JP5293142B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that determines the type of appropriate stabilization even in the case that when stabilization is carried out, a job that is carried out after the stabilization is unknown. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 10 for forming a color image and a monochrome image includes: monochrome image and color image formation frequency storage sections 110 and 108 that respectively store the number of times of respectively forming the monochrome image and the color image; a stabilization determining section 92 that determines whether to perform image stabilization based on the number of times of forming the monochrome image; a stabilization type determining section 94 that, when the stabilization determining section 92 determines that the image stabilization is carried out, determines monochrome stabilization or color stabilization based on the number of times of forming the color image; and a monochrome stabilization control section 104 and a color stabilization control section 102 that carry out the monochrome stabilization and the color stabilization respectively according to the determination made by the stabilization type determining section 94. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image and a monochrome image, and a control method thereof.

  An image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image and a monochrome image performs image stabilization in order to maintain the image quality of the formed image at a certain level. Image stabilization includes IDC (Image Density Control) sensor adjustment, maximum adhesion amount adjustment, LD light amount adjustment, γ adjustment, and the like.

  Image stabilization performed by an image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image includes color stabilization and monochrome stabilization. In color stabilization, toners of all colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black that are generally provided in an image apparatus that can form a color image are used, and color misregistration correction control is also performed. On the other hand, in monochrome stabilization, only black toner is used, and color misregistration correction control is not performed.

  As described above, image stabilization includes two different types of stabilization, and the image forming apparatus needs to appropriately control the timing of performing each stabilization. In order to control the timing of the stabilization, typically, the image forming apparatus holds a color threshold for performing color stabilization and a monochrome threshold for performing monochrome stabilization, thereby forming a color image. Color stabilization is performed when the number of times reaches the color threshold, and monochrome stabilization is performed when the number of times of monochrome image formation reaches the monochrome threshold.

  However, in this control method, color stabilization may be performed immediately after performing monochrome stabilization. For example, it is a case where the number of color image formation reaches the color threshold only after forming a color image several times after performing monochrome stabilization.

  Since image formation cannot be performed during image stabilization, the user waits for a longer time until the image formation is completed. Further, toner is consumed in image stabilization. Therefore, performing the color stabilization immediately after the monochrome stabilization increases the waiting time of the user and decreases convenience, and the black toner is also wasted. In view of this, an image forming apparatus for preventing color stabilization from being performed immediately after monochrome stabilization has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

When the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is in a mode for forming a monochrome image (monochrome mode), the next mode for forming a color image (color mode) is performed when it is time to perform stabilization. By comparing the number M of image formations in the monochrome mode until this time and the threshold value N for image stabilization, it is determined whether to perform color stabilization or monochrome stabilization. For example, when M ≦ N, it is determined to perform color image stabilization.
JP 2001-92196 A

  In the conventional technology, in order to determine the type of stabilization to be performed, the number M of image formations in the monochrome mode until the next color mode is performed is used. For this reason, job information to be executed later is required. However, there is a case where there is no job information to be executed later because all jobs have been completed when the time of image stabilization has come. In such a case, there is no disclosure about a technique for determining an appropriate type of stabilization to be performed next.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of determining an appropriate stabilization type even when a job to be executed afterwards is unknown when performing stabilization. Objective.

An image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image and a monochrome image,
A monochrome image formation number storage means for storing a monochrome image formation number that is the number of times the monochrome image has been formed;
Color image formation number storage means for storing a color image formation number that is the number of times the color image has been formed;
Stabilization execution determination means for determining whether to perform the image stabilization based on the number of times of monochrome image formation;
A stabilization type determining means for determining whether to perform monochrome stabilization or color stabilization based on the number of times of color image formation when it is determined by the stabilization execution determining means to perform image stabilization; ,
Monochrome stabilization control means for performing monochrome stabilization when it is determined by the stabilization type determination means to perform monochrome stabilization;
Color stabilization control means for performing color stabilization when it is determined by the stabilization type determination means to perform color stabilization ;
Color threshold storage means for storing a color threshold represented by a predetermined number of color image formations as a condition for performing color stabilization;
Even if the number of color image formations is less than the above-mentioned color threshold, as a condition for carrying out color stabilization ahead of schedule, the number of advancements represented by the predetermined number of color image formations or color stabilization ahead of schedule. Forward execution condition storage means for storing the advance execution conditions including the number of color image formations to be performed,
The stabilization type determination means calculates the advance threshold by subtracting the advance count from the color threshold, or acquires the advance threshold by referring to the advance execution condition, and the color image formation count is calculated or If it is greater than or equal to the acquired advance threshold, it is decided to perform color stabilization,
Job storage means for storing job information for managing jobs;
It is determined whether or not an unprocessed job is stored in the job storage unit. If it is determined that an unprocessed job is stored, the unprocessed job is further processed as a monochrome image forming process or a color image forming process. Job judging means for judging whether processing is provided,
The stabilization type determination unit acquires a determination result by the job determination unit when the number of color image formations is equal to or greater than the advance threshold, and acquires a determination result that the unprocessed job is monochrome image formation. When it is determined that monochrome stabilization is to be performed, and the determination result that the unprocessed job is color image formation is acquired, it is determined that color stabilization is to be performed.

