JP2004085828A - Color image forming apparatus, method for controlling same, program, and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which an image forming apparatus that detects malfunction of the drive circuit of a motor by means of a rotation detecting sensor when stopping the motor for toner supply fails to detect the actual stop of the motor itself depending on a positional relationship between the rotation detecting sensor and a flag, with the result that erroneous determination is made that malfunction has occurred not in the drive circuit of the motor but in the motor itself. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus has the motor for supplying toner in a toner cartridge to a developing unit, a motor control means for controlling rotation of the motor, the flag which rotates accompanying the movement of the motor, and the rotation detecting sensor which detects rotation of the flag. In the case where the rotation of the flag is detected by the rotation detecting sensor after the rotation of the motor is stopped, the motor is further rotated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, a control program, and a storage medium, and for example, relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a control apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 1 shows a color image forming apparatus provided with image forming means for four colors, that is, yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K. In FIG. A laser scanner for forming an electrostatic latent image on a drum (a, b, c, and d indicate Y, M, C, and K, respectively); 2, a toner cartridge storing toner to be supplied to a developing device; 3 is a photosensitive drum for forming an electrostatic latent image, 4 is a charger for uniformly charging the surface of the photoreceptor, 4S is a charging roller, and 5 is a toner that adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor in correspondence with the electrostatic latent image. A developing sleeve, 5S a developing sleeve, 6 an intermediate transfer belt on which the toner image formed on the photoreceptor is transferred, and 7 a drive roller for driving the intermediate transfer belt.
[0003]
Reference numerals 23a and 23b denote paper feeding units, 24 denotes a transfer material, and 28 denotes a transfer roller for transferring a toner image onto the transfer material 24. Reference numeral 29 denotes a cleaning unit for cleaning the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 6. The waste toner after transferring the four-color multicolor toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 6 to the transfer material 24 is removed. , Stored in a cleaner container. Reference numeral 30 denotes a fixing unit which melts and fixes the transferred multicolor toner image while transporting the transfer material 24, and presses the fixing roller 31 for heating the transfer material 24 and the transfer material 24 to the fixing roller 31. And a pressure roller 32 for performing the operation. The fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 are formed in a hollow shape, and have heaters 33 and 34 therein, respectively. That is, the transfer material 11 holding the multicolor toner image is conveyed by the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32, and is heated and pressed to fix the toner on the surface.
[0004]
When the data to be printed is sent from the PC to the printer, and the image formation in accordance with the system of the printer engine is completed and the printer is ready for printing, the transfer material 24 is supplied from the paper feeding unit 23. The image signal of each color is sent to each laser scanner 1 at the same timing as the transfer material conveyance, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 3, and the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing device 5, and transferred. After the image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 6 at the unit, the image is transferred onto a transfer material. In the figure, images are sequentially formed in the order of Y, M, C, and K. Thereafter, the transfer material 24 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 6, the toner image is fixed on the transfer material 24 by heat in a fixing device, and is discharged to the outside.
[0005]
Incidentally, two-component developers are often used in image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers and copiers. As is well known, the toner concentration of this two-component developer (ie, the ratio of the weight of non-magnetic toner particles to the total weight of magnetic carrier particles and non-magnetic toner particles) is a very important factor in stabilizing image quality. Has become. The toner particles of the developer are consumed during development, and the toner concentration changes. For this reason, the toner density of the developer is timely measured using a developer density detection device represented by a magnetic sensor or the like that converts the magnetic resistance of the developer into a voltage value (that is, converts the toner density into a voltage value). It is necessary to accurately detect the toner, replenish the toner in accordance with the change, always control the toner density to be constant, and maintain the image quality.
[0006]
In the two-component developing system shown in FIG. 1, a motor for replenishing toner from the toner cartridge 2 to the developing device and for stirring is required. An inexpensive DC brush motor is used for this motor. As a control mechanism for controlling the toner concentration in the developer to be constant, a voltage value corresponding to the toner concentration in the developing device 5 is supplied to an A / D conversion port of the CPU. After converting the voltage value into a digital value, the CPU compares the voltage value with a predetermined reference value, and calculates the rotation amount of the toner supply screw according to the difference. The DC brush motor is driven based on the rotation amount of the toner supply screw.
