Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To prevent a reduction in the performance of a photoreceptor drum in a new drum cartridge.SOLUTION: A controller 100 executes: a step S115 and a step S125 of determining whether a photoreceptor drum 53 has reached the end of the drum life; a step S110 of determining whether belt filming has occurred on a transfer belt 73; and a step 140 of, when the photoreceptor drum 53 is determined to have reached the end of the drum life in the step S125 and the belt filming is determined to have occurred in the step S110, performing notification to urge replacement of the photoreceptor drum 53 and the transfer belt 73.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum and a belt unit having a transfer belt. [Background technology]

[0002] In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on a photosensitive drum. The toner image is then transferred onto paper transported by a transfer belt and the photosensitive drum. This forms an image on the paper. As the number of prints increases, the transfer belt becomes covered in a film of paper dust, toner, and other adhering matter, known as belt filming. Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that uses an optical sensor to detect belt filming that occurs on the transfer belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-20970 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, a drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum is replaced with a new one when belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt. In this case, the photosensitive drum of the replaced new drum cartridge may become contaminated with the belt filming that has occurred on the transfer belt, which may degrade the performance of the photosensitive drum of the new drum cartridge.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image forming apparatus that can suppress deterioration in the performance of a photosensitive drum of a new drum cartridge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the image forming apparatus of the present disclosure comprises a housing, a drum cartridge that is detachable from the housing and has a photosensitive drum, a belt unit that has a transfer belt that contacts the photosensitive drum, and a controller, wherein the controller executes a drum determination process that determines whether the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life, a belt determination process that determines whether belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt, and a display process that displays a message encouraging replacement of the drum cartridge and the belt unit when the drum determination process determines that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life and the belt determination process determines that belt filming has occurred.

[0007] In the present disclosure, the drum determination process determines whether the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life. For example, the drum determination process determines that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life when it is time to replace it. The belt determination process determines whether belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt.

[0008] When the photosensitive drum needs to be replaced and belt filming is occurring, a display process is performed. The display process displays a message urging the user to replace both the drum cartridge and the belt unit. This prevents the user from replacing only the drum cartridge with a new one without replacing the belt unit. This prevents the new drum cartridge from being affected by belt filming occurring in the belt unit, allowing the new drum cartridge to perform at its full potential. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the performance of the photosensitive drum of a new drum cartridge from deteriorating. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a drum memory. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a belt memory. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the contents of a replacement recommendation display. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing in detail the procedure of an order processing executed by the controller. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing in detail the procedure of a delivery item exchange process executed by the controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0012] <Configuration of image forming device> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a color laser printer, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a housing 10, a feed section 20, an image forming section 30, a discharge section 90, and a fan 14. The feed section 20, the image forming section 30, the discharge section 90, and the fan 14 are located inside the housing 10. For ease of explanation, the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1 are defined as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1.

[0013] The housing 10 has a cover 11 and a discharge tray 13. The cover 11 is located on the top of the housing 10. The cover 11 is rotatable around a rotation shaft 12. The discharge tray 13 is located on the top surface of the cover 11. The discharge tray 13 supports the sheet P discharged from the housing 10.

[0014] The housing 10 has two fans 14. The two fans 14 are located inside the housing 10. One of the two fans 14 is located at the front of the housing 10, and the other is located at the rear of the housing 10. The fans 14 rotate by driving force from a fan motor 110 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the air inside the housing 10 is ventilated, and the temperature inside the housing 10 drops. The positions and number of the fans 14 can be changed as appropriate.

[0015] The feeding unit 20 has a feeding tray 21 and a sheet feeding mechanism 22. The feeding tray 21 is detachably disposed at the bottom inside the housing 10. The sheet feeding mechanism 22 has a feeding roller 23, a separation roller 24, a separation pad 25, a paper dust removal roller 26, and a pinch roller 27. The sheet feeding mechanism 22 transports the sheet P from the feeding tray 21 to the image forming unit 30.

[0016] The feeding roller 23 feeds the sheets P in the feeding tray 21 toward the separation roller 24. The separation roller 24 and the separation pad 25 separate the sheets P one by one. The paper dust removing roller 26 and the pinch roller 27 remove paper dust from the sheets P.

[0017] The image forming unit 30 forms an image on the sheet P conveyed by the feeding unit 20. The image forming unit 30 has four LED units 40, four process cartridges 50, a belt unit 70, and a fixing unit 80.

