Reproduction method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of appropriately determining whether an outer surface of a developing roller is coated with an electrification controlling agent so as to restore the performance of the developing roller.SOLUTION: A developing cartridge has a toner memory. The memory has at least one of usage history information and specification information of the developing cartridge. When performing reproduction of a developing roller, first, at least one of the usage history information and specification information is read from the toner memory (S2). Then, whether an outer surface of the developing roller is coated with an electrification controlling agent so as to control the amount of electrification of toner is determined on the basis of the usage history information or the specification information read from the toner memory (S3).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for regenerating a developing roller. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as laser printers and LED printers are known. The image forming apparatuses have a developer cartridge. The developer cartridge is attachable to the image forming apparatus. The developer cartridge contains toner. The developer cartridge also has a developer roller for supplying the toner.

[0003] In order to make effective use of resources, used developer cartridges are sometimes transported to a factory and remanufactured (recycled). A conventional remanufacturing method is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-328587 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the remanufacturing method of Patent Document 1, if the performance of the developing roller does not meet a predetermined standard, it is replaced with a new developing roller (see paragraph 0072 of Patent Document 1). However, in order to make more effective use of resources, it is desirable to reuse the developing roller after restoring its performance, even if the performance of the developing roller has deteriorated.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can appropriately determine whether a charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of a developing roller in order to restore the performance of the developing roller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first disclosure of the present application is a method for recycling a developing roller provided in a developing cartridge having a memory that stores at least one of usage history information indicating the usage history of the developing cartridge and specification information including the number of pages that can be printed by the developing cartridge, characterized by comprising: a) a step of reading at least one of the usage history information and the specification information from the memory of a recovered developing cartridge; and b) a step of determining whether a charge control agent for controlling the charge amount of toner carried on the developing roller should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the usage history information or the specification information read from the memory in step a).

[0008] The second disclosure of the present application is the recycling method of the first disclosure, characterized in that the memory stores the usage history information of the developing cartridge, and in step a), the usage history information is read from the memory, and in step b), it is determined based on the usage history information read from the memory whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller.

[0009] The third disclosure of the present application is the recycling method of the second disclosure, wherein the usage history information includes humidity at the time of use of the developing cartridge and usage information indicating the usage amount of the developing roller, the usage information indicating either the number of prints using the developing cartridge, the number of rotations of the developing roller, or the dot count, and in step b), it is determined whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the humidity and the usage information.

[0010] The fourth disclosure of the present application is the recycling method of the third disclosure, characterized in that in step b), if the usage amount exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller.

[0011] A fifth disclosure of the present application is the regeneration method of the fourth disclosure, characterized in that in the step b), the lower the humidity, the lower the threshold value.

[0012] A sixth disclosure of the present application is the recycling method of the fifth disclosure, characterized in that in the step b), the threshold value becomes lower as the average value of the humidity during use of the developing cartridge becomes lower.

[0013] The seventh disclosure of the present application is the recycling method of the first disclosure, characterized in that the memory stores the specification information of the developing cartridge, and in step a), the specification information is read from the memory, and in step b), it is determined based on the specification information read from the memory whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the first to seventh disclosures of the present application, it is possible to appropriately determine whether a charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on usage history information or specification information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of four developing cartridges and a drum unit. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing information stored in a toner memory. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining whether a charge control agent should be applied to a developing roller when remanufacturing a developing cartridge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In the following description, the direction in which the developing roller 30 extends will be referred to as the "first direction."

[0018] <1. Configuration of image forming device> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 1. This image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic printer. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 is a laser printer or an LED printer. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body frame 2, four developing cartridges 3, a drum unit 4, and a control unit 5.

[0019] 2 is a perspective view of the four developer cartridges 3 and the drum unit 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the four developer cartridges 3 can be attached to the drum unit 4. Furthermore, the drum unit 4 with the four developer cartridges 3 attached can be attached to the main body frame 2.

