KR100574036B1 - Best fitted printing apparatus and the method thereof according to the level of Article of consumption - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optimum output device and method for each grade of consumables to satisfy various user's requirements by grading and using consumables used in the image forming apparatus. The method of outputting an image forming apparatus having an apparatus may include: checking a type of at least one or more mounted consumables through the recognition unit, and setting conditions of an apparatus capable of obtaining an optimal output by combining the mounted consumables. Searching, setting the preset output condition by the combination of the consumables, and outputting the preset condition by the output command of the user. According to the combination of the recognition means and the types of grades of a plurality of consumables And a memory for storing image output information, and a main control unit for determining a class of each consumable through the recognizing means, and controlling image output information according to each class to be read from the memory and outputted under the condition.

Therefore, according to the above method, even if the output quality is somewhat lowered, it is possible to satisfy the requirements of various users by using one image forming apparatus, from the user's request for reducing the output cost to the user's requirement for high quality and high cost. It has an effect.

Consumables, Optimal Power, Recognition Means, Grade

Description

Best fitted printing apparatus and method according to the level of Article of consumption}

1 is a schematic block diagram of a laser beam printer which is a general image forming apparatus;

2 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a view showing types of consumables;

4 is a flowchart for optimally outputting consumables in stages;

5 is a combination table for each consumable;

And,

6 is an embodiment of rating display means for displaying the rating of consumables.

* Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

100: laser beam printer 110: video portion

111: operation panel 113: computer I / F

115: memory unit 117: main control unit

118: CPU 120: system bus

130: engine control unit 150: engine mechanism

200: toner cartridge 210: rating display means

220: memory 300: recognition means

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that processes printed data from a user and prints it on paper and outputs it. In particular, an apparatus capable of satisfying various user requirements by differentiating consumables used in the image forming apparatus according to grades and its It is about a method.

Currently, image forming apparatuses such as various printers, copiers, facsimiles, etc. are designed such that various components are included in a detachable form in one case. For example, a printer employing an electrophotographic developing method may be described such that a developer roller, a toner cartridge, a transfer roller, and the like are detachably installed so that a new part can be replaced when the service life of the part is reached. It is. These parts are generally referred to as consumables because they can be used normally if the parts are replaced with new ones at the end of their service life.

A laser beam printer which is a general image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The conventional laser beam printer 100 includes a video unit 110 for converting print data applied from a host computer, which is an external device, into image data in the form of a bitmap, and image data under control of the video unit 110. It consists of an engine control unit 130 for controlling the driving of the engine mechanism 150 for performing a print job.

The video unit 110 and the engine controller 130 are usually driven by a single processor, and the single processor is a microprocessor supporting multiple operating systems (OSs) and controls the operation of the video unit 110 with a microprocessor (CPU). The control unit 117 is provided. Accordingly, the video unit 110 and the engine control unit 130 are arranged on a single PCB. Here, the engine controller 130 is implemented as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and has a memory 132 for storing state information about the engine mechanism 150. The engine controller 130 simply controls the driving of the engine mechanism 150 under the control of the main controller 117.

In addition, the engine controller 130 is directly connected to the CPU 118 provided in the main controller 117 through the system bus 120. Here, the system bus 120 may include an address bus, a control bus, and a data bus, and a bidirectional parallel bus may be used as the data bus.

Meanwhile, the video unit 110 includes an operation panel 111, a computer I / F 113, a memory unit 115, and a main controller 117.

The operation panel 111 provides an input unit provided with a plurality of keys for selecting and setting a function supported by the laser beam printer 100, and operating state information of the laser beam printer 100 under the control of the main controller 117. A display unit for displaying is provided.

The computer I / F 113 is connected between the host computer and the main controller 117 to interface the input / output signals. As the computer I / F 113, IEEE1284, USB, and RS232C interfaces may be applied.

The memory unit 115 may include a ROM for storing a control program and various application programs for driving the main controller 117, print data and a main controller applied from the host computer through the computer I / F 113. It consists of a RAM for temporarily storing various data generated during the program execution of 117.

