Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of detecting the state of a filter. [Solution] According to the embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a fan motor, a transport path, a pressure loss generating component, a current detector, and a processor. The fan motor is driven by electricity. The transport path is through which the air flowed by the fan motor moves. The pressure loss generating component generates a pressure loss that changes the drive current value of the fan motor. The current detector measures the drive current value in the fan motor. The processor detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component when the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector exceeds a predetermined threshold before reaching a predetermined maintenance period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] An image forming apparatus placed in a workplace forms a visible image corresponding to image data on a sheet of paper. Conventional image forming apparatuses include a mechanism that creates a flow of air by a fan motor and collects foreign matter by a filter provided in the air flow path. Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a mechanism for collecting toner scattered outside a developing device, a mechanism for supplying outside air to a specific part, and a mechanism for sucking air from a specific part.

[0003] An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms a visible image (toner image) by attaching toner to an electrostatic latent image formed by light irradiated onto a charged photoreceptor drum. Some electrophotographic image forming apparatuses are provided with a toner suction unit for collecting toner scattered between a developing device and a photoreceptor drum. The toner suction unit is provided with a fan motor and a toner filter that collects toner contained in the air sucked by the fan motor. In a conventional image forming apparatus, the toner filter is replaced at a replacement timing set in advance according to the printing amount or the like.

[0004] However, when the toner suction unit sucks toner exceeding the assumed amount, the toner filter may become clogged before reaching regular maintenance. When the toner filter becomes clogged, it becomes difficult for toner to be drawn into the toner suction unit, and there is a high possibility that the toner scatters inside the machine. When toner scatters inside the machine, there is a problem that not only cleaning is troublesome but also it causes malfunction of each part. In order to solve such a problem, there is a demand for an image forming apparatus that can detect the state of a filter such as clogging.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-146930 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The problem that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of detecting the state of a filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a fan motor, a transport path, a pressure loss generating component, a current detector, and a processor. The fan motor is driven by electric power. The transport path is through which the air flowed by the fan motor moves. The pressure loss generating component generates a pressure loss that changes the drive current value of the fan motor. The current detector measures the drive current value in the fan motor. The processor detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component if the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor, as detected by the current detector, exceeds a predetermined threshold before a predetermined maintenance period is reached. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an electrophotographic image forming station in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an external view showing an example of the configuration of a toner suction unit in an image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6]Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration within a toner suction unit in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of the connection path between the toner suction unit and the recovery unit in the developer of each image forming station in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the connection path between the toner suction unit and the recovery unit in the developer of each image forming station in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a factor that causes an unexpectedly large amount of toner to be scattered from the developer in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of the correlation between the amount of toner collected by the toner filter and the drive current value of the fan motor in an image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the state detection process in which an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment detects the state of a filter based on the drive current value of a fan motor. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the part of the ozone processing unit of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment that supplies air taken in from outside the machine to the charger. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows the ozone treatment unit shown in Figure 12 with a cover attached. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the part of the ozone processing unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment that sucks in air containing ozone from the charger. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an example configuration of the ozone treatment unit shown in Figure 14, in which ozone contained in the air drawn in from the electrostatic charger is decomposed and exhausted. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the scale of each part has been appropriately changed in the drawings used to describe the following embodiments. Also, for illustrative purposes, some components have been omitted in the drawings used to describe the following embodiments.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing system (image forming system) including multiple image forming apparatuses 100 according to the embodiment. The printing system including the image forming apparatuses 100 further comprises multiple user terminals 200, a server device 300, and a service technician terminal 400.

[0011] Each image forming apparatus 100 is located in a workplace and is connected to a user terminal 200 located in the same workplace, for example, via an internal network 500 such as a LAN (Local Area Network). This connection may be wired or wireless. The internal network 500 is also connected to an external network 600 such as the Internet. The server device 300 and the service technician terminal 400 are connected to the external network 600. The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the server device 300 via the internal network 500 and the external network 600.

[0012] The user terminal 200 is an information processing device that instructs printing on any of the image forming apparatuses 100. The user terminal 200 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), smartphone, tablet terminal, or digital camera. The user terminal 200 may be connected to the image forming apparatus 100 in a communicative manner via an external network 600 and an internal network 500. That is, the user terminal 200 may be located outside the workplace where the image forming apparatus 100 is located. The user terminal 200 may also be connected directly to the image forming apparatus 100 without going through the external network 600 and the internal network 500. In other words, the user terminal 200 may be locally connected to the image forming apparatus 100. When the user terminal 200 is locally connected to the image forming apparatus 100, it may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0013] The server device 300 is a computer device that is directly operated by a management company that undertakes the maintenance and inspection of the image forming device 100 or is entrusted to a service provider. The server device 300 periodically or as needed acquires the maintenance information of each image forming device 100. The maintenance information includes information indicating the operating status of the image forming device 100 (such as the number of prints, the size and type of the printed paper, etc.) and information indicating the status of each part (information indicating the status of the filter). The server device 300 may also be configured to acquire notification data such as alerts transmitted from the image forming device 100.

[0014] Based on the acquired data, the server device 300 determines the necessity of inspection or repair (maintenance) of each image forming device 100. When there is an image forming device 100 that requires maintenance, the server device 300 transmits information identifying the image forming device 100 that requires maintenance to the service technician terminal 400. Thereby, the service technician can go to perform the maintenance of the image forming device 100 determined by the server device 300 to require maintenance.

[0015] The server device 300 is an information processing device having a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a communication interface (I / F) 3003, etc. The processor 3001 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 3001 executes various processes by executing the programs stored in the memory 3002. The communication interface 3003 is an interface for communicating with each device via the network 600. The memory 3002 is composed of storage devices such as a ROM, a RAM, and a non-volatile memory. The memory 3002 includes a program memory for storing programs, a working memory for temporarily holding data, and a data memory for accumulating data.

[0016] In the server device 300, the memory 3002 has a storage area for storing a database that stores maintenance information and other data obtained from the image forming apparatus 100. The processor 3001 of the server device 300 stores the maintenance information and other data obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 in the database of the memory 3002. Based on the maintenance information for each image forming apparatus stored in the database, the processor 3001 of the server device 300 determines the need for maintenance for each image forming apparatus.

[0017] The service technician terminal 400 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal carried by a service technician performing maintenance on the image forming apparatus 100. Although only one service technician terminal 400 is shown in Figure 1, the printing system may include multiple service technician terminals 400. The service technician terminal 400 may be equipped with a location detection function and transmit the location detected by the location detection function to the server device 300 as the service technician's location information. The server device 300 can also assign an appropriate service technician to the image forming apparatus 100 that requires maintenance based on information such as the location information of each service technician and the availability of each service technician.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is assumed to be a digital multifunction device (MFP, Multi-Functional Peripherals). In the configuration example shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 100 is a digital multifunction device having a scanner 1, a printer 2, an operation panel 4, and a system control unit 5.