[0018] The LED unit 40 has an LED print head 41. The LED print head 41 is positioned above the photosensitive drum 53 and faces the photosensitive drum 53.

[0019] The process cartridge 50 is located between the cover 11 and the feed unit 20. The process cartridges 50 are lined up in the front-to-rear direction. Each process cartridge 50 has a drum cartridge 51 and a toner cartridge 60. The toner cartridge 60 is detachably attached to the drum cartridge 51. Note that a process cartridge in which the toner cartridge 60 and the drum cartridge 51 are integrally configured may also be used.

[0020] The process cartridge 50 can be attached and detached through the opening of the housing 10 after the cover 11 is rotated upward. That is, the process cartridge 50 is detachably attached to the housing 10 together with the toner cartridge 60, with the toner cartridge 60 attached to the drum cartridge 51. Note that each process cartridge 50 has the same configuration, with the only difference being the color of toner contained in the toner containing chamber 63.

[0021] Drum cartridge 51 has a charger 52, a photosensitive drum 53, and a drum memory 510 (described later) configured with an IC chip. Charger 52 is, for example, a scorotron charger. The surface of photosensitive drum 53 is uniformly charged by charger 52. Photosensitive drum 53 is exposed to LED light emitted from LED print head 41. As a result, an electrostatic latent image based on print data is formed on photosensitive drum 53. Drum status information is stored in drum memory 510 (see FIG. 3 described later).

[0022] The drum cartridge 51 also has a cleaning roller 54. The cleaning roller 54 cleans the photosensitive drum 53 by coming into contact with the photosensitive drum 53. In other words, the cleaning roller 54 collects foreign matter such as toner and paper dust adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 53. When a print job is completed, the foreign matter is discharged onto the transfer belt 73 via the photosensitive drum 53 and collected by a belt cleaning roller 75, which will be described later.

[0023] The toner cartridge 60 has a developing roller 61, a supply roller 62, and a toner storage chamber 63. The toner stored in the toner storage chamber 63 is supplied to the developing roller 61 by the rotation of the supply roller 62.

[0024] When the developing roller 61 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 53, the toner carried on the developing roller 61 is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 53. As a result, a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 53.

[0025] The belt unit 70 is located between the feeding section 20 and each process cartridge 50. The belt unit 70 has a belt memory 71 configured with an IC chip, a drive roller 72A, a driven roller 72B, a transfer belt 73, four transfer rollers 74, and a belt cleaning roller 75. The belt memory 71 stores belt filming information indicating the possibility of belt filming occurring (see FIG. 4 described below).

[0026] The drive roller 72A and the driven roller 72B are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. The transfer belt 73 is an endless belt. The transfer belt 73 is located between the drive roller 72A and the driven roller 72B. The transfer belt 73 faces the four process cartridges 50. The transfer belt 73 is in contact with each of the photosensitive drums 53.

[0027] The four transfer rollers 74 are positioned inside the transfer belt 73. The transfer belt 73 is sandwiched between each transfer roller 74 and each photosensitive drum 53. Each transfer roller 74 faces each photosensitive drum 53. A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer rollers 74 by constant current control during transfer.

[0028] As the sheet P passes between each photosensitive drum 53 and each transfer roller 74, the toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 53 is transferred onto the sheet P supplied onto the transfer belt 73.

[0029] The belt cleaning roller 75 is located below the transfer belt 73. The belt cleaning roller 75 collects foreign matter such as toner from the transfer belt 73. The collected foreign matter is stored in a toner reservoir .

[0030] The fixing unit 80 is located behind each process cartridge 50 and the belt unit 70. The fixing unit 80 has a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82. The pressure roller 82 faces the heating roller 81. The pressure roller 82 presses the heating roller 81. When the sheet P passes between the heating roller 81 and the pressure roller 82, the toner image transferred onto the sheet P is thermally fixed.

[0031] The discharge section 90 has a discharge path 91 and discharge rollers 92. The discharge path 91 extends upward from the exit of the fixing unit 80. The discharge path 91 is formed so as to turn over to the front side. The discharge rollers 92 transport the sheet P on which an image has been formed along the discharge path 91. The discharge rollers 92 discharge the sheet P on which an image has been formed onto the discharge tray 13.

[0032] <Electrical configuration of image forming apparatus> 2 is a block diagram showing the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 further includes a fan motor 110, a touch panel 120, an open / close sensor 130, a humidity sensor 140, and a communication interface (I / F) 150.

