JP2023129595A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide one form of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus has a supply container storing toner removably attached thereto and forms an image on a recording material, and comprises: a supply port for supplying toner from the supply container outside the image forming apparatus to a developer container by attaching the supply container thereto, the supply port to which a plurality of types of supply containers can be connected which are different in the amount of toner charged therein; display means that displays supply amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been supplied or can be supplied to the developer container; acquisition means that acquires information on the supply container connected to the supply port; and control means that, when supply of toner to the developer container is performed, determines the supply amount information displayed by the display means based on the information acquired by the acquisition means, so that the amount of toner indicated by the supply amount information after the supply of toner is changed according to the type of the supply container used for the supply of toner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 25

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material.

In general, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor as a toner image using toner, and then transfers the toner image from the photoreceptor to a recording material. form an image. A process cartridge method and a sequential replenishment method are known as methods for replenishing an image forming apparatus with toner consumed by repeated image formation. The process cartridge method is a method in which a photoreceptor and a developer container containing toner are integrated as a process cartridge, and when the remaining amount of toner in the developer container becomes empty, the process cartridge is replaced with a new one.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 includes a toner transport path that supplies toner to a developing roll and a developer supply box connected to this toner transport path, and the developer supply box is supplied from the developer supply box according to the detection result of the remaining amount of toner. A sequential replenishment type developing device that replenishes toner to a toner transport path is described.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-30084

In recent years, users have been requesting that image forming apparatuses be used in a variety of ways, not limited to the above-mentioned process cartridge method or sequential replenishment method.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide one form of an image forming apparatus.

One aspect of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, in which a replenishment container containing toner is removably attached, and that includes an image bearing member, a developer container containing toner, and a replenishment container that contains toner. a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier into a toner image using the stored toner; and a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier into a toner image; A replenishment port for replenishing the developer container with toner, to which a plurality of types of replenishment containers filled with different amounts of toner can be connected; a display means for displaying replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner; an acquisition means for acquiring information about the replenishment container connected to the replenishment port; and when the developer container is replenished with toner; Displaying on the display means based on the information acquired by the acquisition means so that the toner amount indicated by the replenishment amount information in the state after toner replenishment changes depending on the type of the replenishment container used for toner replenishment. and a control means for determining the replenishment amount information.

According to the present invention, one form of an image forming apparatus can be provided.

1 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining attachment and detachment of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams (a to c) for explaining openable and closable members of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIGS. FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams (a, b) for explaining the configuration of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment. FIGS. FIGS. 2A to 2C are diagrams (a to c) for explaining the configuration of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view (a) and a side view (b) of a toner pack according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view (a), a side view (b), and a diagram (c) showing a state in which toner is discharged of a toner pack according to a first embodiment. A perspective view (a), a top view (b), and an enlarged view (c) of the supply container mounting part according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams (a, b) for explaining the operation of the supply container mounting section according to the first embodiment. FIGS. Figures (a, b) showing the position of the locking member according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner pack according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a locking member pressing mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a panel according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 7A and 8B are perspective views (a, b), a side view (c), and a sectional view (d) of a toner bottle unit according to a first modification. Figures (a to d) for explaining the internal configuration of the toner bottle unit according to the first modification and diagrams (e, f) for explaining rotation detection of the toner bottle unit. FIG. 7 is a perspective view (a), a top view (b), and a cross-sectional view (c, d) of a process cartridge according to a second modification. The perspective view (a), top view (b), and cross-sectional view (c) of a process cartridge according to a third modification. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an operation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external device according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 2A to 2C are diagrams (a to c) for illustrating supply containers with different capacities according to the first embodiment; FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a supply container according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams (a to d) showing display examples of a panel according to the first embodiment. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the supply container according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of an image forming apparatus and a supply container according to a second embodiment. 7 is a flowchart representing a method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a panel according to a second embodiment. FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams (a to d) showing display examples of a panel according to the second embodiment. Perspective views (a to c) of a panel according to a third embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First embodiment>
(1) Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome printer that forms an image on a recording material based on image information input from an external device. Recording materials include various sheet materials made of different materials, such as paper such as plain paper and cardboard, plastic films such as sheets for overhead projectors, sheets of special shapes such as envelopes and index paper, and cloth.

