JP2016206320A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that continuously stores various types of information in a storage part even when a toner cartridge is moved to a replaceable position.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a toner cartridge that can be inserted or withdrawn into/from an image forming apparatus body; and a storage part that is provided on the toner cartridge to store at least information on the toner cartridge, and is connected to the image forming apparatus body when the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus body. The toner cartridge 28 can be moved from an attachment position to the image forming apparatus body to a replaceable position of the toner cartridge while the connection between the storage part 83 and the image forming apparatus body 2 is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, a toner cartridge configured to be insertable / removable into / from an image forming apparatus main body, and information stored at least on the toner cartridge provided in the toner cartridge. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a storage unit connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus when mounted on the main body.

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a charging device charges the surface of an electrostatic latent image carrier (for example, a photoreceptor), and an exposure device exposes the charged area according to image information to form an electrostatic latent image. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image with toner.
The developing device includes a toner cartridge. For example, a toner cartridge that has used up the toner is extracted from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a new toner cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for moving a toner cartridge to a replaceable position when an instruction to replace the toner cartridge is given. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 discloses a technique for releasing the lock of the toner cartridge cover and facilitating the replacement when the replacement of the toner cartridge is instructed.
If a non-genuine toner cartridge is used, the image quality is likely to deteriorate and the image forming apparatus may be damaged. Furthermore, if the administrator of the image forming apparatus can know, for example, the model number of the toner cartridge or whether it is a new one, it is useful for managing the toner cartridge. For example, Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose technologies in which a toner cartridge is provided with a storage unit capable of rewriting information, and data is transmitted and received in a non-contact manner with the image forming apparatus main body.

JP 2013-29676 A JP 2011-8142 A JP 2007-187907 A JP 2004-326125 A

  However, when the toner cartridge moves to a replaceable position and communication between the toner cartridge side and the image forming apparatus main body side is disconnected, various information cannot be stored in the storage unit. In addition, when data is transmitted and received in a non-contact manner, there is a problem that the storage unit may malfunction due to the influence of noise generated by electronic components in the image forming apparatus main body.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an image forming apparatus that continuously stores various types of information in a storage unit even when the toner cartridge moves to a replaceable position. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a first technical means of the present invention includes a toner cartridge configured to be insertable / removable into / from an image forming apparatus body, and stores at least information relating to the toner cartridge provided in the toner cartridge. A storage unit connected to the image forming apparatus main body when the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, wherein the toner cartridge includes the storage unit and the image forming unit. The toner cartridge can be moved from the mounting position to the image forming apparatus main body to the replaceable position of the toner cartridge while the connection with the apparatus main body is maintained.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the storage unit includes a non-volatile memory and a substrate that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body through a connection terminal. And the length of the connection terminal of the storage unit is longer than the distance that the toner cartridge moves from the mounting position to the image forming apparatus main body to the replaceable position. is there.

  According to a third technical means, in the second technical means, the image forming apparatus main body includes a storage unit connector that contacts the connection terminal of the storage unit via a connection terminal, and the toner cartridge includes the image forming apparatus. And a guide member for guiding the movement of the connector for the storage unit in contact with the storage unit when moving from the mounting position to the main body to the replaceable position.

  According to a fourth technical means, in the second or third technical means, the connection terminal of the storage unit has a ground terminal, and the ground terminal is formed longer than a terminal other than the ground terminal, or , Formed wider than terminals other than the ground terminal, or formed more than terminals other than the ground terminal, or disposed near the center of the substrate than terminals other than the ground terminal, It is characterized by being provided in the said board | substrate in either.

  According to a fifth technical means, in the first technical means, the storage unit has a wireless IC tag, and the image forming apparatus main body is replaceable from a position where the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. It has a tag antenna that is installed at an intermediate point up to a position and maintains a connection with the wireless IC tag.

  According to the present invention, since the connection between the storage unit of the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body is maintained even when the toner cartridge moves to the replaceable position, various information is continuously stored in the storage unit. be able to.

