JP2007057632A - Remaining toner amount estimation system and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an image forming apparatus to report the remaining amount of toner in a change type toner cartridge more accurately. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 100 has units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K and a controller 30 which form toner images. Each unit includes a developing unit, an ATC sensor which detects the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit, and a change type toner cartridge which contains toner to be supplied to the developing unit. The controller 30 estimates the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge by a plurality of estimation systems and reports the remaining amount of toner estimated by a specified estimation system. The controller 30 decides precisions of estimation results by the respective estimation systems based on the output of the ATC sensor, specifies the estimation system having the highest precision, and employs the specified estimation system as a specified estimation system for reporting the remaining toner amount. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a replaceable toner cartridge, and a toner remaining amount estimation system used therefor.

  Some image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimiles are detachably mounted with a replaceable toner cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus. In such an image forming apparatus, detection and estimation of the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is important. If the toner runs out, the apparatus stops. If extra spare toner cartridges are stocked, there is a risk of loss. Therefore, in many apparatuses, a toner empty detection sensor is provided on the toner conveyance path from the toner cartridge to the developing device, and when this sensor detects near empty (the toner is low), a message prompting the user to replace the toner cartridge is displayed. Display on (UI). However, in a device with space-saving or low-cost constraints, it is not possible to provide a toner empty detection sensor, and it is necessary to estimate the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge from the integrated value of the driving time of the toner dispense motor and the number of copies. There is. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for counting the number of dispenses and estimating the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge from the count value.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-139473 JP 2001-305920 A

  However, in the configuration for estimating the remaining amount of toner, since the estimation accuracy is low, it is possible to accurately notify the remaining amount of toner (for example, near empty) in the toner cartridge as compared with the configuration in which the toner empty detection sensor is provided. Can not.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a toner remaining amount estimation system and an image forming apparatus that can more accurately notify the remaining amount of toner in a toner cartridge.

  A toner remaining amount estimation system according to the present invention includes a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image with toner, a toner remaining amount detection sensor that detects a remaining amount of toner in the developing unit, and a toner that is supplied to the developing unit. The remaining amount of toner used in an image forming apparatus comprising: a replaceable toner cartridge for storing toner; and a toner transport unit for transporting toner stored in the toner cartridge to the developer according to toner consumption of the developer An estimation system comprising: a toner remaining amount estimating unit that estimates a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge by a plurality of estimation methods; and a toner remaining amount estimated by a specific estimation method by the toner remaining amount estimating unit Determining the accuracy of the estimation result by each of the estimation methods based on the output of the remaining toner amount notification means and the remaining toner amount detection sensor, and specifying the most accurate estimation method It has an estimation accuracy determination unit that, the, the toner remaining amount notifying section, the estimation scheme identified by the estimation accuracy determination unit, characterized by employing as the specific estimation scheme.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, for each of the estimation methods, the estimation accuracy determination unit starts from a point in time when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge estimated by the estimation method reaches a predetermined remaining toner amount that is nearly empty. The toner consumption amount of the developing device is calculated until the toner remaining amount in the developing device detected by the toner remaining amount detection sensor reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount close to empty, and the calculated toner consumption amount and the target The accuracy is determined based on the difference from the toner consumption.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the plurality of estimation methods include a method for estimating the remaining amount of toner based on an integrated value of operation time of the toner conveying means, and an integration of the number of image pixels of the electrostatic latent image. And a method of estimating the remaining amount of toner based on the value.

  Also, in a preferred aspect of the present invention, the toner remaining amount notifying unit performs a notification prompting replacement of the toner cartridge at a predetermined notification timing based on the estimated toner remaining amount, and after performing the notification When the toner cartridge is replaced before the target replacement timing, the notification timing is corrected to be delayed. When the toner cartridge is replaced after the target replacement timing, the notification timing is advanced. to correct.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes any one of the above toner remaining amount estimation systems.

  The toner remaining amount estimation system according to the present invention is replenished to the developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image with toner, a toner remaining amount detection sensor that detects the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit, and the developing unit. A plurality of image forming apparatuses each having a replaceable toner cartridge for storing toner to be stored and a toner transport unit for transporting toner stored in the toner cartridge to the developer according to toner consumption of the developer. A toner remaining amount estimation system used, wherein for each image forming apparatus, toner remaining amount estimating means for estimating a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge by a plurality of estimation methods, and for each image forming apparatus, the toner A toner remaining amount notifying unit for notifying the remaining amount of toner estimated by the remaining amount estimating unit by a specific estimation method; and for each of the image forming apparatuses, the toner Based on the output of the amount detection sensor, an estimation accuracy determination means for determining the accuracy of the estimation result by each estimation method, the accuracy of each estimation method for each image forming apparatus determined by the estimation accuracy determination means, Based on the usage status of each image forming apparatus, a correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status is obtained, and an estimation method suitable for the usage status is determined for each image forming apparatus based on the correlation. For each of the image forming apparatuses, the remaining toner amount notifying unit employs the estimation method determined by the estimation method determination unit as the specific estimation method.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the toner remaining amount estimating means and the toner remaining amount notifying means are provided in each of the image forming apparatuses, and the estimation accuracy determining means and the estimation method determining means are each of the image forming apparatuses. Provided to a server connected via a communication line, and the server notifies the image forming apparatus of the estimation method determined by the estimation method determination unit, and a toner remaining amount notification unit of each image forming apparatus includes: The estimation method notified from the server is adopted as the specific estimation method.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a replaceable toner cartridge for storing toner to be replenished to a developing device, and at a predetermined notification timing based on a detected value or an estimated value of the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge. In the image forming apparatus that issues a notification for prompting replacement of the toner cartridge, when the toner cartridge is replaced before the target replacement timing after the notification for prompting replacement, the notification timing is corrected to be delayed. When the toner cartridge is replaced after the target replacement timing, the notification timing is corrected so as to be advanced.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the notification timing is a point in time when the detected value or estimated value of the remaining amount of toner reaches a determination threshold value. If the notification timing is replaced before the target replacement timing, the determination threshold value is set. Correction is made in the direction of decreasing, and when the replacement is made after the target replacement timing, the determination threshold is corrected in the direction of increasing.