[0033] The controller 100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a NVRAM 104, an ASIC 105, a voltage application circuit 106, and an abnormal discharge detection circuit 107. The CPU 101, the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the NVRAM 104, the ASIC 105, the voltage application circuit 106, and the abnormal discharge detection circuit 107 are connected by an internal bus.

[0034] The ROM 102 stores a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 and setting information related to the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the control program stored in the ROM 102 includes an order processing shown in FIG. 6 and a delivery item exchange processing shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later.

[0035] The RAM 103 is used as a work area from which the control program is read and as a storage area for temporarily storing print data.

[0036] NVRAM (Non Volatile Random Access Memory) 104 stores a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 and setting information related to the image forming apparatus 1. NVRAM 104 is used as a working area from which the control program is read, and as a storage area for temporarily storing print data and setting information.

[0037] The ASIC 105 is electrically connected to the feeding section 20, the LED unit 40, the process cartridge 50, the belt unit 70, the discharge section 90, the voltage application circuit 106, the abnormal discharge detection circuit 107, the fan motor 110, the touch panel 120, the open / close sensor 130, the humidity sensor 140, the communication I / F 150, and the network I / F 160, etc.

[0038] The voltage application circuit 106 applies a voltage to the wire and grid of the charger 52. The abnormal discharge detection circuit 107 detects the occurrence of abnormal discharge based on the value of the current flowing through the voltage application circuit 106.

[0039] The touch panel 120 is, for example, a device that integrates a liquid crystal display and a touchpad. The touch panel 120 is located on the top surface of the housing 10. The touch panel 120 can display information and accept user operations. Note that instead of the touch panel 120, a display device such as a liquid crystal panel that functions as a display unit, and an operation device such as hard keys that functions as an operation unit may be used. The open / close sensor 130 is a sensor that detects whether the cover 11 is opened or closed. When the open / close sensor 130 detects whether the cover 11 is opened or closed, it outputs the detection result to the controller 100.

[0040] The humidity sensor 140 is a sensor that detects the humidity outside the housing 10. The humidity sensor 140 is located, for example, on the rear surface of the housing 10. The humidity sensor 140 outputs a signal to the controller 100 according to the detected humidity.

[0041] The communication I / F 150 is connected to a network such as a LAN. The communication I / F 150 can be connected to an external device such as a PC terminal 160 that has a driver for the image forming apparatus 1 installed. The image forming apparatus 1 can receive print jobs and the like from the PC terminal 160 via the communication I / F 150. The communication I / F 150 can also be connected to an external delivery server 170 via a wide area network NT such as the Internet. The delivery server 170 is a server managed by a manufacturer or delivery service company that has concluded a consumables delivery contract with the user of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 can place an order with the delivery server 170 to have consumables such as a drum cartridge 51 of a desired color or a belt unit 70 delivered to the user's delivery address.

[0042] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the drum memory 510. As shown in Fig. 3, the drum memory 510 stores information such as a drum ID 511, a cumulative drum rotation count 512, a cumulative drum print count 513, an unusable flag 514, a new drum flag 515, and a drum life end flag 516.

[0043] The drum ID 511 is identification information for identifying the drum cartridge 51. The cumulative drum rotation count 512 is the cumulative number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 53 since the drum cartridge 51 began to be used. The cumulative drum print count 513 is the cumulative number of prints since the drum cartridge 51 began to be used. The unusable flag 514 is a flag that is set to ON when it is determined in the print prohibition determination process described below that use of the drum cartridge 51 is prohibited. The new drum flag 515 is a flag that is set to ON when the drum cartridge 51 of each color that is currently installed is in an unused state, having just been installed. The drum life end flag 516 is a flag that is set to ON when it is estimated that the photosensitive drum 53 has reached or is about to reach the end of its product life.

[0044] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the belt memory 71. As shown in Fig. 4, the belt memory 71 stores information such as a belt ID 711, a belt cumulative print count 712, printing conditions 713, a new belt flag 714, and a belt filming occurrence flag 715.

[0045] The belt ID 711 is identification information for identifying the belt unit 70. The belt ID 711 is, for example, a serial number unique to each belt unit 70. The belt cumulative print count 712 is the cumulative number of prints since the belt unit 70 began to be used. The printing conditions 713 store information on various printing conditions when printing is performed using the transfer belt 73, such as an external humidity table, a print speed table, and a media type table (not shown). The new belt flag 714 is a flag that is set to ON when the currently installed belt unit 70 is in an unused state, having just been installed. The belt filming occurrence flag 715 is a flag that is set to ON when it is estimated that belt filming, which will be described later, has occurred in the transfer belt 73 of the currently installed belt unit 70.

