JP2017191137A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus including toner containers that can reliably break the aggregation of toner inside container bodies.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises: toner containers 21 including container bodies that store toner; attachment parts to which the toner containers 21 are removably attached; lock members 45 that can regulate the removal of the toner containers 21 from the attachment parts; a display part 25 that displays removal notification urging removal of the toner containers 21 from the attachment parts; an aggregation detection part 53 that can detect the aggregation of toner inside the container bodies; and a control part 51 that, when the aggregation detection part 53 detects the aggregation of toner inside the container bodies, displays the removal notification on the display part 25, and when the aggregation detection part 53 does not detect the aggregation of toner inside the container bodies, operates the lock members 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a toner container having a container main body that stores toner.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a toner container having a container body that stores toner, and an image forming operation is performed using toner supplied from the toner container to a developing device. It has become.

  For example, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a toner container having a container main body for storing toner, a mounting portion on which the toner container is detachably mounted, and a lock member capable of restricting removal of the toner container from the mounting portion. Yes (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-258941

  When the toner container is left in a vertical state for a long time during transportation or storage of the toner container, the toner may be biased and aggregate in the container body of the toner container. When toner aggregates in the container body in this way, the toner cannot be replenished from the toner container to the developing device as it is, so the toner container is removed from the mounting portion, and the toner container is shaken to vibrate the toner in the container body. In general, the aggregation of the toner in the container body is released by giving

  However, in the image forming apparatus provided with the lock member as described above, if the lock member is activated even though the toner is aggregated in the container body, the toner container is removed from the mounting portion and shaken. It becomes difficult to cancel the aggregation of the toner in the container body.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus including a toner container that can reliably release toner aggregation in the container body.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a toner container having a container main body for containing toner, a mounting part to which the toner container is detachably mounted, and a lock member capable of regulating removal of the toner container from the mounting part. A display unit that displays a removal notification that prompts removal of the toner container from the mounting unit, an aggregation detection unit that can detect aggregation of toner in the container body, and the aggregation detection unit in the container body. A control unit that displays the removal notification on the display unit when detecting toner aggregation, and that activates the lock member when the aggregation detection unit does not detect toner aggregation in the container body; It is characterized by having.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the lock member from operating even though the toner is aggregated in the container main body. For this reason, it is possible to reliably release toner aggregation in the container body.

  The image forming apparatus further includes a bias detection unit capable of detecting the bias of the toner in the container main body, and the control unit detects the bias of the toner in the container main body when the bias detection unit does not detect the toner bias in the container main body, and The lock member may be operated when the aggregation detection unit does not detect toner aggregation in the container body.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not to operate the lock member based on the detection results of both the aggregation detection unit and the bias detection unit.

  One end portion in the longitudinal direction of the container body is tapered toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the container body, and the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the container body is along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the container body. The bias detection unit is a toner sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of toner contained in the one end in the longitudinal direction of the container body, and the control unit is one end in the longitudinal direction of the container body. When the toner sensor detects that there is no toner contained in the part, it may be determined that the toner in the container body is biased.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the toner in the container body is biased based on the detection result of the single toner sensor. Therefore, the configuration of the image forming apparatus can be simplified, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus can be suppressed.

  The bias detection unit can detect the presence / absence of toner contained in one end of the container main body in the longitudinal direction and the presence / absence of toner contained in the other longitudinal end of the container main body. A second toner sensor, wherein the control unit detects that the first toner sensor detects that no toner is contained in one end in the longitudinal direction of the container body; and When the second toner sensor detects that no toner is stored in the other end portion in the longitudinal direction, it may be determined that the toner in the container body is biased.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether the toner in the container body is biased without specializing the shape of the container body.

  The toner container further includes a transport member that transports toner contained in the container body, and the aggregation detection unit is a current sensor that can detect a current flowing in a drive source that rotates the transport member, and the control The unit may determine that the toner in the container body is aggregated when the current detected by the current sensor exceeds a threshold value.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the toner in the container body is aggregated.