[0007]
FIG. 9 shows a configuration of the toner cartridge and the developing device. The configuration of the toner cartridge and the developing device will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 2 denotes a toner cartridge, and reference numeral 5 denotes a developing device. The developing device is provided with a developing sleeve 5S for supplying a developer to a drum. Further, the developer in the toner cartridge 2 is supplied to the developing device 5 via a developer supply path (not shown) by rotating the screw 11. The developer supplied to the developing device 5 is stirred by the rotation of the screw 12.
[0008]
Therefore, a sensor for detecting rotation of a toner supply motor or a supply screw driven by the motor is required. FIG. 2 shows a motor rotation detection mechanism. Reference numeral 8 denotes a motor for replenishing the toner from the toner cartridge 2 to the developing device 5 and stirring, a reference numeral 9 denotes a rotation detection sensor for detecting the rotation of a rotating body driven by the motor for supplying toner, and a reference numeral 10 denotes a motor. This flag rotates in synchronization with the rotating body. When the motor 8 is driven to agitate and replenish the toner, the flag 10 also rotates at the same time, and the flag 10 rotates with respect to the rotation detection sensor 9 to repeat light-shielding and transmission. By repeating light-shielding and transmission, the output signal of the sensor changes, and rotation detection is performed.
[0009]
Reference numeral 11 denotes a toner supply screw, 12 denotes a toner stirring screw, and 22 denotes a magnetic sensor for detecting the toner concentration in the developing device. Here, a photo interrupter is used for the rotation detection sensor. Conventionally, based on the result of the toner concentration detection sensor, the toner replenishing motor is driven by the number of revolutions corresponding to the count number of the flag 10 calculated from the result.
[0010]
In such a conventional configuration, for example, when the toner supply motor 8 continues to be driven due to a failure of the toner supply motor 8 drive circuit or the like, the toner supply motor 8 Need to be stopped immediately.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
FIG. 3 shows a positional relationship between the rotation detection sensor 9 and the flag 10 in a system in which the rotation detection sensor 9 detects a failure in the drive circuit of the toner supply motor 8 when the toner supply motor 8 is stopped. In the state, the phototransistor of the rotation detecting sensor 9 does not saturate, and a waveform as shown in FIG. 4 is input to the general-purpose port of the CPU. In FIG. 4, Vcc is a signal system power supply voltage, VIH is an H level maximum input voltage, and VIL is an L level maximum input voltage. The waveform in FIG. 4 becomes H level when the flag 10 shown in FIG. 3 blocks the light of the rotation detection sensor 9 and enters a light blocking state. If the flag 10 does not block the light from the rotation detection sensor 9, the light is transmitted and becomes L level. When the motor is driven as shown in FIG. 4, the output of the sensor repeats H and L. However, when the flag 10 stops at an unstable position where the light of the rotation detection sensor 9 is blocked or not blocked, a voltage in an intermediate state between the H level and the L level is output as shown on the right side of FIG. Then, the CPU determines that the motor 8 is being driven even though the motor 8 is stopped, and determines that the motor 8 is out of order.
[0012]
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent erroneous detection that the motor 8 is being driven even when the motor 8 is stopped.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following means. Specifically, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, motor control means for controlling rotation of the motor, a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, and detection of rotation of the flag A rotation detection sensor that stops the rotation of the motor by the motor control means, and then, when the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag, the motor control means further rotates the motor. It is characterized by making it.
[0014]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, and a toner sensor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device. An image forming apparatus comprising: a motor, a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, and a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag, wherein the number of rotations of the flag is determined based on a toner density by the density sensor. Determining means, and motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the determined number of rotations, after the flag has been rotated by the number of rotations determined by the motor control means, the rotation detection sensor In the above, when the rotation of the flag is detected, the motor control means further rotates the motor.
[0015]
Alternatively, a toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring the toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag; and a unit that determines a rotation number of the flag based on a toner density by the density sensor; Motor control means for controlling rotation of the motor based on the rotation of the flag in the first direction after the flag has been rotated in the first direction by the number of rotations determined by the motor control means. In this case, the motor control means rotates the motor in a second direction.
[0016]
Further, a toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring the toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag rotating in conjunction with the motor An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag; and a unit that determines the number of rotations of the flag based on a toner density by the density sensor; and Correction means for correcting, and motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the corrected number of rotations, wherein after the flag has been rotated by the number of rotations determined by the motor control means, the rotation detection When the rotation of the flag is detected by a sensor, the motor control means further rotates the motor.
