US-20260126751-A1 - IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

US20260126751A1US 20260126751 A1US20260126751 A1US 20260126751A1US-20260126751-A1

Abstract

In an image forming apparatus, an image forming unit can be replaced. An outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced. An inner cover becomes in an open status with a manual operation with taking a predetermined time after the outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced. A cover open/close sensor detects open and close statuses of the outer cover. The image forming unit includes a non-volatile unit memory. Further, the controller (a) performs data communication with the unit memory, and (b) if data communication with the unit memory is ongoing when the cover open/close sensor detects that the outer cover becomes in an open status, completes the data communication and cuts off power supply to the image forming unit before the predetermined time elapses.

Inventors

Shunsuke Sasaki
Minoru SHINBA

Assignees

KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104
Priority Date: 20241107

Claims (4)

1 . An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that can be replaced; an outer cover configured to become in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced; an inner cover configured to become in an open status with a manual operation after the outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced, and the inner cover becoming in the open status with taking a predetermined time after the outer cover becomes in the open status; a cover open/close sensor configured to detect open and close statuses of the outer cover; and a controller; wherein the image forming unit comprises a non-volatile unit memory; and the controller (a) performs data communication with the unit memory, and (b) if data communication with the unit memory is ongoing when the cover open/close sensor detects that the outer cover becomes in an open status, completes the data communication and cuts off power supply to the image forming unit before the predetermined time elapses.
2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display device; wherein when the cover open/close sensor detects that the outer cover becomes in an open status, the controller displays on the display device a message that (a) indicates that the outer cover is in an open status and (b) prompts to make the outer cover be in a close status.
3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller sets a data amount of the data communication such that the data communication can be completed within the predetermined time.
4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming unit is either a drum unit that comprises a photoconductor drum or a development unit that comprises a development device that adheres toner to an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor drum.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application relates to and claims priority rights from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-194859, filed on Nov. 7, 2024, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Present Disclosure The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus includes a drum cartridge that includes a photoconductor drum and a drum memory. In this image forming apparatus, the drum cartridge can be replaced; and in order to restrain trouble of the drum memory due to hot swapping of the drum cartridge, if communication with the drum memory is being performed when a cover becomes in an open status, the communication with the drum memory is immediately stopped and power supply to the drum cartridge is stopped. However, in the aforementioned image forming apparatus, if communication with the drum memory is being performed when a cover becomes in an open status, then the communication with the drum memory is suspended, and therefore, data to be written into the drum memory may not be completely written or data to be read from the drum memory may not be completely read. SUMMARY An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an image forming unit that can be replaced, an outer cover, an inner cover, a cover open/close sensor, and a controller. The outer cover is configured to become in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced. The inner cover is configured to become in an open status with a manual operation after the outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced, and the inner cover becoming in the open status with taking a predetermined time after the outer cover becomes in the open status. The cover open/close sensor is configured to detect open and close statuses of the outer cover. The image forming unit includes a non-volatile unit memory. Further, the controller (a) performs data communication with the unit memory, and (b) if data communication with the unit memory is ongoing when the cover open/close sensor detects that the outer cover becomes in an open status, completes the data communication and cuts off power supply to the image forming unit before the predetermined time elapses. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description along with the accompanied drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that indicates a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 shows a perspective-view diagram that indicates an example of an outer cover 21 shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a perspective-view diagram that indicates an example of an inner cover 22 shown in FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart that explains a behavior of the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an aspect of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that indicates a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a multi function peripheral. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a printing device 1, an operation panel 2, a cover open/close sensor 3, a power supply circuit 4, and a controller 5. The printing device 1 transports a print sheet from a sheet feeding cassette and prints on the print sheet an image based on image data in an electrographic manner. Specifically, the printing device 1 includes photoconductor drums, exposure devices that expose the photoconductor drums and thereby form electrostatic latent images, development devices that attach toner to the electrostatic latent images on the photoconductor drums and thereby form toner images, a fuser that fixes the toner images transferred onto the print sheet, and the like. The photoconductor drum or the development device is included in an image forming unit 11 that can be replaced. For example, in case of a color image forming apparatus of 4 colors CMYK, the image forming apparatus includes 8 image forming units 11 for the photoconductor drums and the development devices. Here, each of the image forming units 11 is either a drum unit that includes the photoconductor drum or a development unit that includes the development device. Each of the image forming units 11 includes a non-volatile unit memory 11a, and in the unit memory 11a, stored are (a) a driving distance or the like that indicates replacement timing of this unit 11, (b) image forming characteristic data of this unit 11 and the like, for example. Furthermore, the operation panel 2 includes a display device 2a such as a liquid