JPH08314338A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] If an error occurs inside the image forming device,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that promptly releases ozone existing inside the image forming apparatus to the outside of the image forming apparatus and diffuses the ozone to ensure the safety of an operator. After the error is detected, a fan rotation speed switching unit 29 that switches the rotation speed of the fan and a ROM 23 that stores a time for releasing ozone to the outside of the image forming apparatus are provided to rotate the fan after the error occurs. Also, by rotating the fan until the ozone concentration in the image forming device reaches a concentration that can secure the operator's safety, it is possible to avoid the operator from immediately performing error processing, and the operator does not absorb ozone to generate an error. Allow processing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used for laser printers, copying machines and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electrophotographic processes, which are highly advantageous in terms of recording speed and printing quality, and laser beam printers (LBPs) using laser technology have rapidly become popular.
An electrophotographic device such as an LBP is a device for performing printing by performing a charging process, an exposing process, a developing process, a transferring process, and a fixing process, and discharging a recording paper to the outside of the machine.

The operation of the conventional image forming apparatus will be described below with reference to the block diagram of the conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 is a photoconductor having an organic light-transmitting substance deposited on a thin film. A charging device 2 for charging the photoconductor 1 along the rotation direction of the photoconductor 1, and an exposure optical system 3 for projecting an image of a document as an optical image on the photoconductor 1 charged by the charging device 2 to form an electrostatic latent image. , A developing device 4 for adhering toner onto the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure optical system 3, a transfer roller 6 for transferring the toner image formed by the developing device 4 onto the surface of the photoconductor 1 to the recording paper 5, a transfer A static eliminator 7 is provided for removing the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 1 after the transfer by the roller 6. Reference numeral 8 is a cassette for storing the recording paper 5, 9 is a cylindrical paper feed roller for feeding the recording paper 5 from the cassette 8, and 10 is a paper feed roller 9.
A paper transport path for transporting the recording papers 5 fed one by one from 11 and a recording paper 5 to which the toner image has been transferred by the transfer roller 6 through the paper transport path 10 by the pressure roller 12 and the heating roller 13. A fixing device for fixing the image on the recording paper 5, 14
Is a fan that discharges the heat emitted from the heating roller 13 to the outside of the machine, 15 is a face-down conveyance path that conveys the recording paper 5 on which the toner image is transferred when face-down is selected, and 16 is a face-down conveyance path A face-down paper discharge tray for receiving the recording paper 5 that has passed through 15. The face-down paper ejection tray 16 can be opened and closed for error handling. Reference numeral 17 denotes a face-up conveyance path for conveying the recording paper 5 on which the toner image has been transferred when face-up is selected, and 18 denotes a face-up conveyance path 17
A face-up paper discharge tray for receiving the recording paper 5 that has passed through.

The operation of the image forming apparatus having the above configuration will be described. The photoconductor 1 applies a high voltage to the charging wire in the charger 2 connected to the high voltage power source in a DC manner to cause corona discharge, and uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 1 to about -700V. When corona discharge occurs, electric charges and electrostatic energy are emitted, and ozone is generated during discharge. The photoconductor 1 is rotated and the exposure beam 19 of the laser beam is emitted from the exposure optical system 3. The electric charge disappears in the portion irradiated with the exposure light beam 19, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 1. Next, in the developing device 4, the toner is charged to about −300 V before the photosensitive member 1 rotates and reaches the developing device 4. When the photoconductor 1 reaches the developing device 4, the negatively charged toner adheres to the portion where the charge is removed by the irradiation of the exposure light beam 19, and the development is performed by the negative-positive process. The recording paper 5 fed from the cassette 8 by the paper feed roller 9 and conveyed by the paper conveyance path 10 is transferred by the transfer roller 6 to which a voltage of about + 1000V is applied.
After that, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 1 is removed by the static eliminator 7. The toner image is transferred onto the recording paper 5 by the fixing device 11. The fan 14 discharges heat generated by the heating roller 13 and ozone generated by corona discharge to the outside of the machine. There are two methods of discharging the recording paper 5, face down and face up. When face down is selected, the recording paper 5 is discharged to the face down discharge tray 16 through the face down conveyance path 15. When face-up is selected, the sheet is discharged to the face-up discharge tray 18 through the face-up transport path 17. The printing operation for one sheet is completed by the above operation.

After the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, it is turned off
The errors that occur up to this point include user errors and warnings that the operator can remove, and service call errors that cannot be removed. As a user error, there is a jam in which the recording paper 5 is stagnant between the time when the recording paper 5 is fed and the time when the recording paper 5 is ejected out of the machine.
The presence or absence of a cassette 8 for storing the recording paper 5 and the designated recording paper 5 in which the designated recording paper 5 is not set in the cassette 8.
Error such as different size of the printer, service call error such as high temperature abnormality, low temperature abnormality, fan motor stoppage, polygon motor abnormal operation abnormality during exposure process, etc. Is a small amount to print. There is a warning that the specified paper ejection method is not set.