  According to the present invention, when it is determined whether or not to perform image stabilization using the number of times of monochrome image formation, when it is determined to perform image stabilization, the number of color image formation is further used. Whether to perform color stabilization or monochrome stabilization is determined. Since the necessity of color stabilization is roughly proportional to the number of times a color image has been formed, the time for color stabilization should be determined by using the history of color image formation, which is the number of times a color image has been formed. Judgment can be made. Therefore, even when the time when a color image is formed later is unknown, it is possible to determine whether appropriate stabilization is color stabilization or monochrome stabilization.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called multifunction machine having a copy function, a facsimile transmission / reception function, a scanner function, and the like.

  The scanner unit 12 is an optical image reading apparatus, for example, and outputs the read image as monochrome pixel information or RGB color pixel information.

  The plurality of photosensitive drums 14 (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) are drums on which toner images of different colors are formed on the surface, respectively, and an image of a yellow Y component is formed according to the color of the toner image. The photosensitive drum 14Y, the photosensitive drum 14M on which a magenta M component image is formed, the photosensitive drum 14C on which a cyan C component image is formed, and the photosensitive drum 14K on which a black K component image is formed. Includes four photosensitive drums. Hereinafter, in each part provided according to the color component, when it is not necessary to distinguish the color component, the letter YMCK indicating the color component included in the reference sign is omitted.

  Around each photosensitive drum 14, a cleaner 16, a charging charger 18, and a developing device 22 are sequentially provided along the rotation direction (indicated by an arrow described in the photosensitive drum in FIG. 1).

  The cleaner 16 removes residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 14. The charging charger 18 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 that has been neutralized by an eraser lamp (not shown). Next, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the uniformly charged surface of the photosensitive drum 14 by the light emitted from the exposure scanning unit 20. The exposure operation unit 20 includes a combination of a light source such as LD (Laser Diode) and LED (Light-Emitting Diode) and a polygon mirror, a lens, a mirror, etc., and separates light emitted from the light source into each color component. The image is decomposed according to the image and scanned on the surface of each photoconductive drum 14 to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color component on the surface of each photoconductive drum 14. The developing device 22 develops the electrostatic latent image by supplying toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 14.

  Each of the developing devices 22 includes a toner sensor (30, see FIG. 2) that can detect the remaining amount of toner. This not only informs the user of the toner replacement time, but also makes it possible to appropriately control the image stabilization time as will be described later. Hereinafter, the remaining amounts of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C used in color image formation are referred to as color toner remaining amounts.

  The intermediate transfer belt 24 is stretched and held by a driving roller 32 and an auxiliary roller 34, and is driven by the driving roller 32 to circulate. After the toner is removed by the cleaner unit 36, the intermediate transfer belt 24 is sandwiched between each of the photosensitive drums 14 and a plurality of transfer rollers 38 provided in association therewith. The toner images formed on the surfaces of the toner images are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24 (primary transfer). In the case of color image formation, the toner image formed on the surface of each photoconductor drum 14 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24 in an overlapping manner, whereby a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 24.

  The printer unit 26 includes a plurality of rollers 40. The plurality of rollers 40 form a paper feed path 48 from a paper feed unit 44 on which paper 42 as a recording medium is stacked to a paper discharge unit 46 from which the paper 42 on which the toner image is fixed is discharged. The paper feed path 48 includes a nip portion 44 that sandwiches the paper 42 by the drive roller 32 and the secondary transfer roller 42 in the middle. In the nip portion 44, the toner image carried by the intermediate transfer belt 24 is transferred (secondary transfer) to the paper 42.

  An IDC (Image Density Control) sensor 27 detects the density of toner carried on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 24, and thereby adjusts the toner density carried on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 24. The IDC sensor 27 includes a light source that irradiates the intermediate transfer belt 24 and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light from the intermediate transfer belt 24.

  The light source of the IDC sensor 27 is, for example, an LD, an LED, or the like. The light receiving unit of the IDC sensor 27 is, for example, a photodiode, a charge coupled device imager (CCD) image sensor, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, or the like. .

  The control unit 28 is a part that controls the entire image forming apparatus 10 and is realized by a circuit board or the like. The control unit 28 according to the present invention performs characteristic control for image stabilization.

  Here, image stabilization is a process for maintaining the quality of an image formed on a recording medium at a constant level. In general, when image formation is repeated, the density and position of an image formed on the final recording medium may slightly change. Since such a change lowers the quality of an image to be formed, the image forming apparatus performs a series of processes called image stabilization in order to perform adjustment according to the change. Image stabilization includes two types of image stabilization: monochrome stabilization that performs adjustment for monochrome image formation, and color stabilization that performs adjustment for color image formation.