  The control unit may maintain the operation state of the lock member until the toner in the container body becomes empty once the lock member is operated.

  By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to prevent a toner container in which the toner in the container body is not emptied from being accidentally used as a waste toner collection container. It can be used up reliably.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus including a toner container that can reliably release toner aggregation in the container body.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a toner container and a mounting portion in the multifunction machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control system for a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of toner supply control in the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a toner container and a mounting portion in a multifunction machine according to another different embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an MFP 1 (image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Arrows Fr, Rr, L, R, U, Lo attached to the respective drawings respectively indicate the front side, the rear side, the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the lower side of the multifunction machine 1.

  First, an outline of the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a box-shaped multifunction machine body 2 (apparatus body). An image reading device 3 for reading a document image is provided at the upper end portion of the multifunction machine main body 2. A paper discharge tray 4 is provided on the lower side of the image reading device 3 in the upper part of the multifunction machine main body 2.

  An intermediate transfer belt 5 is accommodated in a substantially central portion of the multifunction machine body 2. A cleaning mechanism 6 is provided on the left end side of the intermediate transfer belt 5.

  Four image forming units 7 are accommodated below the intermediate transfer belt 5 in a substantially central portion of the multifunction machine main body 2. Each image forming unit 7 corresponds to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners sequentially from the right side. Each image forming unit 7 includes a photosensitive drum 8 (image carrier), a charger 9, a developing device 10, a primary transfer roller 11, and a cleaning device 12. The intermediate transfer belt 5 is sandwiched between the primary transfer roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 8, and a primary transfer nip N <b> 1 is formed between the intermediate transfer belt 5 and the photosensitive drum 8.

  An exposure device 13 is accommodated below the four image forming units 7 in the lower part of the multifunction device main body 2. A sheet feeding cassette 14 is accommodated below the exposure device 13 at the lower end of the multifunction machine main body 2. The paper feed cassette 14 stores paper S (recording medium).

  A conveyance path 15 for the paper S is provided on the right side of the multifunction machine main body 2. A paper feed unit 16 is provided at the lower end (upstream end) of the transport path 15. A secondary transfer roller 17 is provided in the midstream portion of the transport path 15. A secondary transfer nip N <b> 2 is formed between the secondary transfer roller 17 and the intermediate transfer belt 5. A fixing device 18 is provided in the upper part (downstream part) of the transport path 15. A paper discharge unit 19 is provided at the upper end (downstream end) of the transport path 15.

  Four toner containers 21 (toner containers) are accommodated below the paper discharge tray 4 in the upper part of the multifunction machine main body 2. Each toner container 21 accommodates black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners in order from the right side. Each toner container 21 is detachably attached to four attachment portions 22. A waste toner bottle 23 is accommodated in the left end portion of the multifunction machine main body 2. The waste toner bottle 23 is detachably inserted into the insertion portion 24.

  A display unit 25 is provided on the front side of the image reading device 3 at the upper end of the multifunction machine main body 2. The display unit 25 includes, for example, various operation buttons and an operation panel.

  Next, the operation of the multifunction machine 1 having such a configuration will be described.

  When the MFP 1 is instructed to start printing, an image forming operation is performed as follows. First, the charger 9 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 8. Next, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 8 by light from the exposure device 13 (see arrow P in FIG. 1). Next, the developer 10 supplies toner supplied from each toner container 21 to the photoconductive drum 8, whereby the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum 8 is developed, and the photoconductive drum 8 is developed. A toner image is carried. This toner image is primarily transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 5 at the primary transfer nip N1. By performing the operation as described above in each image forming unit 7, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 5. The waste toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 8 after the image forming operation is collected by the cleaning device 12, transported from the cleaning device 12 to the waste toner bottle 23, and stored in the waste toner bottle 23.