1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a mounted state of a toner cartridge and a drive unit. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge. It is a perspective view of the drive unit carrying the connector for memory | storage parts of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the connector for memory | storage parts of 1st Embodiment, and a memory | storage part. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining attachment of a toner cartridge and the like. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the drive unit of FIG. It is a figure explaining the connector for memory | storage parts and a memory | storage part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the memory | storage part of 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 1 can perform predetermined image processing on image data transmitted from an external device via a network and output a color image or a monochrome image on a sheet. Although an example of a printer will be described with reference to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus of the present invention performs predetermined image processing on image data read by a scanner or the like, and can output a color image or a monochrome image on paper. It may be a machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes, for example, a supply unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a transport unit 30, and a fixing unit 40 inside a box-shaped image forming apparatus main body 2. The supply unit 10 supplies the paper to the image forming unit 20 at a predetermined timing, and the image forming unit 20 forms a toner image on the paper.
Specifically, the supply unit 10 includes a paper feed tray 11 and a manual feed tray 12, and the paper in the paper feed tray 11 and the manual feed tray 12 is sent to the image forming unit 20 through a pickup roller 13 and a conveyance roller 14.

The image forming unit 20 is, for example, a tandem system, and includes four stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B for a yellow image, a magenta image, a cyan image, and a black image.
The yellow image station 20Y is disposed in the vicinity of the belt cleaning device 34, and the black image station 20B is disposed in the vicinity of the fixing unit 40, and the yellow image station 20Y is viewed in the moving direction of the conveyance belt 33 of the conveyance unit 30. Station 20Y for magenta, station 20M for magenta image, station 20C for cyan image, and station 20B for black image.

  Each station 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20B has substantially the same components. For this reason, in FIG. 1, reference numerals are assigned to the components of the yellow image station 20Y, and the reference numerals of the components of the other stations 20M, 20C, and 20B are omitted. In addition to the above four colors, for example, light cyan (LC) or light magenta (LM) having the same hue as cyan or magenta and low density may be added.

The yellow image station 20Y will be described as an example. The station 20Y has a photosensitive member 21. Around the photosensitive member 21, the charging device 22, the exposure device 23, and the developing device are seen in the rotation direction. 24, the transfer roller 25, and the photoconductor cleaning device 26 are arranged in this order.
The photosensitive member 21 has a cylindrical shape, and its surface is formed of, for example, OPC (organic photoconductor) or the like, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by a driving device (not shown).

The charging device 22 includes, for example, a roller that is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor 21 and uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 21 with a predetermined polarity (for example, minus). In addition to the contact roller method, a charging device such as a brush method or an ion emission method may be used.
The exposure device 23 irradiates the surface of the charged photoconductor 21 with laser light based on the image data, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 21. An exposure apparatus such as a writing head in which light emitting elements such as LEDs are arranged in an array may be used in addition to a laser scanning apparatus (LSU) including a laser irradiation unit and a reflection mirror.

  The developing device 24 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 21 with toner to form a visible image (also referred to as a toner image). The toner is supplied from a toner cartridge 28 connected to the developing device 24 and is charged with the same polarity (for example, minus) as the surface potential of the photoconductor 21. An intermediate hopper 27 for temporarily storing toner is provided between the toner cartridge 28 and the developing device 24. The toner cartridge 28 may contain only toner or a mixture of carriers.

The transfer roller 25 faces the photoconductor 21 with the conveyance belt 33 interposed therebetween. When a bias voltage having a reverse polarity (for example, plus) to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 25, the toner image on the photoreceptor 21 is transferred to the sheet on the conveyance belt 33.
The photoconductor cleaning device 26 removes toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 21 after transfer to the paper, and the toner removed from the photoconductor 21 is collected, for example, inside the photoconductor cleaning device 26.

