JP2018060076A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that enables a user to use a used supply toner container as a waste toner container.SOLUTION: A control part 8 of an image forming apparatus 10 acquires the weight of toner in a supply toner bottle 41 when the supply toner bottle 41 is determined to be empty on the basis of an output from a magnetic permeability sensor 43. The control part 8 acquires the weight of toner in a waste toner bottle 65 attached to a waste toner bottle attachment part as an output from a weight sensor 67. The control part 8 acquires a conversion value obtained by converting the weight of toner in the supply toner bottle 41 into the output value from the weight sensor 67. The control part 8 compares the conversion value with the output from the weight sensor 67 to determine whether or not the supply toner bottle 41 determined to be empty is attached to the waste toner container attachment part as the waste toner bottle 65.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a waste toner container.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method using a developer containing toner includes a waste toner container that collects waste toner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The waste toner container is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus. A used replenishment toner container may be used as the waste toner container.

  In the image forming apparatus, when the amount of waste toner in the waste toner container exceeds a predetermined amount, the user is notified of this fact. The user can grasp the replacement timing of the waste toner container by checking the notification.

JP-A-3-101786

  However, when the used replenishment toner container is not used as a waste toner container, it is necessary for the user to prepare a waste toner container separately from the replenishment toner container and use the waste toner container. If the user does not have the waste toner container, the image forming apparatus cannot be used until the waste toner container is prepared. Therefore, it is highly necessary for the user to use the used replenishment toner container as a waste toner container.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a user to use a used replenishment toner container as a waste toner container.

  An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a developing unit, a transfer unit, a cleaning unit, a waste toner container, a waste toner container mounting unit, a first toner amount acquisition processing unit, a replenishment toner container, a replenishment toner container mounting unit, A first determination processing unit, a second toner amount acquisition processing unit, and a second determination processing unit are provided. The developing unit forms a toner image on the image carrier. The transfer unit transfers the toner image to a transfer material. The cleaning unit collects waste toner remaining on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier to the transfer material. The waste toner container accommodates waste toner collected from the image carrier by the cleaning unit. The waste toner container mounting portion is configured to detachably mount the waste toner container. The first toner amount acquisition processing unit acquires a toner amount in the waste toner container mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit. The replenishment toner container stores toner to be replenished to the developing unit. The replenishing toner container mounting portion is detachably mounted with the replenishing toner container. The first determination processing unit determines whether or not the toner amount in the replenishing toner container mounted on the replenishing toner container mounting unit is in a first state in which the toner amount falls below a predetermined first threshold value. The second toner amount acquisition processing unit acquires a toner amount in the replenishment toner container at the time when the first determination processing unit determines that the replenishment toner container is in the first state. The second determination processing unit compares the toner amount acquired by the second toner amount acquisition processing unit with the toner amount acquired by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit, and is in the first state. It is determined whether or not the determined replenishment toner container is mounted on the waste toner container mounting portion as the waste toner container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a user to use a used replenishment toner container as a waste toner container.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state where the waste toner bottle is mounted on the waste toner bottle mounting portion of the image forming apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the image forming apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of waste toner bottle replacement determination processing executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the empty replenishment toner bottle weight acquisition process in the waste toner bottle replacement determination process shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of waste toner bottle replacement determination processing executed by the control unit shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example embodying the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction D1 is defined with reference to the state where the image forming apparatus 10 is installed on a flat surface. Also, the front-rear direction D2 is defined with the side where the replenishment toner bottle 41 and the waste toner bottle 65 are inserted into the image forming apparatus 10 as the front side. Further, a left-right direction D3 is defined when the image forming apparatus 10 is viewed from the front side.

  An image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a printer capable of forming a color image on a sheet using a developer containing toner. The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a sheet using a developer containing toner. The present invention can be applied to, for example, a monochrome printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, etc. in addition to a color printer. The sheet is an example of the transfer material of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a plurality of image forming units 1 to 4, an intermediate transfer unit 5, an exposure device 14, a secondary transfer device 15 (an example of a transfer unit of the present invention), and a fixing device 16. A belt cleaning device 6, a toner replenishing device 40, an operation display unit 9 (an example of a notification unit of the present invention) having a touch panel, a liquid crystal display unit, and the like, a control unit 8, a paper feed tray 17, and a paper discharge tray 18.