[0046] The drum memory 510 is an example of a drum IC chip, the belt memory 71 is an example of a belt IC chip, and the ASIC 105 is an example of a drum communication unit and a belt communication unit.

[0047] <Countermeasures against belt filming> Belt filming is a phenomenon in which external additives (inorganic fine powder such as SiO2) of toner components cover the surface of the transfer belt 73. In addition to the external additives, paper dust also adheres and covers the surface of the transfer belt 73.

[0048] When a brand new photosensitive drum 53 is used in combination with a transfer belt 73 that has belt filming, there is a possibility that poor image quality will occur early on. This is because drum filming, which causes poor image quality, is likely to occur on the surface of the photosensitive drum 53 for a certain period of time after it is first used.

[0049] In other words, using a combination of a photosensitive drum 53 that has just been used and a transfer belt 73 that is experiencing belt filming will promote the growth of drum filming on the photosensitive drum 53, significantly shortening the drum's lifespan, which is the product lifespan.

[0050] Furthermore, since the product life of a typical belt unit 70 can be more than twice as long as the product life of a drum cartridge 51, for example, continuing to use a transfer belt 73 in a state where belt filming has occurred can cause the drum cartridge 51 to need to be replaced more frequently.

[0051] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, if belt filming occurs in the belt unit 70 while the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70 are being used, or if it is estimated that the drum cartridge 51 is nearing the end of its drum life, a message is displayed on the touch panel 120 urging the user to replace the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70. The message is displayed on the touch panel 120 while the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70 are attached to the housing 10.

[0052] Specifically, the controller 100 periodically executes a separate control program (not shown) to determine that the photosensitive drum 53 has reached the end of its drum life when at least one of the cumulative drum rotation count 512 and cumulative drum print count 513 exceeds a predetermined threshold. A known method may be used for determining that the photosensitive drum 53 has reached its drum life, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. When it is determined that the photosensitive drum 53 has reached its drum life, a drum life end flag 516 in the drum memory 510 is set to ON. When it is determined that the photosensitive drum 53 has been replaced with a new one, the drum life end flag 516 is reset to OFF.

[0053] The controller 100 also periodically executes a separate control program (not shown) to estimate whether belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt 73 based on the belt cumulative print count 712 and printing conditions 713. A known method can be used for the process of estimating the occurrence of belt filming, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. If it is estimated that belt filming has occurred, the belt filming occurrence flag 715 in the belt memory 71 is set to ON. If it is determined that the transfer belt 73 has been replaced with a new one, the belt filming occurrence flag 715 is reset to OFF.

[0054] The controller 100 then periodically executes an ordering process (described later) to display information when it is estimated that at least one of the following conditions has occurred: that a drum cartridge 51 of any color has reached the end of its drum life; and that belt filming has occurred in the belt unit 70. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 , if it is estimated that the drum cartridges 51 of all colors have not yet reached the end of their drum life and that belt filming has not occurred in the belt unit 70, no display is necessary. However, if it is estimated that a drum cartridge 51 of any color has reached the end of its drum life and that belt filming has not occurred in the belt unit 70, a display is displayed to encourage replacement of the drum cartridge 51 estimated to have reached the end of its drum life. Furthermore, if it is estimated that all drum cartridges 51 have not yet reached the end of their drum life and that belt filming has occurred in the belt unit 70, a display is displayed to encourage replacement of the transfer belt 73.

[0055] If it is estimated that the drum cartridge 51 of any color has reached the end of its drum life and that belt filming has occurred in the belt unit 70, a message is displayed urging the user to replace both the drum cartridge 51 estimated to have reached the end of its drum life and the belt unit 70. However, in this embodiment, the type of message displayed differs depending on whether the user of the image forming apparatus 1 has concluded a delivery contract for the above-mentioned consumables with a service company or manufacturer.

[0056] In other words, if the user has not entered into a delivery contract and the drum cartridge 51 or belt unit 70 is not a contracted item based on the delivery contract, the user must obtain a new drum cartridge 51 or belt unit 70 themselves, and therefore the image forming device 1 must immediately display a message recommending replacement.