Next, the operation of the conventional error processing is shown in FIG.
The control block diagram of the conventional image forming apparatus and the control flowchart of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 9 will be described. FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which determines which type of error, such as a user error, a service call error, or a warning, the error detected by the error occurrence detecting means 22 corresponds to, and performs control. Reference numeral 23 is a ROM in which a program for controlling the device is stored, 2
Reference numeral 4 is a work area RAM for operating variables and the like required for executing the program, and 25 is a CPU 2
It is a display unit that displays a message prompting the operator to perform processing according to the type of error determined in 1.

Next, a control flowchart of the conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 9 will be described. An abnormal operation of the image forming apparatus is measured by the sensor, and the abnormal operation is detected by the error occurrence detection unit 22. At the same time, the state of the error flag of the detected error changes (for example, changes from L to H). The error flag in which the state has changed is detected by the CPU 21 (step A). When no error occurs, rotate the fan 14 at the normal rotation speed (step
B), Ozone and heat generated in the image forming apparatus are released to the outside of the image forming apparatus. The error occurrence is always measured by the sensor. When an error occurs, the exposure process, charging process, developing process, and fixing process are all stopped. At this time, the fan 14 is also stopped (step C). Since the state of the error flag corresponding to the error that has occurred changes from L to H, it is possible to determine whether the changed flag is a user error, a service call error, a warning, or another type of error.
The PU 21 makes a determination (step D). If the error that occurs at this time is an error that the operator cannot directly remove, the power is turned off to stop the image forming apparatus and prevent it from being restarted (step E). If the error can be removed by the operator, the face-down discharge tray 16 is opened and the error is removed (step F). Whether the error has been removed or not is determined by the error occurrence detecting means 22 when the state of the error flag changes from H to L. When the error is removed, the fan 14 is normally rotated again (step G).

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, when an error occurs in the engine section, there is a danger that ozone is accumulated inside the image forming apparatus, and the operator is not allowed to use ozone during error processing. There was a problem that it absorbed. The conventional image forming apparatus has a fan for discharging heat, but it is difficult to quickly discharge ozone even if the fan is rotated at the conventional rotation speed when an error occurs, and the fan stops when the error occurs. I was letting it.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus, the ozone existing in the image forming apparatus is immediately released to the outside of the image forming apparatus and diffused so that the operator's safety is secured. An object is to provide a forming device.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an error detecting means for detecting an error occurring in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means including a corona discharge means, and a judging means for judging the type of the detected error. A fan for releasing ozone and heat, a fan rotation speed switching unit for switching the rotation speed of the fan depending on whether or not an error has occurred, and a record for storing a time for rotating the fan after the rotation speed of the fan is switched. The medium has a medium, and when an error is detected by the error detecting means, the rotation speed of the fan is switched to rotate the fan for a predetermined time set in advance.

Further, an error detecting means for detecting an error occurring in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means including a corona discharge means, a judging means for judging the kind of the detected error, and an element for judging the ozone concentration. An ozone concentration detecting means for detecting the ozone concentration generated in the image forming apparatus,
A storage medium that stores the ozone concentration that allows the operator to secure the operator's safety when removing an error, a fan that discharges ozone and heat, and a fan rotation speed that switches the fan rotation speed depending on whether or not an error has occurred. And a switching means, which switches the rotation speed of the fan when an error is detected by the error detecting means, compares the ozone concentration detected by the ozone concentration detecting means with the ozone concentration stored in the storage medium, and detects the ozone concentration. The fan is rotated until the ozone concentration detected by the means falls below the ozone concentration stored in the storage medium.

[0012]

With this configuration, when an error is detected in the engine section, ozone can be quickly discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus by increasing the rotation speed of the fan.

[0013]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are control block diagrams of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are control flowcharts of the image forming apparatus. The block diagram of the image forming apparatus is the same as the conventional example shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 22 denotes an error occurrence detecting means for detecting an error occurring in the image forming apparatus, and 29.
Is a fan rotation speed switching means for rotating the fan 14 that has been rotating at the normal speed after the error is detected by the error occurrence detection means 22, faster than the normal speed.
Reference numeral 30 is a fan motor that is an operation target of the fan rotation speed switching unit 29, 32 is an ozone concentration detecting unit that detects the ozone concentration in the image forming apparatus, and 25 is an error detected by the error occurrence detecting unit 22. , CPU
21 determines the type of error and the processing method, and
It is a display unit that determines the processing method from the result determined by the ozone concentration detection unit 32 and displays it to the operator. Reference numeral 21 is a CPU for controlling the error occurrence detecting means 22, the ozone concentration detecting means 32, the fan rotation speed switching means 29, and the like. Reference numeral 23 is a ROM in which a program for operating each control means is stored, and 24 is a RAM which serves as a work area for processing variables and the like necessary for executing the program.