(1-1) Overall Configuration As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer main body 100 as an apparatus main body, a reading device 200 supported by the printer main body 100 so as to be openable and closable. and an operation section 300 attached to the exterior surface of the printer main body 100. The printer main body 100 includes an image forming section 10, a feeding section 60, a fixing section 70, and a pair of ejection rollers 80. The feeding section 60 feeds the recording material to the image forming section 10, and the image forming section 10 forms a toner image on the recording material. The fixing section 70 fixes the toner image formed by the image forming section 10 onto the recording material, and the discharge roller pair 80 discharges the recording material that has passed through the fixing section 70 out of the apparatus. Further, the process cartridge 20 of this embodiment employs a direct replenishment method in which toner is directly supplied from outside the image forming apparatus 1 using a toner pack 40 filled with replenishment toner.

The image forming section 10 is an electrophotographic image forming means that includes a scanner unit 11, a process cartridge 20, and a transfer roller 12. The process cartridge 20 includes a photosensitive drum 21 , a charging roller 22 , a developing roller 31 , and a cleaning blade 24 arranged around the photosensitive drum 21 .

The photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier in this embodiment is a cylindrical photosensitive member. The photosensitive drum 21 of this embodiment has a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively chargeable organic photoreceptor on a drum-shaped base made of aluminum. Further, the photosensitive drum 21 is rotationally driven by a motor in a predetermined direction (clockwise in the figure) at a predetermined process speed.

The charging roller 22 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressing force to form a charging portion. Further, by applying a desired charging voltage from a charging high-voltage power source, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 21 is negatively charged by the charging roller 22.

The scanner unit 11 scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 21 with a laser beam L corresponding to image information input from an external device or the reading device 200 using a polygon mirror. Through this exposure, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 according to the image information. Note that the scanner unit 11 is not limited to a laser scanner device, and for example, an LED exposure device having an LED array in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21 may be adopted.

The developing unit 802 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrier that carries developer, a developing container 32 serving as a frame of the developing unit 802, and a supply roller 33 capable of supplying the developer to the developing roller 31. We are prepared. The developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 are rotatably supported by the developing container 32. Further, the developing roller 31 is arranged at the opening of the developing container 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 21 . The supply roller 33 is rotatably in contact with the developing roller 31 , and the toner contained in the developing container 32 as a developer is applied to the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 33 .

The developing unit 802 of this embodiment uses a contact developing method as a developing method. That is, the toner layer carried on the developing roller 31 serving as a developing means comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 in a developing section (developing area) where the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 31 face each other. A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 31 by a developing high voltage power source. Under the development voltage, the toner carried on the development roller 31 is transferred from the development roller 31 to the drum surface according to the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, whereby the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image. Note that this embodiment employs a reversal development method. That is, on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 that has been charged in the charging process, toner adheres to an area where the amount of charge has been attenuated by being exposed in the exposure process, thereby forming a toner image.

Further, in this embodiment, a toner having a particle size of 6 μm and a normal charging polarity of negative polarity is used. The toner of this embodiment employs, for example, a polymerized toner produced by a polymerization method. Further, the toner of this embodiment is a so-called non-magnetic one-component developer that does not contain a magnetic component and is supported on the developing roller 31 mainly by intermolecular force or electrostatic force (mirror force). However, a one-component developer containing a magnetic component may also be used. In addition to toner particles, the one-component developer may contain additives (for example, wax and fine silica particles) for adjusting the fluidity and charging performance of the toner. Furthermore, a two-component developer composed of a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier may be used as the developer. When using a magnetic developer, a cylindrical developing sleeve with a magnet disposed inside, for example, is used as the developer carrier. That is, what is housed in the developer container 32 is not limited to a single-component developer made of toner components, but may be a two-component developer made of toner and carrier.

A stirring member 34 serving as stirring means is provided inside the developing container 32 . The agitating member 34 is driven and rotated to agitate the toner in the developer container 32 and feed the toner toward the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 . Further, the stirring member 34 has a role of circulating the toner that is not used for development and is stripped off from the developing roller 31 within the developing container, thereby making the toner in the developing container uniform.