[0017]
Needless to say, the above problem can be solved by providing a control method, a control program, or an information storage medium for storing the control program for controlling the image forming apparatus.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0019]
[First Embodiment]
The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of a control system of the present apparatus. Reference numeral 21 denotes a printer as an image forming apparatus. Reference numeral 13 denotes a printer control unit that controls each device in the printer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. Reference numeral 14 denotes a power supply for supplying power to each device in the printer. Reference numeral 15 denotes sensors for detecting the status of each unit in the printer. Reference numeral 16 denotes a motor control unit for controlling motors according to instructions from the printer control unit. Reference numeral 17 denotes motors, which are power sources of each device in the printer. A display unit 18 notifies the user of the operation status of the printer. A communication controller 19 performs communication between the printer and the host computer. Reference numeral 20 denotes a host computer that transfers data to be printed to a printer.
[0020]
Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 shows a flow of the toner supply sequence process according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the print sequence is started, first, while stirring the toner in the developing device, the toner concentration is measured by the magnetic sensor. Here, the toner in the developing device is stirred for each page printing, and the toner concentration is measured simultaneously with the stirring of the toner in the developing device 5 (step S601). In step S601, an analog voltage value corresponding to the measured toner density is supplied to an A / D conversion port of the CPU of the printer control unit 13. The CPU converts the supplied analog voltage value into a digital value to convert the toner density into a digital value. A value is obtained (step S602). Subsequently, the toner density value obtained in step S602 is compared with a reference value corresponding to a desired toner density (step S603). As a result of the comparison in step S603, the rotation amount of the toner supply screw 11 is calculated (step S604).
[0021]
Based on the amount of rotation of the toner supply screw 11 calculated in step S604, the motor 8 is driven by the number of rotations corresponding to the number of times that the flag 10 crosses the rotation detection sensor 9 (step S605). Then, when the desired count number is reached, the motor 8 is stopped (step S606). Here, as a countermeasure against abnormal motor rotation after the motor 8 stops (a state in which the motor continues to rotate after the stop), the output of the rotation detection signal is monitored for a certain period after the motor stops, and it is determined whether or not the output has changed (step S607). ). This change in the output can be performed, for example, by determining whether the output of the rotation detection signal has changed three times in 300 msec. If the output changes within a certain period, the motor is regarded as stopped and the toner supply sequence can be terminated.
[0022]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S607 that the rotation detection signal has changed, the motor is driven again for a certain period of time (step S608). Here, the time for driving the motor 8 is set to a time during which the rotation detection flag 10 does not rotate by the distance between the blades adjacent to the flag or the distance between the blades. At the same time, when the motor 8 is rotated, the toner supply screw 11 rotates in conjunction with the supply of the toner to the developing device 5 so that a desired toner density cannot be obtained. Need to be kept.
[0023]
In the present embodiment, this time can be set to 10 msec. Here, in the no-load state and at the maximum number of rotations, the rotation detection sensor detects the interval A between the blades adjacent to the flag by the rotation detection sensor for 25 msec, and the rotation detection sensor determines the interval B between the blades. The detection time is set to 28 msec. Further, the motor driving time required to shift the position of the rotation detecting flag 10 in the maximum load state and the minimum input power is set to 4 msec.
[0024]
Therefore, if the motor drive time is set from 4 msec to 25 msec, even if the positional relationship between the rotation detection sensor 9 and the flag 10 is as shown in FIG. The positional relationship between the sensor 9 and the flag 10 does not reach the state shown in FIG.
[0025]
After the motor 8 is driven again, the motor 8 is further stopped, and thereafter, the output of the rotation detection signal for a certain period is monitored, and it is determined again whether or not the output has changed (step S609). The determination in step S609 can also be performed by determining whether the output of the rotation detection signal has changed three times within 300 msec, for example, as in step S607. If the output changes three or more times, it is considered that the motor 8 continues to be driven due to a failure of the motor drive circuit or the like, and the failure is notified to the communication controller 19 (step S611).
On the other hand, if the output change does not occur three times or more, it is not a failure of the motor drive circuit, and the positional relationship between the rotation detection sensor 9 and the flag is in the state shown in FIG. 3 before the motor 8 is driven again. To end.