The main controller 117 is implemented in the form of a single chip with the CPU 118 controlling the operation of the video unit 110 and the engine mechanism 150 according to a control program stored in the memory 115. When the print target file is received from the host computer via the computer I / F 113, the main controller 117 generates a display list for generating print data as frame data. The main controller 117 performs color correction in the form of YMCK color, stores the color in the memory 115, and generates data stored in the memory 115 as bitmap image data for each color. When the generation of the bitmap data is completed, the main controller 117 transmits a command for notifying the start of printing to the engine controller 130.

The main controller 117 recognizes the engine controller 130 as the device to be controlled, and reads / writes predetermined information to the engine controller 130 through the system bus 120. For example, when the main controller 117 reads predetermined information from the engine controller 130, the main controller 117 reads state information of the engine mechanism 150 stored in the memory 132 of the engine controller 130. When writing predetermined information, command information is written to the engine controller 130.

The engine controller 130 is implemented as an ASIC and controls the driving of the engine mechanism 150 under the control of the main controller 117. The engine controller 130 receives and decodes image data transmitted from the main controller 117 through the system bus 120, and generates a pattern for an image to be generated by the engine mechanism 150 according to the decoding result. . And based on this, the driving of the engine mechanism 150 is controlled.

The engine mechanism 150 includes a paper feeder 151 for picking up sheets of paper loaded in a paper cassette (not shown) according to the paper feed control signal of the engine controller 130, and a laser beam corresponding to image data. LSU 152a for scanning a photosensitive drum to form a predetermined electrostatic latent image, a developing unit 153 for supplying and developing a developer to a photosensitive drum having an electrostatic latent image, and a paper for supplying a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum. And a fixing unit 155 for fusion to heat and pressure the toner image transferred to the paper.

Each consumable used in the image forming apparatus (toner, developing roller, transfer roller, etc.) generally recognizes each consumable in order to manage its consumption or lifespan or to check whether a genuine consumable is installed. . In addition, only one type of each consumable is provided for each type of printer. Therefore, it is not compatible with consumables of other companies and cannot be used if you want to print according to the grade of consumables using the same printer. An example for solving the above problem is given in Japanese Laid-Open Publication (JP 2000-330432; hereinafter referred to as Japanese conventional technology). The Japanese conventional technique is such that a program for obtaining a condition necessary when the program module uses the replacement part by causing the replacement part of the image forming apparatus to include data and / or executable program modules that can be read and / or written. It is configured to include. However, the conventional Japanese technology cannot be used when the size of the printing cartridge is changed, that is, to allow the use of consumables of other companies, but also to print according to the grade of the consumables using the same printer as described above. Specifically, in some cases, the quality may be somewhat inferior, but a low cost may be desired. In addition, the cost may be slightly higher, but there may be a request from a user who wants a high quality output. In this case, a problem arises that a plurality of printers must be provided in order to print for each desired quality. Therefore, in using the printer, the purpose or use of the printer may vary depending on the user. Therefore, the same image forming apparatus is required to satisfy various output requirements as described above.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, to provide an image forming apparatus and a method for simultaneously satisfying the various printing requirements of the user by classifying consumables by grade using one image forming apparatus.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, an optimum output method of an image forming apparatus having a recognizing means capable of distinguishing the type of each consumable according to the present invention may include at least one consumable mounted through the recognizing means. Checking a type of each grade of the device, searching for a setting condition of a device capable of obtaining an optimal output by the combination of the consumables, setting a preset output condition by the combination of the consumables, and a user's output command. And outputting the above set conditions.

Preferably, the recognizing means reads the type of grade through the memory chip and / or mechanical shape attached to the consumable.

The consumable is more preferably configured to be at least one of a developing roller, a toner, and a transfer roller.

In addition, the optimum output device for each grade of the consumables in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is the recognition means for determining the type of each of the consumables, the image output according to the combination of the type of the grade of the plurality of consumables And a main controller for determining the class of each consumable through the memory storing the information and the recognition means, and controlling to output the image output information according to each class from the memory and output the condition under the condition.

Preferably, the recognition means reads the type of grade through a memory chip and / or a mechanical shape attached to the consumable, and the consumable is at least one of a developing roller, a toner, and a transfer roller.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating types of consumables, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for optimally outputting consumables in stages, and FIG. Star combination table, and Figure 6 is an embodiment equipped with a rating display means for displaying the rating of the consumables.