  Further, the paper S taken out from the paper feed cassette 14 by the paper feed unit 16 is transported downstream in the transport path 15 and enters the secondary transfer nip N2. The full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 5 is secondarily transferred onto the paper S at the secondary transfer nip N2. The waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 5 after the completion of the secondary transfer is collected by the cleaning mechanism 6, transported from the cleaning mechanism 6 to the waste toner bottle 23, and stored in the waste toner bottle 23.

  The sheet S on which the toner image is secondarily transferred is further conveyed downstream along the conveyance path 15 and enters the fixing device 18. In the fixing device 18, the toner image is fixed on the paper S. The paper S on which the toner image is fixed is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 4 by the paper discharge unit 19.

  Next, each toner container 21 will be further described.

  Since the configuration of each toner container 21 is the same, only the toner container 21 that stores black toner (the toner container 21 arranged on the rightmost side in FIG. 1) will be described below, and the other toner containers 21 will be described. Description of is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toner container 21 includes a container main body 31, a conveyance screw 32 (conveyance member) accommodated in the container main body 31, a communication tag 33 fixed to the upper surface of the rear portion of the container main body 31, It has.

  A container body 31 of the toner container 21 has a cylindrical shape that is long in the front-rear direction. That is, in this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction of the container body 31. 2 indicates the inner side in the front-rear direction (the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the container body 31), and the arrow O in FIG. 2 indicates the outer side in the front-rear direction (the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the container body 31). The container main body 31 contains toner.

  A front end portion 31Fr (one end portion in the front-rear direction) of the container main body 31 is tapered (pointed) toward the front side (the front-rear direction outer side). A cylindrical front bearing portion 35 projects from the inner surface of the front end portion 31Fr of the container body 31.

  The rear end 31Rr (the other end in the front-rear direction) of the container body 31 has a flat plate shape along the plane Y orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and does not have a tapered shape. A cylindrical rear bearing portion 36 projects from the inner surface of the rear end portion 31Rr of the container main body 31. A toner discharge port 37 is provided at the rear of the bottom surface of the container body 31.

  The conveying screw 32 of the toner container 21 includes a screw shaft 39 and a helical fin 40 provided around the screw shaft 39. The screw shaft 39 extends along the front-rear direction. That is, in this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the axial direction of the transport screw 32. The front end portion of the screw shaft 39 is pivotally supported by the front bearing portion 35 of the container body 31, and the rear end portion of the screw shaft 39 is pivotally supported by the rear bearing portion 36 of the container body 31. With such a configuration, the conveying screw 32 is supported by the container body 31 so as to be rotatable about the screw shaft 39. The fins 40 are provided with an interval from the inner peripheral surface of the container body 31.

  The communication tag 33 of the toner container 21 has an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) function. The communication tag 33 includes a nonvolatile memory (not shown). In this memory, various information (for example, model number, date of manufacture, serial number, usage history, toner color, etc.) relating to the toner container 21 is stored.

  Next, each mounting portion 22 will be further described.

  Since the configuration of each mounting unit 22 is the same, only the mounting unit 22 (the mounting unit 22 disposed on the rightmost side in FIG. 1) to which the toner container 21 that stores black toner is mounted will be described below. The description of other mounting portions 22 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 22 has a cylindrical shape that is long in the front-rear direction. A toner container 21 is detachably attached to the attachment portion 22. 2 indicates the mounting direction of the toner container 21 to the mounting unit 22 (in this embodiment, the direction from the front side toward the rear side).

  A supply pipe 42 is provided along the vertical direction at the lower rear portion of the mounting portion 22. The internal space of the supply pipe 42 communicates with the internal space of the developing device 10 of the image forming unit 7.

