JPH04355464A - Electrostatic recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability in the exchange of each exchange part and provide an electrostatic recording device having no possibility of forgetting the exchange. CONSTITUTION:When a control unit 9 functioning also as an exchange time detecting means for each exchange part detects that, for example, a photosensitive drum 1 having a long exchange life reaches the exchange life, it is judged whether each part of a cleaning unit 6, electric charger 2, transfer charger 5, developing unit 4, and toner cartridge 3 having exchange lives shorter than the drum nearly reaches the exchange period or not. When it reaches the exchange period, the lock by lock mechanisms 20A-20G is released so that both the part having the longer exchange life and the part having the shorter one are laid in attachable and removable states, whereby the part having the longer exchange life reaching the exchange period and the part having the shorter exchange life to nearly reach the exchange period can be simultaneously removed and exchanged.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrostatic recording apparatus, such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an optical printer, which is equipped with a plurality of replacement parts having different replacement lives.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of electrostatic recording device, replacement parts such as a charger, a toner cartridge, a developing unit, a transfer charger, and a cleaning unit are arranged around a photosensitive drum.

[0003] These replacement parts depend on the number of sheets to be replaced, for example, the toner cartridge has a capacity of 1,000 sheets, the developing unit has a capacity of 4,000 pages, the charger and transfer charger have a capacity of 8,000 pages, and the cleaning unit has a capacity of 1 page.
Many of them have different replacement lives, such as 6,000 sheets for photosensitive drums and 32,000 sheets for photoreceptor drums.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] With such a plurality of replacement parts having different replacement lives, even if some of them have the same replacement life, the replacement lifespan of these parts may vary. There are variations.

[0005] Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG.
If a long-life component is set to have a lifespan that is five times longer than a short-life component, and when it reaches its first replacement period, the short-life component will soon reach its fifth replacement period. It may happen.

[0006] In this case, conventionally, the parts with short lifespans have not yet reached their fifth replacement period, so they are not subject to replacement at the time when the parts with long lifespans are replaced.

[0007] Therefore, in such cases, after a long-life part is replaced, the short-life part will soon reach its replacement time, resulting in extremely inefficient replacement work. Something happened.

In addition, if there are a plurality of replacement parts with the same replacement life, as shown in FIG.
If the replacement parts 51 and 52 are respectively locked in the installed position by the locking mechanisms 50A and 50B, then both of them have a replacement life. When this point has been reached, the parts must be removed one by one from the device body 10 and replaced with new parts, which not only causes poor operability when replacing parts, but also the risk of forgetting to replace parts. There was also.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an electrostatic recording device that improves operability when replacing replacement parts and eliminates the risk of forgetting to replace replacement parts. .

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electrostatic recording device as described above.
Replacement time detection means detects when each replacement part reaches the end of its replacement life, and when the means detects that a part with a longer replacement life has reached its replacement life, a part with a shorter replacement life is detected. A means is provided for determining whether or not the time for replacement has been reached and, if it is almost time for replacement, to release the lock by the lock mechanism so that both the parts with a long lifespan and the parts with a short lifespan can be attached and detached. It is something that

Furthermore, among a plurality of replacement parts, a part with a shorter replacement life is attached to a part with a longer replacement life, and parts with the same replacement life are connected to each other by a locking mechanism, and the parts with the longest replacement life are installed. Replacement time detection means detects when the parts are attached to the device body and each replacement part reaches the end of its replacement life; The lock mechanism corresponding to the replacement part that has reached the end of its lifespan is unlocked, but when it is detected that one of the parts with the same replacement life has reached its replacement life, the parts with the same replacement life are connected to each other. The electrostatic recording device is constructed by providing a means for unlocking a component having a longer replacement life than the locked component without unlocking the locking mechanism.

Furthermore, a locking mechanism is provided between adjacent parts of the plurality of replacement parts, and when an instruction for replacing a replacement part is issued, the locking mechanism is locked, which is necessary for taking out the replacement part corresponding to the instruction. An electrostatic recording device is constructed by providing a lock release means for releasing the device, and replacement parts having the same replacement life are arranged adjacent to each other.
When an instruction is given to replace at least one of the parts with the same replacement life, it is preferable to allow adjacent replacement parts with the same replacement life as the instructed replacement life to be taken out at the same time.

[0013]

[Operation] According to the electrostatic recording device configured in this way, when a component with a long replacement life reaches its replacement life, it is determined whether a component with a shorter replacement life has almost reached its replacement time; If a component has almost reached its replacement time for multiple times, the locking mechanisms for the parts with a long replacement life and parts with a short replacement life will be released, so the parts with a long replacement life that have almost reached the replacement time and the parts with a replacement life that are about to reach their replacement life will be released. Parts with a short replacement life can be removed and replaced at the same time.

[0014] In addition, parts with a shorter replacement life are attached to parts with a longer replacement life, and parts with the same replacement life are connected to each other by a lock mechanism, and any one of the parts with the same replacement life is replaced. When it detects that it has reached the end of its lifespan, it can be replaced without unlocking the locking mechanism that connects parts with the same lifespan to each other, and it can be replaced with parts with a longer lifespan that are locked. By doing so, when any one of the parts with the same replacement life reaches its replacement life, the parts with the same replacement life can be taken out and replaced at the same time while still connected to each other.