The present invention can be used in a general image forming apparatus, but this embodiment will be described using a laser beam printer as shown in FIG. 1 of the prior art. Therefore, only the functions of the main control unit 117, the memory unit 115, the engine control unit 130, the rating display unit 210 and the recognition unit 300, which differ in function according to the present invention, will be described. The memory unit 115 stores a list table as shown in FIG. 4 for determining optimum output conditions for each class type of the consumables, and the grade display unit 210 of the consumables 200 is for displaying the class of the consumables. When the consumable 200 is mounted, the recognition means 300 is a means for determining the grade of the consumable from the grade display means 210 of the consumable and transmitting the grade to the main controller 117, and the main controller 117. ) Is to determine the type of the grade by the recognition means 300 from the rating display means 210 of the mounted consumables and to read the optimal output conditions according to the type of each of the consumables from the list table of the memory unit 115 The engine control unit 130 transmits. The engine controller 130 is configured to receive the relevant data for the optimum output stored in the memory 115 and to control the respective devices of the engine mechanism 150 under the output conditions to output the screen. In addition, in the present embodiment, two types of the consumables are used as developing rollers 1, 2, toners (a), (b), and transfer rollers (a) and (b), as shown in FIG. Let's explain. The developing roller 1 is set to be higher quality than the developing roller 2, the toner a is higher than the toner b, and the transfer roller A is higher than the transfer roller I. In the case of the developing rollers (1, 2), the roller layer can be generally distinguished from the case of the single-layer and the case of the multi-layer. In the case of using natural rubber and urethane, The grades can be divided according to what additives are used or how they are coated (fluorine, urethane, etc.). In the case of the transfer rollers (a) and (b), they are classified according to what material the rollers are used in, like the developing rollers, and can be classified according to the grade by the manufacturing method. Toner (a, b) can be classified into high quality and low quality according to classification degree (particle distribution), material of additives and amount added. In case of color toner, dyes for additional colors are expressed. ) Can be divided according to what kind of. It is assumed that a manufacturer of such consumables can provide a plurality of consumables by classifying each consumable used in the image forming apparatus according to performance and price. In addition, each of the consumables is equipped with a rating display unit 210 that can be recognized differently in the image forming apparatus. When the consumables are mounted, the main controller 117 of the image forming apparatus determines what condition the image forming apparatus should be set to. ) Can be determined through the recognition means (300). As the grade display means 210 for classifying the consumables by grade, a memory chip is attached to the consumables, and when the consumables are mounted on the device, the recognition means 300 of the main controller 117 reads the consumables of a certain grade. It can be used to determine whether consumables are installed, and mechanically, to implement different shapes of specific parts, and to determine what grade of consumables are installed by contacting sensors at specific locations within the device. have. As an example, a method for classifying grades using a memory in a toner cartridge will be described. As shown in FIG. 6A, the toner cartridge 200 is provided with a data transmitter as a grade display means 210 at one end thereof so as to be recognized by the image forming apparatus. The data transmitter is composed of four pins 211, 212, 213, and 214 as shown in Fig. 6B (internal circuit diagram). Each pin is internally connected to the EEPROM 220 by a Vcc 211 for supplying power, a clock (CLK) 212 for synchronization, a DATA 213 for data, and a GND 214 for grounding. The EEPROM 220 is a memory that stores image output information according to the grade of consumables when shipped from the factory. When the cartridge having the above configuration is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the grade display means 210 recognizes the inside of the image forming apparatus. When the optimal image output information according to the grade-specific combination of the consumables stored in the EEPROM 220 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, the main control unit 117 is the memory unit 115 according to the grade-specific data of the consumables. Read the optimal output condition from the output to the engine control unit 130 is configured to be printed. Since the recognition means 300 may use general identification devices according to the type (memory device, mechanical shape) of the grade display means 210, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, all of the consumables can be mounted on the same image forming apparatus. Therefore, when the consumables are mounted, the main controller 117 determines the type of the consumables of the mounted consumables and searches for the optimum output condition in the memory unit 115 in which the combination table for each consumable grade is stored. The combination table for each consumable forms a combination table for each class of consumables that can be mounted, and output conditions thereof are stored in the memory unit 115 so as to be optimally printed according to each combination. The output conditions are stored in the memory unit 115 when the product is produced at the factory. In addition, the main output conditions for determining the image quality are a combination of the consumables such as bias voltage (unit: V), laser power (unit: mA), and fixing temperature (unit: ℃) to determine the amount of light of the laser diode (LD). According to the experiment to determine the data that can be optimally output image quality is stored in the memory unit 115. That is, when the user wants high quality image quality even though the cost is high, the "A" list including the toner (a), the developing roller (1), and the transfer drum (a) may be selected as the combination of the consumables. The main controller 117 reads the output conditions corresponding to the "A" list from the memory 115 and transmits them to the engine controller 130. The engine controller 130 transmits the engine mechanism 150 to the output conditions. Is to control the system to run. On the other hand, if the user wants a low-cost output even if the quality is somewhat lower, the user may have the "H" list composed of the toner b, the developing roller 2, and the transfer drum (b) to be printed.

