JP2008134508A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing unintentional discontinuation of printing or early replacement of a container recovering waste toner by accurately displaying the number of printable sheets until the replacement of the container. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: the container 52 for recovering waste toner which has not been transferred to a recording medium; a recovered waste toner quantity detecting means 53 for detecting a quantity of toner recovered to the container 52: a warning display means 600 for showing a warning display when the recovered waste toner quantity detecting means 53 detects a warning toner recovery level which indicates that the quantity of toner recovered to the container is almost full. The warning display means 600 is provided with a remaining printable sheet number display means 602 for displaying the number of printable sheets corresponding to the remaining recovery capacity of the container 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a container for collecting waste toner that has not been transferred to a recording medium, a waste toner collection amount detection means for detecting the amount of toner collected in the container, and a toner collection into the container by the waste toner collection amount detection means. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a warning display unit that displays a warning when a warning toner recovery level that is nearly full is detected.

  In Patent Document 1, a container for storing waste toner collected from the photoreceptor, a collected toner full detection means for detecting that the waste toner in the container is full, and a full detection signal from the detection means are used. And a control unit that displays a full warning on the operation display unit, enables a predetermined number of copies after the warning, and displays a copy prohibition display on the operation display unit after the predetermined number of copies is completed. In the image forming apparatus, when the full detection signal is output from the detection unit, the control unit displays on the operation display unit the maximum number of copies that can be made before the copy is prohibited, and the copy performed after the full detection is detected. The copyable number display control device, wherein the remaining number of copyable sheets is displayed by subtracting the number of sheets, and further, copy prohibition display is performed when the remaining number of copyable sheets becomes zero. There has been proposed.

According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the maximum number of copies that can be made from when it is detected that a container for storing waste toner is full of waste toner until the copy is actually prohibited is displayed. Each time copying is performed, the remaining number of copies can be updated by subtracting the number of copies made from the maximum number of copies that can be made, preventing unexpected interruption of copying execution and premature container replacement, The copy work efficiency could be improved.
JP-A-4-338993

  However, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the method of calculating the maximum number of copies that can be detected after full detection, which is a reference for calculating the remaining number of copies, is unclear and may include a large error. . Also, even if the maximum number of copies that can be made is correct, the remaining number of copies that can be displayed is subtracted based on the number of copies, copy mode, and paper size of the copy executed after full detection. There is a large error between the number of copies that can be made and the actual number of copies that can be made, and even if the remaining number of copies that can be displayed is greater than zero, copying is not possible, or the remaining number of copies that can be displayed is zero. However, there is room for further improvement in improving the copy work efficiency, such as the fact that copying can actually be performed.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to accurately display the number of sheets that can be printed before replacing a container for collecting waste toner, thereby preventing unexpected printing interruption and premature container replacement. It is in providing an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first characteristic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention collects waste toner that has not been transferred to a recording medium as described in claim 1 of the document of the claims. A container, a waste toner collection amount detection means for detecting the toner collection amount in the container, and a warning when the waste toner collection amount detection means detects that the toner collection amount in the container is almost full There is a warning display means for displaying, and the warning display means is provided with a printable remaining number display means for displaying the printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container.

  According to the above configuration, the number of sheets that can be printed before the container is filled with the waste toner can be accurately displayed based on the accurate remaining collection capacity of the container for collecting the waste toner.

  In the second feature configuration, as described in claim 2, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the printable remaining number display means includes a past cumulative print corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container. There is an arithmetic means for calculating the number of printable sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container based on the number of sheets.

  The amount of waste toner collected after execution of a print job differs depending on the type of original such as a photo original and a text original. If the paper is the same size, the photo original generally has a larger amount of waste toner. In addition, depending on the installation environment and operator's preference, the type of document that is printed by the image forming apparatus tends to be biased.

  According to the above-described configuration, the number of sheets that can be printed before the container for collecting the waste toner is filled is calculated based on the past cumulative number of printed sheets, which reflects the installation environment of the image forming apparatus and operator preference. Thus, the correct number of printable sheets can be calculated.

  In the third feature configuration, as described in the third aspect, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the remaining printable sheet number display unit is configured such that the waste toner collection amount detection unit detects the amount of toner collected in the container. The remaining collection in the container is based on the past cumulative number of prints corresponding to the amount of toner collected from when the reference toner collection level is lower than the warning toner collection level until the warning toner collection level is detected. An arithmetic means for calculating the number of printable sheets corresponding to the capacity is provided.