Furthermore, a locking mechanism is provided between adjacent parts of the replacement part, and when an instruction to replace the replacement part is issued, the locking mechanism necessary for taking out the replacement part corresponding to the instruction is released. If a lock release means is provided, if multiple replacement parts for which replacement instructions have been issued are adjacent to each other, they can be taken out and replaced at the same time, and the adjacent parts can be replaced. If parts with the same life span are installed, when at least one of the parts is replaced, the remaining replacement life of the same life has reached its replacement life, so they can be replaced at the same time, reducing the work required when replacing parts. Improved efficiency.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the connection state of each replacement part of an electrostatic recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a control system, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram specifically showing a connected state of replacement parts.

As shown in FIG. 1, this electrostatic recording device has a photoreceptor drum 1 disposed in the center of an apparatus main body 10, and a charger 2 (not shown) that charges the photoreceptor drum 1 by corona discharge around the photoreceptor drum 1. A developing unit 4 is provided for attaching toner supplied from a removable toner cartridge 3 to an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 1 by exposure using an optical system to form a visible image.

Furthermore, a transfer charger 5 transfers the charged toner in the image area to the paper by applying an electric charge from the back side of the paper that is in close contact with the photoreceptor drum 1, and conducts the toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1 after transfer. A cleaning unit 6 that removes the charge with a fur brush and then scrapes it off with a cleaning blade, and a discharge lamp (not shown) that erases the charge remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1 after cleaning are provided. .

In this embodiment, the replacement lifespan of each of these parts is set such that the toner cartridge 3 is the part with the shortest lifespan, the photosensitive drum 1 is the part with the longest lifespan, and the other parts are set as the part with the longest lifespan. The static elimination lamp has a long lifespan, so it is not used as a replacement part.

That is, in this electrostatic recording apparatus, while the photosensitive drum 1 is replaced once, the cleaning unit 6
2 times, charging charger 2 and transfer charger 5 4 times, developing unit 4 8 times, toner cartridge 3 32 times.
The replacement lifespan of each part is set so that each part must be replaced once.

[0021] These replacement parts are each removably attached to the main body 10 of the apparatus, and are each locked at the attachment position by lock mechanisms 20A to 20G arranged between the parts at each attachment position. It has become so.

That is, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 3 is locked to the developing unit 4 by the locking mechanism 20A, and it is also locked to the apparatus main body 10 by the locking mechanism 20G, and the developing unit 4 is locked to the transfer charger 5. Locked by the locking mechanism 20B,
The transfer charger 5 is locked to the charging charger 2 by a locking mechanism 20.
It is locked by C.

Further, the charger 2 is locked to the cleaning unit 6 by a locking mechanism 20D, the cleaning unit 6 is locked to the photosensitive drum 1 by a locking mechanism 20E, and the photosensitive drum 1 is locked to the apparatus main body 10 by a locking mechanism 20F. It is now locked by

This electrostatic recording device not only controls the entire device, but also stores information (non-volatile RA) for each of the above-mentioned replacement parts.
Replacement that detects whether or not the current cumulative operating time of each part (within M) has been converted into operating time for each replacement part and has reached the pre-stored replacement life. In addition to functioning as a time detection means, when the means detects that a part with a long replacement life has reached its replacement life, it determines whether a part with a shorter replacement life has almost reached its replacement time. If the time for replacement has been reached, the control device 90 (microcomputer) shown in FIG. ) has been established.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view specifically showing a state in which a plurality of replacement parts having different replacement lives are connected and mounted.

The photosensitive drum 1 has front plates 11 on both front and rear end surfaces.
and a rear plate 12 are fixed together, and are detachably attached to the device body 10 (FIG. 1) in the axial direction through an opening provided in the front thereof, and when it is attached, the rear plate 12 is attached to the device body. It is designed to be locked by a locking mechanism 20F (see also FIG. 2).

Further, the cleaning unit 6 has a front plate 41 fixed to its front end face and a rear plate 42 fixed to its rear end face as shown in FIG.
By 0E, it is locked to the photoreceptor drum 1 via the rear plate 12.

Similarly, the front plate 13 (
1) and the rear plate 14 are fixed so that when the charger 2 is attached, it is locked to the rear plate 42 of the cleaning unit 6 by the locking mechanism 20D.

Further, the front plate 15 (FIG. 3) and the rear plate 16 are fixed to the transfer charger 5, and when the transfer charger 5 is attached, it is locked in the attachment position by the locking mechanism 20C to the rear plate 14 of the charger 2. It is now possible to do so.

[0030] The developing unit 4 also includes a front plate (not shown).
and a rear plate 17 are fixed, and when the developing unit 4 is attached, it is locked to the rear plate 16 of the transfer charger 5 by a locking mechanism 20B.

A toner cartridge 3 is removably attached to the developing unit 4, and when the toner cartridge 3 is installed, a rear plate 18 integral with the toner cartridge 3 is locked to the rear plate 17 of the developing unit 4 by a locking mechanism 20A. Ru. Further, in this mounting position, the rear plate 18 of the toner cartridge 3 is locked to the apparatus main body 10 by the locking mechanism 20G.

Note that a handle (not shown) is attached to the front plate of each of these replacement parts to make it easier to pull out the parts from the main body 10 of the apparatus.