[0057] On the other hand, if the user has concluded a delivery contract and the drum cartridge 51 or belt unit 70 is a contracted product based on the delivery contract, the image forming apparatus 1 automatically orders the contracted product to be replaced from the delivery server 170 via the network NT. The image forming apparatus 1 then displays the message when it is estimated that the delivered contracted product has arrived at the user's delivery address. Note that the display is based on the assumption that the contracted product to be replaced has already arrived at the user's location. Therefore, the display prohibits printing until replacement of all contracted products is complete, and urges the user to immediately replace all displayed contracted products.

[0058] <Control procedure> To realize the above-described method in this embodiment, an example of a control procedure for order processing executed by the controller 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 6. First, the processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 6 is called at a predetermined time interval and begins execution.

[0059] First, in step S105, various information is acquired from the drum memory 510 and the belt memory 71. Specifically, the acquired information includes the belt filming occurrence flag 715 and the drum life end flag 516.

[0060] Next, the process proceeds to step S110, where it is determined whether or not the content of the belt filming occurrence flag 715 is ON. If the content of the belt filming occurrence flag 715 is OFF (S110: NO), the process proceeds to step S115.

[0061] In step S115, it is determined whether the content of the drum life end flag 516 is ON. If the content of the drum life end flag 516 is OFF (S115: NO), this flow ends. On the other hand, if the content of the drum life end flag 516 is ON (S115: YES), in step S120, a message prompting replacement of the photosensitive drum 53 is displayed on the touch panel 120, and this flow ends.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S110 that the belt filming occurrence flag 715 is ON (S110: YES), the process proceeds to step S125.

[0063] In step S125, it is determined whether the content of the drum life end flag 516 is ON. If the content of the drum life end flag 516 is OFF (S125: NO), in step S130, a message prompting replacement of the transfer belt 73 is displayed on the touch panel 120, and this flow ends. On the other hand, if the content of the drum life end flag 516 is ON (S125: YES), the flow proceeds to step S135.

[0064] In step S135, it is determined whether the user has entered into a delivery contract, in other words, whether the photosensitive drum 53 and transfer belt 73 are contracted items. This determination can be made, for example, by querying the delivery server 170 about whether a delivery contract has been entered into based on the user account registered in the image forming apparatus 1. If the user has not entered into a delivery contract (S135: NO), in step S140, a message prompting the user to replace both the photosensitive drum 53 and the transfer belt 73 is displayed on the touch panel 120, and this flow ends. In this case, it is assumed that the user has not yet obtained new drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70, and the printable state is maintained without immediately prohibiting printing.

[0065] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S135 that the user has concluded a delivery contract (S135: YES), an order is placed with the delivery server 170 in step S150 to deliver the drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70 to be replaced. Note that the ordering process is performed only once in association with the drum ID 511 and belt ID 711 to be replaced, thereby avoiding duplicate orders.

[0066] Next, the process proceeds to step S155, where the order flag is set to ON, and this flow ends. The order flag is information stored in, for example, NVRAM 104. The order flag is set to ON when the contracted product has been ordered (not shown). Then, it is necessary to wait until the contracted product arrives at the user's delivery address, and during that time, printing is not prohibited and the printable state is maintained.

[0067] During the delivery waiting period, the controller 100 invokes and executes the delivery item exchange process shown in the flow chart of FIG. 7 at predetermined time intervals.

[0068] First, in step S205, it is determined whether the content of the order flag is ON. If the content of the order flag is OFF, in other words, if the contracted product has not been ordered (S205: NO), this flow ends. On the other hand, if the content of the order flag is ON (S205: YES), the flow proceeds to step S210.

[0069] In step S210, the shipping status of the ordered contracted item is estimated. This involves inquiring the delivery server 170 about the expected arrival date of the ordered contracted item and comparing it with the date and time at the time of the inquiry to estimate whether the contracted item has arrived at the user's delivery destination.

[0070] In the next step S215, it is determined whether the contracted product has arrived at the user's delivery destination based on the estimation result. If it is estimated that the contracted product has not yet arrived (S215: NO), this flow ends. On the other hand, if it is estimated that the contracted product has already arrived (S215: YES), the flow proceeds to step S220.

[0071] In step S220, the content of the unusable flag 514 corresponding to the drum cartridge 51 of the ordered color is set to ON, thereby causing the image forming apparatus 1 to enter a print-prohibited state in which it will not accept print jobs.

[0072] Next, the process proceeds to step S225, where a message is displayed on the touch panel 120 urging the user to replace both the drum cartridges 51 and the belt units 70 of all the delivered colors.

