An image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a medium

Abstract

The present application provides an image forming apparatus, an image forming method and a medium for solving the problem that the prior art fails to properly maintain the service life of a printer. The image forming apparatus of the present application comprises: a plurality of photosensitive bodies; a driving device for driving the plurality of photosensitive bodies to rotate; an exposure device for forming an electrostatic latent image by image exposure on at least one of the plurality of photosensitive bodies; a plurality of developing devices for performing development on a plurality of latent images formed on the plurality of photosensitive bodies by different color toners, so that the plurality of photosensitive bodies carry toner images; an intermediate transfer body, which is in contact with the plurality of imaging components at the same time, for transferring the toner images; and a controller configured to determine a target photosensitive body on which exposure is not performed according to an image forming job to be processed, and make the target photosensitive body rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed by the driving device. The present application can achieve the technical effect of preventing the expected service life of the image forming apparatus from being reduced.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the field of imaging technology, and more specifically to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a medium. [Background Technology]

[0002] Color laser printers typically have multiple imaging components, such as photosensitive drums for four colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. During color imaging, multiple photosensitive elements sequentially undergo charging, exposure, development, and transfer processes. The charging process involves a charging roller distributing a uniform charge across the photosensitive surface. Exposure involves a laser beam emitted by the LSU (Laser Scanning Unit) exposing the photosensitive surface to form an electrostatic latent image. Development involves electrostatic adsorption, causing toner (e.g., charged toner) in the developing cartridge to adhere to the latent image on the photosensitive surface, forming a toner image. Transfer involves transferring the toner image from the photosensitive element to an intermediate transfer medium via contact or non-contact methods, and then transferring the toner image onto paper via the intermediate transfer medium.

[0003] In one existing transfer technology, the intermediate transfer medium can be a strip structure (also called a transfer belt), and the printer is a "tandem" color printer, meaning multiple photoreceptors are in contact with the transfer belt simultaneously. Some tandem color printers have an additional separation mechanism that can control the contact or separation of each photoreceptor with the transfer belt. For example, when a print job only needs to use black for imaging, the separation mechanism controls the K-color photoreceptor to contact the transfer belt while controlling the C, M, and Y-color photoreceptors to separate from the transfer belt. However, this separation mechanism requires additional cost and places higher demands on control precision. Therefore, some tandem color printers do not have a separation mechanism; in this case, the C, M, Y, and K-color photoreceptors are always in contact with the transfer belt.

[0004] In a current high-voltage control technology, the printer generates the high voltage required for the charging, developing, and transfer processes via a high-voltage control circuit board. To avoid increasing costs, multiple photosensitive components can be connected in series. This way, the high-voltage control circuit board only needs to output one signal in one imaging step, which is then provided to all photosensitive components, eliminating the need for individual control of each component.

[0005] However, when using the transfer technology without a separation mechanism and the high-voltage control technology with multiple photosensitive components connected in series, the following problem arises: Since there is no separation mechanism, the C, M, Y, and K photosensitive components will always be in contact with the transfer belt. However, only the K color needs to be used when performing black and white printing. Therefore, how to control the motors of C, M, and Y during black and white printing needs further consideration. If the C, M, and Y motors are stopped, physical wear will occur between the stopped photoreceptor and the normally operating transfer belt, thus reducing the actual lifespan of the photoreceptor assembly. Furthermore, even if the motors stop rotating, because multiple photoreceptor assemblies are connected in series, the high voltage supplied to the K photoreceptor assembly will also supply the charging and developing rollers for the C, M, and Y colors, causing a long-term inconsistency in the potential of the photoreceptor surface and resulting in electrical losses. Conversely, if the C, M, and Y motors are rotated normally as in color printing, the expected lifespan of the photoreceptor assembly will be reduced. This is because some printers calculate the expected lifespan of the photoreceptor based on the number of rotations. This means that even if the photoreceptor does not actually participate in exposure or development steps, it will be considered to have a reduced lifespan in the program calculation because the motor has actually rotated. When the expected lifespan is exhausted, the printer will issue a prompt message suggesting that the user replace the imaging assembly to avoid potential image quality degradation. In the above situation, if the expected lifespan of the photoreceptor is not accurately calculated, it may lead to the photoreceptor being replaced before reaching its actual lifespan, causing losses to the user.