  A communication board 43 is attached to the rear upper part of the mounting portion 22. The communication board 43 has an RFID function. The communication board 43 is opposed to the communication tag 33 of the toner container 21 with an interval, and has a function of performing wireless communication with the communication tag 33. Specifically, the communication board 43 has a function (reader / writer function for the memory) of writing various information to a non-volatile memory provided in the communication tag 33 and reading various information from the memory.

  A toner sensor 44 (bias detection unit) is provided at the front lower portion of the mounting unit 22. The toner sensor 44 is provided so as to be able to detect the presence or absence of toner contained in the front end portion 31Fr (the tapered portion) of the container body 31 of the toner container 21. The toner sensor 44 is constituted by a magnetic permeability sensor, for example, and outputs a first level voltage (empty level voltage) when it is detected that no toner is stored in the front end portion 31Fr of the container body 31. When it is detected that there is toner contained in the front end portion 31Fr of the container main body 31, a second level voltage different from the first level voltage is output.

  A lock member 45 is provided at the front lower portion of the mounting portion 22. The lock member 45 has a lock release position (see a solid line in FIG. 2) that allows the toner container 21 to be removed from the mounting portion 22 and a lock position (see two in FIG. 2) that restricts the toner container 21 from being removed from the mounting portion 22. (See dotted line).

  Next, the control system of the multifunction machine 1 will be further described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the multifunction device 1 is provided with a control unit 51. The control unit 51 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the operation of each unit of the multifunction machine 1.

  The control unit 51 is connected to a toner motor 52 (drive source). The toner motor 52 is connected to the conveyance screw 32 of each toner container 21, and the toner motor 52 is configured to rotate the conveyance screw 32 based on a signal from the control unit 51.

  The control unit 51 is connected to the current sensor 53 (aggregation detection unit). The current sensor 53 is provided so as to detect a current flowing through the toner motor 52.

  The control unit 51 is connected to the communication board 43. As described above, the communication board 43 has a function of performing wireless communication with the communication tag 33 of each toner container 21.

  The control unit 51 is connected to a drive unit 54 configured by a solenoid or a motor, and the drive unit 54 is connected to the lock member 45. And if the drive part 54 operates the lock member 45 based on the signal from the control part 51, the lock member 45 will be from a lock release position (refer the continuous line of FIG. 2) to a lock position (refer the dashed-two dotted line of FIG. 2). Is configured to move. Further, when the drive unit 54 releases the operation of the lock member 45 based on a signal from the control unit 51, the lock member 45 is moved from the lock position (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) to the lock release position (see the solid line in FIG. 2). ).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 51 is connected to a remaining amount sensor 55 provided in the developing device 10. The remaining amount sensor 55 is provided so as to be able to detect the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10.

  The control unit 51 is connected to the toner sensor 44. As described above, the toner sensor 44 is provided so as to be able to detect the presence or absence of toner contained in the front end portion 31Fr of the container body 31 of the toner container 21.

  The control unit 51 is connected to each image forming unit 7, and each image forming unit 7 is configured to execute an image forming operation based on a signal from the control unit 51.

  The control unit 51 is connected to the display unit 25, and is configured such that the display unit 25 displays various notifications based on signals from the control unit 51.

  The control unit 51 is connected to the storage unit 56. The storage unit 56 stores a reference value St for the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10. The storage unit 56 stores a current threshold Th detected by the current sensor 53.

  Next, an operation of supplying toner from the toner container 21 to the developing device 10 (hereinafter, “toner supply operation”) will be described.

  When the toner supply operation is executed, the toner motor 52 rotates the conveying screw 32 of the toner container 21. When the conveying screw 32 rotates in this way, as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 2, the toner accommodated in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is conveyed from the front side to the rear side by the conveying screw 32. The toner conveyed to the rear part of the container main body 31 is discharged from the toner discharge port 37 of the container main body 31 and is supplied to the developing device 10 of the image forming unit 7 through the supply pipe 42 as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. To be replenished.

  Next, control when a new toner container 21 is mounted on the mounting portion 22 (hereinafter referred to as “toner supply control”) will be described with reference to FIG.