  Monochrome stabilization includes, for example, adjustment of the IDC sensor 27, adjustment of the maximum toner adhesion amount of the intermediate transfer belt 24, adjustment of the LD light amount of the exposure operation unit 20, and γ adjustment. Color stabilization includes a resist and the like in addition to the processing for monochrome stabilization. As described above, a series of processes performed in color stabilization includes a series of processes performed in monochrome stabilization.

  Such image stabilization is a process of recognizing and adjusting the density and position of an image by transferring a predetermined pattern to the intermediate transfer belt 24 and detecting the pattern with an IDC sensor or the like. Since the image stabilization of the present invention has the same processing contents as the conventional one, its detailed description is omitted. In image stabilization, toner is consumed for development and primary transfer. Further, it takes a certain amount of time, and during that time, processing such as image formation cannot be performed. In particular, color stabilization consumes all color toners and performs more processing than monochrome stabilization. Therefore, color stabilization consumes more toner and takes longer time than monochrome stabilization.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit 28 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 28 includes a main controller 50, an image forming engine 52, and an image forming memory 54. The main controller 50 and the image forming engine 52 are connected to be communicable with each other via an internal communication bus 55 or the like, and the image forming engine 52 is connected to an image forming memory 54 so as to be accessible.

  The main controller 50 receives an input from the operation panel 56, communicates with a personal computer terminal 62 and the like via a LAN I / F (Inter Face) 60 connected to a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) 58, and the public The processing unit communicates with another facsimile apparatus 68 via a FAX I / F 66 connected to the exchange telephone network 64 and the like, and performs main control of the image forming apparatus 10 in order to execute various jobs.

  The main controller 50 includes a start / end unit 70, a main memory control unit 72, an HDD control unit 74, a timer unit 76, a scanner control unit 78, a FAX control unit 80, a printer control unit 82, and a job management. The unit 84 can communicate with each other.

  The activation / termination unit 70 performs a predetermined activation process when the power of the image forming apparatus 10 is turned on by the user, and performs a predetermined termination process when an end instruction is input to the operation panel 56 by the user. .

  The main memory control unit 72 and the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) control unit 74 are respectively a main memory 85 which is a readable / writable internal memory and an external readable / writable external device according to information transmitted / received to / from other processing units. Information is stored in the HDD 86, which is a large-capacity storage medium, and the stored information is read out.

The timer unit 76 holds the current time.
The scanner control unit 78 reads the image by controlling the scanner unit 12 in accordance with a user instruction input to the operation panel 56. The scanner control unit 78 stores the read image information in the main memory 85 or the HDD 86 as appropriate. At this time, when the read image is a color image, the scanner control unit 78 converts RGB image information into YMCK image information.

  The FAX control unit 80 performs control for transmitting and receiving image information via the FAX I / F 66 and stores the received image information in the main memory 85 or the HDD 86 as appropriate. The image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment transmits and receives only a monochrome image in a facsimile, and the FAX control unit 80 executes a job that uses only a specific color component toner (K toner).

  The printer control unit 82 performs control for forming image information received from the terminal 62 on the paper 42 via the LAN I / F 60 and stores the acquired image information in the main memory 85 or the HDD 86 as appropriate. At this time, if the acquired image information is image information relating to a color image, the printer control unit 82 converts the acquired image information into YMCK-based image information as appropriate.

  The job management unit 84 generates job information for managing jobs such as facsimile transmission and reception, scanner, copying, and printing. The job management unit 84 reads / writes the generated job information to / from the main memory 85 as job storage means via the main memory control unit 72, thereby managing the job.

  The job management unit 84 specifies a job when the scanner control unit 78 reads an image, a job when the FAX control unit 80 receives image information, and a job when the printer control unit 82 receives image information. Job information including job specification information that can be performed and job content information indicating the content of the job associated with the job specification information is generated, the job information generated as an unprocessed job is stored in the main memory 85, and the job is When completed, the job information related to the job is deleted from the main memory 85. The job content information includes, for example, information indicating that the job is FAX reception, color image formation, monochrome image formation, and the like.

  Further, when the job management unit 84 determines whether or not an unprocessed job is stored in the main memory 85, and determines that an unprocessed job is stored in the main memory 85, the job management unit 84 further determines the unprocessed job. A job determination unit for determining whether the job is a monochrome image formation process or a color image formation process.

  The image forming engine 52 communicates with the main controller 50 via the internal bus 55 to perform processing relating to image formation and image stabilization. The image formation engine 52 includes a color image formation control unit 87, a monochrome image formation control unit 88, an image formation memory control unit 90, a stabilization execution determination unit 92, a stabilization type determination unit 94, and a forward execution condition determination. Unit 96, stabilization type notification unit 98, stabilization start instruction acquisition unit 100, color stabilization control unit 102, monochrome stabilization control unit 104, and remaining toner amount acquisition unit 106 can communicate with each other. Have.

