Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided that has high accuracy in acquiring life information of a fixing unit. [Solution] The image forming device has an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a fixing unit that includes a rotatable fixing member and abuts the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit against the fixing member to fix the image to the recording medium, a drive unit that drives the fixing member, and a control unit that acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses are known that have a fixing unit that fixes an image on a recording medium and acquire information about the life of the fixing unit.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for estimating the lifespan of a fixing member from the slope of the torque value when the torque of a drive unit that drives a rotatable fixing member reaches a threshold value. In this technology, a fluorine-coated sliding member slides against the fixing member to perform the fixing operation. As the end of the lifespan approaches, the fluorine coating peels off, and the torque of the drive unit increases due to friction between the sliding member and the fixing member. This phenomenon is used to estimate the lifespan of the fixing member. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can acquire life information of a fixing unit with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a fixing unit that includes a rotatable fixing member and that fixes the image on the recording medium by contacting the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit with the fixing member, a drive unit that drives the fixing member, and a control unit that acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can acquire life information of a fixing unit with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a fixing unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a holding member of a fixing unit provided in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between average P / J, the number of pages formed per month, and the temperature inside the fixing member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between average P / J, monthly image forming distance, and temperature inside the fixing member. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a method for acquiring life information of a fixing unit in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a table showing the operating status of a fixing unit in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of acquiring life information of a fixing unit by a control unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a method for acquiring life information of a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of acquiring life information of a fixing unit by a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for acquiring remaining day information by a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a method for acquiring life information of a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] 11 is a flowchart showing a process of acquiring information about the end of life of a fixing unit by a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments are merely examples of the image forming apparatus, the image forming method, and the program according to the present invention, and are not limited to the following.

[0009] Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of components described in the embodiments of the present invention are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention to those specific embodiments, and are merely illustrative examples. The sizes, positional relationships, etc. of components shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity. In the following description, the same names and symbols indicate the same or similar components, and detailed descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Cross-sectional views may be used in which an end view showing only the cut surface is used. Furthermore, "arranged" is not limited to direct contact, but also includes indirect arrangement, for example, via another component.

[0010] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below using an electrophotographic color printer as an example.

[0011] [First embodiment] <Configuration of image forming apparatus according to first embodiment> (Overall composition) The overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 200.

[0012] Image forming apparatus 200 is a tandem color printer in which image forming units that form multiple color images are arranged side by side along the running direction of transfer belt 11, which serves as an intermediate transfer body. For ease of explanation, Fig. 1 shows the interior of image forming apparatus 200 in a see-through manner.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, image forming apparatus 200 includes an image forming unit 90 that forms an image on a recording medium P, and a fixing unit 100 that includes a rotatable fixing member 101 and fixes the image on the recording medium P by bringing the recording medium P, on which the image has been formed by image forming unit 90, into contact with fixing member 101. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, image forming apparatus 200 includes a drive unit 110 that drives fixing member 101, and a control unit 150 that acquires life information regarding the life of fixing unit 100 based on the drive current of drive unit 110 and the operating status of fixing unit 100, and outputs the life information. In the example shown in FIG. 1, recording medium P is paper. However, recording medium P is not limited to paper and may be a film or the like that contains a resin material.

[0014] 1, the image forming apparatus 200 has four image stations that perform image formation processing for each color, a transfer belt unit 10, and a secondary transfer roller 5 that is disposed opposite the transfer belt 11 and rotates in accordance with the transfer belt 11. The image forming apparatus 200 also has a belt cleaning device 13 that is disposed opposite the transfer belt 11 and cleans the transfer belt 11, and an optical writing device 8 that is disposed opposite the four image stations.

[0015] 1, the image forming apparatus 200 also includes a feeding device 61 serving as a paper feed cassette carrying recording media P to be transported between the transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 5. The image forming apparatus 200 also includes a pair of registration rollers 4 that feeds the recording media P transported from the feeding device 61 toward a secondary transfer unit between the transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 5 in synchronization with the formation of a toner image by the image station. The image forming apparatus 200 also includes a sensor that detects when the leading edge of the recording media P reaches the pair of registration rollers 4, and a discharge roller 7 that discharges the recording media P, on which an image has been fixed by the fixing unit 100, to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 also includes a paper output tray 17 that carries the recording media P discharged to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 200 by the discharge roller 7, and toner bottles 9Y, 9C, 9M, and 9Bk filled with toner of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, respectively.

[0016] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 200 includes a display unit and an operation unit, and has an operation panel 80 that receives operation input from an operator of the image forming apparatus 200, and a temperature sensor 130 that detects the temperature of the fixing member 101.

[0017] 1, the four image stations include photoconductor drum 20Y corresponding to a yellow image, photoconductor drum 20C corresponding to a cyan image, photoconductor drum 20M corresponding to a magenta image, and photoconductor drum 20Bk corresponding to a black image. Photoconductor drum 20Y, photoconductor drum 20C, photoconductor drum 20M, and photoconductor drum 20Bk are arranged side by side along the running direction of transfer belt 11. Photoconductor drum 20Y, photoconductor drum 20C, photoconductor drum 20M, and photoconductor drum 20Bk are image carriers that form images corresponding to each color separated into yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.

[0018] Devices for forming images are arranged around each of photoconductor drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk in accordance with the rotation of the photoconductor drums. The image forming devices are arranged corresponding to photoconductor drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk, respectively. The image forming devices for each color have similar functions. Taking photoconductor drum 20Bk, which forms black images, as a representative example, the image forming devices include a charging device 30Bk, a developing device 40Bk, a primary transfer roller 12Bk, and a cleaning device 50Bk, which are arranged in the direction of rotation of photoconductor drum 20Bk.

[0019] The optical writing device 8 performs optical writing using writing light Lb after uniform charging by the charging device 30Bk. The optical writing device 8 includes a semiconductor laser as a light source for writing an electrostatic latent image, a coupling lens, an fθ lens, a toroidal lens, a folding mirror, and a rotating polygonal mirror as a deflection means. The optical writing device 8 irradiates each of the photoconductor drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk with writing light corresponding to a color to form an electrostatic latent image. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 1, for convenience, only the image station for a black image is designated by the symbol "writing light Lb," but the other image stations are also irradiated with writing light corresponding to a color.

[0020] The transfer belt unit 10 includes a transfer belt 11, primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk, a drive roller 72 and a driven roller 73 around which the transfer belt 11 is wound. The transfer belt 11, primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk are each disposed opposite the photosensitive drum 20. The driven roller 73 has a function of applying tension to the transfer belt 11 by means of a biasing means such as a spring.

[0021] The belt cleaning device 13 has a cleaning brush and a cleaning blade that are arranged to face and contact the transfer belt 11. The belt cleaning device 13 uses the cleaning brush and the cleaning blade to scrape off and remove foreign matter such as residual toner on the transfer belt 11, thereby cleaning the transfer belt 11. The belt cleaning device 13 also uses a discharge means to carry out and discard the residual toner removed from the transfer belt 11.

[0022] 1, a transfer device 71 is configured with the transfer belt unit 10, the secondary transfer roller 5, and the belt cleaning device 13. An image forming section 90 is configured with the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk, devices for performing image formation processing for each color, and the transfer device 71.