With this configuration, in this embodiment, each replacement part can be replaced individually, and the locking mechanism 2 can be replaced separately.
By selecting one of 0A to 20G to be unlocked, a plurality of replacement parts can be taken out from the device main body 10 in a connected state at the same time.

Next, a locking mechanism for locking each replacement part in the installed position will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

Lock mechanisms 20A to 20G are similar to lock mechanisms 20A to 20E, and 20F and 20G are similar, so 20A and 20G are representative of them.
We will explain each of them.

The locking mechanism 20A locks the rear plate 17 by turning on and off the solenoid 71 as shown in FIG.
By unlocking or locking the toner cartridge 3 and the developing unit 4, the toner cartridge 3 and the developing unit 4 are connected or disconnected.

The main body portion of the solenoid 71 is fixed to the device main body 10, and a movable shaft 71a is connected to one end of an inverted L-shaped release lever 72 that is slidable in the direction of arrow A. The release lever 72 is biased by a spring 73 in the direction opposite to the arrow A, and in this biased state, the other end 72a of the release lever 72 is pressed against the L-shaped lock pin 7.
4, or is slightly away from it.

The lock pin 74 is attached to the rear plate 17 that is integral with the developing unit 4 so as to be slidable in the direction of arrow B by means of a guide member 75, and is normally attached to a spring attached between the rear plate 17 and the rear plate 17. The lock hole 18 formed in the rear plate 18 whose tip 74b is integral with the toner cartridge 3 is biased in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow B by the lock hole 18 by the toner cartridge 3.
The developing unit 4 and the toner cartridge 3 are locked together by fitting into the inside of the developing unit 4 and connecting the rear plates 17 and 18.

When the solenoid 71 is turned on, the release lever 72 is moved in the direction of arrow A by the movable shaft 71a, thereby causing the other end 72a to engage the lock pin 74.
One end 74a is pushed against the biasing force of the spring 76 in the direction of arrow B.
In order to move the lock pin 74 in this direction, the tip 74b of the lock pin 74 comes out of the lock hole 18a of the rear plate 18, and becomes unlocked.

When the solenoid 71 is turned off, the movable shaft 71a is moved in the direction opposite to arrow A by the biasing force of the spring 73, so the release lever 72 and lock pin 74 return to their original positions and open again. The locked state shown in FIG. 4 is reached.

Further, sloped portions 18b and 18c are formed at the corners of the rear plate 18 near the lock pin 74, so that when the toner cartridge 3 is installed when the developing unit 4 is in the installation position shown in FIG. During the installation process, the inclined part 1
8b comes into contact with the tip 74b of the lock pin 74, and the lock pin 74 is once pushed down in the direction of arrow B.
Thereafter, it is fitted into the lock hole 18a.

Conversely, when the toner cartridge 3 is in the mounting position and the developing unit 4 is mounted, the inclined portion 18
The tip 74b of the lock pin 74 comes into contact with the lock pin 74, and after being pushed down, it fits into the lock hole 18a.

The lock mechanism 20G similarly turns on and off the solenoid 78 to unlock or lock the rear plate 18 integrated with the toner cartridge 3 and the apparatus main body 10, as shown in FIG. The main body of the solenoid 78 is connected to the device main body 10.
When the movable shaft 78a is fixed to the rear plate 18 and is not energized (off), the movable shaft 78a, which serves as a lock pin, protrudes to the position shown in the figure by the biasing force of a spring (not shown). It fits into the hole 18d and becomes locked.

Then, when the solenoid 78 is turned on,
Since the movable shaft 78a moves downward in FIG.
a comes out of the lock hole 18d and the lock is released.

[0045] Other lock mechanisms 20B to 20E
and 20F are the locking mechanisms 20A and 20G described above, as shown in FIG. 2 (illustrated on the same plane for convenience).
Since the only difference is the arrangement position, a description thereof will be omitted.

FIGS. 6 to 11 show the control device 9 shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a routine executed by 0; When this routine starts, the control device 90 first performs step 1.
The current operating time of the photoreceptor drum 1, which is stored in a non-volatile RAM in an integrated state, is used to determine whether or not the photoreceptor drum 1 has reached its replacement life. The judgment is made based on whether the operating time corresponding to .

In step 3, the cleaning unit 6
It is determined whether or not the charger (Charging C) 2 has reached its replacement life. If it has reached the end of its replacement life, it proceeds to step 19 in FIG. If it has been reached, the process proceeds to step 28 in FIG. 9, but if it has not been reached, the process proceeds to step 5.

In step 5, it is determined whether or not the transfer charger (transfer C) 5 has reached its replacement life. If it has reached the end of its replacement life, it proceeds to step 35 in FIG. 10, but if it has not, it proceeds to step 6. It is determined whether or not the developing unit 4 has reached its replacement life. If it has reached the end of its replacement life, the process proceeds to step 40 in FIG. 11, but if it has not, the process proceeds to step 7.

Then, it is determined whether or not the toner cartridge 3 has reached its replacement life. If it has not reached its replacement life, all the replacement parts have not yet reached their replacement life, and the process returns to the main routine. For example, in step 8, the lock mechanisms 20A and 20G shown in FIG. 2 are unlocked to make the toner cartridge 3 removable, and then the process returns to the main routine.