  Further, in a preferred aspect of the present invention, when the difference between the usage status of the current toner cartridge by the user and the usage status of the previous toner cartridge by the user is not within a predetermined range, No correction based on the previous replacement timing is performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a remaining toner amount estimation system and an image forming apparatus that can more accurately notify the remaining toner amount in a toner cartridge.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus 100 including a toner remaining amount estimation system according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is an apparatus that prints an image on a recording material such as paper using toner, such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine. In particular, a replaceable toner cartridge is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is what is done. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem color electrophotographic full-color image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus 100 may be a monochrome image forming apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 100 includes four units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that form yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images, respectively. An intermediate transfer belt 20 that circulates in contact with one unit, and primary transfer rolls 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K (hereinafter referred to as “first transfer rollers”) that primarily transfer the toner images of the respective colors formed by the respective units to the intermediate transfer belt 20. (Referred to as “primary transfer roll 5” as appropriate), a secondary transfer roll 15 for secondary transfer of the toner image primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 to the recording material, and a toner image transferred to the recording material. And a fixing device (not shown) for fixing the recording material on the recording material by heating and pressing. The units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as “units 10”) of the respective colors have almost the same configuration.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram of the unit 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the unit 10 includes a photosensitive drum 1, a charger 2, and a developing device 4. In this unit 10, a toner image is formed as follows. That is, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) and is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the charger 2. The surface of the charged photosensitive drum 1 is irradiated with laser light corresponding to the image pattern by an exposure device 3 (shown in FIG. 1, specifically ROS: Raster Output Scanner), and electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image pattern are irradiated. An image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing device 4, and a toner image corresponding to the image pattern is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 by the primary transfer roll 5, and the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after transfer is removed by a cleaning device (not shown). Is done.

  The developing device 4 includes a developing container 4a, a developing roll 4b, and two spiral augers 4c and 4d. The developing container 4a contains a two-component developer containing toner and carrier. The developing roll 4b is disposed adjacent to the photosensitive drum 1 and rotates around the axis to supply the toner in the developing container 4a to the photosensitive drum 1. The two augers 4c and 4d are stirring and conveying members that convey the developer in the developing container 4a toward the developing roll 4b while stirring.

  The developing device 4 is provided with an ATC sensor 6 on the opposite side of the developing roller 4b in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the developing container 4a as a toner remaining amount detecting sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4. The ATC sensor 6 is a magnetic sensor that detects the toner concentration (actually magnetic permeability) of the developer in the developing container 4a and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the toner concentration to a control device 30 described later.

  The developing device 4 is connected to a replaceable toner cartridge 8 that stores toner to be supplied to the developing device 4 via a toner transport mechanism 7. The toner transport mechanism 7 is a mechanism for transporting the toner contained in the toner cartridge 8 to the developing device 4, and includes a pipe 7 a that connects the toner cartridge 8 and the developing device 4, and a non-container built in the pipe 7 a. The illustrated auger and a toner dispensing motor 7b for driving the auger are included. Further, an old / new detection sensor 9 for detecting replacement of the toner cartridge 8 is installed on the image forming apparatus main body side to which the toner cartridge 8 is mounted. When the new / old detection sensor 9 detects the replacement of the toner cartridge 8, the new / old detection sensor 9 outputs a signal indicating the replacement to the control device 30 described later.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 further includes a control device 30 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. The control device 30 functions as a toner remaining amount estimation system according to the present embodiment. Here, the control device 30 is a circuit board on which a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Member), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like are mounted, and the function is stored in a recording medium such as a ROM. The program is implemented by the CPU.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the control device 30. In FIG. 3, the control device 30 includes a toner conveyance control unit 31, a toner remaining amount estimation unit 32, a toner remaining amount notification unit 33, and an estimation accuracy determination unit 34. Hereinafter, the functional blocks 31 to 34 of the control device 30 will be described in detail.

  The toner conveyance control unit 31 controls the toner conveyance mechanism 7 according to the toner consumption of the developing device 4 and controls the toner supply from the toner cartridge 8 to the developing device 4. Specifically, the toner conveyance control unit 31 controls the rotation drive of the toner dispensing motor 7b based on the toner density (toner remaining amount) in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the toner conveyance control unit 31. In FIG. 4, the toner conveyance control unit 31 reads the output voltage value of the ATC sensor 6 (S11), and the difference ΔATC (= A0) between the toner remaining amount A indicated by the read output voltage value and the target toner remaining amount A0. -A) is calculated (S12). Next, the toner conveyance control unit 31 calculates the toner dispensing time from the calculated difference ΔATC (S13). At this time, as the difference ΔATC is larger, that is, as the current toner remaining amount A is smaller than the target toner remaining amount A0, the calculated toner dispensing time becomes longer. Then, the toner conveyance control unit 31 drives the toner dispensing motor 7b through the motor driving circuit (not shown) for the calculated toner dispensing time (S14). As a result, the toner dispensing motor 7b rotates and the auger in the pipe 7a rotates, and an amount of toner corresponding to the toner dispensing time is supplied from the toner cartridge 8 to the developing device 4. The above steps S11 to S14 are repeatedly executed.

  The toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 estimates the toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge 8 by a plurality of estimation methods. Here, the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 is obtained by subtracting the amount of toner consumption of the toner cartridge 8 from the initial amount of toner. Therefore, in order to estimate the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8, the toner cartridge 8 estimation of toner consumption is included. In this specification, “toner consumption amount of toner cartridge 8” means the amount of toner discharged from the toner cartridge 8, and means the amount of toner supplied from the developing device 4 to the photosensitive drum 1. The toner consumption amount of the device 4 is distinguished.

  In the present embodiment, as the plurality of estimation methods, toner that calculates an integrated value of the operating time of the toner dispense motor 7b (hereinafter referred to as “toner dispense integrated time”) as an estimated value of the toner consumption of the toner cartridge 8 is used. There are two methods: a dispense integration time method and a pixel integration value method for calculating an integrated value of the number of image pixels of an electrostatic latent image (hereinafter referred to as “pixel integrated value”) as an estimated value of toner consumption of the toner cartridge 8. An estimation method is adopted.

  The concept of the toner dispense integration time method is as follows. That is, the amount of toner discharged from the toner cartridge 8 is adjusted by the rotation time of the toner dispensing motor 7b, and has a correlation such as a proportional relationship with the rotation time. Therefore, the toner dispense integration time method uses this correlation.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure according to the toner dispense integration time method of the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32. In FIG. 5, the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 detects the rotation time of the toner dispensing motor 7b by monitoring the control signal of the toner conveyance control unit 31 (S21), and cumulatively adds the detected rotation time to the toner. The dispense integration time is calculated (S22). The above steps S21 to S22 are repeatedly executed.

