JP2503449B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus in which a belt-shaped photoconductor is arranged around a scroll drum, and the photoconductor can be used as a copying machine or a printing apparatus. The present invention relates to an apparatus configured so that it is possible to easily detect whether or not a photoconductor unit and a photoconductor are attached to the apparatus body.

(Prior Art) In an apparatus such as a copying machine which has been generally used conventionally, a means for forming an image on the surface of a photoreceptor drum or an endless belt-like photoreceptor is used. It is normal.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a photoconductor unit that operates similarly to a conventional photoconductor drum is used, and the photoconductor is wound around a scroll drum formed around the photoconductor unit. By transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductor to a sheet, it can be used as a copying machine, and the toner image formed on the photoconductor can be fixed as it is and used as a print master. The device is being used.

The electrostatic copying machine 1 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with an image reading device similar to that of a conventional copying machine, and is a device using a photoconductor unit 20 as shown in FIG. In the photoconductor unit 20 of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, a slit 22 is formed in a part of a substantially cylindrical scroll drum 21, a mask blade 23 is provided in the slit 22, and both sides of the mac blade 23 are provided. The photoconductor 25 is guided through the portion. Inside the scroll drum 21, a take-up shaft 28 and a take-up shaft 29 are provided, and the photoconductor wound around the take-up shaft 28.
25 around the scroll drum 21 around the take-up shaft 29
I'm trying to wind it up. Then, with the photoconductor unit 20 installed in the electrostatic copying machine, the scroll drum
21 is rotated, and the photoconductor 25 wound around it is operated in the same manner as a normal photoconductor drum.

In the electrostatic copying machine 1 shown in FIG. 2, the image reading device includes a light source 4, a mirror, etc. provided on the carriage 3, as in the case of a copying machine conventionally used.
The photoconductor unit 20 is irradiated with the reflected light of the light source 4 through a device such as an optical system 5, a lens 6, and a mirror 7. Further, it has been conventionally used around the photoconductor unit 20. As in the case of the copying machine, a charging device 10, an image area adjusting lamp 11, a uniform exposure / erasing lamp 12, a developing device 14, a transfer device 15 and the like are provided. In the electrostatic copying machine 1, the toner image formed on the photoconductor 25 of the photoconductor unit 20 is transferred to the photoconductor.
A flash fixing device 13 is provided so that an image can be formed on the surface of 25, and printing can be performed using the image fixed on the photoconductor 25.

Further, the paper feeding device 16 is provided with a paper tray capable of accommodating a large number of papers, and the paper supplied from the paper tray is transferred via the paper transport device 17 to the image transfer unit of the photoconductor unit 20. The sheet of paper to which the image has been transferred by the transfer device 15 is sent to the fixing device 19 via the conveyor belt device 18, fixed, discharged as a copy, and accumulated on the tray 9.

When used as a copying machine, the electrostatic copying machine having the above-described structure causes the photoconductor unit 20 to act in the same manner as a photoconductor drum so that the photoconductor unit 20 is hidden by the photoconductor 25 arranged on the surface of the scroll drum 21. Form an image. After that, toner is supplied from the developing device 14 to the latent image to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet to be used as a device similar to a conventionally used copying machine. You can

Further, when used as a printing device, the toner image formed on the photoconductor unit 20 by the photoconductor unit 20 is taken out of the machine to correct the toner image if necessary, and then the flash fixing device 13 is used. The image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 25 after being fixed by the above method can be used as a printing master. When performing printing using the printing master, the image fixed on the photoconductor 25 is charged by the charging device 10, the uniform exposure / elimination lamp 12 is turned on, and the portion other than the image of the master is eliminated. Toner is supplied from the developing device 14 to the image, and the operation of transferring the toner image obtained thereby to the paper is repeated. Then, after the series of printing steps is completed, the photosensitive member on the portion where the toner image is fixed
25 is wound around the winding shaft 29, and a new photosensitive member is exposed on the surface of the scroll drum 21 to prepare for the next step.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional photoconductor unit as described above, when the toner image formed on the photoconductor is corrected during the printing process, or when the photoconductor unit is replaced, etc. In addition, it is necessary to constantly perform operations such as removing the photoconductor unit from the electrostatic copying machine and reattaching it. And
If the photoconductor unit is forgotten to be mounted and the copier is operated when the photoconductor unit is replaced, the copying operation cannot be performed. However, since the copying machine performs a series of copying operations, the developer spills out, which causes a serious accident such as soiling the inside of the copying machine or jamming the paper. become.

Therefore, in a conventional device, a micro switch is provided at a position in contact with the scroll drum, and the switch is brought into contact with the scroll drum to output a detection signal. However, when using a switch that comes into contact with the scroll drum, in addition to the reliability problem of the switch itself, the cost problem, etc., there are many problems that need to be solved, such as a place for mounting the switch. In addition, in the case of the method using the microswitch as described above, even if it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the scroll drum, it is not possible to detect whether or not the photoconductor is mounted. Is.