[0023] The feeding device 61 is disposed at the bottom of the main body of the image forming apparatus 200, and has a feeding roller 3 that contacts the upper surface of the uppermost recording medium P. The feeding roller 3 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1, thereby feeding the uppermost recording medium P toward the pair of registration rollers 4.

[0024] In the image forming apparatus 200, a visible image made up of toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk is primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 11. The transfer belt 11 is an endless belt that can travel in the direction indicated by the arrow A1 while facing the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk. By performing a process of primarily transferring this visible image onto the transfer belt 11, images of each color are transferred onto the transfer belt 11 in a superimposed manner. Thereafter, by performing a process of secondarily transferring the toner image that has been primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 11 onto a sheet-like recording medium P, the toner image made up of the superimposed images of each color is transferred collectively onto the recording medium P.

[0025] In the primary transfer process, as transfer belt 11 travels in the direction indicated by arrow A1, toner images formed on photosensitive drum 20Y, photosensitive drum 20C, photosensitive drum 20M, and photosensitive drum 20Bk are transferred and superimposed at the same positions on transfer belt 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , primary transfer roller 12Y, primary transfer roller 12C, primary transfer roller 12M, and primary transfer roller 12Bk are disposed opposite photosensitive drum 20Y, photosensitive drum 20C, photosensitive drum 20M, and photosensitive drum 20Bk, with transfer belt 11 sandwiched between them. The primary transfer process is performed at staggered timing from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction indicated by arrow A1 by applying voltages to primary transfer roller 12Y, primary transfer roller 12C, primary transfer roller 12M, and primary transfer roller 12Bk.

[0026] In the image forming apparatus 200, the recording medium P conveyed from the feeding device 61 is fed toward the secondary transfer unit by the registration roller pair 4 in synchronization with the formation of the toner image by the image station. In the secondary transfer unit, the image forming apparatus 200 performs secondarily transferring the toner image onto the recording medium P. In the image forming apparatus 200, the fixing unit 100 fixes the secondarily transferred toner image onto the recording medium P as an image. In the image forming apparatus 200, the discharge roller 7 discharges the recording medium P with the fixed image to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 200. In the image forming apparatus 200, the recording medium P discharged to the outside of the main body is stacked on the paper output tray 17.

[0027] In FIG. 2, a driving unit 110 is, for example, a motor that is disposed inside the image forming apparatus 200 and drives the fixing member 101 to rotate.

[0028] The image forming unit 90 includes a function for detecting, for example, the drive current of the drive unit 110 in accordance with the torque of the drive unit 110. The drive current increases as the load on the drive unit 110 increases and the torque of the drive unit 110 increases in accordance with the load. Note that the image forming apparatus 200 may have a current sensor, separate from the image forming unit 90, that detects the drive current of the drive unit 110 in accordance with the torque of the drive unit 110.

[0029] The temperature sensor 130 is a sensor that detects the temperature of the central portion in the width direction of the fixing member 101. A temperature sensor with high temperature responsiveness, such as a thermopile, is used as the temperature sensor 130. The temperature sensor 130 is disposed outside the fixing member 101 and detects the surface temperature of the fixing member 101, etc.

[0030] The control unit 150 has a controller 151 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 200, and an engine control unit 152 that controls parts or devices related to image formation processing. The control unit 150 executes various processes and realizes each function of the control unit 150 by executing instruction codes stored in a memory using an electronic circuit or by an electronic circuit designed for a special purpose.

[0031] The controller 151 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 151a and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 151b, which is a read-only memory that stores a control program. The controller 151 also has a RAM (Random Access Memory) 151c, which is a readable and writable memory that temporarily stores data, and an I / F 151d that controls communication between the controller 151 and devices or apparatuses other than the controller 151. The controller 151 also has an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) / SSD (Solid State Drive) 151e, which is a non-volatile memory from which data can be read and written. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a system bus B1.

[0032] The controller 151 outputs, for example, a drive command signal for the fixing unit 100 to the engine control unit 152. The operation panel 80 is connected to the controller 151. The controller 151 outputs a display command signal to the operation panel 80.

[0033] The engine control unit 152 has a CPU 152a, a read-only ROM 152b that stores a control program, a readable and writable RAM 152c that temporarily stores data, a non-volatile flash memory 152d, and an I / F 152e that controls communication between the engine control unit 152 and devices or apparatuses other than the engine control unit 152. These are connected to each other via a system bus B2 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0034] The engine control unit 152 is connected to the image forming unit 90, the fixing unit 100, the drive unit 110, the temperature sensor 130, etc. Based on a drive command signal from the controller 151, the engine control unit 152 controls parts or devices related to image forming processing, such as the fixing unit 100.

[0035] (Configuration of fixing unit 100) The configuration of the fixing section 100 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the fixing section 100. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a holding member 102 of the fixing section 100.

[0036] The fixing unit 100 includes a rotatable fixing member 101, a holding member 102 that holds the fixing member 101 at both ends, a sliding member 103 that slides against the inner periphery of the fixing member 101, and a pressure member 104 that contacts the outer periphery of the fixing member 101. The fixing unit 100 also includes a nip forming member 105 that is disposed inside the fixing member 101 and contacts the pressure member 104 via the sliding member 103 and the fixing member 101 to form a nip N, and a support member 106 that supports the nip forming member 105. The fixing unit 100 also includes a heat source 107 that is disposed inside the fixing member 101 and heats the fixing member 101, and a reflecting member 108 that reflects radiant heat from the heat source 107. The fixing unit 100 fixes the toner image onto the recording medium P to which the toner image has been transferred using a contact heating method.

[0037] The holding member 102, sliding member 103, nip forming member 105, and heat source 107, which are arranged inside the fixing member 101, all have a length equal to or greater than the width direction length of the fixing member 101. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the fixing member 101 is flexible and has an endless shape.

[0038] The fixing member 101 is made of a metal belt such as nickel or SUS (Steel Use Stainless Steel), or an endless belt or film made of a resin material such as polyimide. A release layer such as a perfluoroalkoxyalkane (PFA) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer is provided on the surface of the fixing member 101 to prevent toner from adhering thereto.

[0039] An elastic layer formed of a silicone rubber layer or the like may be provided between the base material of the fixing member 101 and the release layer. Without the silicone rubber layer, the heat capacity is reduced, improving fixability. However, when an unfixed image is crushed and fixed, minute irregularities on the surface of the fixing member 101 may be transferred to the image, leaving a citrus peel-like uneven gloss in the solid areas of the image, in other words, a citrus peel image. For example, by providing a silicone rubber layer with a thickness of 100 μm or more, the deformation of the silicone rubber layer absorbs the minute irregularities, improving the citrus peel image.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the holding member 102 is disposed at both widthwise ends of the fixing member 101. The holding member 102 has a generally cylindrical shape with a notch cut out on the side facing the pressure member 104. The holding member 102 has an outer diameter that is generally the same as the inner diameter of the fixing member 101 and a length that extends a predetermined distance inward from both ends of the fixing member 101. The holding member 102 is inserted into and slides over the ends of the fixing member 101, thereby maintaining the cross-sectional shape of the fixing member 101 to be generally circular. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the holding member 102 includes a resin member 210 that is disposed on the circumferentially outer side of the end of the fixing member 101.