  Each of the image forming units 1 to 4 includes a photosensitive drum 21 that carries a toner image, a charging device 22, a developing device 23 (an example of a developing unit of the present invention) that forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 21, and a primary transfer device 24. , And a drum cleaning device 25.

  The intermediate transfer unit 5 includes an intermediate transfer belt 51 (an example of an image carrier of the present invention), a driving roller 52, and a driven roller 53. The intermediate transfer belt 51 carries a toner image composed of a plurality of color toner images (four colors in this embodiment). The intermediate transfer belt 51 is supported by a driving roller 52 and a driven roller 53 so as to be rotationally driven. The intermediate transfer belt 51 is movable while the surface thereof is in contact with the surface of each photosensitive drum 21.

  A plurality of toner replenishing devices 40 are provided above the intermediate transfer unit 5. In the present embodiment, four toner replenishing devices 40 corresponding to the respective colors of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta are provided.

  The toner replenishing device 40 includes a replenishing toner bottle 41, a replenishing toner bottle mounting unit 42, and a magnetic permeability sensor 43.

  The replenishment toner bottle 41 accommodates toner to be replenished to the developing device 23. The replenishment toner bottle 41 is an example of a replenishment toner container of the present invention. The toner may be stored in the replenishment toner bottle 41 as a two-component developer together with the carrier.

  The supply toner bottle mounting portion 42 is a portion where the supply toner bottle 41 is detachably mounted. The replenishment toner bottle mounting portion 42 includes a support base 421 and a cover portion 422. The support base 421 supports the outer peripheral portion of the lower half of the replenishment toner bottle 41. The cover part 422 covers the outer peripheral part of the upper half of the replenishment toner bottle 41. The replenishment toner bottle mounting portion 42 supports the replenishment toner bottle 41 so as to cover the entire outer peripheral portion of the replenishment toner bottle 41 by connecting the cover portion 422 to the support base 421.

  The replenishment toner bottle mounting portion 42 has a toner discharge port (not shown) provided in the support base 421. The discharge port is for discharging the toner stored in the replenishment toner bottle 41 downward and outward. The toner in the replenishing toner bottle 41 is conveyed to the developing device 23 through the toner discharge port. The replenishment toner bottle mounting portion 42 is an example of a replenishment toner container mounting portion of the present invention.

  The magnetic permeability sensor 43 detects the toner density in the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42. The magnetic permeability sensor 43 is disposed on the side of the replenishment toner bottle 41 and outputs according to the toner amount. Therefore, the control unit 8 can calculate the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 based on the output from the magnetic permeability sensor 43. The magnetic permeability sensor 43 is an example of a second toner amount detection unit of the present invention.

  The secondary transfer device 15 transfers the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 51 onto the sheet conveyed from the paper feed tray 17. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 16 by a conveyance unit (not shown). The fixing device 16 includes a heating roller 16A and a pressure roller 16B. The fixing device 16 conveys the sheet on which the toner image is transferred while applying heat and pressure. As a result, the toner image is melted and fixed on the sheet. The sheet on which the toner image has been fixed is further conveyed downstream, and is discharged and held on a tray-shaped discharge tray 18 disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 5.

  The belt cleaning device 6 removes and collects the waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51, and supplies the collected waste toner into a waste toner bottle 65 described later. The belt cleaning device 6 is disposed on the left side of the intermediate transfer unit 5. The belt cleaning device 6 includes a cleaning roller 61 (an example of the cleaning unit of the present invention), a screw member 62, a toner box 63, and a waste toner storage unit 64. The cleaning roller 61 is disposed so as to face the driven roller 53, and the surface thereof is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 51. The length of the cleaning roller 61 in the front-rear direction D <b> 2 is substantially the same as that of the intermediate transfer belt 51. The cleaning roller 61 is rotatably supported in the toner box 63. When the rotational driving force is input to the support shaft of the cleaning roller 61, the cleaning roller 61 rotates.