[0073] In the next step S230, the process waits until the open / close sensor 130 detects that the cover 11 is open. Also, in step S230, when the open / close sensor 130 detects that the cover 11 is open, in step S235, various information is acquired from the drum memory 510 and the belt memory 71. Specifically, the acquired information is the new belt flag 714 and the new drum flag 515.

[0074] Next, the process proceeds to step S240, where the replacement status of the delivered drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 of all colors is determined. Specifically, the delivery replacement process and a separate control program are executed substantially in parallel by interrupt processing, and when the delivered drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 of all colors are manually replaced by the user, the corresponding new product flag is set to ON. The new drum flag 515 and new belt flag 714 for the color to be replaced are then monitored to determine the replacement status of the delivered drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 of all colors.

[0075] If only the drum cartridges 51 of all the delivered colors have been replaced, a message prompting replacement of the belt unit 70 is displayed on the touch panel 120 in step S245, and the process returns to step S230.

[0076] If only some of the delivered drum cartridges 51 or belt units 70 have been replaced, a message urging the replacement of all of the delivered drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 is displayed on the touch panel 120 in step S250, and the process returns to step S230.

[0077] Furthermore, if all of the delivered drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 of all colors have been replaced, the contents of the new drum flag 515, new belt flag 714, all unusable flags 514, and order flag are reset to OFF in step S255. This puts the image forming apparatus 1 into a printable state, and all drum cartridges 51 and belt units 70 are considered to be in a used state rather than in a new state.

[0078] In the above, steps S115 and S125 are an example of drum determination processing, step S110 is an example of belt determination processing, step S140, step S245, and step S250 are an example of notification processing, step S135 is an example of drum contract item determination processing and belt contract item determination processing, step S215 is an example of drum delivery determination processing and belt delivery determination processing, step S220 is an example of print prohibition processing, step S240 is an example of new drum determination processing and new belt determination processing, and step S255 is an example of information change processing.

[0079] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, it is determined in steps S115 and S125 whether the photosensitive drum 53 has reached the end of its drum life. In steps S115 and S125, it is determined that the photosensitive drum 53 has reached the end of its drum life when, for example, it is time to replace the photosensitive drum 53. In step S110, it is determined whether belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt 73.

[0080] If the photosensitive drum 53 needs to be replaced and belt filming has occurred, step S140 is performed. In step S140, a message is displayed urging the user to replace both the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70. This prevents the user from replacing only the drum cartridge 51 with a new one without replacing the belt unit 70. This prevents the new drum cartridge 51 from being affected by belt filming that has occurred in the belt unit 70, allowing the new drum cartridge 51 to perform at its best.

[0081] In determining the drum life in steps S115 and S125, a certain margin may be set for the drum life. Specifically, for some index value indicating the degree of functional deterioration of the photosensitive drum 53, an index value corresponding to a degree of deterioration to the point where normal function is no longer expected can be considered the drum life threshold. Therefore, in determining the drum life in steps S115 and S125, an index value that is, for example, 90% lower than the actual drum life threshold by a margin of 10% may be set as the determination threshold, and when this threshold is reached, it may be determined that the drum is nearing the end of its life and needs to be replaced. This prevents rapid deterioration of the photosensitive drum 53 when the transfer belt 73 is in a filming state and the drum cartridge 51 is replaced with a new one even if the drum has not yet reached its end of life. Note that both the actual drum life threshold and the determination threshold with a margin set are examples of predetermined thresholds.

[0082] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, controller 100 determines that the drum has reached the end of its life in steps S115 and S125 when at least one of cumulative drum rotation count 512 and cumulative drum print count 513 exceeds a predetermined threshold. In this way, by determining whether the drum has reached its end of life in steps S115 and S125 based on the cumulative drum rotation count, cumulative drum print count, etc. of photosensitive drum 53, a more accurate determination can be made.

[0083] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, in step S110, the controller 100 determines whether or not belt filming has occurred based on the belt cumulative printed sheet count 712 and printing conditions 713, which are conditions when printing is performed using the transfer belt 73. In this way, by making a determination in step S110 based on the belt cumulative printed sheet count 712 and the printing conditions 713, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not belt filming has occurred.

[0084] The method for determining whether belt filming has occurred is not limited to the method based on the cumulative belt print count 712 and the printing conditions 713. Alternatively, a known method may be used (not shown) in which, for example, an optical sensor is used to optically detect a film layer adhered to the surface of the transfer belt 73.

[0085] In particular, in this embodiment, the controller 100 further executes step S135 to determine whether the drum cartridge 51 is a contracted product.