[0019] Scanner 1 is a device that reads an image from a document and converts it into image data. Scanner 1 is composed of, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) line sensor that converts an image on the reading surface of the document into image data. Scanner 1 may have the function of scanning a document placed on the document glass. Scanner 1 may also have the function of reading an image from a document transported by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). Scanner 1 is installed, for example, on top of the main body of an MFP, which is an image forming apparatus 100. Scanner 1 is controlled by the system control unit 5. Scanner 1 outputs the image data of the document to the system control unit 5.

[0020] Printer 2 forms an image on paper, which is used as a recording medium. Printer 2 is, for example, an electrophotographic printer. The image forming method of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is not limited to the electrophotographic method. However, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 will be described as comprising an electrophotographic printer 2. Printer 2 has a color printing function for printing color images on paper and a monochrome printing function for printing monochrome (e.g., black) images on paper. Printer 2 forms color images using multiple toners (e.g., three colors: yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M)). Printer 2 also forms monochrome images using monochrome (e.g., black (K)) toner.

[0021] In the configuration example shown in Figure 2, the printer 2 has paper feed cassettes 20 (20A, 20B, 20C). The paper feed cassettes 20 are the paper feeding section that supplies paper for printing images. The printer 2 may also have a manual feed tray or the like as a paper feeding section. For example, each of the paper feed cassettes 20A, 20B, and 20C is provided in a detachable manner at the bottom of the MFP body. These paper feed cassettes 20A, 20B, and 20C each store paper of a set type (e.g., size, paper quality).

[0022] Each paper feed cassette 20A, 20B, and 20C has a pickup roller 21A, 21B, and 21C, respectively. The pickup rollers 21A, 21B, and 21C take out one sheet of paper at a time from each paper feed cassette 20A, 20B, and 20C. The pickup rollers 21A, 21B, and 21C supply the taken-out paper to a transport path (transport section 22) which is composed of multiple transport rollers 22A, 22B, 22C, etc.

[0023] The transport unit 22 transports paper within the printer 2. For example, the transport unit 22 transports the paper picked up by the pickup rollers 21A, 21B, and 21C to the registration roller 24. The registration roller 24 transports the paper to the transfer position at the time when it is time to transfer the image from the transfer belt 27 to the paper. The transport unit 22 transports the paper that has passed through the registration roller 24 to the transfer position. The transport unit 22 transports the paper that has passed through the transfer position from the transfer position to the fuser 29. The transport unit 22 transports the paper that has passed through the fuser 29 to either the paper output unit or the automatic double-sided unit (ADU).

[0024] The image forming stations 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) form images to be transferred to paper. In the configuration example shown in Figure 2, image forming station 25Y forms an image with yellow toner. Image forming station 25M forms an image with magenta toner. Image forming station 25C forms an image with cyan toner. Image forming station 25K forms an image with black toner.

[0025] Each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) has a photoreceptor drum 30 (30y, 30m, 30c, 30k), a charger 31 (31y, 31m, 31c, 31k), a developer 32 (32y, 32m, 32c, 32k), a transfer roller 33 (33y, 33m, 33c, 33k), and a cleaner 34 (34y, 34m, 34c, 34k).

[0026] The photoreceptor drum 30 is an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. The photoreceptor drum 30 rotates on a rotation axis. The charger 31 charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 to a predetermined potential. The charger 31 has a grid (not shown) for adjusting the charge output to the photoreceptor drum 30. The developer 32 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 30 with toner. The transfer roller 33 transfers the toner image developed on the photoreceptor drum 30 to the transfer belt 27. The cleaner 34 cleans the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 after the transfer.

[0027] Furthermore, each image forming station 25 is connected to a toner suction unit 35 and an ozone treatment unit 36. The toner suction unit 35 collects toner scattered between the developer unit 32 and the photoreceptor drum 30 at each image forming station 25. The ozone treatment unit 36 ​​blows outside air into the charger 31 to draw in gas containing ozone, and exhausts the air from which the ozone has been decomposed to the outside of the machine.

[0028] Furthermore, the exposure unit 26 uses laser light to form electrostatic latent images on the photoreceptor drums 30 of each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K). The exposure unit 26 irradiates the photoreceptor drums 30 with laser light controlled according to the image data, via an optical system such as a polygon mirror. The laser light from the exposure unit 26 forms electrostatic latent images on the surface of each photoreceptor drum 30. The exposure unit 26 controls the laser light according to a control signal from the system control unit 5.

[0029] Each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) develops the electrostatic latent image formed on each photoreceptor drum 30 by each developer 32. Each developer 32 is equipped with a developing container having a developing roller. The developing container holds toner as the developer for each color. The toner is charged by being agitated with the carrier in the developing container. A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 321 (see Figure 4). The developing roller, with the developing bias applied, rotates with toner adsorbed on its surface (circumferential surface), supplying the toner on the circumferential surface to the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 30. The electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 30 is developed as a toner image (visible image) by the supplied toner.

[0030] The developer unit 32 is connected to a toner suction unit 35 for sucking up toner scattered between it and the photoreceptor drum 30. The developer unit 32 collects the toner scattered between it and the photoreceptor drum 30 and sends out the toner suction unit 35. The toner suction unit 35 sucks up the scattered toner between the developer unit 32 and the photoreceptor drum 30 and collects the sucked-up toner with a toner filter 353, which will be described later.

[0031] The transfer belt 27 is an intermediate transfer body. Each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) applies a primary transfer voltage to the transfer belt 27 using a transfer roller 33, thereby transferring (primary transfer) the toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 30 onto the transfer belt 27. For example, in image forming station 25K, the transfer roller 33k transfers the toner image developed by the developer 32k with black toner onto the transfer belt 27. When forming a color image, each image forming station 25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K transfers the toner images developed with each color toner onto the transfer belt 27 in layers.

[0032] The transfer unit 28 transfers the toner image on the transfer belt 27 to the paper at the secondary transfer position. The secondary transfer position is the position where the toner image on the transfer belt 27 is transferred to the paper. The secondary transfer position is the position where the support roller 28a and the secondary transfer roller 28b face each other.

[0033] The fuser unit 29 fixes the toner to the paper. The fuser unit 29 applies heat to the paper for fixing. In the example shown in Figure 2, the fuser unit 29 consists of a heat roller 29b with a built-in heating unit 29a and a pressure roller 29c that contacts the fixing belt, which is heated by the heat roller 29b, under pressure. The heating unit 29a can be any heater with controllable temperature. For example, the heating unit 29a may consist of a heater lamp such as a halogen lamp, or it may be an induction heating (IH) type heater. The heating unit 29a may also consist of multiple heaters. The fuser unit 29 transports the fixed paper to either the paper discharge unit or the ADU.

[0034] The control panel 4 is the user interface. The control panel 4 has various buttons and a display unit 4a equipped with a touch panel 4b. The system control unit 5 controls the content displayed on the display unit 4a of the control panel 4. The display unit 4a displays information such as instructions. The control panel 4 also outputs information entered into the touch panel 4b or buttons of the display unit 4a to the system control unit 5. The user can specify the operating mode and input information such as setting information on the control panel 4.