  The cleaning roller 61 is rotated while being in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 51, thereby removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51 after the transfer by the secondary transfer device 15. Hereinafter, the toner removed by the cleaning roller 61 is referred to as “waste toner”. The waste toner is taken into the toner box 63 and collected by the action of gravity or the rotational force of the cleaning roller 61. The waste toner collected in the toner box 63 is conveyed by the screw member 62. A discharge port (not shown) is formed on the rear end side of the bottom surface of the toner box 63. By rotating the screw member 62, the waste toner is conveyed through the toner box 63 toward the discharge port of the toner box 63.

  The waste toner container 64 is provided below the toner box 63. When the waste toner is discharged from the discharge port of the toner box 63, the waste toner is guided and stored in the waste toner bottle 65 of the waste toner container 64. That is, the toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51 is collected as waste toner by the belt cleaning device 6 and stored in the waste toner bottle 65.

  The waste toner container 64 includes a waste toner bottle 65, a waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 to which the waste toner bottle 65 is mounted, and a weight sensor 67.

  The waste toner bottle 65 stores waste toner collected from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51. As the waste toner bottle 65, a replenishment toner bottle 41 described later that is in an empty state (an example of the first state of the present invention) is used. The waste toner bottle 65 is an example of a waste toner container of the present invention.

  A waste toner bottle 65 is detachably mounted on the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66. The waste toner bottle 65 can be attached to and detached from the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66 through the opening 811 (see FIG. 2) of the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66. Specifically, the waste toner bottle 65 is removed by the user when the waste toner bottle 65 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 reaches a predetermined amount or more. The waste toner bottle mounting section 66 is attached by a user with an empty replenishment toner bottle 41 to be described later. The waste toner bottle mounting portion 66 is an example of a waste toner container mounting portion of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66 includes a storage frame 81, a toner guide portion 76, and a front cover portion 94.

  The housing frame 81 includes a support base 81 </ b> A that supports the lower half of the waste toner bottle 65 and an upper cover portion 81 </ b> B that covers the upper half of the waste toner bottle 65. In the storage frame 81, the upper cover portion 81B is connected to the support base 81A, so that a storage space in which the waste toner bottle 65 can be stored is formed between the upper cover portion 81B and the support base 81A. The housing frame 81 has an opening 811 at the front end, and holds the waste toner bottle 65 in a detachable manner. The opening 811 is a portion that enables the waste toner bottle 65 to be attached to and detached from the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66. The housing frame 81 is supported by a support frame 82. The housing frame 81 is an example of a main body portion of the waste toner container mounting portion of the present invention.

  The toner guide portion 76 is provided at the rear end portion of the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66. A toner inlet 78 connected to the discharge port of the belt cleaning device 6 is provided on the upper surface 76 </ b> A of the toner guide portion 76. The toner inflow port 78 is a tubular member extending upward from the upper surface 76A. Waste toner flows into the toner inlet 78.

  The front cover part 94 makes the opening part 811 open or closed. The front cover portion 94 is rotatably attached to the front end portion of the support frame 82. The front cover portion 94 is an example of an opening / closing member of the waste toner container mounting portion.

  Further, the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is provided with an open / close detection unit 104 (see FIG. 3) for detecting the opening / closing of the front cover unit 94. The open / close detection unit 104 is used to determine a trigger for determining whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 is mounted as the waste toner bottle 65 in the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66. As the open / close detection unit 104, for example, a micro switch, a photo interrupter, a rotary encoder, or the like is applicable.

  Instead of the open / close detection unit 104, a configuration may be applied in which the presence or absence of the waste toner bottle 65 stored in the storage frame 81 is directly detected using a reflective optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like.

  The weight sensor 67 is disposed below the waste toner bottle 65. The weight sensor 67 outputs according to the toner weight in the waste toner bottle 65 attached to the waste toner bottle attachment unit 66. As the weight sensor 67, for example, a piezoelectric element can be applied. The weight sensor 67 is an example of a first toner amount detection unit of the present invention.