[0086] In particular, in this embodiment, the controller 100 further executes step S135 to determine whether the belt unit 70 is a contracted product.

[0087] As a result, if the user has a delivery contract, when it is near time to replace the drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70, the service provider will deliver new replacement drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70 to the user. In this embodiment, by determining in step S135 whether the drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70 are contracted products based on the delivery contract, it becomes possible to perform appropriate processing depending on whether or not delivery is required.

[0088] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the controller 100 further executes step S215, in which if it is determined that the drum cartridge 51 is a contracted product, it determines whether a new drum cartridge 51 has been delivered; if it is determined that the belt unit 71 is a contracted product, it determines whether a new belt unit 71 has been delivered; and step S220, in which it prohibits printing using the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70 if it is determined in steps S115 and S125 that the drum life has been reached, it is determined in step S110 that belt filming has occurred, it is determined in step S215 that a new drum cartridge 70 has been delivered, and it is determined in step S215 that a new belt unit 70 has been delivered.

[0089] When a new drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70 have arrived at the user's location based on the delivery contract, the drum cartridge 51 and belt unit 70 can be replaced with new ones, allowing for high-quality printing. However, it is also possible that only the drum cartridge 51 will be replaced. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, if it is determined in step S215 that a new drum cartridge 51 has arrived at the user's location when the drum cartridge 51 needs to be replaced and belt filming has occurred on the belt unit 70, printing is prohibited in step S220. This makes it possible to prevent deposits due to belt filming from adhering to the photosensitive drum 53 of the new drum cartridge 51.

[0090] In particular, in this embodiment, the controller 100 performs step S250 after prohibiting printing in step S220. By displaying the printing prohibited state to the user in step S220, the user can be prompted to replace both the drum cartridge 51 and the belt unit 70 with new ones that have just arrived.

[0091] In particular, in this embodiment, the controller 100 further executes step S240 to determine whether a new drum cartridge 51 is installed in the housing 10, and step S240 to determine whether a new belt unit 70 is installed in the housing 10.

[0092] In this embodiment, in step S240, the attachment state of the drum cartridge 51 including the photosensitive drum 53 or the belt unit 70 including the transfer belt 73 in the housing 10 is detected. This makes it possible to detect whether the photosensitive drum 53 or the transfer belt 73 has been replaced with a new one.

[0093] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, after the display in step S140, if it is determined in step S240 that a new belt unit 70 has been installed, and if it is not determined in step S240 that a new drum cartridge 51 has been installed, the controller 100 executes step S250 again.

[0094] In this embodiment, if only the belt unit 73 is replaced despite having been prompted to replace both the photosensitive drum 53 and the transfer belt 73, the message is displayed again. This makes it possible to again prompt the user to replace both the photosensitive drum 53 and the transfer belt 73.

[0095] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, after the display in step S140, if it is determined in step S240 that a new drum cartridge 51 has been installed, and if it is not determined in step S240 that a new belt unit 70 has been installed, the controller 100 executes step S245 again.

[0096] In this embodiment, if only the drum cartridge 51 is replaced despite having been prompted to replace both the photosensitive drum 53 and the transfer belt 73, the same message is displayed again. This makes it possible to again prompt the user to replace both the photosensitive drum 53 and the transfer belt 73.

[0097] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the drum cartridge 51 includes a plurality of drum cartridges 51, and the controller 100 determines in step S240 whether a plurality of new drum cartridges 51 are attached to the housing 10, and after the display in step S250, if it is not determined in step S240 that all of the plurality of drum cartridges 51 are new, step S250 is executed again.

[0098] In this embodiment, multiple drum cartridges 51 are used in the image forming apparatus 1. In this case, all of the multiple drum cartridges 51 need to be replaced. However, if only some of the drum cartridges 51 have been replaced, a message urging the user to replace all of the multiple drum cartridges 51 and the belt unit 70 is displayed again. This makes it possible to urge the user again to replace all of the drum cartridges 51 and the belt unit 70.

[0099] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the ASIC 105 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 can communicate with the drum memory 510 of the drum cartridge 51 and the belt memory 71 of the belt unit 70. A new drum flag 515 is stored in the drum memory 510 of the drum cartridge 51 equipped with the photosensitive drum 53. A new belt flag 714 is stored in the belt memory 71 of the belt unit 70 equipped with the transfer belt 73.

[0100] When the user replaces the transfer belt 73 and the photosensitive drum 53 in accordance with the instructions in steps S245 and S250, the new product flags 515 and 714 in the memories 510 and 71 are changed from unused (ON) to used (OFF) in step S255. This clearly indicates that the products have been used and are no longer new.