Next, the operation when an error occurs will be described with reference to FIGS. Sensors (not shown) installed in the image forming apparatus measure individual operations of the image forming apparatus. For each operation, a value is stored in advance in a memory so that it can be quantitatively measured, and this value is compared with the measurement value measured by the sensor at regular time intervals. Further, the set value preset in the memory is counted, and the operation abnormality is detected from the measured value from the sensor when the counter value becomes zero. When the measurement result indicating the abnormal operation is measured, it is determined that the operation is abnormal, and an error occurs. The state of the error flag corresponding to the error that has occurred is changed (for example, changed from L to H). The error flags are all set to the same state at the time of initial setting (for example, all are set to L).

Whether or not an error has occurred is detected by the error occurrence detecting means 22 when the state of the error flag changes from L to H (step 1). If the error occurrence detection unit 22 does not detect a change in the state of the error flag and no abnormality is measured, the fan 14 is rotated at a normal speed (step 2) to remove ozone generated by corona discharge and heat generated from the heating roller 13. It is discharged outside the image forming apparatus.

At the same time as the error is detected by the error occurrence detecting means 22, the charging process, the exposure process, the developing process, the fixing process, the transfer process and the operation of the fan 14 are stopped. After that, ozone or heat that could not be released to the outside of the image forming apparatus during the startup of the image forming apparatus is released to the outside of the image forming apparatus by rotating the fan 14 faster than the normal speed (step 3). At the same time, the counter having the value stored in the memory as the initial value is decremented at regular intervals (every 10 ms) (step 4), and the fan 14 is stopped (step 5) when the counter value becomes 0 (step 5).
6).

Alternatively, a sensor (not shown) for detecting ozone is installed in the image forming apparatus and the ozone concentration in the image forming apparatus is measured (step 4 '). Compare the preset ozone concentration setting value with the measurement result (step
5 '), if the measurement result is less than or equal to the set value, the fan 14 is stopped (step 6). If the measurement result is equal to or higher than the set value, the ozone concentration measurement is continued, and the ozone concentration measurement and the comparison with the set value are continued until the measured value becomes equal to or lower than the set value. The CPU detects whether the error detected by the error occurrence detecting means 22 is a user error, a warning, or a service call error.
A determination is made in step 21 (step 7) and the result is displayed on the display unit by the display means 25 to post it to the operator, and the processing corresponding to the error that has occurred is started.

If the type of error judged by the CPU 21 is a user error or a warning, a notice indicating permission of error processing is displayed on the display means 25 to ask the operator to eliminate the error. At this time, the error occurrence detecting means 22 measures the change in the state of the error flag. After removing the error, R
The state of the error flag is changed from H to L by the program stored in the OM 23. The error occurrence detection means 22 detects error removal because the state of the error flag has changed (step 9). If no error is detected, the fan 14 is rotated at a state of a flag of normal rotation (for example, changed from L to H) to rotate the fan 14 (step 10). If the generated error is a service call error, do not start it until the power is turned off and the system is restarted.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, after the error is detected, the fan is rotated faster than usual.
By releasing and diffusing ozone to the outside of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to prevent the ozone existing in the image forming apparatus from being absorbed when the operator opens the face-down discharge tray for error handling. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a control flowchart of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a control flowchart of a conventional image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Photoreceptor 2 Charging Device 3 Exposure Optical System 4 Developing Device 5 Recording Paper 7 Electrifying Device 11 Fixing Device 14 Fan

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An error detecting means for detecting an error occurring in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means including a corona discharge means, a judging means for judging a kind of the detected error, and ozone and heat are emitted. And a recording medium for storing the time for rotating the fan after switching the rotational speed of the fan. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, when an error is detected by the detection means, the rotation speed of the fan is switched and the fan is rotated for a predetermined time set in advance. 2. An error detecting means for detecting an error occurring in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means including a corona discharge means, a judging means for judging a kind of the detected error, and an element for judging an ozone concentration. An ozone concentration detecting means for detecting the ozone concentration generated in the image forming apparatus; a storage medium for storing the ozone concentration for ensuring the operator's safety when the operator removes an error; and a device for releasing ozone and heat. It has a fan and a fan rotation speed switching means for switching the rotation speed of the fan according to the presence or absence of an error,
When an error is detected by the error detecting unit, the rotation speed of the fan is switched, the ozone concentration detected by the ozone concentration detecting unit is compared with the ozone concentration stored in the storage medium, and the ozone concentration detecting unit detects the ozone concentration. An image forming apparatus, wherein the fan is rotated until the generated ozone concentration becomes equal to or lower than the ozone concentration stored in the storage medium.