  The control unit 8 shown in FIG. 3 controls the image forming apparatus 10 in an integrated manner. The control unit 8 includes a calculation unit 109, a signal processing unit 110, and a notification control unit 111.

  The calculation unit 109 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and executes various processes according to a predetermined program stored in the ROM by the CPU. The calculation unit 109 includes a first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801, a second toner amount acquisition processing unit 802, a first determination processing unit 803, a second determination processing unit 804, a third determination processing unit 805, and a fourth determination processing unit 806. A fifth determination processing unit 807, a count processing unit 808, a consumed toner amount calculation processing unit 809, and a first threshold value changing unit 810.

  The first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801 executes processing for acquiring the toner amount in the waste toner bottle 65 attached to the waste toner bottle attachment unit 66. Specifically, the first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801 acquires the toner amount in the waste toner bottle 65 based on the output from the weight sensor 67. By acquiring the toner amount in the waste toner bottle 65 by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801, the replacement timing of the waste toner bottle 65 can be determined. In the case of “toner amount”, unless otherwise specified, not only the toner weight or capacity, but the total weight of the toner bottle and the toner, the toner weight, and the toner weight, such as the AD value of the toner weight or the total weight, etc. The amount of correlation that is correlated with is also included.

  The first determination processing unit 803 executes a process of determining whether or not the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42 is in an empty state below a predetermined first threshold value. . Specifically, the first determination processing unit 803 determines whether or not the state is the empty state based on the output from the magnetic permeability sensor 43. The first threshold value is a value corresponding to a toner amount that makes it difficult or impossible to discharge toner from the replenishment toner bottle 41. For example, the first threshold value is an amount corresponding to 1% by weight of the toner in the replenishment toner bottle 41. That is, the first determination processing unit 803 determines the replacement time of the replenishment toner bottle 41.

  The second toner amount acquisition processing unit 802 calculates the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 of the replenishment toner bottle mounting unit 42 including the time when the first determination processing unit 803 determines that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the empty state. Execute the acquisition process. Specifically, the second toner amount acquisition processing unit 802 calculates the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 based on the output from the magnetic permeability sensor 43. Further, the second toner amount acquisition processing unit 802 uses the consumed toner amount calculation processing unit 809 to calculate the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle at the time when the first determination processing unit 803 determines that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the empty state. Obtained based on the calculated consumed toner amount. By calculating the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 by the second toner amount acquisition processing unit 802, it is possible to determine that the toner amount of the replenishment toner bottle 41 is small and the replacement time of the replenishment toner bottle 41.

  The second determination processing unit 804 is acquired by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801 and the toner amount of the supply toner bottle 41 at the time when the first determination processing unit 803 determines that the supply toner bottle 41 is in an empty state. And a process of determining whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the empty state is mounted on the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 as the waste toner bottle 65. To do. In the present embodiment, the second determination processing unit 804 compares the AD value obtained by converting the analog output from the weight sensor 67 into a digital signal and the AD converted value of the toner weight calculated based on the output of the magnetic permeability sensor 43. To do. The second determination processing unit 804 calculates the AD converted value based on the consumed toner amount calculated by the consumed toner amount calculation processing unit 809 described later. The second determination processing unit 804, when it is determined that the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is changed from the open state to the closed state based on the determination result of the fourth determination processing unit 806, which will be described later. It is determined whether or not 41 is attached to the waste toner bottle attachment unit 66 as the waste toner bottle 65. In addition, the second determination processing unit 804 mounts the replenishment toner bottle 41 that is determined to be in the empty state on the operation display unit 9 by the notification control unit 111 described later as the waste toner bottle 65 in the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66. Whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the empty state is mounted as the waste toner bottle 65 in the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66 is determined on the condition that notification for prompting is performed.

  The third determination processing unit 805 executes processing for determining whether or not the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in a second state in which the toner amount is lower than a second threshold set in advance to a value larger than the first threshold. . That is, the calculation unit 109 can determine whether or not the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 is small by determining whether or not the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 is less than the second threshold value. The second threshold value is, for example, an amount corresponding to 5% by weight of toner in the replenishment toner bottle 41.