  When the monochrome image formation control unit 88 and the color image formation control unit 87 form a monochrome image and a color image, respectively, they perform control for forming the images.

  The image forming memory control unit 90 stores information related to image formation and image stabilization in the image forming memory 54, which is a readable / writable memory connected to the image forming engine 52, and reads the stored information. Each processing unit included in the image forming engine 52 can access the image forming memory 54 via the image forming memory control unit 90.

  Here, the storage unit included in the image forming memory 54 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming memory 54 includes a color image formation number (CIF) storage unit 108, a monochrome image formation number (BWIF) storage unit 110, a color threshold (CT) storage unit 112, and a monochrome threshold ( BWT) storage unit 114, implementation time (ET) storage unit 116, and advance execution condition storage unit 118.

  The color image formation frequency (CIF) storage unit 108 and the monochrome image formation frequency (BWIF) storage unit 110 store the color image formation frequency (CIF) and the monochrome image formation frequency (BWIF), respectively. The number of color image formations (CIF) is the number of times a color image has been formed since the last color stabilization. The monochrome image formation count (BWIF) is the number of times a monochrome image has been formed since the last monochrome stabilization.

  The color threshold value (CT) storage unit 112 stores a color threshold value (CT) that is a threshold value for the number of color image formations when color stabilization is performed. The color threshold (CT) is set in advance using the operation panel 56 or at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus 10, for example.

  The monochrome threshold (BWT) storage unit 114 stores a monochrome threshold (BWT) that is a threshold of the number of times of monochrome image formation when image stabilization is performed. The monochrome threshold value (BWT) is set in advance using the operation panel 56 or at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus 10, for example.

  The execution time (ET) storage unit 116 stores information indicating the time when the color stabilization was last performed.

  The advance execution condition storage unit 118 stores an advance execution condition 120 including a condition for determining whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of the time when it should originally be executed. Details of the forward execution condition 120 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a forward execution condition 120 according to an embodiment. The forward execution condition 120 of the present embodiment includes a forward advance count 120a, a usage tendency 120b, and a remaining toner threshold 120c.

  If the number of color image formations at the time of image stabilization does not reach the color threshold value, the advance count 120a can be advanced to the color stabilization if the difference between the color threshold value and the number of color image formations is within a certain number of times. Indicates whether to implement.

  In the present embodiment, the advance count 120a includes a plurality of values associated with each of a plurality of elapsed times. In the case of the number of forwards 120a shown in FIG. 3, for example, when the elapsed time T is longer than 0 minutes and 60 minutes or less, the number of forwards 120a is “5”.

  The usage trend 120b indicates which of color image formation and monochrome image formation is mainly used. The usage tendency 120b shown in FIG. 3 is “monochrome”, and shows an example in which monochrome image formation is mainly used. Specifically, the usage trend 120b may be set by the user, or may be automatically set based on the history information actually used, or may be automatically set. It may be the type of image.

  The toner remaining amount threshold 120c indicates the remaining amount of toner (color toner remaining amount) that the developing devices 22Y, 22M, and 22C for each color component should have in order to perform color stabilization. The remaining toner threshold 120c shown in FIG. 3 is 40 g (grams).

  From here, the description returns to the image forming engine 52.

  The stabilization execution determination unit 92 determines whether it is time to perform image stabilization based on the number of monochrome image formations (BWIF) stored in the monochrome image formation number (BWIF) storage unit 110.

  When it is determined that it is time to perform image stabilization, the stabilization type determination unit 94 determines whether to perform monochrome stabilization or color stabilization.

The advance execution condition determination unit 96 determines the advance number X to be applied to the determination of the stabilization type among the advance numbers 120 a included in the advance execution condition 120.
The stabilization type notifying unit 98 notifies the main controller 50 of the determined stabilization type.

  The stabilization start instruction acquisition unit 100 acquires an instruction to start image stabilization from the main controller 50. This instruction includes information indicating whether to perform color image stabilization or monochrome image stabilization.

  The monochrome stabilization control unit 104 and the color stabilization control unit 102 perform control for performing monochrome stabilization and color stabilization, respectively. Information indicating the image pattern used for image stabilization and processing program information are stored in, for example, the main memory 85, and the monochrome stabilization control unit 104 and the color stabilization via the main memory control unit 72 and the internal bus 55. Acquired by the control unit 102 and appropriately executed. Note that these pieces of information may be stored in the image forming memory 54.

  The toner remaining amount acquisition unit 106 acquires toner remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of toner from the toner sensor 30 provided in each developing device 22.

  By providing the above configuration, when performing stabilization, even when it is unknown when a color image is subsequently formed, appropriate stabilization can be performed by either color stabilization or monochrome stabilization. It becomes possible to determine if there is. A more specific control method will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  4 and 5 are flowcharts of processing executed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

  When the image forming apparatus 10 is turned on, the activation / termination processing unit 70 executes predetermined activation processing such as memory initialization, operation confirmation of each part, warm-up, and the like (S1). The start / end processing unit 70 determines whether or not the user inputs an end instruction to the operation panel 56 (S2). If it is determined that an end instruction has been input (Yes in S2), the start / end processing unit 70 ends the processing of the image forming apparatus 10.