[0050] Also, based on the judgment in step 1, if the photosensitive drum 1
If the cleaning unit 6 has reached the end of its replacement life and proceeds to step 2, it is determined whether the cleaning unit 6 has almost reached its replacement time, and if it has reached the end of its replacement life, it proceeds to step 9, but if it has not, it proceeds to step 10. Advance lock mechanism 20E, 20F
After each of the locks is released to make only the photosensitive drum 1 removable, the process returns to the main routine.

Further, when the process progresses from step 1 to step 2 to step 9, it is determined whether or not the charger 2 has almost reached the time of replacement. If it has reached the time, the process proceeds to step 11 in FIG. If not, proceed to step 12 and release the locks of the locking mechanisms 20D and 20F, respectively, so that the photosensitive drum 1, which has reached the end of its replacement life, and the cleaning unit 6, which has almost reached the end of its replacement life, can be attached and detached as one body (
After the locking mechanism 20E in FIG. 2 remains in the locked state, the process returns to the main routine.

[0052] Also, steps 1→2→9→11 (FIG. 7)
If the transfer charger 5 has reached the time of replacement, it is determined whether or not the transfer charger 5 has almost reached the time of replacement. If it has reached the time, the process proceeds to step 13, but if it has not reached the time, the process proceeds to step 14. are released, so that the photoconductor drum 1, which has reached the end of its replacement life, the cleaning unit 6, and the charger 2, which have almost reached the time of replacement, can be attached and detached as one body (the locking mechanism 20E in FIG. 2,
20D remains in the locked state), and then returns to the main routine.

Furthermore, steps 1→2→9→11→13
If the process progresses to step 1, it is determined whether or not the developing unit 4 has almost reached the time of replacement.
5, but if the locking mechanism 20B and 20F have not been reached, the process proceeds to step 16, where the lock mechanisms 20B and 20F are unlocked, and the photosensitive drum 1, which has reached the end of its replacement life, the cleaning unit 6, which has almost reached the time of replacement, and the charged charger 2
, after making the transfer charger 5 integrally removable, the process returns to the main routine.

[0054] Then, steps 1→2→9→11→13
→ If it advances to 15, then toner cartridge 3
It is determined whether or not it has almost reached the time for replacement. If so, the photoconductor drum 1 has reached the end of its replacement life, and the cleaning unit 6, charger 2, transfer charger 5, developing unit 4, and toner cartridge 3 Since all of the replacement parts have almost reached their replacement time, proceed to step 17 and release the locks of the locking mechanisms 20F and 20G, respectively.
After all of these replacement parts are put into a state where they can be attached to and removed from the main body 10, the process returns to the main routine.

[0055] Furthermore, when the determination in step 15 is NO and the process proceeds to step 18, the lock mechanism 20A,
20F are unlocked, so that the photoconductor drum 1, which has reached the end of its replacement life, the cleaning unit 6, charger 2, transfer charger 5, and developing unit 4, which have almost reached the time of replacement, can be attached and detached as one unit. After that, return to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the photosensitive drum 1 has not yet reached its replacement life and the cleaning unit 6 has reached its replacement life and the process proceeds to step 19 in FIG. It is determined whether or not it has been reached, and if it has been reached, the process proceeds to step 20, but if it has not been reached, it proceeds to step 21 and the lock mechanisms 20D, 20E are activated.
After unlocking each of the cleaning units 6 and making only the cleaning unit 6 that has reached the end of its replacement life removable, the process returns to the main routine.

If the charger 2 has also almost reached the end of its replacement life and the process proceeds to step 20, it is determined whether or not the transfer charger 5 has almost reached its replacement life, and if so, the process proceeds to step 22. However, if the time has not been reached, the process proceeds to step 23, where the locking mechanisms 20C and 20E are unlocked, and the cleaning unit 6 which has reached the end of its replacement life and the charger 2 which has almost reached the time of replacement.
After making it possible to attach and detach it as one unit (the locking mechanism 20D in FIG. 2 remains in the locked state), the process returns to the main routine.

Further, when the process progresses from step 19 to step 20 to step 22, it is determined whether or not the developing unit 4 has almost reached the time for replacement. If it has reached the time, the process proceeds to step 24; Proceeding to step 25, the lock mechanisms 20B and 20E are unlocked, so that the cleaning unit 6, which has reached the end of its replacement life, and the charger 2, and transfer charger 5, which have almost reached the end of their replacement life, can be attached and detached as one unit. After that, return to the main routine.

Furthermore, steps 19→20→22→24
If this progresses, it is determined whether or not the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached the time of replacement. If it has, the cleaning unit 6 has reached the end of its replacement life, and the charger 2, transfer charger 5, and development unit 4 , since each of the replacement parts of the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached its replacement time, proceed to step 26, release the locks of the locking mechanisms 20E and 20G, and remove all of the replacement parts as a unit from the main body 10 of the apparatus. After making it removable,
Return to main routine.

[0060] When the determination in step 24 is NO, the process proceeds to step 27, and the locking mechanisms 20A,
20E, so that the cleaning unit 6, which has reached the end of its replacement life, and the charging charger 2, transfer charger 5, and developing unit 4, which have almost reached the time of replacement, can be attached and detached as one unit, and then Return to routine.