  The conveyance unit 30 includes a driving roller 31, a driven roller 32, and a conveyance belt 33. For example, the driving roller 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the fixing unit 40, the driven roller 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the belt cleaning device 34, and the conveyance belt 33 is wound around the driving roller 31 and the driven roller 32. In the case of outputting a color image, when the conveyor belt 33 moves in the direction of arrow Z, the toner images of the respective colors from the stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are sequentially transferred to the conveyor belt 33, and then, from the conveyor belt 33 to the sheet Transcribed.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a heating roller 41 and a pressure roller 42, and fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper at the nip portion. When outputting only the front surface of the paper, the paper sent from the fixing unit 40 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 50.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the toner cartridge and the drive unit, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, and is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 28 includes a container body 60 that is elongated along the horizontal direction. The toner cartridges 28 are provided for each color. In the example described with reference to FIG. 1, a total of four toner cartridges 28 are arranged in the image forming apparatus main body 2.

In the image forming apparatus main body 2, a total of four cartridge storage units 80, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, respectively corresponding to the toner cartridges 28 of each color, are installed. is set up.
The front cover 64 is located on the rear end surface with respect to the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 28, and the toner cartridge 28 is advanced in the cartridge housing portion 80 along the longitudinal direction with the opposite side to the front cover 64 as the head. As shown in FIG. 2, when the toner cartridge 28 is connected to the drive unit 29, the toner in the container main body 60 can be stirred and conveyed by the driving force of the motor 70 of the drive unit 29. On the other hand, when the toner cartridge 28 is moved backward with respect to the drive unit 29 with the front cover 64 at the head, the toner cartridge 28 can be extracted from the cartridge housing portion 80.

As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a toner conveying member 61 and an agitating member 62 are arranged in parallel in the container main body 60 of the toner cartridge 28.
The toner conveying member 61 includes a rotation shaft 61b, a screw 61a provided around the rotation shaft 61b, and a drive transmission member 61c provided at the tip of the rotation shaft 61b. The toner transport member 61 is connected to the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via the drive transmission member 61 c outside the container main body 60, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70.

  The stirring member 62 includes a sheet 62a made of, for example, PET, a rotation shaft 62b, and a drive transmission member 62c. The sheet 62a is formed in a flexible thin plate shape that can contact the inner surface of the container body 60, for example. Has been. The agitating member 62 is connected to the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via the drive transmission member 62 c outside the container main body 60 and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70, similarly to the toner conveying member 61.

A partition wall 63 is provided between the toner conveying member 61 and the stirring member 62, and the toner stirred by the stirring member 62 reaches the periphery of the toner conveying member 61 beyond the partition wall 63. The toner collected around the toner transport member 61 is transported by the toner transport member 61 and travels toward the intermediate hopper 27 described with reference to FIG.
The toner cartridge 28 includes a storage unit 83 on the side opposite to the front cover 64 and above the drive transmission member 62c, for example. The storage unit 83 includes an IC chip (for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a contact-type CRUM (Customer Replaceable Unit Memory)) or a wireless IC tag. In addition, you may have a barcode and QR code (trademark).

(First embodiment)
4 is a perspective view of the drive unit on which the storage unit connector according to the first embodiment is mounted. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the storage unit connector and the storage unit according to the first embodiment. (A) and FIG. 5 (B) are seen from the upper left as in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 29 includes, for example, drive transmission members 71, 72, and 73 that transmit the driving force of the motor 70. The drive transmission member 71 is formed so as to be connectable to the drive transmission member 61 c shown in FIG. 3, and transmits the driving force of the motor 70 to the toner conveyance member 61. The drive transmission member 72 is formed to be connectable to the drive transmission member 62 c and transmits the driving force of the motor 70 to the stirring member 62.

Here, the drive unit 29 has, for example, a toner cartridge extrusion device. Specifically, it includes an eject cam 75, an eject arm 77, and an arm position detection sensor 78, and the arm 77 is formed so that the toner cartridge 28 described with reference to FIGS.
The drive transmission member 73 is connected to a cam 75, and the cam 75 is configured to be rotatable by the driving force of the motor 70, for example. The shaft of the cam 75 is connected to a one-way clutch (not shown), and the cam 75 idles in a predetermined rotation direction. The cam 75 may be rotatable by the power transmitted from the drive transmission member 72 instead of the drive transmission member 73.