Therefore, although it is considered to use the optical sensor to determine whether or not the photoconductor is attached, when the photoconductor or the sensor itself is contaminated, many problems such as erroneous detection may occur. There is. In addition, it is difficult to set the mounting position of the detection member in a device that requires a lot of operations to pull out or mount the photoconductor unit with respect to the main body of the copying machine, and extra care should be taken when designing it. However, depending on the mounting position or the like, another problem such as a large number of erroneous detections and the like occurs.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used apparatus. An encoder is provided on the shaft of a drive motor, and rotation information from the encoder is used to provide a photosensitive member. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of detecting whether or not a unit or a photoconductor is attached.

(Means and Actions for Solving Problems) According to the present invention, a photosensitive body unit in which a scroll drum and a belt-shaped photoreceptor are combined is arranged in the apparatus main body, and is provided in the scroll drum to hold the belt-shaped photoreceptor. A feeding shaft and a take-up shaft for driving, and a drive means for driving the scroll drum and the take-up shaft for the belt-shaped photoconductor are provided, and the belt-shaped photoconductor wound around the feeding shaft is provided around the outer circumference of the scroll drum. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that moves a winding shaft through a winding shaft in a winding direction and forms a toner image on the belt-shaped photoconductor arranged on the outer periphery by rotation of the scroll drum.

In the present invention, one driving means for respectively rotating the scroll drum and the winding shaft of the photoconductor in opposite directions, and the rotation state of the rotating shaft of the driving means by rotating the driving means in one direction. A detection unit and a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of the scroll drum and the belt-shaped photoconductor based on the detection result of the detection unit are provided.

By configuring as described above, in the device of the present invention, unlike the conventional device, without using the switch contacting the scroll drum or the font sensor for detecting the photoconductor, the drive shaft It is possible to detect the mounting state of the photoconductor unit and the photoconductor by detecting the rotational state of the photoconductor unit. Therefore, the structure of the detection device can be simplified, and it is not necessary to provide an extra device in the copying machine, and the constraint conditions in designing the copying machine can be reduced.

(Example) The structure of the apparatus of the present invention will be described according to the illustrated example. As shown in FIG. 1, the photoconductor unit 20 of the present invention includes a scroll drum 21 and the scroll drum 21.
The feeding shaft 28 and the winding shaft 29 housed in the 21 and the feeding roll 26 and the winding roll 27 of the photoconductor 25 wound around these shafts, and the photoconductor 25 fed from the feeding roll 26 are The winding roller 27 is wound around the scroll drum 21 so as to cover the scroll drum 21.

Further, the side plate 24 provided so as to cover one end of the scroll drum 21 is provided with an input shaft 30 so as to penetrate the center thereof, and the drive side of the shaft 30 has a joint member interposed therebetween. Is connected to a drive shaft 45, and a drive gear 31 is provided in a portion of the shaft 30 inside the scroll drum. The gear 31 meshes with the take-up shaft gear 32 of the take-up shaft 29, and when the photoconductor 25 is wound up, the gear 31 is driven counterclockwise with respect to the state shown in the drawing to move the photoconductor 25 in the arrow X direction. It has become. The delivery shaft 28 is provided with a ratchet wheel 33. The ratchet wheel 33 is adapted to be engaged with a locking arm of a ratchet mechanism (not shown). The ratchet wheel 33 is fixed so that it is not affected by the rotation of the scroll drum.

Then, when the winding shaft 29 is driven to wind up the photoconductor 25, the release member provided in the copying machine is operated to set the ratchet wheel 33 in a free state, and the feeding roll is fed.
Be able to extend the photoconductor from 26. After that, by returning the arm to the original state, the payout shaft 28 is locked again.

The drive shaft 45 of the present invention is provided with a gear 47 at its end, a sleeve 42 is provided coaxially with the shaft 45, and a one-way clutch 46 is provided between the sleeve 42 and the shaft 45. The sleeve 42 is provided in the housing 41 attached to the frame 40 via a one-way clutch 43. The one-way clutch 43 supports the sleeve 42 so that the sleeve 42 can rotate only in one direction. A disk 35 is provided at the other end of the disk 35, and a slit 34 provided in the disk 35 is engaged with a pin 34 protruding from the side plate 24 of the scroll drum 21. In addition, the drive shaft 45 described above
The gear 47 of the motor meshes with the gear of the motor 48 to drive the same, and an encoder 50 is provided on the shaft of the motor 48 so that the rotation state of the motor can be known by the encoder 50. Has been done.

In the device of the present invention having the above structure,
When rotating the photoconductor unit 20 in the copying direction indicated by the arrow Y, the drive shaft 45 is driven counterclockwise. In that case, the rotation of the drive shaft 45 is transmitted to the sleeve 42 via the one-way clutch 46, but since the one-way clutch 43 slips, the sleeve 42 is freely rotated. And
By the above operation, the disk 35 rotates, and the scroll drum 21 rotates via the pin 34. Further, in this case, since the feeding shaft 28 is in the state where the ratchet wheel 33 is locked, the feeding operation of the photoconductor 25 is not performed. Therefore, the photoconductor unit 20 is rotated as described above, and the operation in the copy mode of the copying machine is normally performed.