[0020] The developing cartridge 3 has a housing 10, a developing roller 30, and a toner memory 51. The housing 10 is a container that contains toner. The developing roller 30 is located at an end of the housing 10. The developing roller 30 is a roller that can rotate about a rotation axis that extends in a first direction. The toner is carried on the outer surface of the developing roller 30. A portion of the outer surface of the developing roller 30 is exposed to the outside of the housing 10.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the developing roller 30. FIG. 3 shows a cross section perpendicular to the first direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the developing roller 30 has a developing roller main body 31 and a developing roller shaft 32. The developing roller main body 31 is a cylindrical member extending in the first direction. The developing roller main body 31 is made of, for example, elastic rubber. The developing roller shaft 32 is a cylindrical member that penetrates the developing roller main body 31 in the first direction. The developing roller shaft 32 is made of, for example, metal or conductive resin. The developing roller main body 31 is fixed to the developing roller shaft 32 so as not to rotate relative to it.

[0022] 3, the outer surface of the developing roller body 31 is covered with a coating agent 33. The coating agent 33 is applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30 in order to protect the outer surface of the developing roller 30 and to control the charge amount of the toner carried on the developing roller 30. The coating agent is applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30 during the process of manufacturing the developing roller 30. Therefore, the toner is carried on the outer surface of the developing roller 30 in a state in which the coating agent 33 is applied.

[0023] The toner memory 51 is a storage medium from which information can be read and written. The toner memory 51 is an example of a "memory." The toner memory 51 stores various information related to the developing cartridge 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the information stored in the toner memory 51. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner memory 51 stores at least one of specification information D1 and usage history information D2 of the developing cartridge 3.

[0024] The specification information D1 includes, for example, a printable number D11 of pages that can be printed with the developing cartridge 3. The printable number D11 is information that is set in advance according to the volume of toner that can be contained in the housing 10. The usage history information D2 is information that indicates the usage history of the developing cartridge 3. The usage history information D2 changes as the developing cartridge 3 is used. The usage history information D2 includes, for example, humidity D21 when the developing cartridge 3 is in use. The usage history information D2 also includes, for example, usage amount information D22 that indicates the usage amount of the developing roller 30. The usage amount of the developing roller 30 is, for example, any one of the cumulative number of pages printed using the developing roller 30, the cumulative number of rotations of the developing roller 30, and the cumulative dot count.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the toner memory 51 has an electrical contact surface 511. The electrical contact surface 511 is made of metal, which is a conductor. The drum unit 4 also has four electrical connectors 711. When the developer cartridge 3 is installed in the drum unit 4, the electrical contact surface 511 of the toner memory 51 is electrically connected to the electrical connectors 711.

[0026] Furthermore, when the drum unit 4 with the developer cartridge 3 attached thereto is mounted to the main body frame 2, the electrical connector 711 is electrically connected to the control unit 5. As a result, the toner memory 51 is electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the electrical connector 711. In other words, the control unit 5 is able to communicate with the toner memory 51. As a result, the control unit 5 is able to read information from the toner memory 51 and write information to the toner memory 51.

[0027] The drum unit 4 has four photosensitive drums 80. The photosensitive drums 80 are rotatable about drum axes extending in the first direction. The photosensitive drums 80 have cylindrical outer surfaces centered on the drum axes. The outer surfaces of the photosensitive drums 80 are covered with photosensitive material.

[0028] When the developer cartridge 3 is attached to the drum unit 4, the developer roller 30 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 80. Specifically, the outer surface of the developer roller 30 comes into contact with the outer surface of the photosensitive drum 80. The image forming device 1 forms an image on printing paper using toner supplied from the developer cartridge 3 via the developer roller 30 and the photosensitive drum 80.

[0029] The number of developer cartridges 3 mounted on the drum unit 4 in this embodiment is four. However, the number of developer cartridges 3 mounted on the drum unit 4 may be one to three, or may be five or more.