[0041] In this embodiment, there is a gap between the fixing member 101 and the holding member 102. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the gap 109 corresponds to the gap between the fixing member 101 and the holding member 102. Such gaps include at least one of gaps that are intentionally provided and gaps that are unintentionally generated.

[0042] The sliding member 103 is disposed between the nip forming member 105 and the fixing member 101, and slides against the inner periphery of the fixing member 101. A lubricant is applied to the surface of the sliding member 103 that faces the fixing member 101 in order to reduce the sliding friction resistance between the sliding member 103 and the fixing member 101. In other words, a lubricant is applied between the surface of the sliding member 103 and the inner periphery of the fixing member 101.

[0043] The pressure member 104 includes a core metal 41 and an elastic rubber layer 42. A release layer, such as the PFA layer or PTFE layer, is provided on the surface of the elastic rubber layer 42 to provide releasability. The pressure member 104 rotates by receiving a driving force from a drive unit, such as a motor, provided in the image forming apparatus 200 via a gear. The pressure member 104 is pressed against the fixing member 101 by a spring or the like, and the elastic rubber layer 42 is compressed and deformed to form a predetermined nip width. The pressure member 104 may be a hollow roller. The pressure member 104 may also have an internal heat source, such as a halogen heater. The elastic rubber layer 42 may be solid rubber, or, if there is no internal heat source, may be sponge rubber. Sponge rubber is preferable because it provides high thermal insulation and prevents heat loss from the fixing member 101.

[0044] 3, the surface of nip forming member 105 facing pressure member 104 is flat. However, this is not limited thereto, and the surface of nip forming member 105 facing pressure member 104 may have a concave shape or another shape. By making the surface of nip forming member 105 facing pressure member 104 concave, nip portion N becomes concave toward fixing member 101. This causes the discharge direction of recording medium P to be closer to pressure member 104, improving separation and reducing jamming.

[0045] The support member 106 prevents the nip forming member 105 from bending when it receives pressure from the pressure member 104. By preventing bending, a uniform width of the nip portion N can be obtained in the axial direction of the fixing member 101.

[0046] The heat source 107 is, for example, a halogen heater. The fixing member 101 is directly heated from the inner circumferential side by radiant heat from the heat source 107. Note that the heat source 107 is not limited to a halogen heater as long as it can heat the fixing member 101. For example, the heat source 107 may be an electromagnetic induction heater (IH), a resistance heating element, a carbon heater, or the like.

[0047] The reflecting member 108 is a member that reflects radiant heat and the like from the heat source 107. By reflecting radiant heat and the like, the reflecting member 108 reduces unnecessary energy consumption caused by heating of the support member 106 by radiant heat and the like. Note that, instead of having the reflecting member 108, the fixing unit 100 may have the surface of the support member 106 subjected to a heat insulating treatment or a mirror finish. By subjecting the surface of the support member 106 to a heat insulating treatment or a mirror finish, the same effect as that of the reflecting member 108 can be obtained.

[0048] 3 and 4, the driving unit 110 rotates the pressure member 104 by transmitting a driving force to the pressure member 104 via gears or the like. The rotational driving force of the pressure member 104 is transmitted to the fixing member 101 at the nip portion N, causing the fixing member 101 to rotate. From another perspective, the fixing member 101 rotates together with the pressure member 104.

[0049] The toner image on the recording medium P is fixed to the recording medium P by being heated and pressed in the nip portion N.

[0050] (Functional configuration of control unit 150) The functional configuration of the control unit 150 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 9. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 150. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the average P / J (Pages per Job), the number of pages of image formation per month, and the temperature inside the fixing member 101. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the average P / J, the distance of image formation per month, and the temperature inside the fixing member 101. Fig. 8 is a diagram explaining a method for acquiring life information of the fixing unit 100 in the image forming apparatus 200. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a table showing the operating status of the fixing unit 100 in the image forming apparatus 200.

[0051] 5, the control unit 150 includes a drive current acquisition unit 153 that acquires information about the drive current of the drive unit 110, and a life information acquisition unit 154 that acquires life information about the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and an operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100. The control unit 150 also includes a storage unit 155 that stores the operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100, and an output unit 156 that outputs the life information acquired by the life information acquisition unit 154. The control unit 150 also includes a receiving unit 157 that receives a job requesting image formation from a device or equipment other than the control unit 150, and an image formation control unit 158 ​​that controls the image formation operation of the image forming unit 90. The device or equipment other than the control unit 150 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer).

[0052] The functions of the drive current acquisition unit 153, the output unit 156, and the receiving unit 157 are realized by the I / F 151d shown in FIG. 2 or the CPU 151a executing instruction codes stored in the ROM 151b. The functions of the life information acquisition unit 154 and the image formation control unit 158 ​​are realized by the CPU 151a executing instruction codes stored in the ROM 151b. The function of the storage unit 155 is realized by the HDD / SSD 151e, etc. However, some of the functions of the control unit 150 may be realized by an external device other than the control unit 150, or may be realized by distributed processing between the control unit 150 and the external device. Furthermore, some of the functions of the control unit 150 may be realized by the CPU 152a, ROM 152b, I / F 152e, etc. of the engine control unit 152. The external device may be a PC, a server, etc.

[0053] The drive current acquisition unit 153 controls communication with the image forming unit 90 to acquire information related to the drive current of the drive unit 110 from the image forming unit 90. The output unit 156 controls communication with an external device to output the life information acquired by the life information acquisition unit 154 to an external device other than the control unit 150. This external device is a PC used by a service technician or a manager of the image forming apparatus 200, or a mobile terminal such as a notebook PC or a smartphone. The output unit 156 may output the life information to a display unit included in an operation panel or an external device such as a server.

[0054] Receiving unit 157 receives a job requesting image formation from a PC or the like on which a printer driver is installed. Receiving unit 157 passes information about the received job to image formation control unit 158. Image formation control unit 158 ​​controls the image formation operation by image forming unit 90 by outputting a control signal to image forming unit 90 in accordance with the job information received from receiving unit 157.

[0055] For example, in the fixing unit 100, if the lubricant applied between the fixing member 101 and the sliding member 103 decreases over time, the sliding friction resistance between the fixing member 101 and the sliding member 103 increases, resulting in a larger sliding load. If the torque of the drive unit increases in response to the sliding load, the fixing member 101, which rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the pressure member 104, may slip relative to the pressure member 104. When slippage occurs, the conveyance speed of the recording medium P passing between the pressure member 104 and the fixing member 101 slows, creating a speed difference with the conveyance speed of the recording medium P passing through other areas. This speed difference causes the recording medium P to slacken between the secondary transfer unit and the fixing unit 100, causing the recording medium P to come into contact with and rub against components within the image forming apparatus 200. This friction can result in image abnormalities, such as soiling of the recording medium P or partial loss of an image formed on the recording medium P.

[0056] As a countermeasure to the above-mentioned image abnormalities, a method is known in which the time when the lubricant decreases and the fixing member slips against the pressure member is set as the end of the fixing unit's life, and the occurrence of abnormal images is reduced by replacing the fixing unit when it has reached its end of life. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when the torque of a drive unit that drives a rotatable fixing member reaches a threshold, the life of the fixing unit is estimated from the slope of the torque value, and the fixing unit is replaced based on the estimation result.