[0035] Next, the configuration of the control system in the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system for the system control unit 5 and the printer 2 in the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In the configuration example shown in Figure 3, the system control unit 5 includes a system CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, RAM (Random Access Memory) 52, ROM (Read Only Memory) 53, non-volatile memory (referred to as NVM (Non-volatile Memory) in the figure) 54, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 55, external interface (referred to as I / F in the figure) 56, input image processing unit 57, page memory 58, and output image processing unit 59.

[0036] The system CPU (processor, first processor) 51 is a control unit that comprehensively controls each part of the image forming apparatus 100. The system CPU 51 is a processor that performs processing by executing a program. The system CPU 51 is connected to each part of the system control unit 5 via the system bus. The system CPU 51 is also connected to the scanner 1, printer 2, and operation panel 4 via the system bus. The system CPU 51 outputs operation instructions to each part and acquires various information from each part through bidirectional communication with the scanner 1, printer 2, and operation panel 4.

[0037] For example, when the power to the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on, the system CPU 51 operates by executing a program stored in the ROM 53 (or non-volatile memory 54). The system CPU 51 also instructs the printer 2 to print as indicated in the print job when it receives a print job from the user terminal 200. When a copy is instructed on the touch panel 4b of the operation panel 4, the system CPU 51 performs copy control to print the image of the original document scanned by the scanner 1 using the printer 2.

[0038] Furthermore, the CPU, which constitutes the control unit, may be multi-core / multi-threaded, capable of executing multiple processes in parallel. The processor is not limited to a CPU; it may also be an MPU (microprocessing unit). Moreover, the processor may be implemented in various other forms, including integrated circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), SoCs (system on a chip), and PLDs (programmable logic devices). The processor may also be a combination of several of these.

[0039] RAM 52 is composed of volatile memory. RAM 52 functions as working memory or buffer memory. ROM 53 is a non-rewritable, non-volatile memory that stores programs and control data. The system CPU 51 performs various processes by executing programs stored in ROM 53 (or non-volatile memory 54, HDD 55) while using RAM 52. For example, the system CPU 51 implements functions to instruct printing and functions to prohibit printing by executing programs.

[0040] The non-volatile memory 54 is a rewritable non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory 54 stores control programs and control data executed by the system CPU 51. The non-volatile memory 54 also stores various setting information and processing conditions. For example, the non-volatile memory 54 stores setting information for each paper feed cassette (paper feed unit).

[0041] HDD55 is a high-capacity storage device. HDD55 stores image data and various operation history information. HDD55 may also store control programs and control data. HDD55 may also store setting information and processing conditions.

[0042] The external interface 56 is an interface for communicating with external devices. For example, the external interface 56 receives print jobs from an external device, such as a user terminal 200, and sends data to an external device, such as a server device 300. The external interface 56 can be any interface that performs data communication with an external device.

[0043] The input image processing unit 57 processes the image data read by the scanner 1. The input image processing unit 57 has functions such as shading correction, grayscale conversion, line correction, and compression / decompression. The input image processing unit 57 stores the processed image data in the page memory 58.

[0044] The page memory 58 is memory for processing image data. For example, the page memory 58 stores image data processed by the input image processing unit 57 on image data read by the scanner 1. The page memory 58 may also store image data included in a print job acquired via the external interface 56.

[0045] The output image processing unit 59 generates printable image data for the printer 2 to print on paper. The output image processing unit 59 performs image processing to convert the image data stored in the page memory 58 into printable image data. The output image processing unit 59 sends the processed image data to the printer 2.

[0046] Next, we will describe an example of the control system configuration in printer 2.

[0047] In the configuration example shown in Figure 3, the printer 2 has a control system configuration that includes a printer CPU 61, RAM 62, ROM 63, non-volatile memory (NVM) 64, transport control unit 65, exposure control unit 70, image formation control unit 71, transfer control unit 72, fixing control unit 73, drive control circuit 74, drive control circuit 75, and drive control circuit 76.

[0048] The printer CPU 61 controls the entire printer 2. The printer CPU 61 is a processor that performs processing by executing programs. Note that the processor is not limited to a CPU, but may be implemented in various other forms, including integrated circuits such as MPUs, ASICs, GPUs, FPGAs, DSPs, SoCs, and PLDs. Furthermore, the processor may be a combination of several of these.

[0049] The printer CPU 61 connects to various parts of the printer 2 via a system bus or the like. The printer CPU 61 outputs operation commands to various parts of the printer 2 in response to operation commands from the system CPU 51. The printer CPU 61 also notifies the system CPU 51 of information indicating the processing status in the printer 2.

[0050] RAM62 is composed of volatile memory. RAM62 functions as working memory or buffer memory. ROM63 is a non-rewritable, non-volatile memory that stores programs and control data. The printer CPU61 performs various processes by executing programs stored in ROM63 (or non-volatile memory 64) while using RAM62.

[0051] The non-volatile memory 64 is a rewritable non-volatile memory. For example, the non-volatile memory 64 stores the control program and control data executed by the printer CPU 61, as well as the history data generated by the printer CPU 61 executing the control program. The non-volatile memory 64 may also store setting information and processing conditions.

[0052] The transport control unit 65 controls the transport of paper within the printer 2. The transport control unit 65 controls the driving of the pickup roller 21 and the transport rollers 22A, 22B, 22C of the transport unit 22. The transport control unit 65 controls the driving of the transport rollers 22A, 22B, 22C, which are part of the transport unit 22 within the printer 2, in response to operation instructions from the printer CPU 61. For example, the printer CPU 61 instructs the transport control unit 65 to control paper transport in response to a print start instruction from the system control unit 5.

[0053] The exposure control unit 70 controls the exposure unit 26. The exposure control unit 70 uses the exposure unit 26 to form electrostatic latent images on the photoreceptor drums 30 (30y, 30m, 30c, 30k) of each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) in response to operation instructions from the printer CPU 61. For example, the exposure control unit 70 controls the laser light that the exposure unit 26 irradiates each photoreceptor drum 30 in accordance with the image data for which the printer CPU 61 instructs the printer to execute printing. For example, the exposure control unit 70 controls the scanning of the laser light emitted by each laser unit based on the BD signal acquired from the exposure unit 26.

[0054] The image forming control unit 71 controls the driving of each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K). For example, the image forming control unit 71 charges the photoreceptor drum 30 to a predetermined potential using a charger 31. The image forming control unit 71 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 30 after the charging process using a developer 32 toner image of each color. The image forming control unit 71 controls the density of the toner to be developed by controlling the development bias and other parameters for the developer 32. The image forming control unit 71 transfers the toner image developed on the photoreceptor drum 30 to the transfer belt 27 using a transfer roller 33. The image forming control unit 71 also cleans the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 after the transfer process using a cleaner 34.

[0055] Furthermore, the transfer control unit 72 controls the drive of the transfer unit 28 and the transfer current, etc. The transfer control unit 72 transfers the toner image transferred to the transfer belt 27 to the paper using the transfer unit 28 in accordance with the operation instructions from the printer CPU 61. The fuser control unit 73 controls the drive of the fuser 29. The fuser control unit 73 drives the heat roller 29b and the pressure roller 29c in accordance with the operation instructions from the printer CPU 61. The fuser control unit 73 controls the surface temperature of the heat roller 29b to the fuser temperature by controlling the heating unit 29a.