  When it is determined that the end instruction has not been input (Yes in S <b> 2), the job management unit 84 refers to the main memory 85 via the main memory control unit 72 and stores unprocessed job information in the main memory 85. It is determined whether or not it is performed (S3). When it is determined that an unprocessed job is not stored (No in S3), the start / end processing unit 70 continues the end determination process (S2). Accordingly, the job management unit 84 continues to accept jobs until an end instruction is input to the image forming apparatus 10.

  When it is determined that an unprocessed job is stored (Yes in S3), the job management unit 84 further determines whether the unprocessed job to be executed next is a job related to FAX reception. (S4). In the present embodiment, the job related to FAX reception is a job related to the formation of a monochrome image, not the formation of a color image, as described above.

  If it is determined that the unprocessed job to be executed next is not a job related to FAX reception (No in S4), it is determined whether the job is a job related to color image formation or a job related to monochrome image formation. Judgment is made (S5).

  When it is determined that the unprocessed job to be executed next is a job related to color image formation (color in S5), the color image formation control unit 87 performs a series of controls for forming a color image, As a result, a color image is formed on the paper 42 (S6).

  The image forming memory control unit 90 increments the color image formation number (CIF) stored in the color image formation number (CIF) storage unit 108 by 1 (S7).

  If it is determined that the unprocessed job to be executed next is a job related to FAX reception or monochrome image formation (Yes in S4 or monochrome in S5), the monochrome image formation control unit 88 forms a monochrome image. Thus, a series of control is performed, and thereby a monochrome image is formed on the paper 42 (S8).

  The image forming memory control unit 90 stores again information obtained by incrementing the monochrome image forming number (BWIF) stored in the image forming memory 54 by 1 in the image forming memory 54 (S9). As described above, by executing the processes from the job presence / absence determination process (S3) to the color image formation number (CIF) increment process (S7) or the monochrome image formation number (BWIF) increment process (S9), each job is executed. An image corresponding to the above is formed on the paper 42.

  After the color image formation frequency (CIF) increment process (S7) or the monochrome image formation frequency (BWIF) increment process (S9), the toner remaining amount acquisition unit 106 includes the toner sensor 30 to the toner sensor 30. The remaining toner amount information of the developing device 22 is acquired, and the remaining toner amount information acquired via the image forming memory control unit 90 is stored in the remaining toner amount (RA) storage unit (S10).

  The stabilization execution determination unit 92 acquires job information relating to the next job to be executed from the job management unit 84, and determines whether or not the next job to be executed is a job related to FAX reception (S11). .

  When it is determined that the job to be executed next is not a job related to FAX reception (No in S11), the stabilization execution determination unit 92 passes the image formation memory control unit 90 to perform the number of color image formations (CIF). The color threshold value (CT) is acquired (S12), and it is determined whether or not the number of color image formations (CIF) is equal to or greater than the color threshold value (CT) (S13). Accordingly, it is determined whether or not it is time to perform color image stabilization.

  When it is determined that the number of color image formations (CIF) is not equal to or greater than the color threshold (CT) (No in S13), the stabilization execution determination unit 92 performs the number of monochrome image formations (BWIF) via the image formation memory control unit 90. Then, the monochrome threshold (BWT) is acquired (S14), and it is determined whether or not the monochrome image formation count (BWIF) is equal to or greater than the monochrome threshold (BWT) (S15).

  When it is determined that the number of monochrome image formations (BWIF) is equal to or greater than the monochrome threshold (BWT) (Yes in S15), the stabilization type determination unit 94 acquires information including the number of color image formations (CIF) (S16). ), Based on the acquired number of color image formations (CIF), a stabilization type indicating which of color stabilization and monochrome stabilization is appropriate is determined (S17).

  As described above, in order for the monochrome image formation frequency (BWIF) to be equal to or greater than the monochrome threshold (BWT), at least one of color stabilization and monochrome stabilization is performed. It is determined based on the number of times (CIF). The stabilization type determination process (S17) is based on the determination that the number of color image formations (CIF) is not equal to or greater than the color threshold (CT) (No in S13), and is not the time when color stabilization should be originally performed. If executed. Therefore, in the stabilization type determination process (S17), whether to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule or whether to perform monochrome stabilization depends on the use of the image forming apparatus 10 called the number of color image formation (CIF). Since it is determined based on the history, it is determined whether the appropriate stabilization to be performed is the color stabilization or the monochrome stabilization even when the time when the color image is formed later is unknown. It becomes possible. Details of this determination method will be described later with reference to the drawings.