[0026]
As described above, the phototransistor of the rotation detection sensor 9 does not saturate, for example, the waveform illustrated in FIG. 4 is obtained, and even if it is difficult to determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, according to the present invention, By driving the motor again, it is possible to easily determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, and it is possible to prevent erroneous detection such as a failure of the motor driving circuit.
[0027]
[Second embodiment]
The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment is also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 shows a flow of the toner supply sequence process according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the print sequence is started, first, while stirring the toner in the developing device, the toner concentration is measured by the magnetic sensor. Here, the toner in the developing device is stirred for each page print, and the toner concentration is measured simultaneously with the stirring of the toner in the developing device (step S701). Then, in step S701, an analog voltage value corresponding to the measured toner density is supplied to the A / D conversion port of the CPU of the printer control unit 13, and the CPU converts the supplied analog voltage value into a digital value to convert the toner density into a digital value. A value is obtained (step S702). Subsequently, the toner density value obtained in step S702 is compared with a reference value corresponding to a desired toner density (step S703). As a result of the comparison in step S703, the rotation amount of the toner supply screw 11 is calculated (step S704).
[0028]
Based on the amount of rotation of the toner supply screw 11 calculated in step S704, the motor 8 is driven by the number of rotations corresponding to the number of times the flag 10 crosses the rotation detection sensor 9 (step S705). When the desired count is reached, the motor 8 is stopped (step S706). Here, in order to take measures against abnormal rotation (continuous rotation) of the motor after the motor is stopped, the output of the rotation detection signal is monitored for a certain period after the motor is stopped, and it is determined whether or not the output has changed (step S707). This change in the output can be performed, for example, by determining whether the output of the rotation detection signal has changed three times in 300 msec. If the output changes within a certain period, the motor is regarded as stopped and the toner supply sequence can be terminated.
[0029]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S707 that the rotation detection signal has changed, the motor 8 is driven again (step S708). Also in the first embodiment, the motor 8 is driven again in step S608, but at this time, the deviation of the toner density caused by the drive of the motor 8 is not considered. In this embodiment, in order to solve this problem, the motor is driven again in the reverse rotation direction.
[0030]
Further, the time for driving the motor 8 can be arbitrarily different from the first embodiment. This is because, in the present embodiment, when the motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction, the toner supply screw 11 also rotates in the reverse direction, so that toner supply to the developing device 5 is not performed. At this time, since the rotation detection signal of the motor 8 and the toner supply amount have no correlation, the output of the rotation detection signal can be ignored while the motor 8 is driven in the reverse rotation. When the re-drive of the motor 8 by the reverse rotation is completed, the output of the rotation detection signal is monitored for, for example, 300 msec after the motor is stopped in the same manner as in step S707, and it is again determined whether or not the output has changed three times or more. (Step S709).
[0031]
If the output changes three or more times, it is considered that the motor 8 continues to be driven due to a motor drive circuit failure or the like, and the failure is notified to the formatter (step S710). On the other hand, if the output change does not occur three times or more, it is not a failure of the motor drive circuit, and the positional relationship between the rotation detection sensor 9 and the flag was at the position shown in FIG. 3 before the motor 8 was driven again. Therefore, the process ends.
[0032]
As described above, the phototransistor of the rotation detection sensor 9 does not saturate, for example, the waveform illustrated in FIG. 4 is obtained, and even if it is difficult to determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, according to the present invention, By driving the motor again, it is possible to easily determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, and it is possible to prevent erroneous detection such as a failure of the motor driving circuit. At the same time, when the motor 8 is driven again when the motor 8 is driven again, a deviation in the toner concentration in the developing device 5 can be prevented.
[0033]
[Third Embodiment]
The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment is also as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as in the first and second embodiments. Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0034]
FIG. 6 shows a flow of the toner supply sequence process according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, when the print sequence starts, the toner concentration is measured by the magnetic sensor while the toner in the developing device 5 is being stirred. Here, the toner in the developing device 5 is stirred for each page printing, and the toner concentration is measured simultaneously with the stirring of the toner in the developing device 5 (step S801).