[0056] The drive control circuit 74 is a circuit that drives the fan motor 354 (see Figure 6) in the toner suction unit 35, which is equipped with a toner filter (filter) 353. The drive control circuit 74 outputs drive power to rotate the fan of the fan motor 354 to a predetermined airflow rate. The drive control circuit 74 has a current detector 741 that detects the drive current value flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 354. The current value detected by the current detector 741 is supplied to the printer CPU 61 and the system CPU 51.

[0057] The drive control circuit 75 is connected to a fan motor 362 (see Figure 12) for drawing outside air into the ozone treatment unit 36, which is equipped with a filter 361. The drive control circuit 75 outputs drive power to rotate the fan of the fan motor 362 to a predetermined airflow rate. The drive control circuit 75 has a current detector 751 that detects the drive current value flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 362. The current value detected by the current detector 751 is supplied to the printer CPU 61 and the system CPU 51.

[0058] The drive control circuit 76 is connected to a fan motor 366 (see Figure 15) that exhausts air from the ozone treatment unit 36, which is equipped with an ozone filter (filter) 367, to the outside of the machine. The drive control circuit 76 outputs drive power to rotate the fan of the fan motor 366 to a predetermined airflow rate. The drive control circuit 76 has a current detector 761 that detects the drive current value flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 366. The current value detected by the current detector 761 is supplied to the printer CPU 61 and the system CPU 51.

[0059] In the image forming apparatus 100, the program executed by the system CPU 51 or the printer CPU 61 only needs to be stored in a writable storage device. For example, the program may be written to the storage device in response to an operation by an administrator or other person. Furthermore, the transfer of programs, etc., may be done by storing them in a removable computer-readable storage medium or by communication over a network. The computer-readable storage medium can be of any form as long as it can store programs and is readable by the device, such as a CD-ROM or memory card.

[0060] Next, the configuration of the image forming stations 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) in the electrophotographic printer 2 of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described in detail. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example configuration of the image forming stations 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K) in the electrophotographic printer 2 of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in Figure 4, each image forming station 25 has a charger 31, a developer 32, and a cleaner 34 positioned on the surface of a photoreceptor drum 30 that rotates circumferentially in a clockwise direction.

[0061] The charger 31 has a charging needle (charging charger) positioned opposite the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30. The charger 31 generates corona discharge using the charging needle to charge the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 to a predetermined potential. Ozone is generated inside the charger 31 because the charging needle generates corona discharge. The ozone generated inside the charger 31 is treated by an ozone treatment unit 36 ​​to prevent the photoreceptor drum 30 from degrading due to the ozone.

[0062] The ozone treatment unit 36 ​​decomposes the ozone generated in the charger 31 and releases it outside the housing (machine) of the image forming apparatus 100. The ozone treatment unit 36 ​​sends air taken in from outside the machine into the charger 31, sucks in the ozone-containing air inside the charger 31, decomposes the ozone from the sucked-in air and exhausts it. If foreign matter such as dust accumulates inside the charger 31, discharge will be difficult for the charging needle to occur. For this reason, the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​removes foreign matter such as dust from the air taken in from outside the machine using a filter 361 (see Figure 12), and sends the air that has passed through the filter 361 into the charger 31.

[0063] The surface of the photoreceptor drum 30, which has been charged to a predetermined potential by the charger 31, moves to an exposure position (between the charger 31 and the developer 32) where laser light from the exposure unit 26 is irradiated as the photoreceptor drum 30 rotates. The exposure unit 26 irradiates the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30, which has been charged to a predetermined potential at the exposure position, with laser light controlled according to the image data. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 irradiated with laser light from the exposure unit 26.

[0064] Toner, acting as a developer, is supplied from the developer unit 32 to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30, where an electrostatic latent image has been formed by the exposure unit 26. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 is developed as a toner image by the toner supplied from the developer unit 32. In other words, the developer unit 32 creates a visible image (toner image) using toner by supplying a developer (toner) to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30.

[0065] As shown in Figure 4, the developer unit 32 includes a developing roller 321, a mixer 322, a recovery unit 325, and a recovery roller 326. In the developer unit 32, the mixer 322 agitates the toner and carrier in the developer container. The mixer 322 supplies the toner agitated with the carrier to the surface of the developing roller 321. The developing roller 321 attracts the toner supplied from the mixer 322 to its surface by magnetic force. By rotating with the toner attracted (held) to its surface, the developing roller 321 supplies toner to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 that is in close proximity to the developing roller 321 at a predetermined development position. As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 30 is developed by the toner supplied from the developing roller 321.

[0066] The toner image, developed as a visible image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30, is transferred to the transfer belt 27 by the transfer roller 33 between the developer 32 and the cleaner 34. Furthermore, the toner image transferred to the transfer belt 27 is transferred to the paper. The cleaner 34 is configured to clean the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 after the toner image has been transferred to the transfer belt 27.

[0067] In the configuration example shown in Figure 4, the developing roller 321 draws air into the developing unit 32 when it rotates in a predetermined direction. As the developing roller 321 rotates, the internal pressure inside the developing unit 32 increases. The developing unit 32 is highly airtight to prevent toner leakage, and gaps that occur at the joints of the parts are filled with sealing material. However, since the developing unit 32 transfers toner to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 30 at the developing position, a gap (air outlet) is formed between the developing unit 32 and the photoreceptor drum 30.

[0068] The air outlet is formed above the area where the surface of the developing roller 321 passes after supplying toner to the photoreceptor drum 30 (above the area where the developing roller 321 and the photoreceptor drum 30 face each other). In the developing unit 32, toner that has been separated from the developing roller 321 and has been lifted into the air by the carrier is attracted towards the air outlet and scattered outside the developing unit 32. The amount of toner scattered outside the developing unit 32 tends to increase as the rotation speed of the developing roller 321 increases.

[0069] The developing unit 32 has a toner scattering collection unit 325 to collect toner scattering from the air outlet. A collection roller 326 is also provided inside the toner scattering collection unit 325. The collection roller 326 attracts toner to its electrically charged surface. The collection unit 325 collects toner by scraping it off the collection roller 326 with a blade. The collection unit 325 is connected to the toner suction unit 35 shown in Figures 5 and 6 via a path shown in Figures 7 and 8, which will be described later. The collection unit 325 sends the toner collected using the collection roller 326, along with air, to the toner suction unit 35 via the path shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0070] Next, the toner suction unit 35 in the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is an external view showing an example of the configuration of the toner suction unit 35 in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the toner suction unit 35. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the connection path between the toner suction unit 35 and the recovery unit 325 of the developer 32 in the image forming station 25.

[0071] As shown in Figure 5, the toner suction unit 35 forms a duct (transport path) 350 and has an internal connection part 351 and an external connection part 352. As shown in Figure 6, the toner suction unit 35 has a toner filter (pressure loss generating component) 353 and a fan motor 354 inside the duct 350. The toner filter 353 is installed in the middle of the duct 350, which is the air (gas) passage. The fan motor 354 is installed near the external connection part 352 in the duct 350.