  According to the above-described configuration, the number of sheets that can be printed before the waste toner collecting container is full based on the past cumulative number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount of discarded toner from the reference toner collecting level to the warning toner collecting level. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the correct number of printable sheets reflecting the recent usage status of the image forming apparatus.

  In the fourth feature configuration, as described in claim 4, in addition to any of the first to third feature configurations described above, the printable remaining number display means is configured to execute a subsequent print job. Correspondingly, the printable number of sheets is updated and displayed.

  According to the above configuration, the number of printable sheets is updated and displayed every time the print job is executed, so that the operator can confirm in advance whether or not the print job to be executed can be completed. Can be prevented.

  In the fifth feature configuration, as described in the fifth aspect, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, the printable remaining number display means includes a past print job corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container. The number of printable sheets is updated and displayed based on the cumulative number of dots of the image relating to the number of dots and the number of dots of the image relating to the subsequent print job.

  According to the above configuration, the amount of toner collected by the print job to be executed based on the amount of toner collected for each unit dot obtained from the cumulative number of dots of the image relating to the past print job corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container Therefore, it is possible to accurately calculate the number of printable sheets by reflecting the collected toner amount related to the print job to be executed.

  In the sixth feature configuration, as described in the sixth aspect, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, the remaining printable sheet number display means includes toner collection amount table data corresponding to a preset image characteristic. And the number of printable sheets is updated and displayed based on the image attribute corresponding to the print job thereafter.

  According to the above configuration, the amount of toner collected by the print job to be executed can be accurately calculated based on the amount of toner collected corresponding to the image characteristics such as a photographic image and a character image. The possible number can be calculated.

  In the seventh feature configuration, as described in claim 7, in addition to any of the fourth to sixth feature configurations described above, the printable remaining number display means has a printable number of sheets of a predetermined number. If it falls below, the printable sheet number display process is stopped.

  Regardless of how accurately the number of printable sheets is calculated, there are times when printing must be interrupted depending on the contents of a print job to be executed thereafter. For example, when the print job to be executed is an unexpected print job such as executing a plurality of solid prints or a print similar to a solid print, the number of printable sheets displayed is larger than the set number of prints. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that printing of the set number of sheets cannot be completed and may be interrupted, and displaying the printable number of sheets conversely reduces the work efficiency of the operator, and for the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus, There was a risk of unexpected user complaints.

  According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling distrust about the number of printable sheets to be displayed, and to prevent unexpected user complaints with the manufacturer.

  In the eighth feature configuration, as described in claim 8, in addition to any of the fourth to sixth feature configurations described above, the printable remaining number display means has a printable number of sheets of a predetermined number. When the value is lower, the printable sheet number display process is stopped and a container replacement message is displayed.

  According to the above configuration, an operator who performs a print job can recognize the possibility of a print interruption during the execution of the print job.

  In the ninth feature configuration, as described in claim 9, in addition to any of the first to eighth feature configurations described above, the printable remaining number display means is at least during execution of a print job. The printable number display process is stopped.

  The toner collection amount collected by execution of one print job can be accurately calculated after the end of the print job, but the toner collection amount is accurately calculated before or during execution of the print job. The printable number of sheets obtained by performing subtraction based on inaccurate information during execution of the print job is different from the printable number of sheets calculated based on the toner collection amount calculated after the print job is completed. If correction of the different number of sheets is frequently performed after the completion, the operator's distrust of the printable number of sheets is unnecessarily increased.

  According to the above-described configuration, the number of printable sheets that may need to be corrected is not displayed at least during execution of a print job, so that confusion of the operator can be prevented.

  In the tenth feature, as described in claim 10, in addition to any one of the first to ninth features described above, the printable remaining number display means prints a set number of prints. The display mode of the number of printable sheets is changed when the number exceeds the possible number.

  According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to recognize that the execution of the print job is interrupted before executing the print job, and it is possible to prevent unexpected print interruption.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus capable of preventing unexpected printing interruption and premature container replacement by accurately displaying the number of sheets that can be printed before replacing a container for collecting waste toner. Can now be offered.

  Hereinafter, an electrophotographic copying machine as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine A according to the present invention sequentially reads a series of documents set on the operation unit 1 on which a color display unit, hardware keys, and the like are arranged, and the document placing unit 2 to read electronic data. An image reading unit 3 that converts the image data into image data, and an image forming unit 5 that performs predetermined image processing on the image data and forms and outputs a toner image on a sheet that is a recording medium conveyed from the sheet feeding cassette 4. And a system control unit 6 for overall control of the digital copying machine 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming unit 5 includes a waste toner collecting unit 50 for collecting waste toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium. The waste toner collecting unit 50 is configured as shown in FIG. And a screw conveyor 51 and a container 52 for collecting the waste toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium, and further comprising a waste toner collection amount detecting means 53 for detecting the amount of waste toner collected in the container 52. Has been.