  The cam 75 shown in FIG. 4 is, for example, a three-dimensional cam, and a convex portion 75b and a flat portion 75c are provided around the shaft portion 75a. The convex portion 75 b is abutted toward the arm 77 within a range corresponding to, for example, ¼ circumference of the shaft portion 75 a, and is formed with a height that can contact the arm 77. On the other hand, the flat portion 75c is provided in a range corresponding to, for example, 3/4 of the shaft portion 75a and is formed lower than the convex portion 75b.

The arm 77 has a shaft portion 77a extending in the direction perpendicular to the axis line in the vicinity of the cam 75, and an arm portion 77b rotatable with respect to the shaft portion 77a. Further, a spring 77c (for example, a torsion coil spring) is installed on the shaft portion 77a, and urges the arm portion 77b in a direction in which the arm portion 77b is separated from the toner cartridge 28.
An arm position detection sensor 78 having, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided in the vicinity of the arm part 77b. When the arm part 77b blocks light from the light emitting element, the arm 77 is pushed out (eject position). Can also be detected. The arm position detection sensor 78 and the shaft 77 a of the arm 77 are fixed to a pedestal 78 a extending from the lower end of the drive unit 29.

  For example, a storage unit connector 90 is provided above the drive transmission member 72. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the storage unit connector 90 includes an engagement unit 91 that engages with the storage unit 83. The engaging portion 91 is formed, for example, in a U-shaped cross section, and has an upper surface 91a and a lower surface 91b that face each other in the vertical direction. On the lower surface 91 b of the engaging portion 91, for example, a rectangular connection terminal 92 formed of four terminals, that is, a ground terminal, an input terminal, a control voltage terminal, and an output terminal, is directed from the front side to the back side of the engaging portion 91. And extend side by side along the left-right direction.

  For example, four cables 94 connected to the connection terminal 92 are drawn from the back side of the engaging portion 91. The cable 94 extends to the rear of the motor 70 via a relay unit 29b installed on the upper surface of the support base 29a shown in FIG. 4, and is connected to a control unit (not shown) mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. . The control unit receives data from the storage unit 83 connected to the storage unit connector 90 and writes the data to the storage unit 83.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the drive unit includes, for example, a guide member 93 on which the storage unit connector 90 is placed. The guide member 93 is provided with a stopper 93a that comes into contact with the inner side of the engaging portion 91 of the storage unit connector 90 when the toner cartridge reaches the mounting position on the drive unit, and the toner cartridge can be replaced. A stopper 93b that comes into contact with the front side of the engaging portion 91 when the position is reached is provided.

On the other hand, the storage unit 83 includes, for example, a flat substrate 84, and the upper surface 84a can be seen in FIG. Bosses 86 that can be engaged with the engaging portions 91 of the storage unit connector 90 described with reference to FIG.
A device (not shown) including an EEPROM or the like is mounted on the substrate 84. For example, information on the toner cartridge 28 such as the model number of the toner cartridge, the manufacturing location, the color of the toner, the remaining amount of toner, and whether it is new. Can be stored. Note that data relating to the image forming apparatus such as the number of images formed and data for determining the developing bias can also be stored.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5C in which the storage unit 83 of FIG. 5B is turned upside down, the bottom surface 84b of the substrate 84 has, for example, four terminals, an earth terminal, an input terminal, a control voltage terminal, and an output terminal. Rectangular connection terminals 85 formed of books are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction. The length of the connection terminal 85 of the storage unit 83 is, for example, longer than the distance that the toner cartridge moves from the mounting position to the drive unit to the replaceable position.