  When the main controller 50 acquires the stabilization type determined by the stabilization type determination unit 94 from the stabilization type notification unit 98, the main controller 50 prepares for performing the stabilization (S18). The preparation for performing the stabilization includes, for example, causing the job management unit 84 to interrupt a job for performing color stabilization or monochrome stabilization, and prohibiting image formation while performing image stabilization. .

  The stabilization start instruction acquisition unit 100 acquires from the main controller 50 a stabilization start instruction informing that the preparation for performing the stabilization is completed, and refers to the stabilization type included in the acquired stabilization start instruction. Thus, the type of stabilization to be executed is determined (S19).

  When it is determined that the stabilization type is monochrome stabilization (monochrome stabilization in S19), the monochrome stabilization control unit 104 performs control for implementing monochrome stabilization (S20).

  The monochrome stabilization unit control 104 initializes the monochrome image formation number (BWIF) stored in the monochrome image formation number (BWIF) storage unit 110 via the image formation memory control unit 90 (S21). Here, in the initialization of the monochrome image formation count (BWIF), the monochrome image formation count (BWIF) is set to zero. Thus, the number of times of monochrome image formation (BWIF) stores the number of times of monochrome image formation after the last monochrome image formation.

  When it is determined that the stabilization type is color stabilization (color stabilization in S19), the color stabilization control unit 102 performs control for implementing color stabilization (S22).

  The color stabilization control unit 102 acquires the current time from the time measuring unit 76, and stores the acquired current time in the execution time (ET) storage unit 116 as the execution time (ET) when the color stabilization is performed. 90 is stored (S23).

  The color stabilization control unit 102 initializes the color image formation number (CIF) and the monochrome image formation number (BWIF) stored in the color image formation number (CIF) storage unit 108 via the image formation memory control unit 90. (S24). Here, in the initialization of the color image formation frequency (CIF), the color image formation frequency (CIF) is set to zero. As a result, the number of color image formations (CIF) stores the number of times color image formation was performed after the last color image formation.

  After initialization of monochrome image formation times (BWIF) or color image formation times (CIF) (S22 or S24) or when it is determined that the next job to be executed is a job related to FAX reception (Yes in S11), or when it is determined that the number of monochrome image formation (BWIF) is not equal to or greater than the monochrome threshold (BWT) (No in S15), the process returns to the end determination process (S2), and the start / end processing unit 70 The end determination process (S2) is continued.

  If the job to be executed next is a job related to FAX reception, image stabilization is not performed. This is because in the case of image formation of a job related to FAX reception, formation of a high-quality image is rarely required, and rather quick processing is often desired. As described above, by predetermining that image stabilization is not performed according to a job, it is possible to quickly form an image according to a user's request.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the stabilization type determination process.

  The stabilization type determination unit 94 acquires the implementation time (ET) stored in the implementation time (ET) storage unit 116 via the image forming memory control unit 90 and also obtains the current time (PT) from the time measuring unit 76. Obtain (S30).

  The stabilization type determination unit 94 calculates an elapsed time as a difference between the acquired execution time (ET) and the current time (PT) (S31).

  The stabilization type determination unit 94 refers to the advance execution condition stored in the advance execution condition storage unit 118 via the image forming memory control unit 90, and associates it with the elapsed time calculated in the elapsed time calculation process (S31). By specifying the number X of forward advance, the number X of advance of color stabilization is determined (S32).

  The stabilization type determination unit 94 obtains the advance threshold (CT-X) obtained by subtracting the advance count X determined in the determination process (S32) from the color threshold (CT) acquired in the CIF and CT acquisition process (S16). Then, it is determined whether or not the number of times of color image formation (CIF) is below (S33). As described above, according to the present embodiment, when determining whether to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule, a different advance threshold is used depending on the elapsed time. Therefore, it is possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule, rather than using only the number of color image formations (CIF).

  When it is determined that CT−CIF ≦ X (Yes in S33), the stabilization type determination unit 94 passes through the toner remaining amount acquisition unit 106 to develop the yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C developing devices 22Y, 22M, The color toner remaining amount (RA) of 22C is acquired (S34). The stabilization type determination unit 94 determines whether any one of the acquired color toner remaining amount (RA) is less than a predetermined amount, for example, 40 g (grams) (S35).

  In this way, whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule uses whether any one of the remaining amount of color toner (RA) is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation where the color image cannot be formed due to the lack of toner as a result of performing image stabilization even though the color toner remaining amount (RA) is small. Therefore, it is possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule.

  When it is determined that the remaining amount of color toner is not less than 40 g (or more) (No in S35), the stabilization type determination unit 94 makes an inquiry to the job management unit 84 to find a job to be processed next. Whether or not (S36).

  When it is determined that there is no job to be processed next (No in S36), the stabilization type determination unit 94 refers to the advance execution condition stored in the advance execution condition storage unit 118, and determines the usage tendency ( S37). Thus, the usage tendency is used to determine whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule. Thus, for example, when color image formation is hardly performed, color stabilization is not performed ahead of schedule, and it is possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not color stabilization is performed ahead of schedule.