[0030] The control unit 5 is located within the main body frame 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 5 has, for example, a processor 501 such as a CPU, and a main body memory 502. The main body memory 502 is a storage medium from which information can be read and written. The processor 501 can read information from the main body memory 502 and write information to the main body memory 502. The control unit 5 executes printing processing in the image forming apparatus 1 by the processor 501 operating in accordance with a program stored in the main body memory 502.

[0031] The image forming apparatus 1 also has a hygrometer 6. The hygrometer 6 measures the humidity inside the main body frame 2 and inputs the measurement value to the control unit 5. The control unit 5 writes the humidity measurement value input from the hygrometer 6 into the main body memory 502. Specifically, the main body memory 502 stores the humidity history as time-series data.

[0032] When performing a print process in the image forming apparatus 1, the control unit 5 updates the usage history information D2 stored in the toner memory 51. Specifically, the control unit 5 increments the usage amount information D22 stored in the toner memory 51. The control unit 5 also periodically writes the average humidity value during use of the developing cartridge 3 into the toner memory 51.

[0033] <2. Regarding the reproduction of developing cartridges> Next, a method for reproducing (recycling) a used developer cartridge 3 will be described.

[0034] As described above, the outer surface of the developing roller 30 is covered with a coating agent 33, which controls the charge amount of the toner carried by the developing roller 30. However, as the developing roller 30 wears with use, the charging performance of the developing roller 30 gradually deteriorates, and there is a risk that the toner charge amount will no longer be able to be properly controlled. Therefore, when remanufacturing a developing cartridge, a charge control agent is applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30. The charge control agent has the function of controlling the charge amount of the toner carried by the developing roller 30. By applying a charge control agent to the outer surface of the developing roller 30, the charging performance of the developing roller 30 can be restored (regenerated).

[0035] In more detail, for example, when a positively charged toner is used, the toner carried on the developing roller 30 may become excessively positively charged due to a decline in the charging performance of the developing roller 30, which may result in fogging, where the toner adheres to non-latent image areas. When remanufacturing the developing cartridge 3, a charge control agent is applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30, thereby restoring the charging performance of the developing roller 30. This makes it possible to prevent the toner carried on the developing roller 30 from becoming excessively positively charged when using the remanufactured developing cartridge 3.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining whether or not a charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30 when the developing cartridge 3 is reproduced.

[0037] 5, when reproducing the developer cartridge 3, first, the developer cartridge 3 is collected (step S1). Specifically, the developer cartridge 3 is transported from the user who used the developer cartridge 3 to a factory where the developer cartridge 3 is reproduced.

[0038] When the developer cartridge 3 arrives at the factory, information is read from the toner memory 51 of the developer cartridge 3 (step S2). Specifically, a terminal of a reading device is connected to the electrical contact surface 511 of the toner memory 51. Then, the reading device reads the information stored in the toner memory 51 via the electrical contact surface 511.

[0039] At this time, the reading device reads at least one of the usage history information D2 and the specification information D1 from the toner memory 51. For example, the reading device reads at least one of the humidity D21 when the developer cartridge 3 was in use and the usage amount information D22 of the developer cartridge 3 from the toner memory 51 as the usage history information D2. Furthermore, for example, the reading device reads the number of pages D11 that can be printed by the developer cartridge 3 from the toner memory 51 as the specification information D1. After the usage history information D2 is read from the toner memory 51, the usage history information D2 stored in the toner memory 51 may be erased.

[0040] The information read from the toner memory 51 is input from the reading device to the computer. Then, the computer determines whether a charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30 based on the information read from the toner memory 51 (step S3).

[0041] Whether or not the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30 is determined based on the usage history information D2 or the specification information D1 read from the toner memory 51.

[0042] When determining whether to apply the charge control agent based on the specification information D1, for example, the computer determines that the charge control agent should be applied if the printable number D11 read from the toner memory 51 exceeds a threshold value.