[0072] The fan motor 354 rotates so that the air in the duct 350, which serves as the toner suction unit 35, is discharged from the external connection part 352. The fan motor 354 draws air into the duct 350 from the internal connection part 351 and discharges the air that has passed through the toner filter 353 in the duct 350 from the external connection part 352.

[0073] The toner filter 353 collects toner contained in the air passing through the duct 350 of the toner suction unit 35. As shown in Figure 6, the toner filter 353 is installed in a bag-like shape in relation to the airflow path within the duct 350 to collect the collected toner. The toner filter 353 is installed so that it can be replaced during maintenance.

[0074] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the toner suction unit 35 has an internal connection part 351 that is connected to the recovery part 325 of the developer unit 32 in each image forming station 25. The air in the recovery part 325 of each image forming station 25 is drawn out by the toner suction unit 35. Figures 7 and 8 show the airflow path from the recovery part 325 of the developer unit 32 to the toner suction unit 35 with solid and dotted arrows.

[0075] As shown in Figure 7, the recovery unit 325 of the developing unit 32 transports the air containing toner scattered between the developing roller 321 and the photoreceptor drum 30 to the back side of the image forming apparatus 100 (the connection point of the toner suction unit 35). The air transported to the back side by each recovery unit 325 is collected in a duct connected to the internal connection point 351 of the toner suction unit 35, as shown in Figure 8, and sent into the toner suction unit 35.

[0076] In the toner suction unit 35 shown in Figure 6, the toner filter 353, which acts as a pressure loss generating component, becomes more obstructive to air passage as the amount of collected toner (toner accumulated in the toner filter) increases. When the toner filter 353 becomes less permeable to air due to the collected toner, the toner suction unit 35 has difficulty drawing in toner-containing air from the recovery unit 325. If this condition of difficulty in air flowing from the recovery unit 325 to the toner suction unit 35 continues for a long period of time, toner becomes more likely to scatter inside the machine other than the developer unit 32.

[0077] The image forming apparatus 100 is designed so that the airflow from the recovery unit 325 to the toner suction unit 35 remains normal until the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 reaches a predetermined capacity. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 100 is operated under regular maintenance so that the toner filter 353 is replaced before the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 reaches a predetermined capacity.

[0078] For example, the image forming apparatus 100 has a set schedule for normal maintenance (periodic maintenance) based on the total number of printed pages processed by the printer 2 (total number of prints) or the transport distance (drive counter). The image forming apparatus 100 allows various filters, including the toner filter 353, to be replaced during normal maintenance by a service technician. The image forming apparatus 100 is designed so that the toner filter 353 maintains normal function until periodic maintenance, assuming that the amount of toner scattered from the developer 32 is within the expected range (normal range). In other words, the toner suction unit 35 can recover scattered toner normally by replacing the toner filter 353 during periodic maintenance, provided that the actual amount of toner scattered is within the expected range.

[0079] However, the actual amount of toner scattered from the developer unit 32 can increase due to various factors. It is difficult to identify in advance the factors that cause toner to scatter beyond the expected range. Therefore, if the amount of toner scattered is significantly higher than expected, it is necessary to prompt maintenance without waiting for scheduled maintenance in order to prevent malfunctions within the machine.

[0080] Figure 9 shows an example of a factor that causes the amount of toner scattered from the developer unit 32 to exceed the expected amount. Inside the developing unit 32, the developing roller 321 attracts toner T to its surface (circumferential surface) by magnetic force. The developing roller 321 rotates with the toner T attracted to its circumferential surface, thereby transporting the toner T to the photoreceptor drum 30. As shown in Figure 9, the toner T on the rotating developing roller 321 is held so as to bulge outwards at the magnetic pole positions.

[0081] On the other hand, a developing container formed by combining multiple parts is provided around the developing roller 321 to prevent toner and other materials from being released outside the developing unit 32. The multiple parts forming the developing container of the developing unit 32 are joined together with a sealing material to prevent any gaps. Figure 9 shows an example in which the sealing material S at the joint of the parts inside the developing unit 32 is protruding towards the developing roller 321. In a normal developing unit 32, the sealing material S does not protrude, and the protrusion of the sealing material S as shown in Figure 9 is assumed to be caused by, for example, a defect in the manufacturing process.

[0082] As shown in Figure 9, in the areas where the sealant S protrudes, a portion of the toner T adsorbed on the circumferential surface of the rotating developing roller 321 comes into contact with the sealant S. The toner T in the area that comes into contact with the sealant S is physically peeled off the developing roller 321. As a result, in the developing unit 32 shown in Figure 9, a large amount of toner T, exceeding what was expected due to the protrusion of the sealant S, is peeled off the developing roller 321.

[0083] As described above, within the developing unit 32, as the developing roller 321 rotates, an airflow is generated towards the air outlet (the gap between the developing unit 32 and the photoreceptor drum 30) where the recovery unit 325 is located. As a result, much of the toner T stripped from the developing roller 321 is carried by the airflow within the developing unit 32 and scattered to the recovery unit 325, which is the air outlet. Consequently, as shown in Figure 9, a developing unit 32 with excess sealant S has a significantly larger amount of toner scattered to the recovery unit 325 compared to a developing unit 32 in a normal state.

[0084] If the amount of toner scattered increases due to unexpected factors as shown in Figure 9, the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 will exceed the expected range. During normal maintenance (periodic maintenance), the toner filter 353 is replaced assuming that it will recover the toner scattered from the developer unit 32 in a normal state. If the amount of toner scattered exceeds the expected range due to unexpected factors, the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 will exceed a predetermined tolerance (toner full) before normal maintenance is performed. When the toner filter 353 becomes toner full, it becomes difficult for air to pass through the toner filter 353. When it becomes difficult for air to pass through the toner filter 353, it becomes difficult for the toner suction unit 35 to suck up toner from the recovery section 325 of each developer unit 32.

[0085] The image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment detects information indicating the status of filters such as the toner filter 323, separate from normal maintenance (periodic maintenance). The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether the information indicating the status of the filters (the drive current value of the fan motor) is an abnormal value. If the information indicating the status of the filters is an abnormal value, the image forming apparatus 100 stores the information indicating that the filter status is abnormal as maintenance information to be notified to the server device 300. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 can notify information indicating an abnormal filter status, separate from normal maintenance, and prompt maintenance in accordance with the abnormal filter status.

[0086] Next, a state detection process for detecting the state of the filter in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described. The image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment detects the state of the filter (pressure loss generating component) by the drive current value of the fan motor that generates the airflow through the filter. The image forming apparatus 100 stores information showing the correlation between the state of the filter and the drive current value of the fan motor that generates the airflow through the filter in the NVM64. Based on the correlation, the image forming apparatus 100 detects (estimates) the state of the filter from the drive current value of the fan motor. The image forming apparatus 100 notifies the server device 300 of the information indicating the state of the filter. As a result, the server device 300 can provide maintenance guidance, including file replacement, according to the state of the filter in the image forming apparatus.