  When the usage tendency is color stabilization (color in S37), the stabilization type determination unit 94 determines image stabilization to be performed as color stabilization (S38), and ends the stabilization type determination process. If the usage trend is monochrome stabilization (monochrome in S37), the stabilization type determination unit 94 determines the image stabilization to be performed as monochrome stabilization (S39), and ends the stabilization type determination process.

  If it is determined that there is a job to be processed next (No in S36), the stabilization type determination unit 94 acquires job information via the job management unit 84, and the job to be processed next is the color image formation. It is determined whether there is a monochrome image formation (S40). As described above, when there is a job to be executed later, it is determined whether or not the color stabilization is to be executed in advance, so that it is possible to more reliably determine the necessity to execute the advancement. Therefore, it is possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule.

  If the job to be processed next is color image formation (color in S40), the stabilization type determination unit 94 determines image stabilization to be performed as color stabilization (S41), and ends the stabilization type determination process. To do. Further, when the job to be processed next is monochrome image formation (monochrome in S40), or when it is determined that CT-X ≦ CIF is not satisfied (No in S33), or when the color toner remaining amount is less than 40 g. When the determination is made (Yes in S35), the stabilization type determination unit 94 determines the image stabilization to be performed as monochrome stabilization (S42), and ends the stabilization type determination process.

  Thus, in the stabilization type determination process, it is possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule by making a determination using various conditions.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, the advance execution condition 120 stored in the advance execution condition storage unit 118 includes the advance number 120a and calculates the advance threshold (CT-X) by subtracting the advance threshold X from the color threshold (CT). The implementation condition 120 may include the advance threshold value itself instead of the advance count 120a. Thereby, it is possible to omit the arithmetic processing for calculating the advance threshold value X.

  Further, for example, the conditions used for the determination in the stabilization type determination process used in the embodiment may be appropriately changed within a consistent limit, or only a part of them may be used. Furthermore, a determination process using other conditions not listed in the present embodiment may be appropriately inserted into the stabilization type determination process. By determining using various conditions, it becomes possible to make a more appropriate determination as to whether or not to perform color stabilization ahead of schedule. As a result, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of toner, and it is possible to reduce the time for which the user waits for image stabilization, thereby improving the convenience for the user. It becomes possible.

  The present invention can be used for an image forming apparatus for forming a monochrome image or a color image.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit provided in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a forward implementation condition. 5 is a flowchart of processing executed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart of processing executed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a stabilization classification determination process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus, 12 Scanner part, 14 Photosensitive drum, 16 Cleaner, 18 Charger charger, 20 Exposure scanning part, 22 Developer, 24 Intermediate transfer belt, 26 Printer part, 27 IDC sensor, 28 Control part, 50 Main controller , 52 Image forming engine, 54 Image forming memory, 70 Start / end unit, 72 Main memory control unit 72, 74 HDD control unit, 76 Time counting unit, 78 Scanner control unit, 80 FAX control unit, 82 Printer control unit, 84 Job Management unit, 85 main memory, 87 color image formation control unit, 88 monochrome image formation control unit, 90 image formation memory control unit, 92 stabilization execution determination unit, 94 stabilization type determination unit, 96 advance execution condition determination unit, 98 Stabilization type notification unit, 100 Stabilization start instruction acquisition unit, 102 Color stabilization control unit, 104 Monochrome stabilization control unit, 106 Toner remaining amount acquisition unit, 108 Color image formation number (CIF) storage unit, 110 Monochrome image formation number (BWIF) storage unit, 112 Color threshold (CT) storage unit , 114 Monochrome threshold (BWT) storage unit, 116 Implementation time (ET) storage unit, 118 Advance implementation condition storage unit.