On the other hand, if both the photosensitive drum 1 and the cleaning unit 6 have not reached their replacement lifespans and the charger 2 has reached its replacement lifespan and the process proceeds to step 28 in FIG. Determine whether or not it has almost reached the replacement time, and if so, proceed to step 2.
Proceed to step 9, but if the time has not been reached, proceed to step 30 and release the locks of the lock mechanisms 20C and 20D, making only the charger 2 that has reached the end of its replacement life removable, and then proceed to the main routine. Return.

Further, if it is determined in step 28 that the transfer charger 5 has almost reached the time for replacement, and the process proceeds to step 29, it is determined whether or not the developing unit 4 has almost reached the time for replacement. If so, proceed to step 31, but
If the lock mechanism 20B has not been reached, proceed to step 32.
, 20D are unlocked, and the charger 2, which has reached the end of its replacement life, and the transfer charger 5, which has almost reached the time of replacement, can be attached and detached as one unit (the locking mechanism 20C in FIG. 2 remains in the locked state). After that, return to the main routine.

Furthermore, when the process proceeds to steps 28→29→31, it is determined whether or not the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached the time of replacement. If so, the charger 2 has reached the end of its replacement life and the transfer Since the replacement parts of the charger 5, developing unit 4, and toner cartridge 3 have almost reached the time of replacement, proceed to step 33 to release the lock mechanisms 20D and 20G, respectively, and replace all the replacement parts as one unit. After making the device detachable from the main body 10, the process returns to the main routine.

[0064] When the determination in step 31 is NO, the process proceeds to step 34, and the lock mechanisms 20A,
After unlocking each of the 20D and making the charger 2, which has reached the end of its replacement life, the charger 2, transfer charger 5, and development unit 4, which have almost reached the time of replacement, removable as one unit, Return to routine.

On the other hand, if the photosensitive drum 1, cleaning unit 6, and charger 2 have not all reached their replacement lifespans, but the transfer charger 5 has reached its replacement lifespan and the process proceeds to step 35 in FIG. Then, it is determined whether or not the developing unit 4 has almost reached its replacement time, and if it has reached the time, the process proceeds to step 36, but if it has not reached the time, the process proceeds to step 37, where the lock mechanisms 20B and 20C are unlocked, respectively. After only the transfer charger 5 that has reached the end of its replacement life is made removable, the process returns to the main routine.

Further, if it is determined in step 35 that the developing unit 4 has almost reached the time for replacement, and the process proceeds to step 36, it is determined whether or not the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached the time to replace it. If so, the transfer charger 5 has reached the end of its replacement life, and the replacement parts of the developing unit 4 and toner cartridge 3 have almost reached the time of replacement, so the process proceeds to step 38, where the lock mechanisms 20C and 20G are unlocked, respectively. After all of these replacement parts are put into a state where they can be attached to and removed from the main body 10, the process returns to the main routine.

[0067] When the determination in step 36 is NO, the process proceeds to step 39, and the locking mechanisms 20A,
After the transfer charger 5, which has reached the end of its replacement life, and the developing unit 4, which has almost reached the time to be replaced, can be attached and detached as one unit by releasing the locks of the transfer charger 20C, the process returns to the main routine.

Furthermore, since the photosensitive drum 1, cleaning unit 6, charging charger 2, and transfer charger 5 have not reached the end of their replacement life, and the developing unit 4 has reached the end of its replacement life, the process proceeds to step 40 in FIG. If so, it is determined whether or not the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached the time of replacement. If it has reached the time of replacement, the developing unit 4 has reached the end of its replacement life and the toner cartridge 3 has almost reached the time of replacement, so proceed to step 41. Proceed to lock mechanism 20B
.

[0069] When the determination in step 40 is NO, the process proceeds to step 42, and the lock mechanisms 20A,
After each of the developing units 20B is unlocked and only the developing unit 4 that has reached the end of its replacement life can be attached or detached, the process returns to the main routine.

By the way, in an electrostatic recording device that has a plurality of replacement parts each having a different replacement life, as explained in FIG. The short parts of (Fig. 17)
In this case, the timing may be nearing the time for replacement (for the 5th time).

This situation depends on the replacement life settings for each individual component, but even if a component with a long replacement life is set to an integer multiple of the replacement life of a short component, for example, each component It is also caused by the accumulation of detection errors in the cumulative operating time of each part, which is used to determine when it is time to replace the product.

[0072] In this way, when the replacement timings of long-life and short-life parts are slightly different, conventionally the long-life parts that have reached their replacement time are replaced, and immediately after that replacement, the short-life parts are replaced multiple times. When it was time to replace the electrostatic recording device, it was replaced at that time, which meant that I had to replace it twice in a short period of time, and each time I had to stop the electrostatic recording device, which was very difficult. The work efficiency was poor.

[0073] Moreover, if there are not only two parts but also other parts to be replaced, when the time for replacement has come due to slight deviations between them, the replacement work has to be done even more inefficiently. .

However, according to this embodiment, when it is detected that a component with a long replacement life has reached the end of its replacement life among the plurality of replacement parts such as the photosensitive drum 1 and the cleaning unit 6, it is replaced. It is determined whether the parts with a shorter replacement life have almost reached the time for replacement or not, and if the parts with a shorter replacement life have almost reached the time to be replaced, both the parts with a longer replacement life and the parts with a shorter replacement life are locked by the lock mechanisms 20A to 20G. Since each of the replacement parts is canceled according to the judgment contents shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of replacement parts whose replacement timings are slightly different can be removed all at once, which greatly improves work efficiency when replacing parts.