[0006] This shows that during black and white printing, regardless of whether the C, M, and Y photosensitive elements rotate normally or stop rotating, the lifespan of the photosensitive elements is not properly maintained. [Summary of the Invention]

[0007] In order to solve the problem that the prior art fails to properly maintain the lifespan of printers, this invention proposes an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a medium.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus is provided, comprising: a plurality of photoreceptors; a driving device for driving the plurality of photoreceptors to rotate; an exposure device for forming an electrostatic latent image by exposing at least one of the plurality of photoreceptors to an image; a plurality of developing devices for developing the latent images formed on the plurality of photoreceptors with toners of different colors to enable the plurality of photoreceptors to carry toner images; an intermediate transfer body that simultaneously contacts the plurality of imaging components for transferring the toner images; and a controller configured to determine a target photoreceptor for which exposure is not performed based on an image forming job to be processed, and to rotate the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the driving device.

[0009] Optionally, the controller is further configured to: when the image forming operation is a black and white operation, determine the target photoreceptors for which exposure is not performed as C photoreceptors, M photoreceptors, and Y photoreceptors.

[0010] Optionally, the image forming apparatus further includes: a high-voltage control unit for generating a high-voltage signal, the high-voltage signal being simultaneously provided to the plurality of photoreceptors; the controller is further configured to, when the high-voltage signal is stabilized at the operating voltage, cause the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the driving device.

[0011] Optionally, the image forming apparatus further includes a lifetime calculation unit configured to determine the expected lifetime based on the rotational distance of the plurality of photoreceptors.

[0012] Optionally, the image forming apparatus further includes: a cleaning unit for performing cleaning after the imaging of the image forming operation to be processed is completed; the controller is further configured to, after the cleaning is completed, cause the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the driving device.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an image forming method is provided, comprising: determining a target photoreceptor from which exposure is not performed based on an image forming job to be processed; and rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed.

[0014] Optionally, when the image forming operation is a black and white operation, the target photoreceptors for which exposure is not performed are determined to be C photoreceptors, M photoreceptors, and Y photoreceptors.

[0015] Optionally, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed includes: when the high voltage signal is stable at the working voltage, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed by a driving device.

[0016] Optionally, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed includes: performing cleaning after the imaging of the image forming operation is completed; and after cleaning is completed, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed by a driving device.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable storage medium including a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device in which the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method described in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0018] The embodiments of the present invention can identify a target photoreceptor that will not be exposed, and by driving the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed, the technical effect of preventing a reduction in the expected lifespan of the image forming apparatus can be achieved. [Attached Image Description]

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a color laser printer;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of high-voltage control.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of drive control according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0025] To better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1A structural diagram of a color laser printer is shown. 100 is the Laser Scanning Unit (LSU), also known as the exposure device; 101-104 are K, C, M, and Y developing cartridges, respectively; 111-114 are K, C, M, and Y photosensitive elements, respectively; 171-174 are developing rollers corresponding to each photosensitive element; 181-184 are charging rollers corresponding to each photosensitive element; 121-124 are primary transfer rollers corresponding to each photosensitive element; and 130 is the transfer belt, also known as the intermediate transfer body. The K photosensitive element 111, K developing cartridge 101, K developing roller 171, and K charging roller 181 are called the K imaging assembly; similarly, the C imaging assembly, M imaging assembly, and Y imaging assembly are also composed of photosensitive elements of the corresponding colors, charging rollers, developing rollers, and developing cartridges.

[0028] Charging process: Charging rollers 181 to 184 fill the surface of photoreceptors 111 to 114 with charge.

[0029] Exposure process: The laser scanning unit 100 performs laser scanning on the photoreceptors 111-114, covering the area corresponding to the image to be printed. This causes a change in the charge distribution of the scanned area, thereby forming a latent image. For black and white printing jobs, the laser scanning unit 100 performs exposure only on the K photoreceptor 111. For color printing jobs, the laser scanning unit 100 determines which photoreceptors to expose based on the C, M, Y, and K values ​​required for the printing job.

[0030] Development process: The developing chambers 101-104 contain charged toner (such as toner). Under the action of the electrostatic field of the developing rollers 171-174, the toner adheres to the latent image position of the photoreceptor, forming a toner image.

[0031] One-time transfer process: Under the action of the electrostatic field of the primary transfer rollers 121-124, the toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor 111-114 to the transfer belt 130.

[0032] Secondary transfer process: The toner image on transfer belt 130 is transferred from transfer belt 130 to paper.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the high-voltage control circuit is shown. The controller 210 outputs a PWM signal to the high-voltage control unit 220, which generates different high voltages, such as charging high voltage (for charging rollers 181-184), developing high voltage (for developing rollers 171-174), primary transfer high voltage (for primary transfer rollers 121-124), secondary transfer high voltage, etc. Then, the high-voltage control unit 220 outputs the high voltage to the K, C, M, Y imaging components through an interface.