[0057] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the fixing unit is operated in a condition where the temperature inside the fixing member is likely to rise, the fixing unit may reach the end of its life earlier than the estimated life, which may result in low accuracy in obtaining information regarding the life of the fixing unit.

[0058] After extensive research, the inventors have clarified the mechanism behind the shortened lifespan of the fixing unit as follows: Specifically, when the average image formation distance per day is long or the average number of image formation pages per day is high, the operating time of the fixing unit increases, making it more likely for the temperature inside the fixing member of the fixing unit to rise. As the temperature inside the fixing member increases, the viscosity of the lubricant applied to the sliding member decreases, making it more likely to flow. Because the lubricant becomes more likely to flow, the lubricant applied to the sliding member flows out of the sliding member and leaks out of the fixing unit 100 through the gap 109 between the fixing member 101 and the holding member 102 shown in FIG. 4 . The leakage of the lubricant outside the fixing unit 100 increases the rate at which the lubricant is consumed. As a result, the fixing unit reaches its end of life earlier than expected.

[0059] The number of image-formed pages refers to the number of pages on which images are formed on a recording medium. When images are formed on one side of a recording medium, the number of image-formed pages on one recording medium corresponds to one page. When images are formed on both sides of a recording medium, the number of image-formed pages on one recording medium corresponds to two pages. The image-formed distance refers to a value obtained, for example, by multiplying the number of image-formed pages by the length of the recording medium in the conveying direction of the recording medium. However, if there are margins between pages, the image-formed distance may be a value obtained by multiplying the number of image-formed pages per day by the sum of the length of the recording medium P per page and the margins.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control unit 150 acquires life information related to the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100, and outputs the life information. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the control unit 150 acquires information related to the drive current of the drive unit 110 detected by the image forming unit 90 from the image forming unit 90 using the drive current acquisition unit 153. The control unit 150 also acquires information related to the operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100 by referring to the storage unit 155 that stores information related to the operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100. The control unit 150 acquires the life information of the fixing unit 100 using the life information acquisition unit 154 based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100.

[0061] The operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100 includes, for example, at least one of the average number of image forming pages per job by the image forming device 200, the average number of image forming pages per month by the image forming device 200, the average number of image forming pages per day by the image forming device 200, and the average image forming distance per day by the image forming device 200.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the average P / J and the monthly number of pages of image formation for each temperature inside the fixing member 101. The average P / J means the number of pages of images formed per job. Graph 62, shown by a solid line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200°C. Graph 63, shown by a dotted line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 190°C. Graph 64, shown by a two-dot chain line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180°C.

[0063] For example, under the same average P / J condition, the greater the monthly number of image formation pages, the greater the amount of heat generated within the fixing member 101, making it more likely that the temperature within the fixing member 101 will rise. Also, under the same monthly number of image formation pages, the smaller the average P / J, the more frequently the fixing unit 100 is activated for image formation. The more frequently the fixing unit 100 is activated, the longer the heating time during startup of the fixing unit 100 and the shorter the interval between cooling times, making it more likely that the temperature will rise. The thick arrow 65 in Figure 6 indicates the operating conditions of the fixing unit 100 that tend to increase the temperature within the fixing member 101. In other words, the temperature within the fixing member 101 tends to rise as the direction of arrow 65 approaches. Figure 6 reveals that the greater the monthly number of image formation pages, the higher the temperature within the fixing member 101, and that the lower the average P / J, the higher the temperature within the fixing member 101.

[0064] FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the average P / J and the monthly image formation distance for each temperature inside the fixing member 101. The meanings of graphs 62, 63, 64, and thick arrow 65 in FIG. 7 are the same as those in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the more times the fixing unit 100 is started, the longer the amount of rotation of the fixing member 101 at start-up, and therefore the longer the image formation distance. From FIG. 7, it can be seen that the longer the image formation distance, the higher the temperature inside the fixing member 101, and that the higher the average P / J, the higher the temperature inside the fixing member 101.

[0065] 8 shows how the drive current of the drive unit 110 changes over time for each temperature inside the fixing member 101. Graph 81, shown by a solid line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200 degrees. Graph 82, shown by a dotted line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180 degrees. Graph 83, shown by a two-dot chain line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 160 degrees.

[0066] The current threshold It is a predetermined threshold value of the driving current. The slip current value St is a predetermined current value at which the fixing member 101 slips relative to the pressure member 104.

[0067] It is preferable to predetermine the current threshold It so that the slip current value St is not reached during the visit period even when the fixing unit 100 operates under conditions where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is the highest within the expected range. For example, it is preferable to predetermine a value that can ensure the remaining distance a calculated by the following formula at the image formation distance when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is high, for example, 200°C. a = {number of visit days} x {average imaging distance per day}

[0068] In the above formula, the number of visit days means the number of days it takes for the service representative of image forming device 200 to actually visit the installation location of image forming device 200 after requesting the service representative to visit the installation location of image forming device 200. The remaining distance a is the image formation distance required to ensure the number of visit days for the service representative. By ensuring the remaining distance a, the service representative can visit the installation location of image forming device 200 before the slip current value St is reached.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 8, the higher the temperature inside the fixing member 101, the higher the rate of increase in drive current according to the image formation distance. Therefore, the higher the temperature inside the fixing member 101, the sooner the fixing unit 100 reaches the end of its life. Note that Fig. 8 shows the case where the horizontal axis represents the image formation distance, but the graph will have the same tendency even if the horizontal axis represents the number of pages on which images are formed.

[0070] For example, the storage unit 155 stores, as the operating status 550 of the fixing unit 100, correspondence information associating the average P / J with the monthly image formation distance and the temperature inside the fixing member 101, and mathematical formula information indicating the rate of increase in the drive current depending on the image formation distance for each temperature inside the fixing member 101. The correspondence information associating the average P / J with the monthly image formation distance and the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is, for example, a table indicating the relationship between the average P / J with the monthly image formation distance and the temperature inside the fixing member 101, as shown in FIG. 9 . However, the correspondence information associating the average P / J with the monthly image formation distance and the temperature inside the fixing member 101 may be mathematical formula information indicating the relationship between the average P / J with the monthly image formation distance and the temperature inside the fixing member 101. Furthermore, the mathematical formula information indicating the rate of increase in the drive current depending on the image formation distance may be a table indicating the correspondence between the image formation distance and the drive current. The storage unit 155 can also store information other than the information relating to the operating status of the fixing unit 100, such as current information relating to the drive current of the drive unit 110 detected by the image forming unit 90.

[0071] When the drive current exceeds a predetermined current threshold It, the lifespan information acquisition unit 154 acquires information about the temperature inside the fixing member 101 by referring to the corresponding information in the operating status 550 based on information about the average P / J in the image forming apparatus 200 or information about the monthly image formation distance. Then, the lifespan information acquisition unit 154 acquires formula information indicating the rate of increase in the drive current depending on the image formation distance based on the temperature inside the fixing member 101 by referring to the operating status 550 in the storage unit 155. The lifespan information acquisition unit 154 substitutes a predetermined slip current value St into the acquired formula information to calculate and acquire the image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached. The lifespan information acquisition unit 154 regards the acquired image formation distance as lifespan information of the fixing unit 100. The lifespan information acquisition unit 154 passes the acquired lifespan information to the output unit 156.