  On the other hand, the concept of the pixel integration value method is as follows. In other words, the exposure apparatus 3 turns on and off the laser based on the image data in the bitmap format, neutralizes the portion corresponding to the pixel (image pixel) to be printed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and generates a static bitmap image. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing device 4 attaches toner to a portion of the electrostatic latent image that has been neutralized. Therefore, the amount of toner supplied from the developing device 4 to the photosensitive drum 1 has a correlation such as a proportional relationship with the number of image pixels of the electrostatic latent image. Then, an amount of toner corresponding to the amount of toner consumed by the developing device 4 is supplied from the toner cartridge 8 to the developing device 4 by the action of the toner conveyance control unit 31, so that the amount of toner discharged from the toner cartridge 8 is static. It can be said that there is a correlation such as a proportional relationship with the number of image pixels of the electrostatic latent image. Therefore, this correlation is used in the pixel integration value method.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure according to the pixel integration value method of the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32. In FIG. 6, the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 counts the number of image pixels that are laser-exposed by the exposure device 3 to obtain a pixel count value (S31). Specifically, the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 may acquire image data used for the laser exposure of the exposure device 3 and count the number of image pixels of the image data, or the laser exposure by the exposure device 3. The on-time may be counted. Then, the toner remaining amount estimating unit 32 calculates the pixel integrated value by accumulating the obtained pixel count value (S32). The above steps S31 to S32 are repeatedly executed. The image data includes a density control toner patch called an ADC (Auto Density Control) patch, a color misregistration detection pattern called a regicon pattern, and a toner band formed on the photosensitive drum 1 as a lubricant. Such image data is also included.

  By the way, when the toner cartridge 8 is replaced with a new one, the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 becomes the initial amount of toner. Therefore, in this case, the estimated value of the toner consumption amount (toner remaining amount) of the toner cartridge 8 by each estimation method needs to be cleared to the initial value.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure related to clearing the estimated value of the toner remaining amount estimating unit 32. In FIG. 7, the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 waits until the new / old detection sensor 9 detects the replacement of the toner cartridge 8 with a new one (S41: NO), and detects that the toner cartridge 8 has been replaced with a new one (S41: NO). (S41: YES), the toner remaining amount estimation unit 32 clears the toner dispense integration time and the pixel integration value to zero. The steps S41 to S42 are repeatedly executed.

  The toner remaining amount notifying unit 33 notifies the toner remaining amount estimated by the toner remaining amount estimating unit 32 using a specific estimation method. Here, the specific estimation method employed for the notification by the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 is an estimation method specified by the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 described later as having the highest estimation accuracy. However, the specification of the estimation method by the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 requires the consumption of at least one toner cartridge 8. For this reason, before the toner cartridge 8 is consumed, for example, when the toner cartridge 8 is used for the first time, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 uses a specific estimation method determined by another method (for example, an estimation set at the time of factory shipment). Method and estimation method set by the user or service engineer).

  As a mode for notifying the toner remaining amount, the toner remaining amount notifying unit 33 can notify appropriate information indicating the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 to an appropriate notification destination (such as a user or a maintenance center). In the present embodiment, the toner remaining amount is displayed on the UI (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100 in increments of 25%, and when the estimated toner remaining amount reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount close to empty, the toner cartridge 8 is displayed. Displays a message on the UI according to a state in which is close to the sky (referred to as a pre-near empty state).

  Further, the remaining toner amount notification unit 33 is in a state where the developing device 4 is nearly empty (referred to as a near empty state) when the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6 reaches a predetermined remaining toner amount close to empty. ) Is displayed on the UI.

  Further, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33, for example, when a predetermined amount of toner is consumed after the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6 reaches a predetermined remaining amount of toner that is nearly empty, When printing of the number of sheets or printing of a predetermined number of image pixels is performed, the developing device 4 displays a message corresponding to a substantially empty state (referred to as an empty state) on the UI and prohibits printing.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the remaining toner amount notifying unit 33 when the toner dispense integration time method is employed. In FIG. 8, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 determines whether the toner is in an empty state, specifically after the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6 reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount that is close to empty. Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of prints have been performed (S51).

  When it is determined that the printer is in an empty state, that is, a predetermined number of sheets have been printed after the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 has reached the predetermined toner amount (S51: YES), a message corresponding to the empty state. A message indicating that the toner is empty and cannot be printed is displayed on the UI, and printing is prohibited (S52). On the other hand, if this is not the case (S51: NO), whether or not it is in a nearly empty state, specifically, the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount of toner that is nearly empty. It is determined whether or not there is (S53).

  When it is determined that the toner is in the near empty state, that is, the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount of remaining toner (S53: YES), a 0% indicator is used as a message corresponding to the near empty state. A display and a message for prompting replacement of the toner cartridge 8 (toner replacement display) are displayed on the UI (S54). On the other hand, if not (S53: NO), it is determined whether or not the toner dispense integration time is less than 75% integration value (S55). Here, the 75% integrated value is a toner dispense integrated time estimated that the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 is 75% of the initial (full state), and is a preset value. For example, in a case where the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty when the toner dispense motor 7b rotates for the toner dispense integrated time T, the 75% integrated value is set to (0.25 × T). The same applies to the 50% integrated value and the 25% integrated value shown below.

  If it is determined that the value is less than 75% integrated value (S55: YES), a 100% indicator display is displayed on the UI (S56). If not (S55: NO), it is determined whether or not the toner dispense integration time is less than the 50% integration value (S57).

  When it is determined that the value is less than the 50% integrated value (S57: YES), a 75% indicator display is displayed on the UI (S58). If not (S57: NO), it is determined whether or not the toner dispense integration time is less than the 25% integration value (S59).