  When a new toner container 21 is mounted on the mounting unit 22, the control unit 51 causes the communication substrate 43 to read various information stored in the memory of the communication tag 33 of the toner container 21 (step S101).

  Next, the control unit 51 causes the toner sensor 44 to detect the presence or absence of toner (hereinafter referred to as “front end side toner”) contained in the front end portion 31Fr of the container main body 31 of the toner container 21 (step S102). It is determined whether there is no side toner (step S103). Specifically, when the toner sensor 44 outputs the first level voltage described above, the control unit 51 determines that there is no front-end toner, and the toner sensor 44 outputs the second level voltage described above. In this case, it is determined that the front end side toner is present.

  When step S103 is NO, the control unit 51 determines that toner aggregation does not occur because the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is not biased. In this case, the control part 51 operates the lock member 45 by the drive part 54 (step S104). Thereby, the removal of the toner container 21 from the mounting portion 22 is restricted.

  Next, the control unit 51 causes the image forming unit 7 to execute an image forming operation (step S105). When the image forming operation is completed, the control unit 51 causes the remaining amount sensor 55 to detect the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10 (step S106), and the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10 detected by the remaining amount sensor 55 is detected. It is determined whether or not it is less than the reference value St stored in the storage unit 56 (step S107).

  When step S107 is NO, the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10 is sufficient, so the process returns to step S105 and the control unit 51 causes the image forming unit 7 to execute an image forming operation.

  On the other hand, when step S107 is YES, since the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10 is insufficient, the above-described toner supply operation is executed (step S108).

  Next, the control unit 51 causes the remaining amount sensor 55 to detect the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 10 again (step S109). It is determined again whether it is less than the reference value St stored in (step S110).

  If NO in step S110, the toner is supplied from the toner container 21 to the developing device 10 by the toner supply operation. Therefore, the control unit 51 determines that the toner container 21 is not empty. Therefore, returning to step S105, the control unit 51 causes the image forming unit 7 to execute an image forming operation.

  On the other hand, when step S110 is YES, the toner is not supplied from the toner container 21 to the developing device 10 even if the toner supply operation is performed. Therefore, the control unit 51 sets the toner container 21 to an empty state. Judge that it is. Therefore, the control unit 51 stops the image forming operation by the image forming unit 7 (step S111), and releases the operation of the lock member 45 by the driving unit 54 (step S112). Thereby, removal of the toner container 21 from the mounting portion 22 is allowed.

  Next, the control unit 51 causes the display unit 25 to display an empty state notification for notifying that the toner container 21 has become empty (step S113). This empty state notification includes, for example, a message such as “the toner in the toner container has become empty. Please remove the toner container from the mounting unit and mount a new toner container on the mounting unit”. When step S113 ends, the toner replenishment control ends.

  On the other hand, if step S103 is YES, the controller 51 determines that the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is biased, and drives the toner motor 52 (step S114).

  Next, the control unit 51 causes the current sensor 53 to detect the current flowing through the toner motor 52 (step S115), and determines whether the current detected by the current sensor 53 exceeds the threshold value Th stored in the storage unit 56. (Step S116).

  When step S116 is NO, the control unit 51 determines that no overcurrent flows through the toner motor 52 and the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is not aggregated. In this case, the control part 51 operates the lock member 45 by the drive part 54 (step S104). Thereby, the removal of the toner container 21 from the mounting portion 22 is restricted. The subsequent steps (step S105 to step S113) are the same as in the case where step S103 is NO, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  On the other hand, when step S116 is YES, the control unit 51 determines that the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is aggregated. In this case, the control unit 51 causes the display unit 25 to display a removal notification that prompts removal of the toner container 21 from the mounting unit 22 (step S117). This removal notification includes, for example, a message such as “Please remove the toner container from the mounting portion, shake it well, and then remount it to the mounting portion”. When step S117 ends, the toner replenishment control ends.