  The fourth determination processing unit 806 executes processing for determining whether the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is in an open state or a closed state based on the detection result of the open / close detection unit 104. That is, the control unit 8 can determine whether the waste toner bottle 65 is attached to or detached from the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 by checking whether the opening 811 is in the open state or the closed state.

  The fifth determination processing unit 807 executes processing for determining whether or not the toner amount in the waste toner bottle 65 acquired by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit 801 exceeds a predetermined third threshold value. That is, by determining whether or not the amount of toner in the waste toner bottle 65 exceeds the third threshold value by the fifth determination processing unit 807, the waste toner exceeding the third threshold value is collected in the waste toner bottle 65. The waste toner bottle 65 can be replaced by the user. Thereby, the replacement frequency of the waste toner bottle 65 can be reduced and the burden on the user can be reduced. The third threshold value is determined to be a value that can accommodate the amount of toner collected until the refill toner bottle 41 becomes empty next, and corresponds to, for example, 50% to 80% with respect to the capacity of the waste toner bottle 65. Amount.

  When the third determination processing unit 805 determines that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the second state, the count processing unit 808 determines that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the second state. A process of counting the number of printed sheets from the determination until it is determined to be in the empty state is executed. The calculation unit 109 can calculate the amount of toner consumed after it is determined to be in the second state by counting the number of printed sheets from the second state.

  The consumed toner amount calculation processing unit 809 performs the third determination based on the number of printed sheets from when the count processing unit 808 determines that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the second state until it is determined to be in the empty state. Processing is performed to calculate the amount of toner consumed from the time when the processing unit 805 determines that the state is the second state to the time when the processing unit 805 determines that the state is the empty state. Specifically, the consumed toner amount calculation processing unit 809 calculates the consumed toner amount by, for example, multiplying the number of printed sheets by an average printing rate and a consumed toner amount per unit printing rate. The average printing rate may be a predetermined value or a value calculated from image data.

  The first threshold value changing unit 810, when the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the empty state by the second determination processing unit 804 is mounted on the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 as the waste toner bottle 65, The process which changes the said 1st threshold value used for the determination by 1 determination process part 803 is performed. As a result, even if the weight sensor 67 has a tendency to decrease in sensitivity due to deterioration over time and the output from the weight sensor 67 tends to decrease, the weight of the waste toner bottle 65 of the waste toner bottle mounting portion 66 can be appropriately calculated. .

  The signal processing unit 110 converts the input signal into a signal that can be processed by the calculation unit 109 and outputs the signal to the calculation unit 109. Further, the signal processing unit 110 includes an AD converter 112, and the analog output from the weight sensor 67 is converted into a digital signal and then input to the calculation unit 109.

  When it is determined that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the empty state, the notification control unit 111 determines that the amount of toner in the waste toner bottle 65 is determined to exceed the third threshold, and the empty state A process for causing the operation display unit 9 to perform a notification that prompts the user to install the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 as the waste toner bottle 65 is executed. In addition, the notification control unit 111 may execute a process for causing the operation display unit 9 to perform a notification for prompting replacement or an error display when the refill toner bottle 41 is not used as the waste toner bottle 65.

  Next, the waste toner bottle replacement determination process executed by the control unit 8 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. In the figure, S1, S2,... Represent processing procedure (step) numbers. The processing in each step is performed by the control unit 8, more specifically, by the CPU of the calculation unit 109 executing the program in the ROM.

<Step S1>
As shown in FIG. 4, in step S <b> 1, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42 is in the second state. Specifically, the control unit 8 acquires the toner amount of the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42 calculated by the arithmetic unit 109 based on the output from the magnetic permeability sensor 43, and this toner It is determined whether the amount is below the second threshold.

  When the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the second state (step S1: Yes), the control unit 8 shifts the process to step S2. On the other hand, when the replenishment toner bottle 41 is not in the second state (step S1: No), the control unit 8 ends the waste toner bottle replacement determination process.

<Step S2>
In step S2, the control unit 8 starts counting the number of printed sheets from the time when it is determined that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the second state. The number of printed sheets is used to calculate the amount of toner consumed from the second state to the empty state.