  When it is determined that the value is less than the 25% integrated value (S59: YES), a 50% indicator display is displayed on the UI (S60). If not (S59: NO), an indicator display of 25% is displayed on the UI (S61), and whether or not it is in a plenia empty state, specifically, a toner dispense integration time is a plenia empty threshold. It is determined whether or not Tpn is exceeded (S62). Then, if it is determined that the state is in the plenia empty state, that is, exceeds the plenia empty threshold Tpn (S62: YES), a message prompting the preparation of the spare toner cartridge 8 (spare) (Toner preparation display) is displayed on the UI (S63). Here, the plenia empty threshold value Tpn is a toner dispense integration time estimated that the remaining amount of toner is a predetermined remaining amount of toner that is nearly empty, and is a preset value. The plenia empty threshold Tpn is set within the range of (0.75 × T) <Tpn <T. The above steps S51 to S63 are repeatedly executed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the remaining toner amount notification unit 33 when the pixel integrated value method is employed. In FIG. 9, steps other than steps S75, S77, S79, and S82 are the same as the corresponding steps in FIG. Therefore, only steps S75, S77, S79, and S82 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In steps S75, S77, and S79, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 determines whether or not the pixel integrated value is less than the 75% integrated value, the 50% integrated value, and the 25% integrated value, respectively. The 75% integrated value here is a pixel integrated value that is estimated to be 75% of the toner remaining amount at the initial stage (full state), and is a preset value. For example, if only the pixel integrated value P is printed and the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty, the 75% integrated value is set to (0.25 × P). The same applies to the following 50% integrated value and 25% integrated value.

  In step S82, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 determines whether or not the pixel integrated value exceeds the plenia empty threshold value Ppn in order to determine whether or not the plenary empty state is present. Here, the pre-near empty threshold value Ppn is a pixel integrated value that is estimated to be a predetermined toner remaining amount in which the toner remaining amount is almost empty, and is a preset value. The plenia empty threshold Ppn here is set within the range of (0.75 × P) <Ppn <P.

  The estimation accuracy determination unit 34 determines the accuracy of the estimation result by each of the estimation methods based on the output of the toner remaining amount detection sensor, and identifies the estimation method with the highest accuracy. The outline of the accuracy determination by the estimated accuracy determination unit 34 is as follows.

  That is, when the toner cartridge 8 is empty, the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 does not increase even if the toner dispensing motor 7b is rotated. Therefore, in one aspect of the accuracy determination, the remaining toner amount detection sensor is defined as the timing when the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 does not increase even when the toner dispensing motor 7b is rotated, as the timing when the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty. Detect based on the output of. And the precision of the estimation result by each estimation method is determined based on the said detection timing. For example, the number of prints and the number of image pixels between the detection timing and the time point when the empty state of the toner cartridge 8 is estimated by a certain estimation method are obtained as estimation errors, and the accuracy of the estimation method is determined. Alternatively, the remaining amount of toner estimated by a certain estimation method at the detection timing is obtained as an estimation error, and the accuracy of the estimation method is determined.

  Further, when the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty, the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 does not increase even when the toner dispensing motor 7b is rotated, and decreases every time printing is performed. When a predetermined amount of toner is consumed after the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty, the remaining amount of toner decreases to a predetermined level that cannot be reached unless the toner cartridge 8 is empty. Therefore, in another aspect of the accuracy determination, a toner remaining amount detection sensor is a timing at which a predetermined amount of toner is consumed after the toner cartridge 8 is empty after the toner remaining amount is reduced to the predetermined level. Detect based on the output of. And the precision of the estimation result by each estimation method is determined based on the said detection timing. For example, the time point when the toner cartridge 8 becomes empty or near the predetermined toner remaining amount is calculated based on the detection timing and the previous print history, and the predetermined toner remaining amount is calculated according to the calculated time point and a certain estimation method. The number of prints and the number of image pixels from the point in time when the image is estimated are obtained as estimation errors, and the accuracy of the estimation method is determined. Alternatively, when a predetermined toner remaining amount of the toner cartridge 8 is estimated to be empty or nearly empty at a certain time point by a certain estimation method, the remaining toner amount at that time point is determined based on the detection timing and the previous print history. The difference between the calculated remaining toner amount and the predetermined remaining toner amount is obtained as an estimation error, and the accuracy of the estimation method is determined.

  In addition, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 decreases to near the empty state, the amount of toner supplied to the developing device 4 per unit toner dispensing time decreases. Therefore, in another aspect of the accuracy determination, the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 reaches a predetermined amount close to empty when the toner supply amount to the developing device 4 per unit toner dispensing time becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. The detected timing is detected based on the output of the remaining toner detection sensor. Then, the accuracy is determined based on the detection timing.

  In addition, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 decreases to a predetermined amount close to empty, the amount of toner supplied to the developing device 4 per unit toner dispensing time decreases, so that the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 reaches a predetermined level. Decrease. Therefore, in another aspect of the accuracy determination, the output of the toner remaining amount detection sensor is defined as the timing when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 reaches a predetermined amount close to empty, when the remaining amount of toner decreases to the predetermined level. Detect based on Then, the accuracy is determined based on the detection timing.

  Note that the accuracy determination by the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 is not limited to the above aspect, and may be realized by another aspect based on the same or similar concept as the above aspect.

  In the present embodiment, the estimation accuracy determination unit 34, for each of a plurality of estimation methods, when the toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge 8 estimated by the estimation method reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount close to empty ( That is, from the time when it is determined to be in the near-near state), when the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 4 detected by the ATC sensor 6 reaches a predetermined amount of toner that is nearly empty (that is, when it is determined to be in the near-empty state). The toner consumption amount of the developing device 4 is calculated up to and the accuracy is determined using the difference between the calculated toner consumption amount and the target toner consumption amount as an estimation error. Here, the toner consumption is expressed by the number of prints when printing is performed on an A4 size with an area coverage (print rate) of 5%.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the estimation accuracy determination unit 34. In FIG. 10, when the near empty state is detected by the ATC sensor 6, the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 determines when the pre-near empty is determined by the toner dispense integrated time method (that is, the toner dispense integrated time reaches the plenia empty threshold Tpn). The converted PV value P1 from the time when the near empty state is detected to the time when the near empty state is detected is calculated based on the print results in the period (S91). Here, the converted PV value is a print obtained by converting the actual number of printed sheets into the number of printed sheets when printing with A5 size and area coverage of 5% based on the recording material size and area coverage for each print. It is the number of sheets. In addition, the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 converts the PV from the time point when the near-null state is detected from the time point when the near-null state is detected by the pixel summation value method (that is, when the pixel summation value reaches the plenia empty threshold value Ppn). The value P2 is calculated based on the print results in the period (S92).