  In the present embodiment, when the current detected by the current sensor 53 exceeds the threshold Th, it is determined that the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is aggregated, and the current detected by the current sensor 53 is equal to or less than the threshold Th. If it is, it is determined that the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 is not aggregated (step S116). As described above, in this embodiment, the toner aggregation in the container main body 31 can be detected by the current sensor 53. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the toner in the container body 31 is aggregated.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the front end portion 31Fr of the container main body 31 of the toner container 21 is tapered toward the front side. Therefore, the toner container 21 cannot be placed vertically with the front end portion 31Fr of the container body 31 facing down. On the other hand, the rear end portion 31Rr of the container body 31 has a flat plate shape along the plane Y orthogonal to the front-rear direction. Therefore, it is possible to place the toner container 21 vertically with the rear end portion 31Rr of the container body 31 facing down. Accordingly, when the toner container 21 is placed vertically for a long time during transportation or storage, the rear end portion 31Rr of the container body 31 is necessarily on the lower side, and the toner is placed on the rear end side of the container body 31. Therefore, the above-mentioned front end side toner is eliminated.

  Therefore, when the toner sensor 44 detects that the front end side toner is not present, the control unit 51 determines that the toner in the container body 31 is biased, and the toner sensor 44 detects that the front end side toner is present. In this case, it is determined that the toner in the container main body 31 is not biased (see step S103). Thus, in this embodiment, the toner sensor 44 can detect the deviation of the toner in the container body 31. Therefore, based on the detection result of the single toner sensor 44, it can be determined whether or not the toner in the container body 31 is biased. Therefore, the configuration of the multifunction device 1 can be simplified, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the multifunction device 1 can be suppressed.

  By the way, in the multifunction machine 1 of the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the toner container 21 in which the toner in the container body 31 is empty is inserted into the insertion portion 24 and used as the waste toner bottle 23. When such a configuration is adopted, if the toner container 21 in which the toner in the container main body 31 is not empty is erroneously inserted into the insertion portion 24, it becomes difficult to use up the toner in the container main body 31. .

  Therefore, once the lock member 45 is operated, the control unit 51 maintains the operation state of the lock member 45 until the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 becomes empty (see Steps S104 to S112). . By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the toner container 21 in which the toner in the container main body 31 is not emptied from being accidentally used as the waste toner bottle 23, so The toner can be used up reliably.

  On the other hand, when the operation state of the lock member 45 is maintained until the toner in the container main body 31 becomes empty as described above, the lock member 45 does not move even though the toner is aggregated in the container main body 31. If activated, the toner container 21 cannot be detached from the mounting portion 22 and cannot be shaken, and it becomes difficult to release the aggregation of the toner in the container body 31.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the current sensor 53 detects toner aggregation in the container body 31, the control unit 51 displays a removal notification on the display unit 25 (see steps S116 and S117), and the current sensor 53 When the toner aggregation in the container body 31 is not detected, the control unit 51 activates the lock member 45 (see steps S116 and S104). By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the lock member 45 from operating even though the toner is aggregated in the container main body 31. For this reason, it is possible to reliably release toner aggregation in the container body 31.