[0034] from Figure 2As can be seen, since the K imaging component 231, C imaging component 232, M imaging component 233, and Y imaging component 234 are connected in series, even if only the K imaging component is working during black and white printing, the charging high voltage, developing high voltage, and transfer high voltage output by the high voltage control unit 220 will still be provided to the C, M, and Y imaging components. Therefore, if the C photoreceptor 112, M photoreceptor 113, and Y photoreceptor 114 stop rotating during black and white printing, it will cause physical wear between the photoreceptor and the transfer belt 130, and may also lead to electrical losses due to the long-term inconsistency of the potential on the surface of the photoreceptor. However, if the C, M, and Y photoreceptors operate at a constant speed, the expected lifespan of the C, M, and Y photoreceptors will be reduced because the expected lifespan is calculated based on the rotation distance.

[0035] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of photoreceptors 111-114; a driving device 240 for driving the plurality of photoreceptors to rotate; an exposure device 100 for forming an electrostatic latent image by exposing at least one of the plurality of photoreceptors to an image; a plurality of developing devices 101-104, 171-174 for developing the multiple latent images formed on the plurality of photoreceptors using toners of different colors, so that the plurality of photoreceptors carry toner images; an intermediate transfer body 130, which simultaneously contacts the plurality of imaging components for transferring toner images; and a controller 210 configured to determine a target photoreceptor for which exposure is not performed based on the image forming job to be processed, and to rotate the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the driving device. The first speed can be a normal printing speed, and the second speed can be a preset, slower printing speed.

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In black and white printing mode, the controller 210 controls the C-photosensor 112, M-photosensor 113, and Y-photosensor 114 to reduce their rotation speed via the drive device 240, for example, to 1 / 4 of their normal speed. In color printing mode, the controller 210 controls the C-photosensor 112, M-photosensor 113, and Y-photosensor 114 to rotate at their normal speed via the drive device 240. Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment reduces the rotation speed of the C, M, and Y photoreceptors in black and white printing mode, which decreases physical wear between the intermediate transfer body 130 and the C, M, and Y photoreceptors and also prevents long-term inconsistencies in the potential of the C, M, and Y photoreceptor surfaces. Furthermore, by reducing the rotation speed, the present invention reduces the degree of lifespan reduction compared to existing technologies when calculating the expected lifespan.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the controller is further configured to: when the image forming job is a black-and-white job, determine the target photoreceptors for which exposure is not performed as C-sensors, M-sensors, and Y-sensors. It can be understood that if the image forming job includes both red and black, the target photoreceptors can be determined as C-sensors and Y-sensors.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the image forming apparatus further includes a lifetime calculation unit configured to determine the expected lifetime based on the rotational distance of the plurality of photoreceptors. The lifetime calculation unit may be located inside or outside the controller 210. The expected lifetime refers to an estimated value for the lifespan of the photosensitive drum; since the structure of the photoreceptors is fixed, the rotational distance can be calculated by the number of rotations.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the image forming apparatus further includes a high-voltage control unit 220 for generating a high-voltage signal, which is simultaneously provided to the plurality of photoreceptors. The controller 210 is also configured to, when the high-voltage signal stabilizes at the operating voltage, drive the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed. The above embodiments are used to determine the timing of the target photoreceptor's initial rotation. The embodiments of the present invention can avoid premature rotation of the C, M, and Y photoreceptors, which could lead to an inappropriate reduction in their expected lifespan, thus achieving the technical effect of improving the expected lifespan.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the image forming apparatus may further include a cleaning unit for performing cleaning after the imaging of the image forming job is completed; the controller 210 is further configured to, after cleaning, cause the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the drive device 240. In this embodiment, cleaning refers to adjusting the voltage difference between the charging high voltage and the developing high voltage after the toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor to the transfer belt, causing the photoreceptor to continue rotating for a period of time to remove residual toner from the photoreceptor surface and simultaneously clean the charging roller. This embodiment takes into account that the photoreceptor rotates not only during imaging but also continues to rotate for a period of time during the cleaning phase after imaging, which reduces its expected lifespan. However, the rotation speed during the cleaning phase does not affect the processing speed or print quality of the printing job. Therefore, this embodiment reduces the rotation speed of the target photoreceptor during the cleaning phase, avoiding a reduction in expected lifespan without affecting the print job processing quality and efficiency.

[0041] The present invention also provides an image forming method, such as Figure 4 As shown, it includes:

[0042] S410: Determine the target photoreceptor for which exposure will not be performed based on the image to be processed to form a job. In one implementation, the target photoreceptor for which exposure will not be performed can be determined based on the content of the print job; for example, for a black and white print job, the C, M, and Y photoreceptors are the target photoreceptors for which exposure will not be performed.