  The screw conveyer 51 includes a cleaning member having a blade that scrapes off waste toner adhering to the photosensitive drum after the transfer operation to the transfer paper, a waste toner collecting unit that collects the scraped waste toner, and the waste The waste toner is transferred to an opening 54 provided at the other end of the waste toner collection member by rotation of the conveyance member. It is transported and dropped into the container 52 and collected.

  The waste toner collection amount detecting means 53 is constituted by a photo sensor unit comprising a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and when the light emitted from the light emitting part through the light transmitting part of the container 52 is received by the light receiving part. Based on the transmitted light amount, a warning toner recovery level in which the toner recovery amount to the container 52 is almost full and a full level in which the toner is full are detected.

  The system control unit 6 includes a CPU, a ROM storing an operation program of the CPU, a RAM serving as a work area of the CPU, the operation unit 1, the image reading unit 3, and the image forming unit. Unit 5 and overall control.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the system control unit 6 includes an operation control unit 60 that controls the operation unit 1 and an image formation control unit 61 that controls the image forming unit 5. The image formation control unit 61 includes a dot counter 610 that counts the number of dots of an image per print job, and the average number of dots of the image per past based on the number of dots counted by the dot counter 610. Average dot calculation means 611 for calculating the accumulated print number, and accumulated print number calculation means 612 for calculating the past accumulated print number. The average dot number calculated by the average dot calculation unit 611 and the cumulative print number calculated by the cumulative print number calculation unit 612 are stored in the storage unit 601 included in the operation control unit 60.

  When the container 52 is empty, the cumulative print number calculation unit 612 erases the cumulative print number stored in the storage unit 601 and when a print job is executed, the cumulative print number stored in the storage unit 601 is erased. And a new total number of printed sheets based on the number of sheets printed in the print job, and the total number of printed sheets is updated and stored in the storage unit 601. The accumulated print number calculation means 612 is configured to count the number of prints in consideration of the paper size corresponding to the print job to be executed. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the default size of the paper to be counted is set to “A4” set in advance, and the cumulative print number calculation unit 612 prints “A3” size paper “1”. It is configured to count “2 sheets” and count the number of sheets in terms of the default size, such as counting “2 sheets” when “double-sided printing” of “A4” size paper is performed. Here, the default size may be fixed to “A4”, which is generally used frequently, but may be configured to be changeable by an operator, and the latter is preferably the latter. Needless to say.

  When the container 52 is empty, the average dot calculation unit 611 deletes the average dot number stored in the storage unit 601, and when a print job is executed, the average dot number stored in the storage unit 601 And the new average number of dots based on the cumulative number of dots of the image relating to the past print job corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container 52 and the number of dots counted by the dot counter 610, calculated based on the cumulative number of printed sheets. And the new average number of dots is updated and stored in the storage unit 601. Here, the average dot calculation means 611 and the dot counter 610 are configured to perform calculations based on the “A4” size paper set in advance as the default size, similarly to the cumulative print number calculation means 612. ing.

  The operation control unit 60 displays a warning screen indicating that the container 52 is almost full on the color display unit when the warning toner collection level is detected by the waste toner collection amount detection unit 53 and displays the warning screen. A warning display means 600 for displaying a warning at a time, and a waste that can be collected in the container 52 after the warning toner collection level is detected by the waste toner collection amount detection means 53 until the full level is detected. Storage means 601 for storing the remaining collection capacity that is the amount of toner.

  The warning display unit 600 includes a printable remaining number display unit 602 that displays a printable sheet number corresponding to the remaining collection capacity on the color display unit of the operation unit 1. The printable remaining number display means 602 includes a calculation means 603 for calculating the printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity based on the past cumulative number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container 52, and thereafter In response to the execution of the print job, the printable number of sheets is updated and displayed.

  The calculation means 603 stores a full capacity that is the capacity of the container 52 and a warning toner collection quantity that is a toner collection quantity corresponding to a warning toner collection level, and the waste toner collection quantity detection means 53 is the container. When the warning toner recovery level of 52 is detected, the difference between the full capacity and the warning toner recovery amount is set to the remaining recovery capacity, and the calculation is started. The calculation is repeated until the full toner recovery level is detected.