  When the toner cartridge is attached to the drive unit, the storage unit connector 90 is in contact with the stopper 93b described with reference to FIG. 5A, and the storage unit 83 moves when the toner cartridge moves in the direction closer to the drive unit. However, it moves together with the toner cartridge in a posture in which the connection terminal 85 faces downward, and comes into contact with the storage unit connector 90. The storage unit connector 90 is pushed by the storage unit 83 and moves along the guide member 93 in the direction approaching the drive unit. Next, for example, when the movement of the storage unit connector 90 is stopped by the stopper 93a, the substrate 84 is inserted into the engagement unit 91, and the connection terminal 85 of the storage unit 83 and the connection terminal 92 of the storage unit connector 90 contact each other. Then, the storage unit 83 and the storage unit connector 90 are electrically connected. When the boss 86 of the storage unit 83 is engaged with the upper surface 91a of the engagement unit 91, the connection terminal 85 and the connection terminal 92 come into contact so as to press.

  FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the cartridge housing portion, FIG. 6B is a view showing a state where the toner cartridge is attached, and FIG. 6C is a view showing a replaceable state of the toner cartridge. . As shown in FIG. 6A, the cartridge storage unit 80 has a storage opening 81 formed in a rectangular shape, for example, and is formed elongated toward the drive unit 29 described with reference to FIG. Can accept.

  Specifically, the toner cartridge 28 is advanced along the longitudinal direction with the storage portion 83 described in FIG. 5 as the head, and is inserted into the cartridge storage portion 80 from the storage opening 81 shown in FIG. When the toner cartridge 28 is advanced until it is connected to the drive unit 29 described with reference to FIG. 4 with the front cover 64 visible to the user, for example, the rear surface of the front cover 64 (the surface opposite to the surface visible to the user). ) Comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the storage opening 81, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the cartridge storage portion 80 has a predetermined gap between the back surface of the front cover 64 and the storage opening 81 to hold the front cover 64. For example, a gap that allows a user's finger to enter is not formed.

  According to the first embodiment, the front cover 64 is positioned on the front side of the storage opening 81, but the user cannot hold the front cover 64 because the back surface of the front cover 64 is hidden. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner cartridge from being removed from the image forming apparatus main body.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the drive unit of FIG. In the present embodiment, the operation of the drive unit 29 shown in FIG. 4 is switched based on, for example, a detection signal from a toner detection device (not shown). For example, a piezoelectric sensor can be used to detect the remaining amount of toner, and when there is a carrier other than the toner, the remaining amount of toner can be detected using, for example, a magnetic permeability sensor.

  Specifically, the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 rotates normally until the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected as zero. Accordingly, the drive transmission members 71 and 72 shown in FIG. 4 rotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, and the toner conveying member 61 and the agitating member 62 shown in FIG. 3 rotate to convey and agitate the toner. . When the motor 70 rotates in the forward direction, the drive transmission member 73 rotates, for example, clockwise as viewed in FIG. The clockwise rotation direction by the drive transmission member 73 is restricted by the one-way clutch, and the power of the motor 70 is not transmitted to the cam 75, and the cam 75 continues to idle at that position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 75 b of the cam 75 remains apart from the arm 77, and the arm 77 is maintained at a position where the toner cartridge 28 is not pushed out (also referred to as a home position).

  On the other hand, when it is detected that the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is zero, the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 is reversed. Accordingly, for example, the drive transmission members 71 and 72 shown in FIG. 4 rotate clockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, the drive transmission member 73 rotates counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, and the cam 75 also rotates counterclockwise. Rotate. Then, when the cam 75 rotates counterclockwise by, for example, about 90 ° from the position of FIG. 4, the convex portion 75 b of the cam 75 starts to push the arm 77. Subsequently, when the cam 75 rotates, for example, 180 ° counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 75b reaches the position where the arm 77 is pushed most, so the arm 77 is in the eject position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the arm 77 is pushed by the convex part 75b of the cam 75, the arm part 77b of the arm 77 resists the biasing force of the spring 77c in the plan view of FIG. Since it rotates around, the toner cartridge 28 can be pushed out.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, only the toner cartridge 28 is pushed out toward the user side by about 15 mm, for example, so that the user's finger enters between the back surface of the front cover 64 and the storage opening 81, for example. Since the gap is formed, the user can grasp the front cover 64.
When the toner cartridge 28 is pushed out toward the user side, as shown in FIG. 7, the storage unit connector 90 and the storage unit 83 are moved along the guide member 93 until they come into contact with the stopper 93b described in FIG. Move toward the user.