[0072] In Fig. 8, remaining distance a1 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200 degrees. Remaining distance a2 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180 degrees. Remaining distance a3 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 160 degrees.

[0073] As described above, in this embodiment, lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 is acquired based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100. This allows the image forming apparatus 200 to take into consideration information about the operating status of the fixing unit 100, and therefore the image forming apparatus 200 can acquire lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy even when the fixing unit 100 operates in a state where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise and the fixing unit 100 reaches the end of its life earlier than the estimated lifespan. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 200 that acquires lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy.

[0074] The drive current of the drive unit 110 corresponds to the torque of the drive unit 110. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 200 can also acquire life information of the fixing unit 100 based on the torque of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100. When using the torque of the drive unit 110, the "drive current" in the description of the embodiment can be replaced with "torque."

[0075] Furthermore, for example, if the fixing unit 100 reaches the end of its life earlier than its estimated life, it may not be possible to replace the fixing unit 100, causing the fixing member 101 to slip against the pressure member 104, resulting in image abnormalities and downtime during which the image forming apparatus 200 cannot be used. In this embodiment, by acquiring life information about the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy, it is possible to replace the fixing unit 100 before the fixing member 101 slips against the pressure member 104. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent image abnormalities from occurring and avoid downtime for the image forming apparatus 200.

[0076] The operating status of the fixing unit 100 includes at least one of the average number of image formation pages per job by the image forming apparatus 200, the average number of image formation pages per month by the image forming apparatus 200, the average number of image formation pages per day by the image forming apparatus 200, and the average image formation distance by the image forming apparatus 200. This makes it possible to use appropriate information in light of the actual operating status of the image forming apparatus 200 as information regarding the operating status of the fixing unit 100. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus 200 that can acquire life information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy.

[0077] When the drive current of the drive unit 110 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined current threshold It, the control unit 150 acquires lifespan information based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100. When the fixing unit 100 approaches the end of its lifespan, the drive current of the drive unit 110 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined current threshold It. By acquiring lifespan information when the drive current of the drive unit 110 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined current threshold It, the processing load for acquiring lifespan information is reduced compared to when lifespan information is acquired even when the fixing unit 100 is not near the end of its lifespan.

[0078] The control unit 150 can replace initial lifespan information regarding the initial lifespan of the fixing unit 100 with lifespan information acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100. The initial lifespan is, for example, the image formation distance when the drive current of the drive unit 110 reaches the slip current value St under a typical room temperature environment. The higher the temperature inside the fixing member 101 the fixing unit 100 operates under, the shorter the image formation distance in the lifespan information acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 becomes compared to the image formation distance in the initial lifespan information. In other words, the fixing unit 100 reaches the lifespan acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 sooner than the initial lifespan. By replacing the initial lifespan information with lifespan information, the image forming apparatus 200 can acquire lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy, even when the fixing unit 100 reaches its estimated lifespan earlier.

[0079] The control unit 150 acquires the lifespan information based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and temperature information of the fixing member 101 based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100. This allows the image forming apparatus 200 to acquire the lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy even when the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise and the fixing unit 101 reaches its end of life earlier than the estimated end of life.

[0080] Image forming apparatus 200 has a storage unit 155 that stores the operating status of fixing unit 100, and control unit 150 acquires information regarding the operating status of fixing unit 100 by referencing storage unit 155. For example, if a device other than image forming apparatus 200 stores the operating status of fixing unit 100, and communication between that device and image forming apparatus 200 becomes impossible, image forming apparatus 200 will not be able to acquire the operating status of fixing unit 100 or update the operating status. Storing the operating status of fixing unit 100 in storage unit 155 of image forming apparatus 200 prevents image forming apparatus 200 from being unable to acquire the operating status of fixing unit 100 or update the operating status.

[0081] The fixing unit 100 includes a fixing member 101, a holding member 102, a sliding member 103, a pressure member 104, a nip forming member 105, a support member 106, a heat source 107, and a reflecting member 108. The fixing member 101 is flexible and endless. In this fixing unit 100, a gap may form between the fixing member 101 and the holding member 102. When the fixing unit 100 operates under conditions where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise, the lubricant may become more fluid and leak out of the fixing unit 100 through the gap. The more lubricant leaks, the earlier the fixing unit 100 reaches the end of its life, resulting in lower accuracy in acquiring lifespan information. In this embodiment, lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 is acquired based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100. This allows the image forming apparatus 200 to obtain life information of the fixing unit 100 with high accuracy even when the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise.

[0082] <Processing by control unit 150> 10 is a flowchart showing the process of acquiring life information of the fixing unit 100 by the control unit 150. It is assumed that information about the operating status of the fixing unit 100 is acquired and stored in the storage unit 155 in advance.

[0083] 10 is started when the receiving unit 157 receives a job requesting image formation from a device or equipment other than the control unit 150. However, the start condition may also be when an operation input to start image formation performed by the operator of the image forming apparatus 200 via the operation panel 80 is accepted.

[0084] First, in step S11, the control unit 150 stores current information related to the drive current of the drive unit 110 for each predetermined number of image formation pages in the storage unit 155. The predetermined number of image formation pages is, for example, the most recent 100 pages on which images were formed. The storage unit 155 sequentially stores additional current information acquired by the drive current acquisition unit 153.

[0085] Subsequently, in step S12, the control unit 150 determines whether or not the number of pieces of current information acquired in step S11 has reached a predetermined number.

[0086] If it is determined in step S12 that the number of pieces of current information has not reached the predetermined number (step S12, NO), the control unit 150 returns to step S11 and repeats the processes from step S11 onwards until it is determined in step S12 that the number of pieces of current information has reached the predetermined number. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the number of pieces of current information has reached the predetermined number (step S12, YES), the control unit 150 calculates the average value of the predetermined number of pieces of current information in step S13. Note that the memory unit 155 may erase the predetermined number of pieces of current information that it has stored after the control unit 150 calculates the average value.

[0087] Subsequently, in step S14, the control unit 150 determines whether the average value acquired in step S13 is equal to or greater than a predetermined current threshold It. The current threshold It is stored in advance in the storage unit 155 or the like. The control unit 150 compares the current threshold It read from the storage unit 155 with the average value to determine whether the average value is equal to or greater than the predetermined current threshold It.

[0088] The predetermined number of pieces of current information is, for example, 10. By calculating the average value every 100 pages, the drive current values ​​for the most recent 1000 pages can be averaged in total to determine whether they are equal to or greater than the current threshold value It. By comparing the average value with the current threshold value It, the influence of detection errors in the drive current can be reduced.

[0089] If it is determined in step S14 that the average value is not greater than or equal to the current threshold value (step S14, NO), the control unit 150 returns to step S11 and repeats the processing from step S11 onwards until it is determined in step S114 that the average value is greater than or equal to the current threshold value.