<Step S3>
In step S3, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42 is in an empty state. Specifically, the control unit 8 acquires the toner amount of the replenishment toner bottle 41 attached to the replenishment toner bottle attachment unit 42 calculated by the arithmetic unit 109 based on the output from the magnetic permeability sensor 43, and this toner It is determined whether the amount has fallen below a first threshold. Note that the determination as to whether or not the state is empty may be made, for example, by counting the number of printed dots or the number of printed sheets.

  When the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in the toner empty state (step S3: Yes), the control unit 8 shifts the process to step S4. On the other hand, when the replenishment toner bottle 41 is not in the second state (step S3: No), the control unit 8 ends the waste toner bottle replacement determination process.

<Step S4>
In step S4, the control unit 8 determines whether the toner amount in the waste toner bottle 65 attached to the waste toner bottle attachment unit 66 is equal to or greater than the third threshold value. Specifically, the control unit 8 acquires the toner weight in the replenishment toner bottle 41 based on the output from the weight sensor 67, and determines whether or not the toner weight is below the third threshold value. In the present embodiment, the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 is acquired as the combined weight value of the carrier and the replenishment toner bottle 41.

<Step S5 (Steps S51 to S55)>
In step S5, the control unit 8 performs an empty replenishment toner bottle weight acquisition process. This process is a process for acquiring the toner amount in the replenishment toner bottle 41 when it is determined that the toner in the replenishment toner bottle 41 is in an empty state, and is executed as, for example, steps S51 to S55 shown in FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, first, the control unit 8 acquires the number of printed sheets from the time point determined to be the second state to the time point determined to be the toner empty state (step S <b> 51). This number of printed sheets is the number of printed sheets whose counting is started in step S2 in FIG.

  Next, the control unit 8 calculates the amount of toner consumed from the time when it is determined to be in the second state to the time when it is determined to be in the empty state as the weight (g) (step S52). The consumed toner amount is calculated by multiplying the number of printed sheets by the average printing rate and the consumed toner amount per unit printing rate, for example. For example, when the number of printed sheets is 100, the average printing rate is 2%, and the consumed toner amount per unit printing rate is 0.2 g, the consumed toner amount is 40 g (= 100 × 2 × 0.2).

  Next, the control unit 8 calculates the toner weight (g) in the replenishment toner bottle 41 (step S53). For example, if the toner amount at the time of determining that the state is the second state is 50 g, the toner amount is 10 g (= 50-40). The toner amount at the time when it is determined that the state is the second state may be acquired by the control unit 8 when it is determined that the state is the second state, but the toner weight is sufficiently accurate even as a predetermined fixed value. Can be calculated.

  Next, the control unit 8 calculates the total weight (g) of the replenishment toner bottle 41 and the toner amount (step S54). For example, if the weight of the replenishment toner bottle 41 is 200 g, the total weight is 210 g (= 200 + 10).

  Next, the control unit 8 converts the combined weight (g) into an AD value (step S55). The AD value corresponds to a value obtained by converting an analog output from the weight sensor 67 into a digital value. For example, when analog output is AD-converted with 8-bit resolution and the AD value of 800 g is 255, the AD converted value of the combined weight is 67 (= (25/800) × 210).

<Step S6>
As shown in FIG. 4, in step S <b> 6, the control unit 8 causes the operation display unit 9 to display a message for exchanging the replenishment toner bottle 41 with the waste toner bottle 65. Thereby, the user can recognize that the replenishment toner bottle 41 and the waste toner bottle 65 need to be replaced.

<Step S7>
In step S7, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 has been opened. This determination is made based on the output from the open / close detection unit 104. When the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is in the open state (step S7: Yes), the control unit 8 shifts the process to step S8. On the other hand, when the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is not in the open state (step S7: No), the control unit 8 repeatedly performs the determination in step S7 until it is determined that the opening 811 is in the open state.