Furthermore, a developing blade 35 that regulates the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 31 is disposed at the opening of the developing container 32 where the developing roller 31 is disposed. As the developing roller 31 rotates, the toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 passes through a portion facing the developing blade 35, thereby being uniformly made into a thin layer, and is also charged to a negative polarity by frictional charging. .

The feeding section 60 includes a front door 61 that is supported by the printer main body 100 so as to be openable and closable, a loading tray 62, a middle plate 63, a tray spring 64, and a pickup roller 65. The stacking tray 62 constitutes the bottom surface of the recording material storage space that appears when the front door 61 is opened, and the middle plate 63 is supported by the stacking tray 62 so as to be movable up and down. The tray spring 64 urges the middle plate 63 upward, and presses the recording material P loaded on the middle plate 63 against the pickup roller 65. Note that the front door 61 closes the recording material storage space when it is closed to the printer body 100, and supports the recording material P together with the loading tray 62 and the middle plate 63 when it is opened to the printer body 100. do.

A transfer roller 12 serving as a transfer unit transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 of the process cartridge 20 onto a recording material. Note that in this embodiment, a direct transfer method will be described in which a toner image formed on an image carrier is directly transferred from the image carrier to a recording material. An intermediate transfer method may also be used in which the toner image is transferred onto the recording material. In that case, for example, a transfer system consisting of an intermediate transfer belt, a primary transfer roller that primarily transfers the toner image from the photosensitive drum to the intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer roller that transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording material The unit functions as a transfer means.

The fixing unit 70 is of a heat fixing type that fixes an image by heating and melting the toner on the recording material. The fixing unit 70 includes a fixing film 71, a fixing heater such as a ceramic heater that heats the fixing film 71, a thermistor that measures the temperature of the fixing heater, and a pressure roller 72 that presses against the fixing film 71.

Next, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be explained. When an image forming command is input to the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming section 10 starts an image forming process based on image information input from an external computer or reading device 200 connected to the image forming apparatus 1. be done. The scanner unit 11 irradiates a laser beam L toward the photosensitive drum 21 based on the input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 21 is charged in advance by the charging roller 22, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 by being irradiated with the laser beam L. Thereafter, this electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 31, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.

In parallel with the above-described image forming process, the pickup roller 65 of the feeding section 60 sends out the recording material P supported by the front door 61, the stacking tray 62, and the middle plate 63. The recording material P is fed to the registration roller pair 15 by the pickup roller 65, and the skew is corrected by hitting the nip of the registration roller pair 15. The registration roller pair 15 is driven in accordance with the toner image transfer timing determined from the exposure start time of the scanner unit 11, and transfers the recording material P to the transfer roller 12, which is a nip formed by the transfer roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 21. transport towards the department.

A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 12 from a transfer high-voltage power source, and the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the recording material P conveyed by the registration roller pair 15. After the transfer, residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is removed by a cleaning blade 24, which is an elastic blade that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 21. The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing section 70, and the toner image is heated and pressurized when passing through the nip between the fixing film 71 and the pressure roller 72 of the fixing section 70. . As a result, the toner particles are melted and then fixed, thereby fixing the toner image on the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing section 70 is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 by a pair of discharge rollers 80 and is stacked on a discharge tray 81 formed at the top of the printer main body 100 .

The ejection tray 81 is inclined upward toward the downstream in the ejection direction of the recording material, and the recording material ejected to the ejection tray 81 slides down the ejection tray 81 so that its rear end is aligned by the regulating surface 84. be done.

(1-2) Openable/Closeable Portion of Image Forming Apparatus As shown in FIGS. 2(a), (b) and 3, a first opening 101 that opens upward is provided in the upper part of the printer main body 100. ing. The first opening 101 is covered by the top cover 82 during use (FIG. 1(b)), and by opening the top cover 82 upward, the process cartridge 20 is exposed (FIG. 2(b)). The top cover 82 is supported so as to be openable and closable relative to the printer main body 100 around a rotation shaft 82c (FIG. 3) extending in the left-right direction, and has a discharge tray 81 provided on its upper surface. The top cover 82 is opened from the front side toward the back side when the reading device 200 is opened with respect to the printer main body 100. Note that the reading device 200 and the top cover 82 may be configured to be held in an open state and a closed state by a holding mechanism such as a hinge mechanism.