[0087] The following describes the state detection process for detecting when the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 exceeds the permissible limit (tolerance limit) as a state of the filter. In the toner suction unit 35, there is a correlation between the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 (toner collection amount) and the drive current value of the fan motor 354. When the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 increases, the drive current value of the fan motor 354 driven by the drive control circuit 74 decreases. This is because it is thought that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 makes it more difficult for air to pass through.

[0088] Figure 10 shows the relationship between the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 and the drive current value of the fan motor 354. As shown in Figure 10, the drive current value of the fan motor 354 is at its maximum when the toner filter 353 has not collected toner (new filter). When a printing operation is performed, the toner suction unit 35 sucks up the toner scattered from the developer unit 32, and the collected toner accumulates in the toner filter 353.

[0089] As the amount of toner accumulated in the toner filter 353 increases, the drive current value of the fan motor 354 gradually decreases until the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 reaches the allowable limit (toner full). According to the correlation shown in Figure 10, the image forming apparatus 100 can estimate (detect) the amount of toner collected in the toner filter 353 from the drive current value of the fan motor 354. Furthermore, by setting a threshold value according to the drive current value of the fan motor 354 when the toner is full, the image forming apparatus 100 can detect (estimate) that the toner is full based on the actual drive current value of the fan motor 354 detected.

[0090] Next, the flow of the state detection process in which the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment detects the state of the filter based on the drive current value of the fan motor will be described. Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the state detection process in which the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment detects the state of the filter based on the drive current value of the fan motor. This section describes a process that detects, during printing, when the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 has reached an acceptable limit, based on the drive current value of the fan motor 354.

[0091] First, the system CPU 51 of the image forming apparatus 100 executes the printing operation using the printer 2. When the system CPU 51 executes printing, it measures the elapsed time from the start of printing (ACT 11). As a state detection process, the system CPU 51 monitors whether a predetermined time (start time of the state detection process) has elapsed from the start of printing (ACT 12).

[0092] The start time for the state detection process is the time required to stabilize the drive current value of the fan motor 354 in the toner suction unit 35. The drive current value of the fan motor 354 becomes unstable immediately after the start of printing. In order to stabilize the drive current value of the fan motor 354 as information indicating the state of the toner filter 353, the state detection process is not performed until a predetermined time has elapsed. The system CPU 51 of the image forming apparatus 100 performs a state detection process to detect the state of the filter after a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed from immediately after the start of printing.

[0093] The system CPU 51 detects the drive current value of the fan motor 354 in the toner suction unit 35 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of printing (ACT12, YES) (ACT13). After the predetermined time has elapsed, the system CPU 51 acquires the current value (drive current value) flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 354 as detected by the current detector 741 of the drive control circuit 74. For example, the system CPU 51 continuously acquires the current value detected by the current detector 741 multiple times over a predetermined measurement period (for example, 5 seconds), and acquires the average value of these values ​​as the drive current value (AVE) of the fan motor 354.

[0094] When the system CPU 51 obtains the drive current value (AVE) of the fan motor 354, it determines whether or not to set the obtained current value as the initial value (INI) of the fan motor 354's drive current value (ACT14). If the system CPU 51 decides to set the detected drive current value as the initial value (ACT14, YES), it saves that drive current value as the initial value of the fan motor 354's drive current value in the NVM 54 (ACT15).

[0095] For example, the system CPU 51 stores the drive current value (AVE) of the fan motor 354 that it first detects after installing a new toner filter 353 as an initial value (INI) in the NVM 54. Alternatively, the system CPU 51 may also store the drive current value (AVE) obtained by executing the ACT11-13 process as a setup process to be performed immediately after replacing the toner filter 353 as an initial value (INI) in the NVM 54.

[0096] Furthermore, if the detected drive current value (AVE) is not the initial value (ACT14, NO), the system CPU 51 determines whether the current change amount based on the detected drive current value (AVE) and the initial value (INI) is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (MAX) (ACT16). The predetermined threshold (MAX) is a setting value used to determine whether the toner filter 353 has reached its permissible limit (toner full) based on the change in the drive current value (INI-AVE). For example, the predetermined threshold is set based on the difference between the drive current value for a new filter and the drive current value for a toner-full filter, as shown in Figure 10.

[0097] The system CPU 51 may also determine, as part of ACT 16's decision, whether the value obtained by dividing the difference between the initial drive current value and the detected drive current value (INI-AVE) by a predetermined threshold (MAX) ((INI-AVE) / (MAX)) exceeds "1". In this case, if (INI-AVE) / (MAX) > 1, the system CPU 51 determines that the toner filter 353 is within its acceptable limit.

[0098] The system CPU 51 determines that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 is not within the acceptable limit if the current change in the drive current value is less than a predetermined threshold (ACT16, NO). If the state of the toner filter 353 is not within the acceptable limit, the system CPU 51 terminates the toner filter 353 state detection process.

[0099] The system CPU 51 may also estimate the state of the toner filter 353 (for example, the amount of toner collected) from the drive current value (or change in current) of the fan motor 354 based on the correlation between the amount of toner collected and the drive current value, as shown in Figure 10. In this case, the system CPU 51 may store information indicating the state of the toner filter 353 estimated from the drive current value of the fan motor 354 as maintenance information for the image forming apparatus 100 in the NVM 54. The system CPU 51 may also transmit the information indicating the state of the toner filter 353 that has been maintained to the server device 300.

[0100] The system CPU 51 determines that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter 353 has reached its acceptable limit if the current change amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (ACT16, YES). If the system CPU 51 determines that the toner filter 353 has reached its acceptable limit, it determines whether the total number of prints (total number of print operations) is greater than or equal to a predetermined number that determines whether there is an abnormality in the amount of toner scattering (ACT17).

[0101] The image forming apparatus 100 determines that the amount of toner scattered from the developer 32 during printing is abnormal if it exceeds the normal range. In other words, the image forming apparatus 100 determines that the amount of toner scattered is abnormally high (abnormal toner scattering) if the toner filter 353 reaches its tolerance limit while the total number of prints is clearly low. Conversely, even if the toner filter 353 is judged to be at its tolerance limit, the image forming apparatus 100 will not determine that the amount of toner scattered is abnormal if the total number of prints is equivalent to that for regular maintenance.

[0102] The system CPU 51 of the image forming apparatus 100 determines whether the amount of toner scattered from the developer 32 during printing exceeds the normal range, based on a predetermined number used as a criterion for judgment in relation to the total number of prints. The criterion for judging whether the amount of toner scattered is abnormal can be any criterion used to determine whether the amount of toner scattered is within the normal range. For example, the predetermined number used as the criterion for judging whether the amount of toner scattered is abnormal does not have to be the total number of prints set as a condition for periodic maintenance. The predetermined number used as the criterion can be set to a value smaller than the total number of prints set as a condition for periodic maintenance.

[0103] If the system CPU 51 determines that the toner filter 353 has reached its tolerance limit and the total number of prints is less than a predetermined number (ACT17, YES), it stores information indicating the status of the toner filter 353 in memory such as the NVM 54 (ACT18). The information indicating the status of the toner filter 353 may be the change in the drive current value of the fan motor 354, or it may be flag information indicating the tolerance limit of the toner filter (toner full).