<Step S8>
In step S8, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is in a closed state. This determination is made based on the output from the open / close detection unit 104. When the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is in the closed state (step S8: Yes), the control unit 8 shifts the process to step S9 in FIG. On the other hand, when the opening 811 of the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66 is not in the closed state (step S8: No), the control unit 8 repeatedly performs the determination in step S8 until it is determined that the opening 811 is in the closed state.

  In steps S7 and S8, it is confirmed that the opening 811 is in the closed state after the opening 811 is in the open state when the opening 811 changes from the open state to the closed state. This is because there is a possibility that the waste toner bottle 65 has been replaced.

<Steps S9 and S10>
As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 8 compares the AD value detected by the weight sensor 67 with the AD converted value of the total weight (step S9), and the AD value is within a predetermined range with respect to the AD converted value. It is determined whether it is within (step S10). That is, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the empty state is mounted on the waste toner bottle mounting unit 66. The predetermined range is, for example, a range of the AD converted value ± constant C. The constant C is a value that is changed every time the number of replacement of the waste toner bottle 65 reaches a specified number, for example. Further, the constant C is 1 as an AD value in an initial value without a replacement history of the waste toner bottle 65, for example. The specified number of times is, for example, 1 to 3 times, and is 1 time in the present embodiment.

  Here, when the AD value is within a predetermined range with respect to the AD converted value (step S10: Yes), the control unit 8 shifts the processing to step S11. On the other hand, when the AD value is not within the predetermined range with respect to the AD converted value (step S10: No), the control unit 8 shifts the process to step S12.

<Step S11>
When the AD value is within a predetermined range with respect to the AD converted value (step S10: Yes), the control unit 8 replaces the waste toner bottle 65 with the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in the empty state. Can be judged. Therefore, in step S11, the control unit 8 causes the operation display unit 9 to display that the replacement of the waste toner bottle 65 has been completed. The control unit 8 may cause the operation display unit 9 to display that printing is possible, instead of displaying that the replacement of the waste toner bottle 65 has been completed.

<Step S12>
When the AD value is not within the predetermined range with respect to the AD conversion value (step S10: No), the control unit 8 is replaced with the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined that the waste toner bottle 65 is in the empty state. It can be judged that it is not. Therefore, in step S12, the control unit 8 causes the operation display unit 9 to display an error, and ends the waste toner bottle replacement determination process. As a result, the user can be notified again that the replenishment toner bottle 41 is used as the waste toner bottle 65. When the AD value is not within the predetermined range with respect to the AD converted value (step S10: No), the control unit 8 shifts the processing to step S7 in FIG. 4 instead of causing an error display. The waste toner bottle replacement determination process may be continued.

<Step S13>
In step S13, the control unit 8 changes the constant C that defines the predetermined range that is the determination criterion in step S9. Specifically, the control unit 8 sets a value obtained by adding 1 to the constant C adopted at the previous replacement of the waste toner bottle as a new constant C. After executing the process of step S13, the control unit 8 ends the waste toner bottle replacement determination process.

  In the image forming apparatus 10, it is determined whether or not the waste toner bottle 65 has been replaced with the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in an empty state. This determination is made based on whether or not the amount of toner in the waste toner bottle 65 attached to the waste toner bottle attachment unit 66 is comparable to the amount of toner in the replenishment toner bottle 41 determined to be in an empty state. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 10, it is possible for the user to use the empty replenishment toner bottle 41 as the waste toner bottle 65.

  The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that replaces a waste toner container that stores waste toner collected by a drum cleaning device 25 or the like from another image carrier such as a photosensitive drum.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 6 Belt cleaning apparatus 8 Control part 9 Operation display part 15 Secondary transfer apparatus 23 Developing apparatus 41 Supply toner bottle 42 Supply toner bottle mounting part 43 Magnetic permeability sensor 51 Intermediate transfer belt 65 Waste toner bottle 66 Waste toner bottle installation Unit 67 weight sensor 81 containing frame 811 opening 94 front cover unit 104 opening / closing detection unit 109 calculation unit 111 notification control unit 801 first toner amount acquisition processing unit 802 second toner amount acquisition processing unit 803 first determination processing unit 804 second Determination processing unit 805 Third determination processing unit 806 Fourth determination processing unit 807 Fifth determination processing unit 808 Count processing unit 809 Consumption toner amount calculation processing unit 810 First threshold value changing unit