Thus, even when the toner cartridge moves to the replaceable position where the user can grasp the front cover, the connection between the storage unit 83 and the storage unit connector 90 is maintained. Various types of information can be continuously stored in the storage unit.
In addition, if the contact method is used for the connection between the image forming apparatus main body side and the toner cartridge side, it is difficult to be affected by the noise generated by the electronic components in the image forming apparatus main body, thereby providing a memory unit that is less likely to malfunction. it can.

  When the user then grabs the front cover and pulls out the toner cartridge, for example, the movement of the storage unit connector 90 is stopped by the stopper 93b described in FIG. 5, so that only the storage unit 83 is driven together with the toner cartridge. Move further away from the unit. Thereby, the contact between the connection terminal 85 of the storage unit 83 and the connection terminal 92 of the storage unit connector 90 is released, and the storage unit 83 is detached from the storage unit connector 90.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the length of the connection terminal 85 of the storage unit 83 is longer than the moving distance of the toner cartridge has been described. However, the length of the connection terminal 92 of the storage unit connector 90 is made longer than the moving distance of the toner cartridge, or both the connection terminal 85 of the storage unit 83 and the connection terminal 92 of the storage unit connector 90 are both. The length may be longer than the moving distance of the toner cartridge. Further, although an example in which the toner cartridge is pushed out based on the remaining amount of toner has been described as an example, when a trouble occurs in the toner cartridge, or for example, the removal of the toner cartridge is set by the operation unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body. In this case, the toner cartridge may be pushed out.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the storage unit connector and the storage unit according to the second embodiment. A storage unit 83a is provided at the tip of the toner cartridge 28 in the same manner as the structure described in FIG. The storage unit 83a has a wireless IC tag. For example, an antenna 83b is provided on the lower surface of the storage unit 83a. Note that the communication distance of this wireless IC tag is about several centimeters and has resistance to noise. The wireless IC tag can be either a passive type or an active type.

  On the other hand, a tag antenna 90b is provided on the support base 29a of the drive unit, and the tag antenna 90b is connected to a reader / writer (not shown). The tag antenna 90b is installed, for example, so that its center is located at the midpoint of the moving distance of the toner cartridge 28, and can communicate with the antenna 83b. Therefore, when the toner cartridge 28 is in the mounting position described with reference to FIG. 6B, as shown in FIG. 8A, various types of image forming apparatuses and toner cartridges are communicated by communication between the tag antenna 90b and the antenna 83b. Can be stored in the storage unit.