  Then, the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 determines which of the converted PV value P1 and the converted PV value P2 is closer to a preset target PV value (2.5 KPV in this case) (S93), and converts the converted PV value P1. Is closer (S93: P1), the toner dispense integration time method is specified as the most accurate estimation method (S94), and when the converted PV value P2 is closer (S93: P2), A pixel integrated value method is specified as a highly accurate estimation method (S95). The estimation method specified here is adopted as the estimation method for the next toner remaining amount notification. That is, after the toner cartridge 8 is replaced with a new one, for the new toner cartridge 8, the toner remaining amount notification unit 33 uses the estimation method specified by the estimation accuracy determination unit 34 as described above for the toner remaining amount notification. Adopt as a specific estimation method.

  The functional blocks 31 to 34 have been described in detail above, but the operation of the entire control device 30 will be briefly described below. The control device 30 estimates the toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge 8 by a plurality of estimation methods, and notifies the toner remaining amount estimated by a specific estimation method among the plurality of estimation methods. Then, when the near empty state is detected based on the output of the ATC sensor 6, the control device 30 determines the next estimation method depending on which estimation method can be estimated with the highest accuracy. That is, the accuracy of the estimation results by a plurality of estimation methods is determined, and the one with the highest accuracy is adopted for the next estimation method.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is estimated by a plurality of estimation methods, and the accuracy of the estimation result by each estimation method is determined based on the output of the toner remaining amount detection sensor of the developing device. The estimation method with the highest accuracy is identified, and the identified estimation method is adopted as the estimation method for toner remaining amount notification. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the remaining toner amount can be notified using an estimation method having the highest estimation accuracy among the plurality of estimation methods, and the remaining toner amount in the toner cartridge can be more accurately determined. It is possible to notify.

  Specifically, the toner supply amount from the toner cartridge to the developing unit per unit operating time of the toner dispensing motor and the toner consumption amount per unit image pixel are determined by the usage status of the apparatus by the user (usage frequency, monochrome / color ratio, It varies depending on the usage ratio of the paper type and paper size, the average number of pages in the job, the average number of pixels per page), environmental temperature and humidity, and the like. For this reason, the accuracy of estimation of the remaining amount of toner is affected by the usage status of the apparatus by the user and the environmental temperature and humidity. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to use an optimum estimation method for notifying the remaining amount of toner based on these influences.

  In the above-described embodiment, the toner dispense integration time method and the pixel integration value method are exemplified as the toner remaining amount estimation method. However, other estimation methods such as a method for estimating the toner remaining amount based on the cumulative number of prints are used. A method can also be adopted.

  In the above embodiment, the so-called two-component development method has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a so-called one-component development method. Further, the remaining toner detection sensor is not limited to a magnetic sensor, and may be another sensor such as a piezo sensor.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 1000 including a toner remaining amount estimation system according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the image forming system 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. 11, but the same reference numerals are used for portions common to the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted. For convenience of explanation, the toner dispense integration time method and the pixel integration value method are referred to as a first estimation method and a second estimation method, respectively.

  In FIG. 11, an image forming system 1000 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100A, 100B, and 100C, and a server 200 connected thereto via an appropriate communication line such as the Internet.

  The image forming apparatuses 100A, 100B, and 100C are almost the same as the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, but the function of the control device 40 is different. In the following description, image forming apparatuses 100A, 100B, and 100C are collectively referred to as “image forming apparatus 100” as appropriate.

  The server 200 is a server that obtains the estimation result and usage status of the toner remaining amount from each image forming apparatus 100 and determines an estimation method suitable for each image forming apparatus 100. For example, the manufacturer or sales of the image forming apparatus 100 Will be installed at the maintenance center.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the control device 40 and the server 200. Hereinafter, the control device 40 and the server 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 12, the control device 40 includes a toner conveyance control unit 41, a toner remaining amount estimation unit 42, and a toner remaining amount notification unit 43. Among these, the toner conveyance control unit 41 is the same as the toner conveyance control unit 31.

  The toner remaining amount estimation unit 42 estimates the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 by a plurality of estimation methods, and sends accuracy determination information and usage status information to the server 200. Here, the accuracy determination information is information used to determine the accuracy of the estimation result by each estimation method. In the present embodiment, the number of prints at the time of the plenia empty determination by the first estimation method, the second The number of prints at the time of determining the near near empty by the estimation method and the number of prints at the time of near empty detection are included. The usage status information is information indicating the usage status of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, the usage frequency, the monochrome / color ratio, the usage ratio of the paper type and the paper size, the average number of pages of the job, the average pixel count value per page, the environment Temperature and humidity. The accuracy determination information and the usage status information may be sent to the server 200 at appropriate timings. However, in the present embodiment, the toner remaining amount estimation unit 42 determines the accuracy when the near empty state is detected. The determination information and the usage status information are sent together to the server 200 via a communication interface (not shown).

  The toner remaining amount notifying unit 43 notifies the toner remaining amount estimated by the toner remaining amount estimating unit 42 using a specific estimation method. In the present embodiment, the specific estimation method employed for notification of the remaining amount of toner is determined by the server 200 as will be described later. However, before it is determined by the server 200, it may be determined by another method (for example, factory setting or user setting). Note that the estimation accuracy determination unit can be omitted in the present embodiment.

  The server 200 includes an information collection unit 201, an estimation accuracy determination unit 202, and an estimation method determination unit 203.

  The information collection unit 201 receives accuracy determination information and usage status information from each image forming apparatus 100 and stores the received information in a database. For example, when the information collecting unit 201 receives the information shown in FIG. 13A from the image forming apparatus 100A and receives the information shown in FIG. 13B from the image forming apparatus 100B, the information collecting unit 201 receives the information shown in FIG. Store in the database as in C).

  The estimation accuracy determination unit 202 refers to the database of the information collection unit 201 and determines the accuracy of the estimation result by each estimation method for each image forming apparatus 100. Specifically, the estimation accuracy determination unit 202 calculates the number of prints from the time of the near near empty determination to the time of near empty detection for each estimation method based on the accuracy determination information, and sets the calculated number of prints in advance. The difference from the target print number is obtained as an estimation error.

  The estimation method determination unit 203 uses the accuracy of each estimation method for each image forming apparatus 100 determined by the estimation accuracy determination unit 202 and the usage status information of each image forming apparatus 100 held in the information collection unit 201. Based on this correlation, the correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status is obtained, and an estimation method suitable for the usage status is determined for each image forming apparatus 100 based on the correlation. For example, the estimation method determination unit 203 obtains a relational expression f1 between the job average page number and the accuracy of the first estimation method and a relational expression f2 between the job average page number and the accuracy of the second estimation method. Then, using the relational expressions f1 and f2, the accuracy of each of the first estimation method and the second estimation method is calculated from the job average page number of the target image forming apparatus 100, and the higher estimation method is used. It is determined as an estimation method suitable for the situation.