Further, when the operation of winding the photoconductor 25 is performed, the drive shaft 45 is driven so as to rotate in the clockwise direction. In that case, since the one-way clutch 46 slips with respect to the rotation of the drive shaft 45, the sleeve 42 is not rotated and the photoconductor 20 is also stationary. Therefore, the rotation of the drive shaft 45 is directly transmitted as the rotation of the input shaft 30, and is transmitted to the winding shaft 29 via the gear device in the scroll drum 21. When the drive shaft 45 is rotated as described above, the unlocked state of the payout shaft 28 is naturally released.
Rotation of the take-up shaft 29 causes the photoconductor 25 to be wound around the scroll drum 21 and wound up by the take-up roll 27, whereby a new photoconductor is arranged around the scroll drum. .

In the apparatus of the present invention, the motor 48 is driven in the photoconductor winding direction before the photoconductor unit 20 is mounted and the copying state is set, thereby detecting the mounting state of the photoconductor unit and the photoconductor. I am trying. That is,
When the drive shaft 45 is rotated in the clockwise direction, if the photoconductor is wound up without releasing the ratchet wheel of the payout shaft 28, if the photoconductor 25 is mounted, it will naturally wind. Since the take-up shaft 29 is not rotatable, the take-up shaft 29 is not wound and the motor 48 is not rotated. Along with the above operation, the sleeve 42 is also unable to rotate in that direction by the one-way clutch 43. Therefore, even if the scroll drum 21 that is locked is driven by the rotation of the input shaft, it is not driven.

Therefore, since the drive shaft 45 is not rotated, the motor 48
Is in a stopped state, and the stopped state of the motor can be detected by the encoder 50, whereby it is confirmed that the photoconductor unit 20 and the photoconductor 25 are mounted in a good state. On the other hand, when the motor is driven in a free state, it means that the photoconductor unit is not mounted, so that the information can be displayed on the information display section. Even if the scroll drum 21 is installed, the photoconductor 25
If is not attached, the drive shaft 45 is driven, whereby the winding shaft 29 rotates freely. In that case, since no resistance acts on the rotation of the shaft, the motor is rotated at a higher speed than in the case of winding the ordinary photosensitive member. Therefore, in that case, when the rotation information of the encoder 50 is input to the control device of the copying machine, the control device detects that the rotation information is faster than in the normal case. It can be displayed.

The control operation of the present invention described above can be automatically performed by a program installed in the control device of the copying machine, and the state is detected before the copying operation of the copying machine. Becomes

(Effect of the Invention) Since the apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, when the photoconductor unit is mounted on the copying machine, the drive motor thereof is rotated in the direction in which the photoconductor is wound. Only by performing the operation, it is possible to accurately detect the mounting state of the photoconductor unit and the photoconductor. When performing the detection operation, the motor does not rotate when the photoconductor is normally mounted, and thus the signal obtained from the encoder is the signal indicating the stopped state of the motor. In addition, when the photoconductor unit is not attached, the motor rotates at high speed, and therefore the operation of detecting the non-attachment state of the photoconductor can be performed based on the information on the rotation speed of the motor. Become.

Further, since the encoder of the present invention can mount the encoder directly on the shaft of the drive motor, it is not necessary to provide an extra device such as a switch inside the copying machine. Therefore, the structure of the copying machine can be simplified, no extra member is required, no special caution is required from the operator when mounting the photoconductor unit, and the operation and maintenance are easy. It becomes possible to do things.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a photoconductor unit of the present invention and a driving device therefor, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a copying machine to which the photoconductor unit of the present invention is applicable, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a photoconductor unit. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: electrostatic copying machine, 20: photoconductor unit, 21: scroll drum, 24: side plate, 25: photoconductor, 26: delivery roll, 27: take-up roll, 28 ...... Feeding shaft, 29 …… Winding shaft, 30 …… Input shaft, 31 …… Drive gear, 32 …… Winding shaft gear, 33 …… Ratchet wheel, 34 …… Pin, 35 …… Disc, 36 …… Slit, 40 ……
Frame, 41 …… Housing, 42 …… Sleeve, 43 ……
One-way clutch, 45 …… Drive shaft, 46 …… One-way clutch, 47 …… Gear, 48 …… Motor, 50 …… Encoder.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A photosensitive body unit in which a scroll drum and a belt-shaped photoreceptor are combined in the main body of the apparatus, is provided in the scroll drum, and a feeding shaft and a take-up shaft for holding and driving the belt-shaped photoreceptor are provided. A drive means for driving the scroll drum and the winding shaft of the belt-shaped photoconductor is provided, and the belt-shaped photoconductor wound on the payout shaft is wound in a winding direction on the winding shaft via the outer periphery of the scroll drum. In an image forming apparatus that moves and rotates a scroll drum to form a toner image on the belt-shaped photoconductor disposed on the outer periphery, the scroll drum and the photoconductor take-up shaft are respectively rotated in opposite directions. One driving means, and means for detecting a rotation state of a rotation shaft of the driving means by rotating the driving means in one direction Wherein the detection result of the detecting means, the image forming apparatus characterized by comprising determination means for determining whether said belt photoreceptor and the scroll drum.