[0075] In addition, when determining whether or not the replacement period has almost been reached, each replacement part must be It is best to decide this by taking into account the error in the life of each component and the detection error in the operating time of each component.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 1, the cleaning unit 6, the charging charger 2, the transfer charger 5, the developing unit 4, and the toner cartridge 3 are assembled together. Although the two locking mechanisms 20F and 20G are used to lock the plates to the main body 10 with the plates connected by the locking mechanisms 20A to 20E, the individual parts are not connected to each other and the individual parts are directly connected to the device body 10 by the locking mechanisms. It may be configured to be locked in the mounting position to the main body 10.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing another embodiment of the present invention, and parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, among a plurality of replacement parts, a part with a shorter replacement life is attached to a part with a longer replacement life, and parts with the same replacement life are connected to each other by a locking mechanism, and the parts with a shorter replacement life are attached to the parts with a longer replacement life. The longest part is attached to the main body of the device.

That is, similarly to the embodiment explained in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 3 is connected to the developing unit 4, the developing unit 4 is connected to the transfer charger 5, and the transfer charger 5 is connected to the charging charger 2, which has the same replacement life. The cleaning unit 6 is detachably connected to the cleaning unit 6 through the rear plate, and the charger 2 is detachably connected to the cleaning unit 6 through the rear plate.

Further, the cleaning unit 6 is removably attached to the photoreceptor drum 1 via a rear plate, and furthermore, the photoreceptor drum 1, which is the component with the longest replacement life, is removably attached to the main body 10 of the apparatus. At the same time, the toner cartridge 3 is also removably attached to the apparatus main body 10, and lock mechanisms 20A to 20G are provided at the attachment portions of the respective replacement parts to respectively lock them in the attachment positions.

In addition to controlling the entire electrostatic recording apparatus, it also functions as a replacement time detection means for detecting whether each replacement part has reached the end of its replacement life using the same method as in the embodiment shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the means detects a replacement part that has reached the end of its replacement life, each locking mechanism 20A to 20
The locking mechanism corresponding to the replacement part G that has reached the end of its lifespan is unlocked, but when it is detected that either the charger 2 or the transfer charger 5, which has the same replacement lifespan, has reached the end of its replacement lifespan, the lock mechanism is released. Control to release the lock (lock mechanism 20D) from the cleaning unit 6 that has a longer replacement life than the locked part without unlocking the locking mechanism 20C that connects parts with the same replacement life to each other. A control device 100 (consisting of a microcomputer) is also provided.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing a routine executed by the control device 100. When this routine starts, the control device 100 first determines in step 51 whether or not the replacement parts other than the charging charger 2 and the transfer charger 5, that is, the toner cartridge 3, the developing unit 4, the cleaning unit 6, and the photosensitive drum 1 have reached the end of their replacement life. Whether or not the current operating time stored in the non-volatile RAM in an integrated state for each replacement part is the time corresponding to the replacement life stored in advance for each replacement part, as in the above-described embodiment. Judgment will be made based on whether the target has been reached.

[0083] If it has been reached, step 5
Proceed to step 2 and proceed to the main unit 1 of the device whose replacement parts have reached their replacement lifespan.
The lock mechanisms 20A, 20B, and 20D to 20G necessary for removal from 0 are selectively released, and then the process returns to the main routine.

That is, for example, the cleaning unit 6
If only the lock mechanisms 20D and 20 have reached the end of their replacement life,
If the cleaning unit 6 and the photosensitive drum 1 have reached the end of their replacement life, the lock mechanisms 20D and 20F are unlocked.

If the determination in step 51 is NO, the process proceeds to step 53, where it is determined whether either the charger 2 or the transfer charger 5 has reached the end of its replacement life. If not, all the replacement parts have not yet reached their replacement lifespans, and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 53 is YES, the process advances to step 54 and the locking mechanisms 20B and 2
Unlock 0D. At this time, the charger 2
Since the locking mechanism 20C connecting the transfer charger 5 and the transfer charger 5 is not unlocked, the charger 2 and the transfer charger 5, which are set to have the same replacement life, can be taken out of the apparatus main body 10 as a unit.

Note that there are three replacement parts with the same replacement life.
Even if there are more than one, this can be done by selecting a locking mechanism that unlocks them so that they can all be taken out at the same time.

FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing still another embodiment of the present invention, and parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, lock mechanisms 20A to 20I (20H, 2
The locking mechanism 20A including the locking mechanism 0I is the same as the locking mechanism 20A explained in FIG. 4, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

That is, in this embodiment, the toner cartridge 3, the developing unit 4, the transfer charger 5, the photosensitive drum 1, and the charging charger 2 are arranged next to each other. A locking mechanism 20A is provided between the plates 21 and 22, a locking mechanism 20B is provided between each of the rear plates 22 and 23 of the developing unit 4 and the transfer charger 5, and a locking mechanism is provided between each of the rear plates 23 and 24 of the transfer charger 5 and the charging charger 2. 20C are arranged respectively.

