Image forming apparatus with re-conveyance mechanism

• US 10,437,189 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miyahara, Kensuke, Kondo, Kunihiko, Kakutani, Hotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Benny Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guillermety, Juan M
• Application Number:
  US14/700,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 358 112, 399 67, 399 70, 399381, 399388, 399401, 399167, 399395
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/234 by inverting and refeeding the image receiving material with an image on one face to the recording member to transfer a second image on its second face, e.g. by using a duplex tray; Details of duplex trays or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00438 Inverter of refeeding path
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00586 duplex mode
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0141 the linear arrangement being horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/16 Means for paper feeding or form feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1805 Receiving printer configuration commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4055 Managing power consumption, e.g. standby mode computer driven power saving management for a printer G06F3/1221; power saving in a data processing device in general G06F1/32

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided with: an image forming unit having a photosensitive member, a charger, and a developer carrier, the image forming unit being configured to transfer the developer image to a recording sheet to form an image on the recording sheet; a motor configured to drive the photosensitive member and the developer carrier; a controller configured to control the motor and the charger, and a re-conveyance mechanism configured to reverse the recording sheet discharged from the image forming unit and to convey the recording sheet back towards the image forming unit. The controller is configured to turn off the charger after the motor is turned off, during a time period after the recording sheet is discharged from the image forming unit until the recording sheet is re-conveyed to the image forming unit by the re-conveyance mechanism.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit comprising a photosensitive member configured to rotate, a charger configured to charge a surface of the photosensitive member, and a developer carrier configured to rotate and supply developer to an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member to form a developer image, the image forming unit being configured to transfer the developer image to a recording sheet to form an image on the recording sheet;

a motor configured to drive the photosensitive member and the developer carrier;

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature;

a controller configured to control the motor and the charger; and

a re-conveyance mechanism including a roller configured to reverse the recording sheet discharged from the image forming unit and to convey the recording sheet back towards the image forming unit,

wherein the controller is configured to;

turn off the motor to stop driving the photosensitive member and the developer carrier after completion of a first printing process by the image forming unit;

maintaining the motor in an off state while the re-conveyance mechanism is reconveying the recording sheet to the image forming unit;

turn off the charger after an expiration of a time period and after the recording sheet of the first printing process is discharged from the image forming unit until the recording sheet is re-conveyed to the image forming unit, from when the motor is turned off and while the motor is still in the off state; and

maintaining the charger in an off state while the re-conveyance mechanism is reconveying the recording sheet to the image forming unit and while the motor is in the off state,

wherein the controller sets the time period, starting when the motor is turned off and ending when the charger is turned off, to a first amount of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a first temperature, and

wherein the controller sets the time period to a second amount of time that is longer than the first amount of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first temperature.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to turn off the charger after rotation of the photosensitive member is stopped.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a stop sensor configured to detect stoppage of the photosensitive member,

wherein the controller turns off the charger after the stoppage of the photosensitive member is detected by the stop sensor.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller turns on the charger from the off state before the recording sheet has reached the image forming unit through re-conveyance by the re-conveyance mechanism, and

wherein the controller turns on the motor simultaneously with the charger or after turning on the charger.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the controller turns on the charger from the off state before a surface potential of the photosensitive member is lowered to a predetermined value.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature,

wherein the controller sets a time period after the charger is turned off until the charger is turned on to a third amount of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a second temperature, and

wherein the controller sets the time period after the charger is turned off until the charger is turned on to a fourth amount of time that is shorter than the third amount of time when the temperature is higher than the second temperature.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the charger and the developer carrier are configured to be turned on simultaneously by a common power source and a common switch.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image forming unit comprises a plurality of sets of the photosensitive member, the charger and the developer carrier.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a first conveyance roller configured to convey a sheet;

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature;

a photosensitive drum;

a charger configured to charge a surface of the photosensitive drum;

a developing roller configured to supply developer to an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum to form a developer image;

a transfer roller configured to transfer the developer image onto the sheet conveyed by the first conveyance roller;

a heating roller configured to fix the developer image transferred by the transfer roller onto the sheet;

a second conveyance roller configured to convey the sheet passed through the heating roller toward a sheet discharge tray by rotating in a first direction, and convey the sheet passed through the heating roller toward the first conveyance roller by rotating in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

a first motor configured to drive the second conveyance roller and to switch a rotating direction of the second conveyance roller in one of the first direction and the second direction;

a second motor configured to drive the photosensitive drum and the developing roller;

and

a controller configured to control the charger, the first motor, and the second motor, including;

maintaining the first motor in an on state in which the first motor rotates the second conveyance roller in the second direction;

turn off the second motor to stop driving the photosensitive drum and the developing roller after completion of transferring the developer image onto the sheet by the transfer roller;

maintaining the second motor in an off state while the first motor is in the on state;

turn off the charger after an expiration of a time period and after the sheet is discharged from the image forming unit until the sheet is re-conveyed to the image forming unit, from when the second motor is turned off and while the second motor is still in the off state; and

maintaining the charger in an off state while the first motor is in the on state and while the second motor is in the off state,

wherein the controller sets the time period, starting when the second motor is turned off and ending when the charger is turned off, to a first amount of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a first temperature, and

wherein the controller sets the time period to a second amount of time that is longer than the first amount of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first temperature.