  The calculation means 603 that has started the calculation obtains the cumulative number of dots based on the average number of dots and the cumulative number of prints stored in the storage means 601 corresponding to the subsequent execution of the print job, and the cumulative number of prints The amount of waste toner collected for each unit dot is calculated based on the amount of waste toner collected in the container 52 corresponding to the number of accumulated dots, and the dot counter 610 counts the amount of waste toner collected for each unit dot. The storage unit 601 uses a difference between the calculated amount of waste toner collected in the container 52 and the remaining collection capacity as a new remaining collection capacity each time a sheet is output in the print job based on the number of dots printed. The quotient of the new calculated collection capacity and the average dot number is obtained, and the obtained quotient is calculated as the printable number of sheets.

  That is, the remaining printable number display means 602 displays the cumulative number of dots of the image relating to the past print job corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container 52 and the subsequent printing after the calculation means 603 starts the calculation. The number of printable sheets is updated and displayed on the color display unit based on the number of dots of the image relating to the job.

  Here, the remaining printable sheet number display means 602 is configured to stop the printable sheet number display process when the printable sheet number falls below a predetermined number, and to display a container replacement message for prompting replacement of the container 52, The printable sheet number display process is stopped at least during execution of the print job. The predetermined number is set in advance at the time of shipment or installation of the copying machine A. However, the setting may be changed by an operator.

  Further, the remaining printable sheet number display unit 602 changes the display mode of the printable sheet number when the number of prints set in the subsequent print job exceeds the printable sheet number after the calculation unit 603 starts the calculation. Let Specifically, the color display unit displays that the print job may be interrupted.

  The display of the number of printable sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container 52 of the copying machine A will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the amount of waste toner collected in the container 52 increases when printing is performed in the copying machine A and the waste toner collection amount detection means 53 detects the warning toner collection level (S1), the calculation means 603 moves to the container 52. The calculation for calculating the printable sheet number corresponding to the remaining collection capacity is started (S2), and the remaining printable sheet number display means 602 displays the printable sheet number on the color display part of the operation unit 1 (S3).

  The remaining printable sheet number display unit 602 stops displaying the printable sheet number when the printable sheet number falls below a predetermined number (S4) after the calculation unit 603 starts calculating (S5), and the container 52 A container replacement message for urging replacement is displayed on the color display section (S6).

  The printable remaining number display means 602, when the calculation means 603 starts the calculation, when the printable number does not fall below a predetermined number (S4), when a print job is input (S7), the printable number of prints Is stopped (S8).

  The printable remaining number display means 602 indicates that the print job may be interrupted halfway when the number of prints set in the print job exceeds the printable number (S9). (S10).

  The computing means 603 recalculates the number of printable sheets every time a sheet is output in the print job (S11), and the waste toner collection amount detecting means 53 detects a full level during the execution of the print job and When the print job is interrupted (S12), the remaining printable number display means 602 displays a container replacement message for prompting replacement of the container 52 on the color display unit (S6), and the print job is not interrupted (S6). (S12) When the print job is completed (S13), the number of printable sheets calculated by the calculation means 603 is displayed (S3).

  Another embodiment will be described below.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printable remaining number display unit 602 displays the number of printable sheets, such as displaying that there is a possibility of interruption of the print job to be executed when the set number of prints exceeds the printable number. The configuration is changed, but this is not an essential requirement in the present invention. However, it goes without saying that it is desirable to configure the printable remaining number display means 602 so as to satisfy this requirement.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remaining printable sheet number display unit 602 is configured to stop the printable sheet number display process during execution of the print job. However, the printable sheet number display process is performed only immediately before execution of the print job. It is sufficient that the printable sheet number display process is stopped at least during execution of a print job.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printable remaining sheet number display unit 602 is configured to stop the printable sheet number display process during execution of a print job. However, this is not an essential requirement in the present invention. The printable sheet number display process may be performed even inside. In this case, after execution of the print job, the number of printable sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity may differ from the number of printable sheets displayed on the color display unit. The number of printable sheets corresponding to the above should be displayed again.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remaining printable sheet number display unit 602 is configured to stop the printable sheet number display process and display a container replacement message when the printable sheet number falls below the predetermined sheet number. If the number is less than the number of sheets, the printable sheet number display process may be stopped without displaying the container replacement message. However, it goes without saying that it is desirable to configure the printable remaining number display means 602 so as to display the container replacement message.