[0090] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the average value is equal to or greater than the current threshold (YES in step S14), in step S15, the control unit 150 causes the lifespan information acquisition unit 154 to acquire lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 by calculation based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100. For example, the lifespan information acquisition unit 154 acquires information about the temperature inside the fixing member 101 by referring to the table shown in FIG. 9 based on information about the average P / J in the image forming apparatus 200 or information about the monthly image formation distance. Then, the lifespan information acquisition unit 154 acquires formula information indicating the rate of increase in the drive current depending on the image formation distance based on the temperature inside the fixing member 101 by referring to the operating status 550 in the storage unit 155. The lifespan information acquisition unit 154 substitutes a predetermined slip current value St into the acquired formula information and calculates the image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached.

[0091] Subsequently, in step S16, the control unit 150 replaces the initial life information relating to the life of the fixing unit 100 with the life information acquired in step S15.

[0092] Next, in step S17, control unit 150 causes output unit 156 to output the lifespan information of fixing unit 100 to a device or equipment other than control unit 150. Note that steps S16 and S17 may be combined into one process. For example, control unit 150 may replace the initial lifespan information with lifespan information by outputting the lifespan information to a device or equipment other than control unit 150 that stores the initial lifespan information.

[0093] In this way, the control unit 150 can obtain and output the life information of the fixing unit 100.

[0094] [Second embodiment] Next, an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same names and symbols as those in the previously described embodiments indicate the same or similar components or configurations, and detailed descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. This also applies to the following embodiments.

[0095] <Functional configuration of the control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment> The functional configuration of a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit 150a included in an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method for acquiring life information of a fixing unit 100 in an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[0096] The image forming apparatus of this embodiment differs from the image forming apparatus 200 of the first embodiment in that the control unit 150a acquires life information of the fixing unit 100 based further on the visit number information regarding the number of visit days described above.

[0097] 11, the control unit 150a includes a lifespan information acquisition unit 154a that acquires lifespan information of the fixing unit 100 based on the drive current of the drive unit 110, the operating status of the fixing unit 100, and visit day information. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 150a also includes a remaining days information acquisition unit 159 that acquires remaining days information regarding the number of days remaining until the end of the lifespan of the fixing unit 100 based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100.

[0098] The functions of the life information acquisition unit 154a and the remaining days information acquisition unit 159 are realized by the CPU 151a shown in FIG. 2 executing instruction codes stored in the ROM 151b.

[0099] The life information acquisition unit 154a acquires information about the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 and the number of days a service technician has visited, for example, when the drive current of the drive unit 110 acquired by the drive current acquisition unit 153 becomes equal to or greater than the current threshold value It.

[0100] 12, dashed-dotted line graph 121 shows the relationship between the image formation distance and the drive current of drive unit 110 when the image formation distance per day is long and the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise. Dashed line graph 122 shows the relationship between the image formation distance and the drive current of drive unit 110 when the image formation distance per day is short and the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise. Initial life information Ls0 shows the image formation distance corresponding to the initial life of the fixing unit 100.

[0101] Lifespan information Ls1 represents the image formation distance corresponding to the lifespan acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 and the number of days a service technician has visited when the fixing unit 100 operates in a condition where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise and the image formation distance per day is short. Current distance Cd1 represents the current image formation distance of the fixing unit 100 when the lifespan of the fixing unit 100 is the lifespan information Ls1. Lifespan information Ls1 is calculated using the following formula. Ls1 = {number of visit days} × {average imaging distance per day} + Cd1

[0102] The life information Ls2 represents the image formation distance corresponding to the life acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 and the number of days a service technician visits when the fixing unit 100 operates in a condition where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is likely to rise and the image formation distance per day is long. The current distance Cd2 represents the current image formation distance of the fixing unit 100 when the life of the fixing unit 100 is the life information Ls2. The life information Ls2 is calculated using the following formula. Ls2 = {number of visit days} × {average imaging distance per day} + Cd2

[0103] In this embodiment, the control unit 150a acquires information about the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 and the number of days of visits by a service technician, thereby ensuring that a service technician can visit the installation location of the image forming apparatus before the drive current of the drive unit 110 reaches the slip current value St. This allows the fixing unit 100 to be replaced before the end of its life, preventing downtime of the image forming apparatus.

[0104] In a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 does not easily rise, the life of the fixing unit 100 is set before the drive current of the drive unit 110 reaches the slip current value St. This ensures that the number of days for a service representative to visit is secured, thereby eliminating downtime of the image forming apparatus.

[0105] The remaining days information acquisition unit 159 can acquire the remaining days Rd by calculation using the following formula, for example. Rd=(Ls-Cd) / Da

[0106] In the above formula, the image formation distance DL is, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the number of pages on which images are formed per day by the image forming apparatus by the length of the recording medium P per page. However, if there are margins between pages, the image formation distance DL may be, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the number of pages on which images are formed per day by the sum of the length of the recording medium P per page and the margins. The image formation distance DL corresponds to the lifespan information Ls1 or Ls2, etc. The current distance Cd is the image formation distance up to the present by the image forming apparatus. The average image formation distance Da per day is, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the average number of pages on which images are formed per day by the image forming apparatus by the length of the recording medium P per page. However, if there are margins between pages, the average image formation distance Da per day may be, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the average number of pages on which images are formed per day by the sum of the length of the recording medium P per page and the margins.

[0107] Even after the lifespan information acquisition unit 154a acquires the lifespan information, the remaining days information acquisition unit 159 continues to acquire the remaining days by calculation according to the operating status of the fixing unit 100. The output unit 156 outputs the remaining days information acquired by the remaining days information acquisition unit 159. For example, the output unit 156 can successively notify the remaining days information to a PC, a smartphone, or the like managed by a service representative.

[0108] For example, if the fixing unit 100 is operating under conditions that make it easy for the temperature inside the fixing member 101 to rise, the rate at which the remaining number of days decreases will increase. By having the control unit 150a successively notify the service person of the remaining number of days information, even if the rate at which the remaining number of days is decreasing is high, the service person can be made to visit the installation location of the image forming apparatus before downtime of the image forming apparatus occurs. This allows the fixing unit 100 to be replaced before the end of its life, thereby preventing downtime of the image forming apparatus.

[0109] On the other hand, if the fixing unit 100 is operating under conditions where the temperature inside the sleeve is unlikely to rise, the rate at which the remaining number of days decreases will be slow. By having the control unit 150a successively notify the service person of the remaining number of days information, even if the rate at which the remaining number of days is decreasing is slow, it is possible to have the service person visit the installation location of the image forming apparatus at an appropriate time when downtime of the image forming apparatus will occur.

[0110] It is preferable that the service person be notified of the remaining days information when the control unit 150a acquires the lifespan information. However, the service person does not necessarily have to be notified of the remaining days information when the control unit 150a acquires the lifespan information.

[0111] <Processing by control unit 150a> Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the process of the control unit 150a for acquiring life information of the fixing unit 100. Note that the description of the same parts as in Fig. 10 will be omitted as appropriate, and differences from Fig. 10 will be mainly described.

[0112] In step S25, the control unit 150a causes the lifespan information acquisition unit 154a to acquire lifespan information based on the operating status and visit date information of the fixing unit 100. The control unit 150a replaces the acquired lifespan information with initial lifespan information, and then outputs the lifespan information to a device or equipment other than the control unit 150a.