  In addition, the estimation method determination unit 203 notifies each image forming apparatus 100 of the estimation method determined for each image forming apparatus 100. In accordance with this notification, the toner remaining amount notification unit 43 of each image forming apparatus 100 adopts the estimation method determined by the estimation method determination unit 203 as a specific estimation method for toner remaining amount notification.

  The functional blocks of the control device 40 and the server 200 have been described above, but the operation of the entire image forming system 1000 will be briefly described below. Each image forming apparatus 100 estimates the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 by a plurality of estimation methods, and notifies the remaining toner amount estimated by a specific estimation method among the plurality of estimation methods. When each image forming apparatus 100 detects a near empty state based on the output of the ATC sensor 6, the image forming apparatus 100 transmits accuracy determination information and usage status information to the server 200.

  The server 200 receives accuracy determination information and usage status information from each image forming apparatus 100 and holds them. Then, the server 200 determines the accuracy of each estimation method based on each collected accuracy determination information, obtains a correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status based on each collected usage status information, and An optimum estimation method corresponding to the usage status is determined for each image forming apparatus 100 using the correlation. Then, the server 200 instructs each image forming apparatus 100 on the determined estimation method.

  When each image forming apparatus 100 receives the above instruction from the server 200, the image forming apparatus 100 switches the estimation method used for notification of the remaining amount of toner according to the instruction.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the estimation results and usage status of each estimation method are collected from a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status is obtained based on the collected information. Then, an estimation method suitable for the use situation is determined for each image forming apparatus based on the correlation, and the determined estimation method is employed as an estimation method for toner remaining amount notification of each image forming apparatus. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status can be obtained using a large amount of information collected from a plurality of image forming apparatuses. An appropriate estimation method according to the usage status can be determined as an estimation method for toner remaining amount notification. In addition, since, for example, tens of thousands of sheets can be printed with one toner cartridge, the number of times of replacement of the toner cartridge and the number of determinations of estimation accuracy in a single image forming apparatus are limited. In contrast, in the present embodiment, estimation results by each estimation method are collected from a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the accuracy of each estimation method is determined, so an optimal estimation method based on more information is adopted early. can do. In addition, as described above, the accuracy of estimation of the remaining amount of toner is affected by the usage status of the apparatus by the user and the environmental temperature and humidity. According to the present embodiment, an optimum estimation method based on these effects is selected. It can be employed for toner remaining amount notification.

  In the above embodiment, the toner remaining amount estimating unit 32 and the toner remaining amount notifying unit 33 are provided on the image forming apparatus 100 side. However, these may be provided on the server 200 side.

[Third Embodiment]
The image forming apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment is almost the same as the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, but prompts the user to replace the toner cartridge 8 based on the replacement timing of the toner cartridge 8 by the user. The notification timing is corrected. Specifically, the functions of the control device 50 are different as follows.

  In the present embodiment, the control device 50 notifies the user of the replacement of the toner cartridge 8 at a predetermined notification timing based on the detected value or estimated value of the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8. Here, the detected value or estimated value of the remaining amount of toner includes an estimated value based on a toner dispense integrated time, a pixel integrated value, an accumulated number of prints, an output value of the ATC sensor 6, or a combination thereof, a toner cartridge 8 or the like. Examples include a detection value based on a sensor (not shown) that detects the remaining amount of toner. In other words, in the present embodiment, the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 8 may be detected or estimated. In the following description, the detected value and the estimated value are collectively referred to as “estimated value” as appropriate.

  When the toner cartridge 8 is replaced before a predetermined target replacement timing after the notification for prompting replacement, the control device 50 corrects the notification timing in the direction of delaying, and the toner cartridge 8 is replaced after the target replacement timing. In the case of replacement, the notification timing is corrected in a direction that is advanced. This is to correct the user's characteristic that the exchange is performed earlier or later than the target, and to make the exchange timing by the user closer to the target exchange timing. The notification timing corrected in this way is used for the next notification. That is, the notification timing corrected based on the replacement timing of a certain toner cartridge 8 is used for the toner cartridge 8 next to the toner cartridge 8.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the control device 50 displays a message prompting the replacement of the toner cartridge 8 when the estimated value of the remaining amount of toner reaches a predetermined first determination threshold value. It is displayed on a UI (not shown). Further, when the estimated value of the remaining amount of toner reaches a predetermined second determination threshold, a message that the toner is empty is displayed and printing is prohibited. Then, the target exchange value is set between the first determination threshold and the second determination threshold, and the control device 50 is used when the estimated value is exchanged before reaching the target exchange value (for example, at time t1). Is corrected so as to decrease the first determination threshold value, and when the estimated value is changed after being lower than the target replacement value (for example, at time t2), it is corrected so as to increase the first determination threshold value. At this time, the control device 50 may determine the correction amount according to the difference between the estimated value at the time of replacement and the target replacement value. For example, the correction amount may be a value obtained by multiplying the difference between them by a coefficient α (0 <α ≦ 1).

  In a preferred aspect of the present embodiment, the control device 50 determines the current time when the difference between the current usage status of the toner cartridge 8 and the previous usage status of the toner cartridge 8 is not within a predetermined range. The notification timing of the toner cartridge 8 is not corrected based on the previous replacement timing. That is, when the usage situation differs between the current time and the previous time, it is assumed that the user is likely to be different, and the notification timing correction based on the previous replacement timing is not performed. The usage status includes usage frequency, monochrome / color ratio, usage ratio of paper type and paper size, average job page count, average pixel count per page, or a combination thereof, and the difference is within a predetermined range. It can be determined by an appropriate method.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the toner cartridge is replaced before the target replacement timing after the notification for prompting replacement, the notification timing is corrected to be delayed, and the toner cartridge is replaced after the target replacement timing. In such a case, the notification timing is corrected so as to be advanced. For this reason, according to this Embodiment, the characteristic regarding a user's exchange timing can be correct | amended, and an exchange timing can be brought close to a target exchange timing.