[0104] Furthermore, the system CPU 51 stores information indicating the status of the toner filter as part of the information indicating the status of the image forming apparatus 100 (maintenance information) in a predetermined storage area of ​​the NVM 54. The system CPU 51 transmits the maintenance information, including the information indicating the status of the toner filter 353 stored in the predetermined storage area of ​​the NVM 54, to the server device 300.

[0105] The system CPU 51 may send maintenance information, including information indicating the status of the toner filter 353, to the server device 300 at a predetermined transmission cycle (periodically). Alternatively, if the system CPU 51 has stored information indicating the status of the toner filter 353 in a predetermined storage area (i.e., if ACT 17 was YES), it may send maintenance information, including information indicating the status of the toner filter 353, to the server device 300.

[0106] The server device 300 acquires maintenance information from the image forming apparatus 100 via the communication interface 3003. The processor (second processor) 3001 of the server device 300 stores the maintenance information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 in a database located in memory 3002. The processor 3001 determines the need for maintenance from the maintenance information stored in the database. For example, when the total number of prints reaches the threshold for periodic maintenance, the processor 3001 sends a notification to the service technician terminal 400 prompting periodic maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0107] Furthermore, when the processor 3001 of the server device 300 receives maintenance information including information indicating the status of the filter, it sends a message to the service technician terminal 400 prompting maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the status of the filter. For example, when the processor 3001 receives information indicating an abnormality in the amount of toner collected, it sends a message to the service technician terminal 400 notifying it of the abnormality in the amount of toner collected. Alternatively, when the processor 3001 receives information indicating an abnormality in the amount of toner collected, it may send a message to the service technician terminal 400 prompting it to check for repair or replacement of parts that are causing a large amount of toner scattering (for example, the developing unit).

[0108] As described above, the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment can detect from the drive current value of the fan motor that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter is abnormally high. Furthermore, because the image forming apparatus can detect that the amount of toner collected is abnormally high, it can detect that there is an abnormal amount of toner scattering from the developer, and can prompt the replacement of the developer, which is suspected to be malfunctioning in some way.

[0109] Generally, in image forming apparatuses, leaving a toner filter that has reached its toner collection limit (toner full) unattended increases the likelihood of toner scattering inside the machine. In the embodiment, when the image forming apparatus detects that the toner filter is full before the normal maintenance period, it transmits the status of the toner filter to a server device. This allows the server device to notify a service technician of the status of the toner filter in the image forming apparatus. As a result, the image forming apparatus can prevent malfunctions caused by toner scattering inside the machine, and can reduce the time and cost of maintenance such as cleaning the machine and replacing parts.

[0110] (modified version) Next, we will describe examples of filters other than the toner filter 353 that can be applied as modified versions of the embodiment described above. The state detection process described above for detecting the state of the filter can be performed using the same procedure for filters other than the toner filter. In other words, the embodiment described above is not limited to detecting the state of the toner filter. The image forming apparatus 100 has a fan motor that supplies air (gas) taken in from outside the machine to a specific part inside the machine, or a fan motor that exhausts the gas in the specific part to the outside of the machine.

[0111] The following describes the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​as an example of a filter other than the toner filter included in the image forming apparatus 100. As described above, the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​is configured for treating the ozone generated in the charger 31. The ozone treatment unit 36 ​​broadly consists of a part that supplies air taken in from outside the machine to the charger 31 and a part that draws in air containing ozone from the charger 31.

[0112] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the part of the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​that supplies air taken in from outside the machine to the charger 31. Figure 13 shows the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​shown in Figure 12 with a cover attached. As shown in Figure 12, the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​has a filter 361, a fan motor 362, and a duct 363 as components for supplying outside air to the chargers 31. The filter 361 removes foreign matter such as dust contained in the air taken in from outside the machine. The fan motor 362 takes in outside air and generates an airflow to supply the taken-in air to the chargers 31 of each image forming station 25. The duct 363 forms an airflow path from the filter 361 to each charger 31. The duct 363 has an airflow path for air taken in from outside the machine via the filter 361 to the fan motor 362 and an airflow path for air supplied from the fan motor 362 to each charger 31.

[0113] The filter 361 is attached to a slit provided in the housing (body) of the image forming apparatus 100. The filter 361 removes foreign matter such as dust contained in the air taken into the machine from outside through the slit. The filter 361 may accumulate volume due to the accumulation of the removed foreign matter such as dust.

[0114] The fan motor 362 rotates the fan so that it draws in outside air through a slit equipped with a filter 361. The fan motor 362 is driven by a motor that rotates the fan using power supplied by the drive control circuit 75. Similar to the drive control circuit 74, the drive control circuit 75 supplies a drive voltage to the drive unit of the fan motor 362 so that the amount of air generated by the fan motor 362 becomes a predetermined amount. The drive control circuit 75 also has a current detector 751 that detects the current value (drive current value) flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 362.

[0115] As shown in Figure 13, an inner cover 364 is attached to the duct 363 inside the image forming apparatus 100. Air flows through the duct 363 by a fan motor 362, as indicated by the solid or dotted arrows in Figure 12. The duct 363 has outlets that supply air to the chargers 31 of each image forming station 25. As shown in Figure 13, the outlets of the duct 363 are connected to the chargers 31 of each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K). As a result, the air taken in by the fan motor 362 from outside the machine via the filter 361 is supplied through the duct 363 to the chargers 31 of each image forming station.

[0116] A filter (dust filter) 361, as shown in Figure 12, can be an example of a component that generates pressure loss, as pressure loss may occur due to deposits such as dust. When pressure loss occurs in the filter 361, the drive current value of the fan motor 362 is expected to fluctuate. It is thought that there is a correlation between the amount of deposits on the filter 361 and the drive current value of the fan motor 362, similar to the one illustrated in Figure 10. If such a correlation exists, the drive current value of the fan motor 362 will indicate the state of the filter 353, similar to the drive current value of the fan motor 354 for the filter 353. In other words, state detection processing based on the drive current value of the fan motor 362 can be performed for the filter 361 as well, in the same way as the process explained using Figure 11.

[0117] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the ozone treatment unit 36, specifically the part that draws in ozone-containing air from the charger 31 (ozone suction side). Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the ozone treatment unit 36 ​​shown in Figure 14, specifically the part that decomposes and exhausts the ozone contained in the air drawn in from the charger 31. Figures 14 and 15 are cross-sectional views of the inside of the image forming apparatus 100, seen from the rear. Figures 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views of the inside of the image forming apparatus 100, seen from the front (operation panel side). The ozone intake structure shown in Figures 14 and 15 is located on the back (rear) side of the air outlet structure shown in Figures 12 and 13.

[0118] The ozone treatment unit 36 ​​has a duct 365, a fan motor 366, and an ozone filter 367, which are configured to decompose and exhaust ozone contained in the air from the charger 31. Ozone is generated inside the charger 31 by corona discharge. The ozone generated in the charger 31 is released into the duct 365 along with the air supplied from the duct 364 mentioned above.

