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US-12619179-B2 - Image forming apparatus and operation method for image forming apparatus

US12619179B2US 12619179 B2US12619179 B2US 12619179B2US-12619179-B2

Abstract

An image forming apparatus comprises one or more controllers, a display, a detachable fixing unit, and a temperature measurer that measures a temperature of the fixing unit or in the vicinity thereof, wherein the one or more controllers display, on the display, prediction information related to finishing of a cooling operation of cooling the mounted fixing unit, based on a measurement result by the temperature measurer.

Inventors

  • Naoki Kodama

Assignees

  • SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240807
Priority Date
20230809

Claims (11)

  1. 1 . An image forming apparatus comprising: one or more controllers; a display; a fixing unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus; and a temperature measurer that measures a temperature of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus or that is in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus, wherein when the one or more controllers receive a replacement start instruction of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the one or more controllers initiate a cooling operation of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus, measure the temperature by the temperature measurer, and generate and display, on the display, prediction information related to finishing the cooling operation based on a measurement result received from the temperature measurer.
  2. 2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the prediction information includes a required time for lowering the temperature of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus to a predetermined temperature.
  3. 3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the prediction information includes a scheduled finish time to be predicted as a time when the temperature of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus is lowered to a predetermined temperature.
  4. 4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more controllers repeatedly perform measurements, by the temperature measurer, and display, on the display, updated prediction information according to measurement results.
  5. 5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more controllers display the prediction information on the display before the cooling operation is started.
  6. 6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more controllers display, on the display, a current time or a scheduled start time, that is a time when the cooling operation is started, before the cooling operation is started, together with the prediction information.
  7. 7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the one or more controllers display, on the display, a scheduled finish time to be predicted as a time when the temperature of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus is lowered to a predetermined temperature after the cooling operation is started.
  8. 8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more controllers display the prediction information on the display, and also display, on the display, an input screen, on which an input of a scheduled start time, that is a time when the cooling operation is scheduled to be started, is accepted, before the cooling operation is started.
  9. 9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more controllers further display a current time on the display.
  10. 10 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more controllers further display, on the display, a graph indicating a degree of progress of the cooling operation based on the prediction information and a current time.
  11. 11 . An operation method performed by an image forming apparatus that includes a fixing unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus, the operation method comprising: initiating a cooling operation of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus when receiving a replacement start instruction of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus; measuring a temperature of the fixing unit that is mounted on the image forming apparatus or that is in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus; and generating and displaying prediction information related to finishing the cooling operation based on a result of the measurement.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority from Japanese Application JP2023-130458, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and the like. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printing method for an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multi function peripheral, there is a dry electrophotographic method (laser printer method). In the laser printer method, after an image is formed on a sheet by transferring toner, the image is fixed on the sheet by applying heat and pressure to the image on the sheet. Therefore, an image forming apparatus that performs printing by the laser printer method includes a fixing device for applying heat and pressure to an image on a sheet. The fixing device includes a fixing member that comes into contact with a sheet on which an image to be fixed is formed. The fixing member is, for example, a fixing belt. The fixing belt is disposed in such a way that its longitudinal direction is orthogonal to a transport direction of a sheet. In the present application, the width of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction is referred to as a sheet width. For example, in a general multi function printer (MFP) having a scanner function, a sub scanning direction of a scanner coincides with the sheet transport direction, and a main scanning direction of the scanner is orthogonal to the sheet transport direction. Therefore, in a general MFP, a sheet width refers to the width of a sheet in the main scanning direction. FIG. 26A is a diagram for describing scratches generated on a fixing belt, when an A5 sheet repeatedly passes. When an A5 sheet 301 repeatedly passes on a fixing belt 303, scratches 305 and 307 are generated on the fixing belt 303 at a position associated with the sheet width of the A5 sheet 301. A case is considered in which an A3 sheet 309 larger than the A5 sheet repeatedly passes on the same fixing belt 303, after these scratches are generated. At this occasion, as illustrated in FIG. 26B, although scratches 311 and 313 are generated on the fixing belt 303 at a position associated with the sheet width of the A3 sheet 309, since the scratches 311 and 313 are present substantially on the outside the A3 sheet 309, the scratches 311 and 313 do not affect print quality of the A3 sheet 309. However, the scratches 305 and 307 caused by the A5 sheet 301 lie within the sheet width of the A3 sheet 309, which adversely affects print quality of the A3 sheet 309. Specifically, in the A3 sheet 309, stains 315 and 317 are generated on the A3 sheet 309 at a position associated with the scratches 305 and 307 caused by the A5 sheet 301. To avoid this problem, operating a fixing belt only when a sheet of a specific sheet width is printed is considered. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 27A, whereas the fixing belt 303 is used when the A5 sheet 301 is printed, as illustrated in FIG. 27B, another fixing belt 321 is used when the A3 sheet 309 is printed. Although the scratches 305 and 307 are generated on the fixing belt 303 by repeatedly printing, and the scratches 311 and 313 are generated on the fixing belt 321, since a fixing belt is prepared for each sheet width, it is possible to avoid that scratches generated by printing a sheet of another sheet width adversely affect print quality. As described above, another operation method in which a fixing belt or a fixing device is replaced is known. Types of media that can pass a fixing belt or a fixing device are diversified, and it is necessary to finely adjust a fixing condition that determines final image quality also depending on a thickness and surface properties of the media, a density and glossiness of an image of a product to be obtained, and the like. As a countermeasure against these problems, there has been known art of preparing a dedicated fixing device depending on a size of a sheet to pass or a type of a medium, and allowing a user to replace the fixing device as necessary, whereby optimum image quality can be acquired. Since a fixing device after operation generally reaches a high temperature, when the fixing device is replaced, in consideration of the high temperature, it is required to wait for the fixing device to lower its temperature to a predetermined temperature before replacement work is carried out. In association with this, notifying a user as to whether a mounted fixing device is lowered to a predetermined temperature or less has been known. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the above related art, although the user is notified after the temperature of the fixing device becomes equal to or less than the predetermined temperature, the user is not notified of a time required for lowering the temperature. In general, it takes a certain amount of time for a high-temperature fixing devic