at the determined voltage, and the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d are appropriately driven to expose an area of a determined size, thereby forming a patch image by an electrostatic latent image. Then, the developing devices 25a and 25 of the respective colors on which the patch images are mounted like the exposed electrostatic latent images.
Development is performed at b, 25c, and 25d to form toner patch images of each color.

The formed toner patch image is detected by the toner detection sensors 37a, 37b, 37c and 37d, and the density and color information are stored in the storage means 34.
By using an image in which at least two types of densities are changed as the toner patch image, a charging potential and a developing bias voltage serving as reference densities are set based on a density function (an approximated straight line or the like) between the two points. it can.

In this manner, the color information at each position of the currently mounted developing device is
a, 37b, 37c, and 37d, and are stored in the storage unit 34. The subsequent process control is as described in the first embodiment, and the developing devices 25a, 25b, 25c,
Control is performed such that color image data is sent to the laser irradiation devices 28a to 28d in correspondence with 25d.

As described above, since the toner patch image is formed in advance and the density and color information are read, image adjustment can be performed, and at the same time, the position and color information of the mounted developing device can be grasped at a time. Thus, a color image of a density desired by the operator can be faithfully reproduced. Therefore, the color information of the attached developing device can be easily detected by using the previously provided detection sensor without providing any special means. Based on the detected color information, the image data as described in the first embodiment is sent to the laser irradiating device, thereby enabling faithful and accurate color reproduction.

Therefore, as described in the first embodiment, there is no need to provide a special identification member 31 for recognizing color information, and the number of components can be reduced.
The apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Here, the formed toner patch images are formed on the respective photoconductors 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d, and the formed images are formed by the toner detecting sensors 37a, 37b and 37.
The example in which the detection is performed at c and 37d has been described. Without being limited to this, the photoconductors 23a, 23b, 23
If the toner patch images formed on c and 23d are transferred to the transfer / conveyance belt 13, and the transferred toner patch images are detected by the detection sensor 38 as shown in FIG. The sensor 38 can detect the toner patch images formed by the attached developing devices 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d.

In this case, each image forming station P
In a, Pb, Pc, and Pd, it is not necessary to perform image forming control at the timing of sequentially superimposing the formed toner images. If the image forming operation is started at the same time, the toner image is formed by the leftmost developing device 25d. The detected toner patch image is first detected by the detection sensor 38. Therefore, the color information of the mounted developing device can be recognized in the order of detection, and at the same time, the density state can be detected together.

Therefore, only one detection sensor 38 needs to be provided, and cost reduction can be further promoted.

In the first and second embodiments, a color image forming apparatus having a configuration in which image forming stations are arranged side by side is described as an example. However, in some color image forming apparatuses, at least three types of developing devices corresponding to one photoconductor, and in some cases, four types of developing devices including black are detachably arranged. In such a color image forming apparatus, one developing device is operated by the first rotation of the photoconductor to form a toner image of that color, and the toner image is temporarily transferred to a recording medium, for example, a sheet or an intermediate transfer member. There is also a method of forming a color image by transferring the toner image of the next color in order, and superimposing images of all colors on the recording medium.

In the present invention, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a color image forming apparatus of such a system, and the output of color image data may be controlled sequentially in accordance with the position of the developing device to which the color image data is mounted.

[0103]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even if the developing devices of the respective colors have the same structure and the same shape and the mounting position is not determined in advance, the image of the designated color is faithfully reproduced. It becomes possible. Since the mounting position is not determined, the mounting operation by the operator is very easy, and the color image data can be processed on the image forming apparatus side only by inputting the color information at the time of mounting. An image of a color desired by the operator can be provided without performing color reproduction.

As a result, since various components constituting the developing device can be shared, the number of components can be reduced and the design can be rationalized, so that the cost can be greatly reduced.

Further, the color information of the developing device mounted at an arbitrary position can be easily detected only by using the previously provided components as they are, so that a simple configuration can be achieved without using any special components. The goal can be achieved.

Accordingly, it is possible to greatly reduce the burden on the operator when attaching and detaching the developing device, prevent the reproduction of different colors due to mounting errors, and provide a color image forming apparatus excellent in operability and safety.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a color of a toner image formed in each image forming station is recognized, and color image data corresponding to the color information is transmitted to an image forming unit. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram including a control circuit configuration for performing transmission control.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining an example of a color image forming apparatus having a control circuit configuration having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, in particular, an internal structure of a digital color copying machine.

FIG. 3 illustrates a color of a toner image formed in each image forming station for describing a second embodiment of the present invention, and sends color image data corresponding to the color information to an image forming unit. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram including a control circuit configuration for performing control.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Digital Copier (Color Image Forming Apparatus) 10 Image Forming Unit 11 Paper Feeding Mechanism 13 Transfer Conveying Belt 14 Conveying Belt Mechanism 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d Photoconductor (Image Carrier) 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d Development of Each Color Device 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d Transfer device 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d Laser irradiation device 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d Guide member 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d Color identification member 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d Color detection Means 33 Control means 34 Storage means 35 Operation panel 37a, 37b, 37c, 37d Toner detection sensor (color information detection means) 38 Toner detection sensor S sheet Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd Image forming station

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor ▼ Yoshiaki Ta Hiroaki 22-22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka F-term (reference) 2H027 DA09 DD05 EA00 ED06 FA28 HB05 HB13 2H030 AA01 AB02 AD07 AD08 AD16 BB16 2H077 BA09 BA10 DA05 DA24 DA49 DA62 GA13

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of developing devices, which contain toner of each color to form a color image and develop an electrostatic latent image of each color formed on an image carrier with a corresponding toner color, are provided side by side. An image forming apparatus for forming a desired color image by sequentially superimposing toner images formed by the developing devices of the respective colors on a recording medium, wherein the developing devices of the respective colors are detachably provided at arbitrary positions; Means for inputting color information at the mounted position when the developing device is mounted at an arbitrary position; and based on the color information input by the input means, an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier is formed. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a control unit that controls exposure to be performed with image data of a color corresponding to a mounted color developing device. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit includes an operation unit for inputting color information corresponding to a position where the operator has mounted the developing device, and the control unit performs control in accordance with the input color information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The input means comprises an identification member indicating a color corresponding to the developing device of each color, and detection means for detecting color information of the identification member, and transmits the detected color information to the control means. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input is performed. 4. The input means comprises a detection sensor for forming a toner patch image determined by a mounted developing device and detecting a toner color of the formed toner patch image. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein color information from the sensor is input to the control unit. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said detection sensor is also used as a detection sensor for detecting a toner density, which is provided in advance for performing image quality adjustment. 6. The input means forms a predetermined toner patch image on the image carrier with the mounted developing device, and then temporarily transfers the toner patch image to a recording medium. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting a toner color, wherein the color information detected by the detection sensor is input to a control unit. 7. The image bearing member is provided for each color, and a developing device for each color is detachably provided for each image bearing member. The control means is mounted to face the image bearing member. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that image data of a color corresponding to the developed color developing device is sent to exposure means provided for each of the image carriers.