[0035]
In step S801, an analog voltage value corresponding to the measured toner density is supplied to the A / D conversion port of the CPU of the printer control unit 13. The CPU converts the supplied analog voltage value into a digital value to convert the toner density into a digital value. A value is obtained (step S802). Subsequently, the toner density value obtained in step S802 is compared with a reference value corresponding to a desired toner density (step S803). Based on the comparison result in step S803, the target rotation amount of the toner replenishment screw 11 is calculated as the count number of the flag 10 crossing the rotation detection sensor 9 (step S804).
[0036]
The target rotation amount of the toner supply screw 11 calculated in step S804 is corrected in step S805, and a count value for actually rotating the toner supply screw 11 is obtained. Details of the correction processing in step S805 will be described later. In step S806, based on the corrected rotation amount obtained by correcting the target rotation amount in step S805, the motor 8 is driven by the number of rotations corresponding to the number of times the flag 10 crosses the rotation detection sensor 9. Then, when the desired count is reached, the motor 8 is stopped (step S807). Here, in order to take measures against abnormal rotation (continuous rotation) of the motor after the motor is stopped, the output of the rotation detection signal is monitored for a certain period after the motor is stopped, and it is determined whether or not the output has changed (step S808). This change in the output can be performed, for example, by determining whether the output of the rotation detection signal has changed three times in 300 msec. If the output changes within a certain period, the motor is regarded as stopped and the toner supply sequence can be terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S808 that the rotation detection signal has changed, the motor 8 is driven again (step S809).
[0037]
After the motor is re-driven in step S809, the output of the 300 msec rotation detection signal after the motor is stopped is monitored as in step 808, and it is determined again whether the output has changed three times or more (step S810). If it is determined in step S810 that the output has changed three or more times, it means that the motor continues to be driven due to a motor drive circuit failure or the like, and the failure is notified to the formatter (step S811). On the other hand, if the output change does not occur three times or more, the change in the rotation detection signal is not due to the failure of the motor drive circuit, and the positional relationship between the rotation detection sensor 9 and the flag 10 is shown in FIG. Therefore, the process is terminated as it is.
[0038]
Hereinafter, the details of the target rotation amount correction processing in step S805 will be described. When the motor 8 is driven again in the above step S809, the toner supply screw 11 rotates and toner is supplied into the developing device 5, but immediately after the toner supply, the toner concentration near the magnetic sensor 22 is not affected. Therefore, the magnetic sensor 22 cannot immediately detect a change in toner density (since it takes a long time for stirring). However, actually, since the toner is excessively supplied by re-driving the motor 8, the toner density in the developing device 5 is shifted from the target value.
[0039]
Therefore, when the motor 8 is driven again, the count value of the motor 8 is stored in the RAM in the printer control unit 13 in advance, and based on the target rotation amount of the toner supply screw 11 calculated in step S804 in the next toner supply sequence. The correction is performed by subtracting the stored count value.
[0040]
More specifically, assuming that the rotation amount of the toner supply screw 11 set through the processing of steps S802, S803, and S804 is 20 counts, the motor 8 is driven by 20 counts in the subsequent step S806. You. After that, the motor 8 is stopped, and after the stop, the output of the rotation detection signal is monitored for 300 msec. Since the output has changed three or more times, the motor 8 is driven again in step S808, the flag 10 is counted five times, and the process ends. .
[0041]
In this case, assuming that the target value set through the processing of steps S802, S803, and S804 in the subsequent toner supply sequence is 15 counts, in step S805, the count number at the time of re-driving in the previous sequence is 5 counts. Is considered, the count value in the case of actually driving is corrected to 15-5 = 10. Thus, in the subsequent step S806, the motor 8 is driven by 10 counts.
[0042]
As described above, for example, the waveform shown in FIG. 4 is obtained without the phototransistor of the rotation detecting sensor 9 being saturated, and even if it is difficult to determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, according to the present invention, By driving the motor again, it is possible to easily determine the driving state and the stopped state of the motor, and it is possible to prevent erroneous detection such as a failure of the motor driving circuit. In addition, even if the motor is stopped, the amount of toner replenished when the motor is driven again when the motor is erroneously detected as being driven is reduced at the time of the next toner replenishment, thereby making the developing device The toner concentration in the inside can be stably maintained.
[0043]
[Other embodiments]
An object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments are recorded to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or a CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatus. Can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0044]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is executed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU included in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus in which a rotation detection sensor detects a failure of a drive circuit of a toner replenishing motor, an error that the motor is driven by the CPU when the motor is stopped. Detection can be prevented.