  In this embodiment, when the difference between the usage status of the current toner cartridge and the usage status of the previous toner cartridge is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the current notification timing is not corrected based on the previous replacement timing. . For this reason, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid improper correction when the user is different between the previous time and the current time.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The image forming apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment is almost the same as the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. However, based on the replacement timing of the toner cartridge 8 by the user, the image forming apparatus 400 corresponds to the plenia empty state. The timing of message display (hereinafter referred to as “pre-empty display”) and the timing of message display (hereinafter referred to as “near-empty display”) according to the near empty state are corrected. Specifically, the function of the control device 60 is different as follows.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the control device 60. In FIG. 15, the control device 60 includes a toner conveyance control unit 61, a toner remaining amount estimation unit 62, and a toner remaining amount notification unit 63. Among these, the toner conveyance control unit 61 is the same as the toner conveyance control unit 31.

  Similar to the toner remaining amount estimating unit 32, the toner remaining amount estimating unit 62 estimates the toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge 8 by a plurality of estimation methods. In the following description, the toner dispense integration time and the pixel integration value are referred to as history data A and history data B, respectively.

  Similar to the toner remaining amount notifying unit 33, the toner remaining amount notifying unit 63, when the toner remaining amount estimated by the toner remaining amount estimating unit 62 reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount that is nearly empty (ie, When the pre-near empty state is reached, the pre-near empty display is performed. When the remaining amount of toner detected by the ATC sensor 6 reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount close to empty (that is, when the near empty state is reached), the near empty display is displayed. When a predetermined number of prints are performed from the near empty state (that is, when the empty state is reached), a message corresponding to the empty state (hereinafter referred to as empty display) is displayed.

  In the present embodiment, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 corrects the timing of the next plenia empty display and near empty display based on the replacement timing of the toner cartridge 8 by the user. Hereinafter, the correction will be described for each case.

(1) When the toner is replaced during the pre-near empty display FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining correction when the toner is replaced during the pre-near empty display. In this case, it is assumed that the timing of the pre-near empty display is too early, and the pre-near empty display timing is corrected to be delayed so that the use period of the toner cartridge 8 is lengthened. This correction may be performed by simply increasing the plenia empty threshold, but here it is performed as follows.

  That is, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 specifies history data having the smallest ratio of the history data in the near empty state to the design value among the history data at the replacement timing. In FIG. 16, since the ratio for the history data A is 110% and the ratio for the history data B is 90%, the history data B is specified. Then, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 selects an estimation method using the history data B (that is, a pixel integrated value method) as an estimation method for the next plenia empty display.

(2) When toner is replaced during near empty display FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining correction when toner is replaced during near empty display. In this case, it is assumed that the near empty display timing is too early, and the near empty display timing is corrected to be delayed so that the use period of the toner cartridge 8 is lengthened. This correction may be performed by correcting the remaining amount of toner for detecting the near empty state (actually, the threshold corresponding to the output of the ATC sensor 6) simply, but here it is as follows. Done.

  In other words, the remaining toner amount notification unit 63 has a ratio of the change amount of each history data between the near empty state and the target replacement timing to the design value of the change amount of each history data between the near empty state and the replacement timing. Identify the smallest historical data. In FIG. 17, since the ratio for the history data A is 100% and the ratio for the history data B is 70%, the history data B is specified. Then, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 calculates a difference ΔB between the design value of the change amount of the history data B between the near empty state and the target replacement timing and the change amount of the history data B between the near empty state and the replacement timing. calculate. The toner remaining amount notification unit 63 performs near-empty display at the timing when the amount of change in the history data B from that point in time reaches the difference ΔB after the near-empty state is detected by the ATC sensor 6 next time. And

(3) When Toner is Replaced with Empty Display FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining correction when toner is replaced with an empty display. In this case, it is assumed that the empty display timing is too late, and the near empty display timing is corrected to be advanced so that the replacement is performed earlier. This correction may be performed by a correction that simply increases a predetermined toner remaining amount (actually a threshold corresponding to the output of the ATC sensor 6) for detecting the near empty state. Done.

  That is, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 specifies history data having the largest ratio of the history data at the time of near empty detection to the design value of each history data in the near empty state. In FIG. 18, since the ratio for the history data A is 110% and the ratio for the history data B is 90%, the history data A is specified. Then, the remaining toner amount notifying unit 63 next time, when the history data A reaches the design value of the history data A in the near empty state, or when the near empty is detected by the ATC sensor 6, whichever is earlier. Is the near empty display timing.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 holds the user's usage status in the previous toner cartridge 8, and the user's usage status in the current toner cartridge 8 and the user in the previous toner cartridge 8. If the difference between the two is not within a predetermined range, the present plenia empty display and the near empty display timing correction based on the previous replacement timing are not performed.

  Specifically, when the toner is replaced during the display of the plenia empty, the toner remaining amount notification unit 63 holds usage history data at the time of the plenia empty and at the time of replacement as shown in FIG. Keep it. When the toner is replaced during the near empty display, as shown in FIG. 20, usage history data at the time of pre-near empty, near empty, and replacement is stored. When the toner is replaced with an empty display, as shown in FIG. 21, the usage history data at the time of pre-near empty, near empty, empty, and replacement is held. 19 to 21, the usage status history data includes the number of printed sheets P, the pixel count integrated value X, the dispense integrated time D, the color ratio (A4 conversion) C, the size ratio S, the job average page number N, and the average pixel count X. ~ Is shown. In addition, the data value is divided into data ranges (categories) by dividing each data item at a predetermined level.

  The remaining toner amount notification unit 63 compares the field of the previous usage status history data with the previous usage status history data with the current usage status history data and displays all the data items when performing the plenary empty display. Only when the data ranges match, the timing correction of the plenia empty display based on the previous replacement timing is performed. Similarly, when performing near empty display, comparing the near empty column of the previous usage history data with the current usage history data, and only when the data range matches for all data items, Correct the near empty display timing based on the previous replacement timing.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the timing of the plenia empty display and the near empty display is corrected based on the user replacement timing, the display timing can be optimized for each user, and more targeted It is possible to replace the toner cartridge at a close timing.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the remaining toner amount estimation system according to the first or second embodiment may include the function of the control device 50 or 60 according to the third or fourth embodiment. That is, in the first or second embodiment, the control device 30 or 40 may correct the near-empty or near-empty display timing based on the replacement timing of the toner cartridge.