  In the embodiment described above, the remaining printable number display means 602 is based on the cumulative dot number of images related to past print jobs corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container 52 and the number of dots of images related to subsequent print jobs. The number of printable sheets is updated and displayed. However, the number of printable sheets is based on toner collection amount table data corresponding to preset image characteristics and image attributes such as a photographic image and a character image corresponding to a subsequent print job. May be configured to be updated and displayed. In this case, the copying machine A may include the toner collection table data in place of the dot counter 610 and the average dot calculation means 611.

  In the above-described embodiment, the calculation means 603 that has started calculation calculates the difference between the calculated amount of waste toner collected in the container 52 and the remaining collection capacity every time a sheet is output in a subsequent print job. The storage unit 601 is updated and stored as a new remaining collection capacity, and the quotient of the new calculated collection capacity and the average dot number is obtained, and the obtained quotient is calculated as the printable number of sheets. The difference between the amount of waste toner collected in the container 52 calculated after the end of the job and the remaining collection capacity is updated and stored in the storage unit 601 as a new remaining collection capacity, and the new calculated collection capacity and the average A configuration may be used in which a quotient with the number of dots is obtained and the obtained quotient is calculated as the number of printable sheets.

  In the above-described embodiment, the calculation unit 603 calculates the printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container 52 based on the past cumulative number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container 52. However, the toner collection from the time when the waste toner collection amount detection means 53 detects the reference toner collection level in which the toner collection amount to the container 52 is lower than the warning toner collection level until the warning toner collection level is detected. The printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container 52 may be calculated based on the past accumulated number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount.

  In the above-described embodiment, the calculation unit 603 that has started the calculation obtains the cumulative dot number based on the average dot number and the cumulative print number stored in the storage unit 601 corresponding to the subsequent execution of the print job. However, the cumulative number of dots may be stored in the storage unit 601 each time the dot counter 610 counts the number of dots. In this case, the load required for the calculation means 603 to calculate the cumulative number of dots can be reduced.

The warning display unit 600 displays a warning screen indicating that the container 52 is almost full on the color display unit of the operation unit 1 when the warning toner collection level is detected by the waste toner collection amount detection unit 53. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a notification means including an LED or a speaker for notifying that the container is almost full is installed in the operation unit 1, and the notification means is warned. It may be configured to display.

  The plurality of embodiments described above are not limited to being configured alone, but may be combined as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

  Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the description. The specific configuration of each part is appropriately changed within the scope of the effects of the present invention. It goes without saying that it can be done.

System block diagram of system controller Illustration of copier Illustration of waste toner recovery unit Illustration of waste toner recovery unit Flowchart used for explanation of display of printable number of sheets by remaining printable number display means

Explanation of symbols

1: Operation unit 6: System control unit
52: Container 53: Waste toner collection amount detection means 60: Operation control means 61: Image formation control means 600: Warning display means 601: Storage means 602: Printable remaining number display means 603: Calculation means 610: Dot counter 611: Average Dot calculation means 612: Cumulative print number calculation means

Claims (10)

A container that collects waste toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium, a waste toner collection amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner collected in the container, and a toner collection amount in the container that is full by the waste toner collection amount detection unit An image forming apparatus comprising warning display means for displaying a warning when a near warning toner recovery level is detected,
An image forming apparatus comprising: the warning display means; a printable remaining number display means for displaying a printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container.   The remaining printable sheet number display unit includes a calculation unit that calculates a printable sheet number corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container based on a past cumulative number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The printable remaining number display means detects the warning toner collection level when the waste toner collection quantity detection means detects a reference toner collection level in which the amount of toner collected in the container is lower than the warning toner collection level. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an arithmetic unit that calculates a printable number of sheets corresponding to the remaining collection capacity in the container based on a past accumulated number of printed sheets corresponding to the amount of toner collected up to.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display unit updates and displays the printable sheet number in response to subsequent execution of a print job.   The printable remaining number display means updates and displays the printable number based on the cumulative dot number of images related to past print jobs corresponding to the amount of toner collected in the container and the number of dots of images related to subsequent print jobs. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.   5. The image according to claim 4, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display means updates and displays the printable sheet number based on toner collection amount table data corresponding to preset image characteristics and an image attribute corresponding to a subsequent print job. Forming equipment.   7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display unit stops the printable sheet number display process when the printable sheet number falls below a predetermined number.   7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display unit stops the printable sheet number display process and displays a container replacement message when the printable sheet number falls below a predetermined number.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display unit stops the printable sheet number display process at least during execution of a print job.   10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining printable sheet number display unit changes a display mode of the printable sheet number when the set print sheet number exceeds the printable sheet number.

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