A locking mechanism 20D is provided between the charger 2 and the rear plates 24 and 21 of the toner cartridge 3, and a locking mechanism 20D is provided between the rear plate (not shown) of the photosensitive drum 1.
A lock mechanism 20F is disposed between the rear plate 25 of the cleaning unit 6.

Furthermore, a lock mechanism 20G is provided between the rear plate 25 of the cleaning unit 6 and the rear plate of the photosensitive drum 1, and a lock mechanism 20H is provided between the rear plate 25 and the rear plate 23 of the transfer charger 5. , a locking mechanism 20 is provided between the transfer charger 5 and each rear plate of the photosensitive drum 1.
I are arranged respectively.

In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 and the toner cartridge 3 are further secured to the main body 10 of the apparatus by another locking mechanism (not shown, locking mechanisms 20A to 20A).
(similar to I).

The electrostatic recording device according to this embodiment not only controls the entire electrostatic recording device, but also controls the photosensitive drum 1 described above.
When an instruction is issued to replace a replacement part such as, the locking mechanisms 20A to 20I necessary for taking out the replacement part corresponding to the instruction, the photosensitive drum 1, and the toner cartridge 3 are respectively locked in the apparatus main body 10. A control device 110 is provided that controls unlocking of each lock mechanism.

In this embodiment, the control device 110 issues an instruction to replace at least one of the charger 2 and the transfer charger 5, which are arranged next to each other and have the same replacement life. and lock mechanisms 20B, 20D, 20E, 20F, 2 so that adjacent chargers 2 or transfer chargers 5 having the same replacement life as the indicated replacement life can be taken out at the same time.
Control is also performed to release each lock of 0H and 20I.

This control device 110 is similar to the control device 9 in FIG.
This is a microcomputer similar to the control device 100 of FIG. 0 and FIG. In this embodiment, this control device 110 functions as a lock release means.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the lock release control process of the lock mechanism executed by the control device 110. When this routine starts, the control device 110 first determines in step 61 whether there is a component that has reached the end of its replacement life and a component replacement instruction has been output.

[0098] The output of this parts replacement instruction may be a manual operation in which the operator presses an operation key or the like, or it may be outputted by a manual operation in which the operator presses an operation key or the like, or whether each replacement part has reached its replacement life or not. A replacement time detection means as described in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is provided to automatically detect the replacement time, and when there is a part that has reached the end of its replacement life, a corresponding part replacement instruction signal is automatically output. Good too.

If the part replacement instruction has not yet been issued, all of the replacement parts have not yet reached their replacement lifespans, and the process returns to the main routine; however, if the part replacement instruction has been issued, the process advances to step 62.

[0100] Then, it is determined whether there is a replacement part set to the same replacement life as the part for which the part replacement instruction was issued. That is, in this embodiment, the charger 2 and the transfer charger 5 are set to have the same replacement life, so the component for which the component replacement instruction was issued is the charger 2.
or the transfer charger 5, it means that there is a replacement part set to the same replacement life, so the process advances to step 63; otherwise, the process advances to step 64.

In step 64, all the locks of the lock mechanisms 20A to 20I necessary for removing the corresponding parts are released so that the parts for which the replacement instruction has been issued can be removed from the main body 10 of the apparatus.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 62 that there is a replacement part (electrostatic charger 2 or transfer charger 5) whose replacement life is set to the same as that of the part for which a replacement instruction has been issued, the process advances to step 63. Each locking mechanism 20B, 20 is configured so that a replacement part whose replacement life is the same as that of the part for which a part replacement instruction has been issued can be removed from the apparatus main body 10 at the same time.
The locks D, 20E, 20F, 20H, and 20I are released, and then the process returns to the main routine.

[0103] At this time, the locking mechanism 20C that connects the charging charger 2 and the transfer charger 5 to each other is not unlocked. Therefore, the electrification charger 2 and the transfer charger 5 can be removed from the apparatus main body 10 simultaneously.

[0104] Furthermore, the arrangement of a locking mechanism (not shown) for locking each replacement part to the apparatus main body 10 is as follows.
The arrangement is not limited to the photoreceptor drum 1 and toner cartridge 3 as in this embodiment, but may be provided on only one of the replacement parts, or may be provided on all of the replacement parts.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the toner cartridge 3, developing unit 4, transfer charger 5, photosensitive drum 1, and charger 2 are arranged adjacent to each other with a rear plate in between. Although an example has been shown, the charging charger 2 and the transfer charger 5 may not be directly adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. 16, but may be connected to each other via the developing unit 4 or other replacement parts.

[0106] In that case, it will not be possible to remove only the charging charger 2 and transfer charger 5 as one unit.
In this case, these parts must be removed separately.

[0107] Each embodiment has been explained above, but
In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 12, and 14 (in the case of automatic detection), a method for detecting replacement timing for detecting whether each replacement part has reached the end of its replacement life is taken as an example of a control device (
The cumulative operating time of each part at that point in time is stored in the non-volatile RAM of the microcomputer (microcomputer) for each replacement part, and is stored in advance for each replacement part. Although an example has been described in which detection is performed by determining whether or not each of the replacement lifespans has been reached, other methods may be used to detect whether or not the replacement lifespan has been reached.

That is, for example, the number of sheets of paper fed from the paper feed section is detected by a sensor provided on the conveyance path,
The number of sheets detected is determined based on whether the replacement life of each replacement part has reached a predetermined number of sheets stored in advance by replacing it with the number of sheets passed, and for replacement parts that have rotating parts, the number of rotations is determined by a sensor. It is also possible to determine whether the rotational speed has reached a value corresponding to the replacement life of each replacement part.