  Further, the control unit 51 activates the lock member 45 when the toner sensor 44 does not detect the deviation of the toner in the container body 31 and when the current sensor 53 does not detect the aggregation of the toner in the container body 31. (See steps S103, S104, S116). By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not to activate the lock member 45 based on the detection results of both the current sensor 53 and the toner sensor 44.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the single toner sensor 44 is used as the bias detection unit has been described. On the other hand, in another different embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first toner sensor 61 capable of detecting the presence or absence of toner contained in the front end portion 31Fr (one end portion in the front-rear direction) of the container body 31, and the container The second toner sensor 62 that can detect the presence or absence of toner contained in the rear end portion 31Rr (the other end portion in the front-rear direction) of the main body 31 may be used as the bias detection unit. In this case, when the first toner sensor 61 detects that the toner stored in the front end portion 31Fr of the container main body 31 is not present, and the toner stored in the rear end portion 31Rr of the container main body 31 is When the second toner sensor 62 detects the absence, it can be determined that the toner in the container body 31 is biased. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the toner in the container body 31 is biased without specializing the shape of the container body 31.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the fins 40 of the conveying screw 32 of the toner container 21 are provided via the inner peripheral surface of the container main body 31 is described. On the other hand, in another different embodiment, the fin 40 of the conveying screw 32 of the toner container 21 may be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container main body 31.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the toner discharge port 37 is provided in the rear portion (the portion on the side away from the toner sensor 44) of the bottom surface of the container main body 31 of the toner container 21 has been described. On the other hand, in another different embodiment, the toner discharge port 37 may be provided in the front portion (portion on the side close to the toner sensor 44) of the bottom surface of the container main body 31 of the toner container 21.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the remaining amount sensor 55 for detecting that the toner in the container main body 31 of the toner container 21 is empty is provided separately from the toner sensor 44 has been described. On the other hand, in another different embodiment, the toner sensor 44 may be used in combination as a sensor for detecting that the toner in the container body 31 of the toner container 21 has become empty.

  In this embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to the multifunction device 1 has been described. However, in another different embodiment, the configuration of the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus other than the multifunction device 1 such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile. It is also possible to apply.

1 MFP (image forming device)
21 Toner container (toner container)
22 mounting part 25 display part (display part)
31 container main body 31Fr (container main body) front end (longitudinal one end)
31Rr (the container body) rear end (the other end in the longitudinal direction)
32 Conveying screw (conveying member)
44 Toner sensor (bias detector)
45 Locking member 51 Control unit 53 Current sensor (aggregation detection unit)
61 First toner sensor (bias detector)
62 Second toner sensor (bias detector)
Y A plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the container body)

Claims (6)

A toner container having a container body for containing toner;
A mounting portion to which the toner container is detachably mounted;
A lock member capable of regulating removal of the toner container from the mounting portion;
A display unit for displaying a removal notification for prompting removal of the toner container from the mounting unit;
An aggregation detection unit capable of detecting aggregation of toner in the container body;
When the aggregation detection unit detects aggregation of toner in the container main body, the display unit displays the removal notification, and when the aggregation detection unit does not detect toner aggregation in the container main body, An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that operates the lock member. A bias detection unit capable of detecting the bias of the toner in the container body;
The control unit activates the lock member when the bias detection unit does not detect toner bias in the container body and when the aggregation detection unit does not detect toner aggregation in the container body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. One end in the longitudinal direction of the container body is tapered toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the container body,
The other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the container body forms a flat plate shape along a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the container body,
The bias detection unit is a toner sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of toner contained in the one longitudinal end of the container body,
The control unit determines that the toner in the container body is biased when the toner sensor detects that there is no toner contained in the one end in the longitudinal direction of the container body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. The bias detection unit is
A first toner sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of toner contained in one longitudinal end of the container body;
A second toner sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of toner contained in the other longitudinal end of the container body;
The control unit detects when the first toner sensor detects that there is no toner contained in the one end in the longitudinal direction of the container main body, and toner contained in the other end in the longitudinal direction of the container main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the second toner sensor detects that there is no toner, the toner in the container body is determined to be biased. The toner container further includes a conveying member that conveys toner accommodated in the container body,
The aggregation detection unit is a current sensor capable of detecting a current flowing in a drive source that rotates the transport member,
The said control part judges that the toner in the said container main body has aggregated, when the electric current which the said current sensor detects exceeds a threshold value. Image forming apparatus.   The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein once the lock member is operated, the operation state of the lock member is maintained until the toner in the container main body becomes empty. The image forming apparatus described.

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