[0043] S420: Rotate the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed. For example, the first speed can be the normal speed, and the second speed can be 1 / 4 of the normal speed or other reasonable speed.

[0044] In one possible implementation, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed includes: when the high voltage signal is stabilized at the working voltage, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than the preset first speed by a driving device.

[0045] In one possible implementation, rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed includes: performing cleaning after the imaging of the image forming operation is completed; and after cleaning is completed, rotating the plurality of photoreceptors at a second speed lower than the preset first speed by a driving device.

[0046] See Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The image forming apparatus 500 may include a processor 510, a memory 520, and a communication unit 530. These components communicate through one or more buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the image forming apparatus shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the embodiment of this application. It may be a bus-shaped structure or a star-shaped structure, and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0047] The communication unit 530 is used to establish a communication channel, enabling the image forming apparatus to communicate with other devices. It can receive user data sent by other devices or send user data to other devices.

[0048] The processor 510 serves as the control center of the image forming apparatus. It connects to various parts of the apparatus via various interfaces and lines, and executes software programs, instructions, and / or modules stored in the memory 520, as well as calling data stored in the memory, to perform various functions of the image forming apparatus and / or process data. The processor may be composed of integrated circuits (ICs), such as a single packaged IC or multiple packaged ICs with the same or different functions connected together. For example, the processor 510 may consist only of a central processing unit (CPU). In this embodiment, the CPU may have a single processing core or include multiple processing cores.

[0049] The memory 520 is used to store the execution instructions of the processor 510. The memory 520 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0050] When the execution instructions in memory 520 are executed by processor 510, the image forming apparatus 500 is able to perform its functions. Figure 4 Some or all of the steps in the illustrated embodiments.

[0051] In a specific implementation, this application embodiment also provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium may store a program, and when the program is executed, it may include some or all of the steps of the image sorting method provided in various embodiments of this application. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory (ROM), or random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0052] In a specific implementation, this application also provides a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes executable instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform some or all of the steps in the various embodiments of the image sorting method provided in this application.

[0053] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the techniques in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, or the parts that contribute to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application or some parts of the embodiments.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, include: Multiple photoreceptors; A driving device is used to drive the plurality of photoreceptors to rotate; An exposure apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image by exposing at least one of the plurality of photoreceptors to an image; Multiple developing devices are used to develop multiple latent images formed on multiple photoreceptors using toners of different colors, so that the multiple photoreceptors carry toner images; An intermediate transfer medium, which simultaneously contacts the plurality of photoreceptors, is used to transfer the toner image; The controller is configured to determine a target photoreceptor from which exposure will not be performed based on the image to be processed forming a job, and to rotate the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via a drive device. The image forming apparatus further includes: a high-voltage control unit for generating a high-voltage signal, the high-voltage signal being simultaneously provided to the plurality of photoreceptors; The controller is also configured to: when the high voltage signal is stable at the working voltage, drive the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed, thereby determining the timing when the target photoreceptor starts to rotate, so as to avoid the target photoreceptor rotating too early.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is further configured to: When the image forming operation is a black and white operation, the target photoreceptors for which exposure is not performed are identified as C photoreceptors, M photoreceptors, and Y photoreceptors.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The lifetime calculation unit is configured to determine the expected lifetime based on the rotational distance of the plurality of photoreceptors.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A cleaning unit is used to perform cleaning after the imaging process of the image formation operation is completed; The controller is also configured to, after the cleaning is completed, cause the target photoreceptor to rotate at a second speed lower than a preset first speed via the drive device.

5. An image forming method, characterized in that, include: The target photoreceptor to be excluded from exposure is determined based on the image to be processed to form the job. When the high voltage signal stabilizes at the operating voltage, the target photoreceptor is rotated at a second speed lower than the preset first speed, thereby determining the timing when the target photoreceptor begins to rotate, so as to avoid the target photoreceptor rotating too early; the high voltage signal includes charging high voltage, developing high voltage and transfer high voltage, which are provided to the imaging component.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the image forming operation is a black and white operation, the target photoreceptors for which exposure is not performed are identified as C photoreceptors, M photoreceptors, and Y photoreceptors.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of rotating the target photoreceptor at a second speed lower than a preset first speed includes: Cleaning is performed after the imaging process of the image formation job is completed; After cleaning is completed, the target photoreceptor is rotated at a second speed, lower than the preset first speed, by a drive device.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device on which the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method according to any one of claims 5-7.

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