[0113] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the process of acquiring remaining day information by the control unit 150a. The control unit 150a starts the process of Fig. 14, for example, when the receiving unit 157 receives a job requesting image formation from a device or equipment other than the control unit 150a. However, the start condition may also be, for example, when an operation input to start image formation performed by the operator of the image forming apparatus via the operation panel 80 is accepted.

[0114] First, in step S31, the control unit 150a causes the remaining day information acquisition unit 159 to acquire remaining day information based on the drive current of the drive unit 110 and the operating status of the fixing unit 100. The remaining day information acquisition unit 159 passes the acquired remaining day information to the output unit 156.

[0115] Subsequently, in step S32, the control unit 150a causes the output unit 156 to output the remaining day information received from the remaining day information acquisition unit 159 to a device or equipment other than the control unit 150a.

[0116] As described above, the control unit 150a can obtain and output remaining day information.

[0117] [Third embodiment] Next, an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described.

[0118] <Functional configuration of the control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment> The functional configuration of a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 16. Fig. 15 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit 150b included in an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating a method for acquiring life information of a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment.

[0119] The image forming apparatus of this embodiment differs from the image forming apparatus 200 of the first embodiment in that the control unit 150b obtains life approaching information regarding the approaching end of the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the number of visit days information and life information of the fixing unit 100, and outputs the life approaching information.

[0120] 15, the control unit 150b has a life approaching information acquisition unit 160 that acquires life approaching information relating to the approaching end of the life of the fixing unit 100 based on the visit number information and life information of the fixing unit 100. The function of the life approaching information acquisition unit 160 is realized by the CPU 151a shown in FIG. 2 executing the instruction code stored in the ROM 151b, etc.

[0121] 16 shows how the drive current of the drive unit 110 changes over time for each temperature inside the fixing member 101. Graph 161, shown by a solid line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200 degrees. Graph 162, shown by a dotted line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180 degrees. Graph 163, shown by a two-dot chain line, shows the case where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 160 degrees.

[0122] The current threshold It1 is a current threshold It corresponding to an image formation distance that ensures the number of visit days when the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 reaches 200°C. The current threshold It2 is a current threshold It corresponding to an image formation distance that ensures the number of visit days when the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 reaches 180°C. The current threshold It3 is a current threshold It corresponding to an image formation distance that ensures the number of visit days when the fixing unit 100 operates in a situation where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 reaches 160°C.

[0123] The end-of-life approach information is, for example, an image formation distance corresponding to a current threshold It, which is a current value indicating that the slip current value St is approaching. The end-of-life approach information Ne1 is an image formation distance corresponding to the current threshold It1. The early end-of-life approach information Ne10 is an image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached when the fixing unit 100 operates in a state where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200°C. The end-of-life approach information Ne2 is an image formation distance corresponding to the current threshold It2. The early end-of-life approach information Ne20 is an image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached when the fixing unit 100 operates in a state where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180°C. The end-of-life approach information Ne3 is an image formation distance corresponding to the current threshold It3. The early end-of-life approach information Ne30 is an image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached when the fixing unit 100 operates in a state where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 160°C.

[0124] Remaining distance a1 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 200 degrees. Remaining distance a2 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 180 degrees. Remaining distance a3 indicates the remaining distance a when the temperature inside the fixing member 101 is 160 degrees.

[0125] The control unit 150b acquires the image formation distance corresponding to the current threshold It as end-of-life information and outputs it to a PC, smartphone, or the like managed by the service technician, thereby alerting the service technician that the fixing unit 100 is approaching the end of its life. Furthermore, the control unit 150b determines the end-of-life information based on the number of visit days information and the life information of the fixing unit 100, thereby ensuring that the number of visit days of the service technician is sufficient to prevent the drive current of the drive unit 110 from reaching the slip current value St. The control unit 150b can also raise the current threshold It when the fixing unit 100 operates in a state where the temperature inside the fixing member 101 does not rise. In other words, the control unit 150b can also change the current threshold It based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100 and the number of visit days of the service technician.

[0126] <Processing by control unit 150b> 17 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control unit 150b to acquire information about the end of life of the fixing unit 100. It is assumed that information about the operating status of the fixing unit 100 has been acquired and stored in the storage unit 155 in advance.

[0127] 17 when the receiving unit 157 receives a job requesting image formation from a device or equipment other than the control unit 150b. However, the start condition may also be the reception of an operation input to start image formation performed by the operator of the image forming apparatus via the operation panel 80.

[0128] First, in step S41, the control unit 150b causes the life information acquisition unit 154 to refer to the storage unit 155 and acquire information about the operating status of the fixing unit 100.

[0129] Next, in step S42, the control unit 150b causes the life information acquisition unit 154 to acquire life information of the fixing unit 100 based on the operating status of the fixing unit 100. For example, the life information acquisition unit 154 acquires, as the life information, information related to the image formation distance at which the slip current value St is reached.

[0130] Next, in step S43, the control unit 150b causes the life approaching information acquisition unit 160 to acquire life approaching information based on the visit number information.

[0131] Next, in step S44, the control unit 150b causes the life approaching information acquisition unit 160 to replace the initial life approaching information with life approaching information.

[0132] Next, in step S45, control unit 150b causes output unit 156 to output end-of-life information about fixing unit 100 to a device or equipment other than control unit 150b. Note that steps S44 and S45 may be combined into one process. For example, control unit 150b may replace the initial end-of-life information with end-of-life information by outputting the end-of-life information to a device or equipment other than control unit 150b that stores the initial end-of-life information.

[0133] In this way, the control unit 150b can obtain and output information about the fixing unit 100 nearing the end of its life.

[0134] Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0135] The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a tandem type, but may be a type in which a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum is directly transferred to a recording medium, etc. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a printer, but may be an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.

[0136] All ordinal numbers, quantitative numbers, and other figures used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention are provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated figures. Furthermore, the connection relationships between components are provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present invention, and do not limit the connection relationships that realize the functions of the present invention.