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image and a monochrome image,
A monochrome image formation number storage means for storing a monochrome image formation number that is the number of times the monochrome image has been formed;
Color image formation number storage means for storing a color image formation number that is the number of times the color image has been formed;
Stabilization execution determination means for determining whether to perform the image stabilization based on the number of times of monochrome image formation;
A stabilization type determining means for determining whether to perform monochrome stabilization or color stabilization based on the number of times of color image formation when it is determined by the stabilization execution determining means to perform image stabilization; ,
Monochrome stabilization control means for performing monochrome stabilization when it is determined by the stabilization type determination means to perform monochrome stabilization;
Color stabilization control means for performing color stabilization when it is determined by the stabilization type determination means to perform color stabilization ;
Color threshold storage means for storing a color threshold represented by a predetermined number of color image formations as a condition for performing color stabilization;
Even if the number of color image formations is less than the above-mentioned color threshold, as a condition for carrying out color stabilization ahead of schedule, the number of advancements represented by the predetermined number of color image formations or color stabilization ahead of schedule. Forward execution condition storage means for storing the advance execution conditions including the number of color image formations to be performed,
The stabilization type determination means calculates the advance threshold by subtracting the advance count from the color threshold, or acquires the advance threshold by referring to the advance execution condition, and the color image formation count is calculated or If it is greater than or equal to the acquired advance threshold, it is decided to perform color stabilization,
Job storage means for storing job information for managing jobs;
It is determined whether or not an unprocessed job is stored in the job storage unit. If it is determined that an unprocessed job is stored, the unprocessed job is further processed as a monochrome image forming process or a color image forming process. Job judging means for judging whether to process,
The stabilization type determination unit acquires a determination result by the job determination unit when the number of color image formations is equal to or greater than the advance threshold, and acquires a determination result that the unprocessed job is monochrome image formation. when, determines to implement the monochrome stabilization, when obtaining the determination result of the job of the unprocessed is a color image forming, image forming apparatus characterized by that determine to implement color stabilization. A timekeeping means for holding the current time;
An execution time storage means for storing an execution time which is the time when the color stabilization was last performed;
The advance execution condition stored in the advance execution condition storage means includes a plurality of the advance times, or a plurality of the advance thresholds,
Each of the advance count or the advance threshold is associated with an elapsed time from the time when the color stabilization was last performed to the current time,
The stabilization type determination means calculates the elapsed time from the execution time to the current time, and refers to the advance execution condition, whereby the advance count or the advance threshold associated with the calculated elapsed time. By determining the above, the above-mentioned advance threshold value applied to the determination of the stabilization type is determined.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The advance execution condition storage means stores the advance execution condition further including a use tendency indicating which one of color image formation and monochrome image formation is mainly used.
The stabilization type determination means refers to the use tendency included in the advance execution condition when the number of color image formations is equal to or greater than the advance threshold, and performs color stabilization when the use tendency is color image formation. When the above-mentioned usage tendency is monochrome image formation, it is decided to perform monochrome stabilization.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. A developer using color toner;
A toner sensor for detecting the color toner remaining amount of the developing device,
The advance execution condition storage means stores the advance execution condition further including a toner remaining amount threshold that is a remaining amount of color toner that the developing device should have in order to perform color stabilization.
The stabilization type determination unit acquires the color toner remaining amount and the toner remaining amount threshold when the number of color image formations is equal to or greater than the advance threshold, and at least one of the color toner remaining amounts is the toner remaining amount. When the amount is smaller than the threshold value, it is determined that the monochrome stabilization is performed.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The stabilization execution determination unit determines whether or not the next job to be executed is a job related to FAX reception, and when the next job to be executed is not a job related to FAX reception, the monochrome image formation is performed. It is determined whether to perform the image stabilization based on the number of times, and when the next job to be executed is a job related to FAX reception, it is determined not to perform the image stabilization.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. Color and monochrome images can be formed. Color stabilization is a process for maintaining the quality of the formed color image at a certain level. Monochrome stability is a process for maintaining the quality of the formed monochrome image at a certain level. An image forming apparatus control method executed in an image forming apparatus capable of performing image stabilization including image stabilization,
An image forming apparatus control method executed in an image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image or a monochrome image,
An execution determination step for determining whether to perform image stabilization based on the number of times a monochrome image is formed;
A stabilization type determination step for determining whether to perform monochrome stabilization or color stabilization based on the number of times the color image is formed when it is determined that image stabilization is performed in the execution determination step; ,
A monochrome stabilization control step for performing control for performing monochrome stabilization when it is determined to perform monochrome stabilization in the stabilization type determination step;
A color stabilization control step for performing control for performing color stabilization when it is determined to perform color stabilization in the stabilization type determination step;
As a condition for performing color stabilization, a color threshold storage step for storing a color threshold represented by a predetermined number of color image formations;
Even if the number of color image formations is less than the above-mentioned color threshold, as a condition for carrying out color stabilization ahead of schedule, the number of advancements represented by the predetermined number of color image formations or color stabilization ahead of schedule. A forward execution condition storage step for storing a forward execution condition including the number of color image formations to be performed;
In the stabilization type determination step, the advance threshold is calculated by subtracting the advance count from the color threshold, or the advance threshold is acquired by referring to the advance execution condition, and the color image formation count is calculated or If it is equal to or greater than the acquired advance threshold, it is determined to perform color stabilization.
A job storage step for storing job information for managing the job;
It is determined whether or not an unprocessed job is stored as a job in the job storage step. If it is determined that an unprocessed job is stored, the unprocessed job is further processed as a monochrome image forming process or a color image. A job determining step for determining whether the image forming process is performed;
In the stabilization type determination step, when the number of color image formations is equal to or greater than the advance threshold, the determination result by the job determination step is acquired, and the determination result that the unprocessed job is monochrome image formation is acquired. Determining that the monochrome stabilization is to be performed, and determining that the color stabilization is to be performed when the determination result that the unprocessed job is color image formation is acquired.
A control method for an image forming apparatus.

Images