[0046]
Further, it is possible to provide a high-quality image by preventing the deviation of the toner density which occurs when the above-mentioned erroneous detection is prevented, and stably maintaining the toner density in the developing device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a motor rotation detection mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a rotation detection sensor 9 and a flag 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an output waveform of a rotation detection signal according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a toner supply sequence process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a toner supply sequence process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a toner supply sequence process according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a toner cartridge and a developing device according to the present invention.

Claims (18)

A motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device;
Motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor,
A flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor;
A rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
After the rotation of the motor is stopped by the motor control means, when the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag, the motor control means further rotates the motor. apparatus. A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Means for determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
Motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the determined rotation speed,
The motor control means further rotates the motor when the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag after the flag has been rotated by the rotation number determined by the motor control means. Image forming apparatus. When the motor control means further rotates the motor, the rotation of the motor is controlled such that the flag and the rotation detection sensor have a positional relationship in which the rotation of the flag is not detected by the rotation detection sensor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Means for determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
Motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the determined rotation speed,
When the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag after the flag rotates in the first direction by the rotation speed determined by the motor control means, the motor control means sets the motor to the second rotation. The image forming apparatus is rotated in the direction of. The first direction is a rotation direction of the motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and the second direction is a rotation direction opposite to the first direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: When the motor control means rotates the motor in the second direction, the motor and the rotation detection sensor are so arranged that the flag and the rotation detection sensor have a positional relationship in which rotation of the flag is not detected by the rotation detection sensor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein rotation of the image forming apparatus is controlled. A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, An image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Means for determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
Correction means for correcting the determined rotation speed,
Motor control means for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the corrected rotation speed,
The motor control means further rotates the motor when the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag after the flag has been rotated by the rotation number determined by the motor control means. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the correction unit corrects the determined rotation speed based on the rotation speed when the motor is further rotated by the motor control unit. . A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: a motor for supplying toner in a toner cartridge to a developing device; a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor; and a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag.
A motor control step of controlling the rotation of the motor, the motor control step of further rotating the motor when the rotation detection sensor detects the rotation of the flag after the control of stopping the rotation of the motor. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, A control method of the image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
A motor control step of controlling the rotation of the motor based on the determined rotation speed,
In the motor control step, when the rotation of the flag is detected by the rotation detection sensor after the flag is rotated by the determined number of rotations by rotating the motor in the motor control step, the motor control step Further controlling the image forming apparatus. In the motor control step, when the motor is further rotated, the rotation of the motor is controlled such that the flag and the rotation detection sensor have a positional relationship in which the rotation of the flag is not detected by the rotation detection sensor. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, A control method of the image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
A motor control step of controlling the rotation of the motor based on the determined rotation speed,
When the rotation of the flag is detected by the rotation detection sensor after the flag is rotated in the first direction by the determined number of rotations by the rotation of the motor in the motor control step, the motor control is performed. In the method, the method includes rotating the motor in a second direction. The first direction is a rotation direction of the motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and the second direction is a rotation direction opposite to the first direction. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: In the motor control step, when rotating the motor in the second direction, the motor and the rotation detection sensor are arranged so that the rotation detection sensor has a positional relationship in which rotation of the flag is not detected by the rotation detection sensor. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein rotation of the image forming apparatus is controlled. A toner cartridge, a developing device, a density sensor for measuring a toner density in the developing device, a motor for supplying the toner in the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a flag that rotates in conjunction with the motor, A control method of the image forming apparatus comprising: a rotation detection sensor that detects rotation of the flag,
Determining the number of rotations of the flag based on the toner density by the density sensor;
A correction step of correcting the determined rotation speed,
A motor control step of controlling the rotation of the motor based on the corrected rotation speed,
In the motor control step, when the rotation of the flag is detected by the rotation detection sensor after the flag is rotated by the determined number of rotations by rotating the motor in the motor control step, the motor control step Further controlling the image forming apparatus. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein in the correction step, the determined rotation number is corrected based on the rotation number when the motor is further rotated by the motor control step. Control method. An image forming apparatus control program for causing a computer to execute the image forming apparatus control method according to any one of claims 9 to 16. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the control program for an image forming apparatus according to claim 17.

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