[0137] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a fixing unit that includes a rotatable fixing member and abuts the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit against the fixing member to fix the image on the recording medium, a drive unit that drives the fixing member, and a control unit that acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information. <2> the operational status of the fixing unit includes at least one of an average number of image forming pages per job by the image forming apparatus, an average number of image forming pages per month by the image forming apparatus, an average number of image forming pages per day by the image forming apparatus, and an average image forming distance per day; <1> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <3> When a drive current of the drive unit becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined current threshold, the control unit acquires the life information based on an operating status of the fixing unit. <1> or the above <2> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 . <4> the control unit changes the current threshold value based on the operating status and the number of days a service person visits the facility. <3> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <5> the control unit replaces initial life information relating to the initial life of the fixing unit with the life information acquired based on an operating status of the fixing unit; <1> From the above <4> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <6> the control unit acquires the life information based on a drive current of the drive unit and temperature information relating to a temperature of the fixing member based on an operating status of the fixing unit. <1> From the above <5> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <7> the control unit acquires the lifespan information based on information about the number of visit days required for the service person to actually visit the image forming apparatus after requesting the service person to visit the image forming apparatus; <1> From the above <6> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <8> the control unit acquires remaining days information regarding the number of days remaining until the end of the life of the fixing unit based on the drive current of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the remaining days information; <1> From the above <7> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <9> The life information includes an image formation distance DL per day by the image forming apparatus. When the image formation distance up to the present by the image forming apparatus is a current distance Cd, the average image formation distance per day is Da, and the remaining number of days is Rd, the remaining number of days is obtained by the following formula: Rd = (DL-Cd) / Da The aforementioned <8> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <10> the control unit acquires life approaching information relating to the fixing unit approaching the end of its life based on visit number information relating to the number of visit days required until the service person actually visits after a visit is requested from the service person for the image forming apparatus and the life information, and outputs the life approaching information; <1> From the above <9> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <11> the control unit replaces initial life approach information relating to the fixing unit approaching the end of its life with the life approach information acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit and the number of days of visit information; <10> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <12> a storage unit that stores an operating status of the fixing unit, and the control unit refers to the storage unit to acquire information about the operating status of the fixing unit; <1> From the above <11> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <13> the fixing unit includes a holding member that holds the fixing member at both ends, a sliding member that slides on the inner periphery of the fixing member, a pressure member that contacts the outer periphery of the fixing member, a nip forming member that is disposed inside the fixing member and contacts the pressure member via the sliding member and the fixing member to form a nip portion, a support member that supports the nip forming member, a heat source that is disposed inside the fixing member and heats the fixing member, and a reflecting member that reflects radiant heat from the heat source, and the fixing member is flexible and endless. <1> From the above <12> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <14> There is a gap between the fixing member and the holding member. <13> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <15> a lubricant is applied to the sliding member, and the lubricant flows out of the fixing portion through the gap; <14> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <16> An image forming method using an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an image forming unit, fixes the image on the recording medium by contacting the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit with the fixing unit, which includes a rotatable fixing member, drives the fixing member using a drive unit, and acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit using a control unit, and outputs the life information. <17> The program causes an image forming device to execute a process in which an image forming unit forms an image on a recording medium, a fixing unit including a rotatable fixing member brings the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit into contact with the fixing member to fix the image to the recording medium, a drive unit drives the fixing member, and a control unit acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 3 Feeding roller 4 Registration roller pair 5 Secondary transfer roller 7 Ejection roller 8 Optical writing device 9Y, 9C, 9M, 9Bk toner bottles 10 Transfer belt unit 11 Transfer belt 12Y, 12C, 12M, 12Bk Primary transfer roller 13 Belt cleaning device 17 Paper output tray 20Y, 20C, 20M, 20Bk photoconductor drum 61 Feeding device 62, 63, 64 Graphs 65 Arrow 71 Transcription device 72 Drive roller 73 Driven roller 80 Operation Panel Graphs 81, 82, and 83 90 Image forming unit 100 Fixing unit 101 Fixing member 102 holding member 210 Resin parts 103 Sliding member 104 Pressure member 41 Core 42 Elastic rubber layer 105 Nip forming member 106 Support member 107 Heat source 108 Reflective material 109 Gap 110 Drive unit 121, 122 graphs 130 Temperature Sensor 150, 150a, 150b control unit 151 Controller 152 Engine control unit 151a, 152a CPU 151b, 152b ROM 151c, 152c RAM 151d, 152e I / F 152d flash memory 151e HDD / SSD 153 Drive current acquisition unit 154, 154a Life information acquisition section 155 Storage section 550 Operational Status 156 Output section 157 Receiving unit 158 Image formation control unit 159 Remaining days information acquisition unit 160 Life approaching information acquisition unit 161, 162, 163 graphs 200 Image forming device a1, a2, a3 remaining distance B1, B2 system bus Cd1, Cd2 Current distance It Current Threshold Ls0 initial life information Ls1, Ls2 life information N Nip section Ne1, Ne2, Ne3 life approaching information Ne10, Ne20, Ne30 initial life approaching information P Recording medium St slip current value [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0139] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-91454

Claims

1. an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing unit including a rotatable fixing member, the fixing unit fixing the image on the recording medium by bringing the recording medium, on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit, into contact with the fixing member; a driving unit that drives the fixing member; An image forming apparatus having a control unit that acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating status of the fixing unit includes at least one of the average number of image forming pages per job by the image forming apparatus, the average number of image forming pages per month by the image forming apparatus, the average number of image forming pages per day by the image forming apparatus, and the average image forming distance per day by the image forming apparatus.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires the life information based on an operating status of the fixing unit when a drive current of the drive unit becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined current threshold.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit changes the current threshold value based on the operating status and the number of days a service person visits.

5. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit replaces initial life information relating to the initial life of the fixing unit with the life information acquired based on an operating status of the fixing unit.

6. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires the life information based on a drive current of the drive unit and temperature information relating to a temperature of the fixing member based on an operating status of the fixing unit.

7. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires the life information based on visit number information regarding the number of days it takes for a service representative to actually visit the image forming apparatus after requesting a visit from the service representative.

8. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires remaining days information regarding the number of days remaining until the end of the life of the fixing unit based on the drive current of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the remaining days information.

9. the life information includes an image formation distance DL by the image forming apparatus, The image forming distance up to now by the image forming apparatus is set as a current distance Cd, The average image forming distance per day by the image forming apparatus is Da, If the remaining number of days is Rd, the remaining number of days can be obtained by the following formula: Rd=(DL-Cd) / Da The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 .

10. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires life approaching information indicating that the fixing unit is nearing the end of its life based on visit number information regarding the number of visit days required for the service representative to actually visit after requesting a visit from the service representative for the image forming apparatus and the life information, and outputs the life approaching information.

11. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit replaces initial life approach information regarding the fixing unit approaching the end of its life with the life approach information acquired based on the operating status of the fixing unit and the number of days of visit information.

12. a storage unit that stores the operating status of the fixing unit; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires information about the operating status of the fixing unit by referring to the storage unit.

13. The fixing unit is a holding member that holds the fixing member at both ends; a sliding member that slides against the inner periphery of the fixing member; a pressure member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member; a nip forming member that is disposed inside the fixing member and abuts against the pressure member via the sliding member and the fixing member to form a nip; a support member that supports the nip forming member; a heat source disposed inside the fixing member and configured to heat the fixing member; a reflecting member that reflects radiant heat from the heat source, 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is flexible and has no end.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein there is a gap between the fixing member and the holding member.

15. A lubricant is applied to the sliding member, The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the lubricant flows out of the fixing unit through the gap.

16. An image forming method using an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising: An image is formed on a recording medium by an image forming unit; a fixing unit including a rotatable fixing member, the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit being brought into contact with the fixing member to fix the image on the recording medium; a drive unit drives the fixing member; An image forming method in which a control unit acquires life information regarding the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information.

17. An image is formed on a recording medium by an image forming unit; a fixing unit including a rotatable fixing member, the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit being brought into contact with the fixing member to fix the image on the recording medium; a drive unit drives the fixing member; A control unit acquires life information relating to the life of the fixing unit based on either the drive current or the torque of the drive unit and the operating status of the fixing unit, and outputs the life information. A program that causes an image forming apparatus to execute a process.

Images