For example, if the recording material is jammed in the conveyance path CP through which the recording material is fed by the pickup roller 65, the user opens the top cover 82 together with the reading device 200. Then, the user accesses the process cartridge 20 through the first opening 101 exposed by opening the top cover 82, and pulls out the process cartridge 20 along the cartridge guide 102. The cartridge guide 102 slides and guides the protrusion 21a (FIG. 5A) provided at the end of the process cartridge 20 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

Then, by pulling out the process cartridge 20 to the outside from the first opening 101, a space is created in the transport path CP in which the user can put his/her hand into it. The user can remove the jammed recording material by inserting his/her hand into the printer main body 100 through the first opening 101 and accessing the jammed recording material in the conveyance path CP.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 4(c), an opening/closing member 83 is provided on the top cover 82 so as to be openable and closable. An upwardly opening opening 82a is provided on the upper surface of the top cover 82 where the discharge tray 81 is provided, and when the opening/closing member 83 is closed, the opening 82a is covered. The opening/closing member 83 and the opening 82a are provided on the right side of the top cover 82. The opening/closing member 83 is supported by the top cover 82 so as to be openable/closable about a rotation shaft 83a extending in the front-rear direction, and can be opened to the left by hooking a finger from a groove 82b provided in the top cover 82. It will be done. The opening/closing member 83 is formed into a substantially L-shape along the shape of the top cover 82. Note that the opening/closing member 83 is not limited to the opening/closing mechanism described above. For example, the opening can be opened by placing it on the top cover 82 so as to cover the supply container mounting part 701 and slidingly rotating on the upper surface of the top cover 82 about a rotation axis perpendicular to the top cover 82. 82a may be configured to open and close. Here, sliding on the upper surface of the top cover 82 means that movement of the opening/closing member 83 in the rotation axis direction is restricted.

The opening 82a opens so that a toner replenishment container mounting portion 701 provided at the top of the process cartridge 20 is exposed. By opening the opening/closing member 83, the user can access the supply container mounting section 701 without opening the top cover 82. A user can replenish toner into the process cartridge 20 by attaching the toner pack 40 to the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

In this embodiment, the user inserts the process cartridge 20 from the toner pack 40 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) filled with replenishing toner while the process cartridge 20 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. A method of replenishing toner (direct replenishment method) is adopted. Therefore, when the remaining amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 becomes low, there is no need to take out the process cartridge 20 from the printer main body 100 and replace it with a new process cartridge, so usability can be improved. Note that the image forming apparatus 1 and the toner pack 40 constitute an image forming system.

Note that in this embodiment, the reading device 200 is provided on the top of the image forming apparatus 1, and when opening the opening/closing member 83, it is necessary to open the reading device 200 first to expose the top cover 82. However, the reading device 200 may be omitted and the opening/closing member 83 may be exposed at the top of the image forming apparatus 1 from the beginning.

(1-3) Reading device As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the reading device 200 includes a reading unit 201 that includes a reading section (not shown) inside, and is supported by the reading unit 201 so that it can be opened and closed. It has a pressure plate 202. On the upper surface of the reading unit 201, an original platen glass 203 is provided that transmits light emitted from the reading section and on which an original is placed.

When the user wants the reading device 200 to read the image of the document, the user places the document on the document table glass 203 with the pressure plate 202 open. Then, by closing the pressure plate 202, the position of the original on the original table glass 203 is prevented, and, for example, by operating the operation unit 300, a reading command is output to the image forming apparatus 1. When the reading operation is started, the reading section in the reading unit 201 reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction, that is, in the left-right direction with the operation section 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 facing forward. The reading section reads an image of the document by emitting light from a light emitting section toward the document, receiving light reflected by the document using a light receiving section, and photoelectrically converting the received light.

Note that, hereinafter, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction (direction of gravity) in the image forming apparatus 1 will be defined with reference to the state in which the operation unit 300 is faced from the front. The positional relationship of the process cartridge 20 and other members that can be attached to and removed from the printer body 100 will be explained based on the state in which they are attached to the printer body 100. Further, the “longitudinal direction” of the process cartridge 20 refers to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

(1-4) Configuration of Process Cartridge Next, the configuration of the process cartridge 20 will be explained. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40, and FIG. 5(b) is a side view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40. FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6A-6A in FIG. 5(b), FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6B-6B in FIG. 5(b), and FIG. 6C-6C sectional view of 6(a) and 6(b). Note that in FIGS. 5 and 6, the external shape of the supply container mounting portion 701 is shown in a simplified manner (see, for example, FIG. 9(a) for the detailed shape).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the process cartridge 20 includes a toner receiving unit 801, a developing unit 802, and a cleaning unit 803. The toner receiving unit 801, the cleaning unit 803, and the developing unit 802 are arranged in this order from the top to the bottom in the direction of gravity. Each unit will be explained in turn below.