[0119] Duct 365 connects to the case of the charger 31 on the opposite side from duct 363, which is the air supply side to the charger 31.

[0120] Within the duct 365, air flows through the fan motor 366 as indicated by the solid or dotted arrows in Figures 14 and 15. As shown in Figure 14, the duct 365 has suction ports for drawing in ozone-containing air from the chargers 31 of each image forming station 25 (25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K). The duct 365 forms a flow path for the air drawn in from each charger 31. As shown in Figure 15, the air drawn in from each charger 31 flows through the duct 365 to the fan motor 366.

[0121] The fan motor 366 rotates the fan to send the ozone-containing air drawn in from each charger 31 to the ozone filter 367. The fan motor 366 is driven by a motor that rotates the fan, supplied by the drive control circuit 76. Similar to the drive control circuit 74, the drive control circuit 76 supplies a drive voltage to the drive unit of the fan motor 366 so that the airflow generated by the fan motor 366 is a predetermined amount. The drive control circuit 76 also has a current detector 761 that detects the current value (drive current value) flowing through the drive unit of the fan motor 366.

[0122] The filter (ozone filter) 367 decomposes ozone contained in the air. The ozone filter 367 is installed at the downstream end of the airflow path in the duct 365. The ozone filter 367 decomposes ozone contained in the air supplied by the fan motor 366 and releases (exhausts) the ozone-free air towards the machine.

[0123] The ozone filter 367, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, can also be considered an example of a pressure loss generating component if it is prone to pressure loss due to deposits or other factors. When pressure loss occurs due to the ozone filter 367, the drive current value of the fan motor 366 is expected to fluctuate. It is conceivable that there is a predetermined correlation between the state change of the filter 367 and the drive current value of the fan motor 362. If such a correlation exists, the drive current value of the fan motor 366 will change according to the state of the filter 357, similar to the drive current value of the fan motor 354 for the filter 353. As a result, state detection processing based on the drive current value of the fan motor 366 can be performed for the filter 357 as well, in the same way as the process explained using Figure 11.

[0124] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.

[0125] As described above, the following image forming apparatus and image forming system can be implemented according to the detailed embodiments. [1] A fan motor driven by electricity, A transport path through which the air flowing from the aforementioned fan motor moves, A pressure loss generating component that causes a pressure loss that changes the drive current value of the fan motor, A current detector for measuring the drive current value in the aforementioned fan motor, A processor that detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component when the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector before the predetermined maintenance period exceeds a predetermined threshold, An image forming apparatus having [2] Furthermore, it has a memory that stores the initial value of the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector, The processor detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component when the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor, as detected by the current detector, and the initial value exceeds a predetermined threshold. [1] The image forming apparatus described above. [3] The processor detects the drive current value of the fan motor using the current detector after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of image formation. [1] The image forming apparatus described above. [4] Furthermore, it has an image forming station that uses toner to form images, The pressure loss generating component is a toner filter that collects toner scattered from the image forming station. [1] The image forming apparatus described above. [5] The processor detects that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter is abnormally large if the change in the drive current value of the fan motor, detected by the current detector, exceeds a predetermined threshold before the number of image formation cycles reaches a predetermined number. [5] The image forming apparatus described above. [6] The predetermined threshold is set based on the correlation between the amount of toner collected by the toner filter and the drive current value of the fan motor. [4] The image forming apparatus described above. [7] The pressure loss generating component is a filter that collects foreign matter in the air taken into the image forming apparatus from outside by the fan motor. [1] The image forming apparatus described above. [8] The pressure loss generating component is a filter that decomposes specific substances contained in the air exhausted from inside the image forming apparatus to outside the image forming apparatus by the fan motor. [1] The image forming apparatus described above. [9] It has an external interface for communicating with the server device, When the processor detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component, it transmits information indicating the abnormality in the pressure loss generating component to the server device via the external interface. [1] The image forming apparatus described above.

[10] In an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a server apparatus, The image forming apparatus is An external interface that communicates with the aforementioned server device, A fan motor driven by electricity, A transport path through which the air flowing from the aforementioned fan motor moves, A pressure loss generating component that causes a pressure loss that changes the drive current value of the fan motor, A current detector for measuring the drive current value in the aforementioned fan motor, The system includes a first processor that transmits information indicating an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component to the server device if the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector before the predetermined maintenance period exceeds a predetermined threshold, The server device is A communication interface for communicating with the image forming apparatus and the service terminal, The system includes a second processor that, when it obtains information from the image forming apparatus via the communication interface indicating an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component, transmits a message to the service technician terminal prompting maintenance of the image forming apparatus. Image forming system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0126] 2…Printer, 4…Operation panel, 5…System control unit, 25(25Y, 25M, 25C, 25K)…Image forming station, 26…Explorer, 27…Transfer belt, 28…Transfer unit, 30(30y, 30m, 30c, 30k)…Photoconductor drum, 31(31y, 31m, 31c, 31k)…Charger, 32(32y, 32m, 32c, 32k)…Developer, 325…Recovery unit, 33(33y, 33m, 33c, 33k)…Transfer roller, 34(34y, 34m, 34c, 34k)…Cleaner, 35…Toner suction unit, 350…Duct (transport path), 353…Filter (toner filter), 354…Fan motor, 36…Ozone treatment unit, 361…Filter, 362…F Fan motor, 363... Duct (transport path), 365... Duct (transport path), 366... ​​Fan motor, 367... Filter (ozone filter), 51... System CPU (processor, first processor), 52, 62... RAM, 53, 63... ROM, 54, 64... Non-volatile memory (NVM), 55... HDD, 56... External interface (I / F), 61... Printer CPU, 65... Transport control unit, 70... Exposure control unit, 71... Image formation control unit, 72... Transfer control unit, 100... Image forming apparatus, 200... User terminal, 300... Server device, 3001... Processor (second processor), 3002... Memory, 3003... Communication interface (I / F), 400... Service technician terminal.

Claims

1. A fan motor driven by electricity, A transport path through which the air flowing from the aforementioned fan motor moves, A pressure loss generating component that causes a pressure loss that changes the drive current value of the fan motor, A current detector for measuring the drive current value in the aforementioned fan motor, A processor that detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component when the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector before the predetermined maintenance period exceeds a predetermined threshold, An image forming apparatus having

2. Furthermore, it has a memory that stores the initial value of the drive current value of the fan motor detected by the current detector, The processor detects an abnormality in the pressure loss generating component when the amount of change in the drive current value of the fan motor, as detected by the current detector, and the initial value exceeds a predetermined threshold. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The processor detects the drive current value of the fan motor using the current detector after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of image formation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

4. Furthermore, it has an image forming station that uses toner to form images, The pressure loss generating component is a toner filter that collects toner scattered from the image forming station. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The processor detects that the amount of toner collected by the toner filter is abnormally large if the change in the drive current value of the fan motor, detected by the current detector, exceeds a predetermined threshold before the number of image formation cycles reaches a predetermined number. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

Images