[0101] In addition, when the image forming apparatus 1 is operated from the PC terminal 160 via the communication interface 150, a display signal for the replacement recommendation display may be output to the touch panel 120 as well as to the PC terminal 160, and displayed on its display or the like.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above, the flowcharts shown in Figures 6 and 7 do not limit the present disclosure to the procedures shown in the flowcharts, and procedures may be added or deleted or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the intent and technical idea of ​​the disclosure.

[0103] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0104] Although not specifically illustrated, the present disclosure can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the spirit thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. Image forming device 10. Cabinet 30 Image forming unit 51 Drum cartridge 53 Photosensitive drum 70 Belt unit 71 Belt Memory 73 Transfer belt 100 Controllers 105 ASIC (drum communication unit, belt communication unit) 120 Touch Panel 510 Drum Memory 512 cumulative drum rotations 513 Drum cumulative print count 514 Unavailable Flag 515 Drum New Flag 712 belts cumulative print count 713 Printing conditions 714 Belt New Flag 715 Filming Occurrence Flag

Claims

1. The housing and a drum cartridge detachably attached to the housing, the drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum; a belt unit having a transfer belt that contacts the photosensitive drum; A controller; Equipped with The controller a drum determination process for determining whether the life of the photosensitive drum has reached a predetermined threshold; a belt determination process for determining whether or not belt filming has occurred on the transfer belt; a display process for displaying a message urging the user to replace the drum cartridge and the belt unit when the drum determination process determines that the photosensitive drum has reached the end of its life and the belt determination process determines that the belt filming has occurred; and Run An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The controller In the drum determination process, when at least one of the cumulative number of rotations of the photosensitive drum or the cumulative number of prints made using the photosensitive drum exceeds the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the life of the photosensitive drum has been reached.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The controller In the belt determination process, it is determined whether or not the belt filming has occurred based on the cumulative number of prints made using the belt unit and the conditions under which printing was made using the belt unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. The controller further comprises: A drum contract product determination process for determining whether the drum cartridge is a contract product or not Run 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

5. The controller further comprises: A belt contract product determination process for determining whether the belt unit is a contract product or not Run 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The controller further comprises: a drum delivery determination process for determining whether a new drum cartridge has been delivered when the drum cartridge is determined to be a contracted product in the drum contract product determination process; a belt delivery determination process for determining whether a new belt unit has been delivered or not when the belt unit is determined to be a contracted product in the belt contracted product determination process; a print prohibition process that prohibits printing using the drum cartridge and the belt unit when the drum determination process determines that the predetermined condition has been reached, the belt determination process determines that the belt filming has occurred, the drum delivery determination process determines that a new drum cartridge has been delivered, and the belt delivery determination process determines that a new belt unit has been delivered; Run 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The controller After prohibiting printing by the print prohibition process, the notification is performed by the notification process.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The controller further comprises: a new drum determination process for determining whether a new drum cartridge is attached to the housing; A new belt determination process for determining whether a new belt unit is attached to the housing. Run 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

9. The controller After the notification by the notification process, if it is determined that a new belt unit is installed by the new belt determination process, and if it is not determined that a new drum cartridge is installed by the new drum determination process, the notification process is executed again.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The controller After the notification by the notification process, if it is determined by the new drum determination process that a new drum cartridge has been installed in the housing, and if it is not determined by the new belt determination process that a new belt unit has been installed in the housing, the notification process is executed again.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

11. The drum cartridge includes a plurality of drum cartridges, The controller, in the new drum determination process, determining whether the plurality of new drum cartridges are attached to the housing; Run After the notification by the display process, if it is not determined that all of the plurality of drum cartridges are new by the new drum determination process, the display process is executed again.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

12. The drum cartridge is a drum memory capable of storing a drum new flag indicating that the drum cartridge is new; The belt unit a belt memory capable of storing a new belt flag indicating that the belt unit is new; the image forming apparatus, a drum communication unit capable of communicating with the drum memory; a belt communication unit capable of communicating with the belt memory; Furthermore, The controller further comprises: an information change process for changing the new drum flag in the drum memory and the new belt flag in the belt memory from the new state to the used state via the drum communication unit when it is determined by the new belt determination process that a new belt unit has been attached to the housing and when it is determined by the new drum determination process that a new drum cartridge has been attached to the housing after the display process is executed; Run 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

Images