[0109]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention provides the following effects. In the electrostatic recording device according to claim 1, when the parts with a long replacement life reach the replacement life, the parts with a shorter replacement life are yet to be replaced for a plurality of times within the range of variations, life detection errors, etc. Even when the replacement life is not reached, the locks of those parts to the main body of the device are released when the replacement time has almost reached, so parts with long and short replacement lives can be replaced at the same time. Replacement work can be done efficiently.

In the electrostatic recording device of claim 2, when any one of the parts with the same replacement life reaches the end of its replacement life and this is detected, the locking mechanism connects the parts with the same replacement life to each other. Once a part that has reached its replacement life and a part that has the same replacement life remain connected to each other, they are unlocked without unlocking the parts that have a longer replacement life than those they are locked with. Since it can be removed and replaced, parts replacement work becomes easy.

In the electrostatic recording device of claim 3, when an instruction to replace a replacement part is issued, the locking mechanism necessary for taking out the replacement part corresponding to the instruction is unlocked. If there are multiple parts that have been instructed to be replaced and they are adjacent to each other, they can be removed and replaced at the same time, allowing efficient parts replacement work.

In the electrostatic recording device of claim 4, when an instruction to replace at least one of the parts with the same replacement life is issued, an adjacent replacement part having the same replacement life as the instructed replacement life is issued. The locking mechanism is unlocked so that the parts can be removed at the same time, so they can be replaced at the same time, allowing for efficient parts replacement.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of an electrostatic recording apparatus according to the present invention together with a control system.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connected state of a plurality of replacement parts provided in the electrostatic recording apparatus, arranged on one plane for convenience.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view specifically showing a state in which the replacement parts are connected and installed.

4 is a plan view showing a locking mechanism 20A provided in the electrostatic recording device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the locking mechanism 20G with a portion thereof in cross section.

6 is a flow diagram showing steps 1 to 12 of a routine executed by the control device 90 in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing steps 11 to 18 of the same routine.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing steps 19 to 27 of the same routine.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing steps 28 to 34 of the same routine.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing steps 35 to 39 of the same routine.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing steps 40 to 42 of the same routine.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the invention.

13 is a flow diagram showing a routine executed by the control device 100 of FIG. 12. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing a third embodiment of the invention.

15 is a flow diagram showing a routine executed by the control device 110 of FIG. 14. FIG.

FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which a charging charger and a transfer charger are connected via a developing unit.
This is a similar schematic diagram.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining how the fifth replacement time for short-life components comes immediately after the first replacement time for long-life components.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electrostatic recording device in which each replacement part is individually removably attached to the main body of the device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Photoreceptor drum
2 Charger 3 Toner cartridge
4 Developing unit 5 Transfer charger
6 Cleaning unit 10 Device body
20A to 20I Lock mechanism 71, 78 Solenoid
72 Release lever 74 Lock pin
90, 100, 110, control device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In an electrostatic recording device such as a copying machine or a printer, in which a plurality of removable replacement parts having different replacement lives are each locked in a mounting position by a locking mechanism, each of the replacement parts has reached its replacement life. a replacement time detection means for detecting when a component with a longer replacement life has reached its replacement life; and a means for releasing the lock by the locking mechanism so that the parts with a long lifespan and parts with a short lifespan can be attached and detached if the electrostatic charger determines that it is almost time for replacement. Recording device. 2. In an electrostatic recording device such as a copying machine or a printer in which a plurality of removable replacement parts each having a different replacement life are each locked in a mounting position by a locking mechanism, one of the plurality of replacement parts has a different replacement life. parts with a shorter replacement life are attached to parts with a longer replacement life, parts with the same replacement life are connected to each other by a lock mechanism, and parts with the longest replacement life are attached to the main body of the device, and each of the above-mentioned replacement parts a replacement time detection means for detecting when each of the replacement parts reaches the end of its replacement life, and a lock corresponding to a replacement part of each of the locking mechanisms that has reached the end of its life when the means detects a replacement part that has reached the end of its replacement life. The mechanism is unlocked, but when it is detected that any one of the parts with the same replacement life has reached its replacement life, the locking mechanism connecting the parts with the same replacement life is not released. An electrostatic recording device characterized in that it is provided with means for unlocking a component having a longer replacement life than the locked component. 3. In an electrostatic recording device such as a copying machine or a printer in which a plurality of removable replacement parts each having a different replacement life are each locked in a mounting position by a locking mechanism, mutually adjacent parts of the plurality of replacement parts A locking mechanism is provided in between, and a lock release means is provided for unlocking the locking mechanism necessary for taking out the replacement part corresponding to the instruction when an instruction to replace the replacement part is issued. electrostatic recording device. 4. The electrostatic recording device according to claim 3, wherein the replacement parts have the same replacement lifespan and are arranged adjacent to each other, and an instruction for replacing at least one of the parts with the same replacement lifespan is provided. The electrostatic recorder is characterized in that when a replacement part is issued, the lock release means releases the lock of the lock mechanism so that adjacent replacement parts having the same replacement life as the instructed replacement life can be taken out at the same time. Device.