As shown in FIG. 5, when a user mounts corresponding consumables according to a desired printing environment, the image forming apparatus recognizes the type of each consumable grade and outputs the output in an optimal output condition that can be obtained from a combination of the currently mounted consumables. Will be.

Hereinafter, an operation procedure for obtaining an optimum output for each consumable will be described with reference to FIG. 4. First, when power is applied to the image forming apparatus, the main control unit 117 of the apparatus checks the type of each consumable mounted through the grade display means 210 and the consumable recognition means 300 of the mounted consumable (S210). Thereafter, the setting conditions of the device that can obtain the optimum output by the combination of the consumables mounted are searched from the combination table stored in the memory unit 115 (S220). At this time, the setting conditions for obtaining the optimum output by the combination of each consumable is set to a bias voltage, laser power, mounting temperature, etc. (S230). For example, if the combination of consumables loaded is the "A" list consisting of toner (a), developer roller (1), and transfer drum (a), the bias voltage is 500V, the laser power is 0.11mA, and the mounting temperature. Is set to 230 ° C. Therefore, if the user wants to output the output by setting this condition, the control unit 117 of the device transmits the output conditions to the engine control unit 130, and the engine control unit 130 controls the engine mechanism 150 based on the output condition. To obtain the optimal output (S240).

The optimum output conditions for each grade of consumables described in the above embodiments are the optimum output conditions for all combinations of the types of consumables to be provided to the device and the grade of each consumable in order for the developing company to set the optimum output conditions according to the consumables. (Charge voltage, transfer voltage, or fixing temperature, etc.) can be set through experimentation during development, stored in the internal storage area of the device, and stored afterwards.

In the present invention, the performance and price differentiation stages of each consumable can be configured in several stages, and the specific consumables may not change the setting conditions of the device, and the setting conditions of the device that need to be changed internally by the consumables are described above. More examples may be configured than in the example. In addition, in the present embodiment, the type of consumable is composed of a developing roller, a transfer roller, and a toner, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

While the invention has been described in detail only with respect to the described embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the spirit of the invention, and such modifications and variations belong to the appended claims.

According to the optimum output device and method for each grade of the consumables according to the present invention as described above, it is possible to satisfy the requirements of various users by classifying the consumables by grade using one image forming apparatus. . That is, even if the output quality is somewhat lowered, it is possible to cope with all of the user's requirements for reducing the output cost to the user's requirements for high quality with high cost by using one image forming apparatus. In addition, since performance or image quality are upgraded by replacing only consumables using one image forming apparatus, there is no need to purchase an expensive image forming apparatus separately.

Claims (6)

To a method for outputting an image forming apparatus having a memory storing image output information according to a combination of a class type of consumables and a recognizing means capable of reading a class type through a memory chip and / or a mechanical shape attached to each consumable. In Confirming, by the recognition means, at least one kind of grade of at least one mounted consumable; Searching setting conditions of a device capable of obtaining an optimum output with the combination of the consumables in the memory according to the class of the consumables; Setting an output condition of the image forming apparatus to a condition set in the memory; And Outputting according to the set condition according to an output command of a user. delete The method of claim 1, And the consumable is at least one of a developing roller, a toner and a transfer roller. Recognizing means for reading types of grades through memory chips and / or mechanical shapes attached to each consumable; A memory that stores image output information according to a combination of classes of a plurality of consumables; And a main controller configured to determine the class of each consumable through the recognition means and to read image output information corresponding to each class from the memory and output the condition under the condition. delete The method of claim 4, wherein And the consumables are at least one of a developing roller, a toner, and a transfer roller.

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