  Even when the toner cartridge 28 is in the replaceable position described with reference to FIG. 6C, the communication strength between the tag antenna 90b and the antenna 83b of the storage unit 83a is as shown in FIG. 8B. The toner cartridge 28 is maintained in the same manner as when it is in the mounting position. Therefore, various types of information regarding the image forming apparatus and the toner cartridge can be continuously stored in the storage unit.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a storage unit according to the third embodiment. For example, a ground terminal 85a, an input terminal 85b, a control voltage terminal 85c, and an output terminal 85d are provided on the substrate 84 of the storage unit as connection terminals. As shown in FIG. 9A, the ground terminal 85a is provided. May be formed longer than the other terminals 85b, 85c, 85d. Accordingly, when the toner cartridge is mounted on the drive unit, the ground terminal 85a can contact the storage unit connector before the other terminals 85b, 85c, and 85d, and when the toner cartridge is removed, the ground terminal 85a. Can be separated from the memory connector after the other terminals 85b, 85c, 85d. Even if the connector for the storage unit is configured to be movable and the contact with the storage unit is likely to be unstable, the grounding terminal can contact more stably than other terminals. Improves noise immunity.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9B, the ground terminal 85a may be formed wider than the other terminals 85b, 85c, and 85d. Alternatively, when the number of connection terminals is an odd number (for example, five), as shown in FIG. 9C, the ground terminal 85a is placed at the center of the substrate 84 rather than the other terminals 85b, 85c, 85d, 85e. You may arrange in the vicinity. This is because the vicinity of the center of the substrate 84 is difficult to warp even when an external force is applied, and it is easy to maintain contact with the storage unit connector. Alternatively, when the number of connection terminals is an odd number (for example, five), the ground terminals are more than the other terminals 85b, 85c, and 85d as in the ground terminals 85a and 85a ′ shown in FIG. Many may be formed. Also in these cases, the ground terminal can contact the storage unit connector more stably than the other terminals.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Image forming apparatus main body, 10 ... Supply part, 11 ... Paper feed tray, 12 ... Manual feed tray, 13 ... Pickup roller, 14 ... Conveyance roller, 20 ... Image forming part, 20Y, 20M, 20C , 20B ... Station, 21 ... Photoconductor, 22 ... Charging device, 23 ... Exposure device, 24 ... Development device, 25 ... Transfer roller, 26 ... Photoconductor cleaning device, 27 ... Intermediate hopper, 28 ... Toner cartridge, 29 ... Drive Unit, 29a ... support base, 29b ... relay unit, 30 ... conveying unit, 31 ... drive roller, 32 ... driven roller, 33 ... conveying belt, 34 ... belt cleaning device, 40 ... fixing unit, 41 ... heating roller, 42 ... Pressure roller, 50... Paper discharge tray, 60... Container body, 61... Toner transport member, 61 a... Screw, 61 b. 62 ... Stirring member, 62a ... Sheet, 62b ... Rotating shaft, 62c ... Drive transmission member, 63 ... Partition wall, 64 ... Front cover, 70 ... Motor, 71, 72, 73 ... Drive transmission member, 75 ... Eject cam, 75a ... Shaft part, 75b ... Projection part, 75c ... Flat part, 77 ... Eject arm, 77a ... Shaft part, 77b ... Arm part, 77c ... Spring, 78 ... Arm position detection sensor, 78a ... Base, 80 ... Cartridge storage part , 81, storage opening, 83, 83 a, storage unit, 83 b, antenna, 84, substrate, 84 a, upper surface, 84 b, lower surface, 85, connection terminal of the storage unit, 85 a, 85 a ′, ground terminal, 85 b, input terminal, 85c ... Control voltage terminal, 85d ... Output terminal, Other terminals 85e, 86 ... Boss, 90 ... Storage portion connector, 90b ... Tag antenna, 91 ... engaging portion, 91a ... Top surface, 91 ... lower surface 92 ... connector connection terminal, 93 ... guide member, 93a, 93 b ... stopper, 94 ... cable.

Claims (5)

A toner cartridge configured to be insertable into and removable from the image forming apparatus main body, and stores at least information about the toner cartridge provided in the toner cartridge, and the image when the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus comprising a storage unit connected to the forming apparatus main body,
The toner cartridge is movable from a mounting position to the image forming apparatus main body to a replaceable position of the toner cartridge while maintaining a connection between the storage unit and the image forming apparatus main body. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The storage unit includes a non-volatile memory and a substrate that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body through a connection terminal.
The length of the connection terminal of the storage section is longer than the distance that the toner cartridge moves from the mounting position to the image forming apparatus main body to the replaceable position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The image forming apparatus main body has a storage unit connector that contacts the connection terminal of the storage unit via a connection terminal, and the toner cartridge is moved from the mounting position to the image forming apparatus main body to the replaceable position. An image forming apparatus comprising: a guide member that guides movement of the storage unit connector in contact with the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The connection terminal of the storage unit has a ground terminal, and the ground terminal is formed longer than a terminal other than the ground terminal, or is formed wider than a terminal other than the ground terminal, or The image is characterized in that it is provided on the substrate in either of a larger number than the terminals other than the ground terminal, or disposed near the center of the substrate than the terminals other than the ground terminal. Forming equipment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The storage unit includes a wireless IC tag, and the image forming apparatus main body is installed at an intermediate point from a mounting position of the toner cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body to the replaceable position, and the wireless IC tag An image forming apparatus having a tag antenna that maintains the connection of

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