[0043] When determining whether to apply the charge control agent based on the usage history information D2, for example, the computer determines that the charge control agent should be applied if the usage amount indicated by the usage amount information D22 read from the toner memory 51 exceeds a threshold. Specifically, it may determine that the charge control agent should be applied if at least one of the cumulative number of prints using the developer cartridge 3, the cumulative number of rotations of the developer roller 30, or the cumulative dot count exceeds a corresponding threshold. Furthermore, when determining whether to apply the charge control agent based on the usage history information D2, for example, the computer may set the threshold corresponding to the usage amount lower the lower the humidity D21 read from the toner memory 51. Specifically, it may set the threshold corresponding to the usage amount lower the lower the average value of the humidity D21 during use of the developer cartridge 3.

[0044] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to apply a charge control agent to the outer surface of the developing roller 30, taking into consideration the humidity D21 during use of the developing cartridge 3 and the usage amount information D22, and it is possible to restore the charging performance of the developing roller 30 when reproducing the developing cartridge 3.

[0045] <3. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0046] In the above embodiment, a computer determines whether a charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller 30. However, a worker in a factory may determine whether a charge control agent should be applied based on the usage history information D2 or the specification information D1 read from the toner memory 51.

[0047] Furthermore, a threshold value corresponding to the amount of toner used to determine whether or not a charge control agent should be applied may be varied depending on the color of the toner in the developer cartridge 3. For example, in the case of toner that easily loses charge, such as black toner containing carbon, the threshold value may be set higher than for toners of other colors.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the drum unit 4 having the photosensitive drum 80 is detachable from the main body frame 2. However, the photosensitive drum 80 does not have to be detachable from the main body frame 2. In other words, the photosensitive drum 80 may be directly supported by the main body frame 2. In that case, the developing cartridge 3 may be directly attached to the main body frame 2 without being attached to the drum unit 4.

[0049] The detailed shape and configuration of the developing cartridge may differ from those shown in the drawings of the present application. Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately selected within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1: Image forming device 2: Main frame 3: Developing cartridge 4: Drum unit 5: Control section 6: Hygrometer 30: Developing roller 33: Coating agent 51: Toner memory 80: Photosensitive drum D1: Specification information D11: Number of printable pages D2: Usage history information D21 :Humidity D22: Usage information

Claims

1. A method for recycling a developing roller provided in a developing cartridge having a memory that stores at least one of usage history information indicating the usage history of the developing cartridge and specification information including the number of pages that can be printed by the developing cartridge, comprising: a) reading at least one of the usage history information and the specification information from the memory of the collected developer cartridge; b) determining whether a charge control agent for controlling the charge amount of the toner carried on the developing roller should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the usage history information or the specification information read from the memory in the step a); A regeneration method comprising the steps of:

2. 2. The reproducing method according to claim 1, the memory stores the usage history information of the developing cartridge; In the step a), the usage history information is read from the memory; In the step b), it is determined whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the usage history information read from the memory.

3. 3. The reproducing method according to claim 2, The usage history information is the humidity during use of the developing cartridge; usage information indicating the usage of the developing roller, the usage information indicating any one of the cumulative number of printed sheets using the developing roller, the cumulative number of rotations of the developing roller, and the cumulative dot count; Including, In the step b), it is determined whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the humidity and the usage amount information.

4. The regeneration method according to claim 3, In the step b), if the usage amount exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller.

5. The regeneration method according to claim 4, The regeneration method, wherein in the step b), the lower the humidity, the lower the threshold value.

6. 6. The regeneration method according to claim 5, In the step b), the threshold value is lower as the average humidity during use of the developing cartridge is lower.

7. 2. The reproducing method according to claim 1, the memory stores the specification information of the developing cartridge; In the step a), the specification information is read from the memory; In the step b), it is determined whether the charge control agent should be applied to the outer surface of the developing roller based on the specification information read from the memory.

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