  In addition, in a configuration in which the toner cartridge includes a nonvolatile memory, the control device writes data used for estimation of the remaining amount of toner, such as a toner dispense integration time, a pixel integration value, and a cumulative number of prints, to the nonvolatile memory. Is preferred.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus including a toner remaining amount estimation system according to a first embodiment. It is an enlarged block diagram of a unit. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the control apparatus in 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a toner conveyance control unit. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure according to a toner dispense integration time method of a toner remaining amount estimation unit. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure according to a pixel integrated value method of a toner remaining amount estimation unit. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure related to clearing an estimated value of a toner remaining amount estimating unit. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a toner remaining amount notification unit when a toner dispense integration time method is employed. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a toner remaining amount notification unit when a pixel integrated value method is employed. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of an estimation precision determination part. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system including a toner remaining amount estimation system according to a second embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the control apparatus and server in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the information for precision determination, and usage condition information. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the control apparatus in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the control apparatus in 4th Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining correction in a case where toner is replaced during a plenia empty display. FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing correction when toner is replaced during near empty display. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining correction when toner is replaced during empty display. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of usage status history data when toner is replaced during a plenia empty display. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of usage status history data when toner is replaced during near empty display. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of usage history data when toner is replaced during empty display.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive drum, 2 Charger, 3 Exposure apparatus, 4 Developer, 4a Developing container, 4b Developing roll, 4c, 4d Auger, 5 (5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K) Transfer roll, 6 ATC sensor, 7 Toner conveyance Mechanism, 7a Pipe, 7b Toner dispensing motor, 8 Toner cartridge, 9 Old / old detection sensor, 10 (10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K) unit, 20 Intermediate transfer belt, 30, 40, 60 Controller, 31, 41, 61 Toner Conveyance control unit, 32, 42, 62 Toner remaining amount estimation unit, 33, 43, 63 Toner remaining amount notification unit, 34 Estimation accuracy determination unit, 100, 100A, 100B, 100C Image forming apparatus, 200 server, 201 Information collection unit 202 Estimation accuracy determination unit, 203 Estimation method determination unit, 1000 Image forming system.

Claims (10)

A developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner;
A remaining toner detection sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit;
A replaceable toner cartridge for containing toner to be replenished to the developer;
Toner transporting means for transporting toner contained in the toner cartridge to the developing device in accordance with toner consumption of the developing device;
A remaining toner amount estimation system used in an image forming apparatus having:
Toner remaining amount estimating means for estimating the toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge by a plurality of estimation methods;
A toner remaining amount informing means for informing the toner remaining amount estimated by the specific estimation method by the toner remaining amount estimating means;
Estimation accuracy determination means for determining the accuracy of the estimation result by each of the estimation methods based on the output of the toner remaining amount detection sensor and specifying the estimation method with the highest accuracy;
The toner remaining amount notifying unit employs the estimation method specified by the estimation accuracy determining unit as the specific estimation method. The toner remaining amount estimation system according to claim 1,
For each of the estimation methods, the estimation accuracy determination means detects the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge estimated by the estimation method by the toner remaining amount detection sensor from a point in time when the toner amount reaches a predetermined toner amount that is nearly empty. The toner consumption amount of the developing device is calculated until the toner remaining amount in the developing device reaches a predetermined toner remaining amount close to empty, and based on the difference between the calculated toner consumption amount and the target toner consumption amount And determining the accuracy of the toner. The toner remaining amount estimation system according to claim 1 or 2,
The plurality of estimation methods include a method for estimating the remaining amount of toner based on an integrated value of the operation time of the toner conveying means, and an estimated amount of toner based on an integrated value of the number of image pixels of the electrostatic latent image. And a toner remaining amount estimation system. The toner remaining amount estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The toner remaining amount notifying means issues a notification prompting replacement of the toner cartridge at a predetermined notification timing based on the estimated toner remaining amount, and after the notification, the toner cartridge is notified before the target replacement timing. The remaining amount of toner is corrected so as to delay the notification timing when the toner cartridge is replaced, and is corrected so as to advance the notification timing when the toner cartridge is replaced after the target replacement timing. Estimation system.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner remaining amount estimation system according to claim 1. A developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner;
A remaining toner detection sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit;
A replaceable toner cartridge for containing toner to be replenished to the developer;
Toner transporting means for transporting toner contained in the toner cartridge to the developing device in accordance with toner consumption of the developing device;
A remaining toner amount estimation system used for a plurality of image forming apparatuses each having
For each of the image forming apparatuses, a toner remaining amount estimating unit that estimates a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge by a plurality of estimation methods;
For each of the image forming apparatuses, a toner remaining amount notifying unit that notifies the toner remaining amount estimated by the toner remaining amount estimating unit using a specific estimation method;
For each of the image forming apparatuses, based on the output of the toner remaining amount detection sensor, an estimation accuracy determination unit that determines the accuracy of the estimation result by each estimation method;
Based on the accuracy of each estimation method for each image forming device determined by the estimation accuracy determination means and the usage status of each image forming device, a correlation between the accuracy of each estimation method and the usage status is obtained, An estimation method determining means for determining an estimation method suitable for the use situation for each image forming apparatus based on the correlation,
For each of the image forming apparatuses, the toner remaining amount notification unit employs the estimation method determined by the estimation method determination unit as the specific estimation method. The toner remaining amount estimation system according to claim 6,
The toner remaining amount estimating means and the toner remaining amount notifying means are provided in each image forming apparatus,
The estimation accuracy determination means and the estimation method determination means are provided in a server connected to each image forming apparatus via a communication line,
The server notifies the image forming apparatus of the estimation method determined by the estimation method determination unit;
The toner remaining amount notifying unit of each of the image forming apparatuses employs an estimation method notified from the server as the specific estimation method. A replaceable toner cartridge that contains toner to be replenished to the developing unit, and a notification that prompts the user to replace the toner cartridge at a predetermined notification timing based on a detected value or an estimated value of the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge. In the image forming apparatus to perform,
When the toner cartridge is replaced before the target replacement timing after the notification for prompting the replacement, the notification timing is corrected to be delayed, and the toner cartridge is replaced after the target replacement timing. Correct | amends in the direction which advances the said alerting | reporting timing, The image forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.
The notification timing is a time when the detected value or estimated value of the remaining amount of toner reaches a determination threshold value,
When it is exchanged before the target exchange timing, the determination threshold value is corrected to be reduced, and when it is exchanged after the target exchange timing, the determination threshold value is corrected to be increased. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein
When the difference between the usage status of the current toner cartridge by the user and the usage status of the previous toner cartridge by the user is not within a predetermined range, the notification timing of the current toner cartridge is not corrected based on the previous replacement timing. An image forming apparatus.

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