Claims (8)

A developing unit for forming a toner image on the image carrier;
A transfer portion for transferring the toner image to a transfer material;
A cleaning unit that collects waste toner remaining on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier to the transfer material;
A waste toner container for storing waste toner collected by the cleaning unit from the image carrier;
A waste toner container mounting portion on which the waste toner container is detachably mounted;
A first toner amount acquisition processing unit for acquiring a toner amount in the waste toner container mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit;
A replenishment toner container for containing toner to be replenished to the developing unit;
A replenishment toner container mounting portion to which the replenishment toner container is detachably mounted;
A first determination processing unit that determines whether or not a toner amount in the replenishing toner container mounted on the replenishing toner container mounting unit is in a first state that is below a predetermined first threshold;
A second toner amount acquisition processing unit for acquiring a toner amount in the supply toner container at a time when the first determination processing unit determines that the supply toner container is in the first state;
The toner amount acquired by the second toner amount acquisition processing unit is compared with the toner amount acquired by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit, and the replenishment toner container determined to be in the first state is the A second determination processing unit for determining whether the waste toner container is mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A third determination processing unit that determines whether or not the toner amount in the replenishing toner container is in a second state that is below a second threshold that is preset to a value that is greater than the first threshold;
When the third determination processing unit determines that the state is the second state, the first determination processing unit determines that the second state is the second state after the third determination processing unit determines that the second state is the second state. A count processing unit that counts the number of printed sheets until it is determined that there is,
Based on the number of printed sheets counted by the count processing unit until the third state is determined by the third determination processing unit until the first state is determined by the first determination processing unit. A consumed toner amount calculation processing unit for calculating a consumed toner amount consumed by
The second toner amount acquisition processing unit calculates the toner amount in the replenishment toner container at the time when the first determination processing unit determines that the replenishment toner container is in the first state. Acquiring based on the consumed toner amount calculated by the processing unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The waste toner container mounting part includes a main body part that detachably holds the waste toner container, an opening part that enables the waste toner container to be attached and detached, and an opening / closing member that opens and closes the opening part,
An open / close detector for detecting opening / closing of the opening;
A fourth determination processing unit for determining whether the opening is in an open state or a closed state based on a detection result of the open / close detection unit;
Further comprising
The second determination processing unit determines that the replenishment toner container is used as the waste toner container when the opening is determined to be closed from the open state based on the determination result of the fourth determination processing unit. Determining whether or not the toner container is mounted on the toner container;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. A fifth determination processing unit for determining whether the toner amount in the waste toner container acquired by the first toner amount acquisition processing unit exceeds a predetermined third threshold;
When it is determined by the first determination processing unit that the state is the first state, the fifth determination processing unit determines that the amount of toner in the waste toner container exceeds the third threshold value. A notification control unit for causing a predetermined notification unit to perform notification for urging the user to mount the replenishment toner container determined to be in the first state as the waste toner container in the waste toner container mounting unit;
Further comprising
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The second determination processing unit is configured such that the supply toner container determined to be in the first state is used as the waste toner container on the condition that the notification control unit causes the notification unit to perform the notification. To determine whether it is attached to the attachment part,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4. When it is determined that the replenishment toner container determined to be in the first state by the second determination processing unit is mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit as the waste toner container, the subsequent first determination processing unit A first threshold value changing unit that changes the first threshold value used for the determination by
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. A first toner amount detection unit that performs output according to the amount of toner in the waste toner container mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit;
A second toner amount detection unit that performs output in accordance with the amount of toner in the replenishment toner container mounted on the replenishment toner container mounting unit;
Further comprising
The first toner amount acquisition processing unit acquires a toner amount in the waste toner container mounted on the waste toner container mounting unit based on an output from the first toner amount detection unit;
The first determination processing unit determines whether or not the first state is based on an output from the second toner amount detection unit.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The first toner amount detection unit is a weight sensor;
The second toner amount detection unit is a magnetic permeability sensor.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.

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