The toner receiving unit 801 is arranged above the process cartridge 20. Inside the toner receiving unit 801, a toner accommodating section 8011 composed of a frame body for accommodating toner is provided, and a replenishment container mounting section 701 coupled to the toner pack 40 is provided at the longitudinal end. Note that the frame that constitutes the toner storage portion 8011 may be formed of one member or may be formed by combining a plurality of members. The replenishment container mounting portion 701 has a replenishment port 8012 that receives toner discharged from the toner pack 40 . The detailed configuration of the supply container mounting section 701 and the mounting of the toner pack 40 on the supply container mounting section 701 will be described later.

Further, inside the toner receiving unit 801, a first conveying member 8013, a second conveying member 8014, and a third conveying member 8015 are provided. The first conveyance member 8013 transports the toner that has fallen onto the end of the toner storage section 8011 in the longitudinal direction through the replenishment port 8012 in the direction of arrow H (FIG. 6(c)) toward the center of the toner storage section 8011. transport. The second conveying member 8014 carries the toner conveyed by the first conveying member 8013 in the direction of arrow J (FIG. 6(c)) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, to the upper part of the developing unit 802, that is, to the discharge port 8016. transport. The third conveying member 8015 receives the toner from the second conveying member 8014 mainly at the center in the longitudinal direction, and conveys the toner to one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrow K and the direction of arrow K'). Note that since the first to third conveying members operate to move toner, they can also be referred to as first to third developer moving members.

When the toner from the toner pack 40 serving as a replenishment container flows into the toner receiving unit 801, air also flows at the same time. The toner receiving unit 801 includes an air filter 8017 (see FIG. 5A) for allowing air to flow in the direction of arrow H during toner replenishment so that the toner is easily replenished. This air filter 8017 prevents toner from being ejected from the replenishment port 8012 due to an increase in the internal pressure of the toner receiving unit 801 during toner replenishment and a portion of the air flowing in the opposite direction to the direction of arrow H.

Discharge ports 8016 (FIG. 6B) for discharging toner from the toner storage section 8011 to the developer container 32 of the development unit 802 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the toner receiving unit 801. Third The toner that has reached the discharge port 8016 by the conveyance member 8015 falls into the developer container 32 due to gravity. Note that a conveyance member may be further provided in the middle of the path of the discharge port 8016 to maintain the movement of the toner due to gravity.

The developing unit 802 located at the bottom of the process cartridge 20 has an opening 8021 that receives the toner discharged from the discharge port 8016 (FIG. 6(b)). A sealing member (not shown) is provided between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021, and the gap between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 is sealed to prevent toner from leaking out.

The toner that has fallen into the toner receiving unit 801 from the toner pack 40 through the replenishment port 8012 is transported inside the toner receiving unit 801 by a first transporting member 8013, a second transporting member 8014, and a third transporting member 8015. Then, the toner is transferred from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 via the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. In this way, toner is supplied to the cartridge through the replenishment port 8012 located at the end of the process cartridge 20 in the longitudinal direction and located horizontally away from the developer container 32 when viewed from the longitudinal direction. It is transported inside and reaches the developer container 32.

In this manner, the toner storage portion 8011 of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developer container 32 of the development unit 802 communicate with each other, thereby forming a storage container that forms a space for storing toner in the process cartridge 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, a replenishment port 8012 for replenishing toner from the outside is provided as a part of the housing container of the process cartridge 20. However, a replenishment port directly connected to the replenishment container may be provided in the printer main body, and the process cartridge may receive toner through the replenishment port. In this case, the portion of the process cartridge 20 excluding the replenishment port becomes removable from the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG.

The toner supplied to the developing unit 802 through the opening 8021 is accommodated in the transport chamber 36 formed inside the developing container 32 constituted by the frame of the developing unit 802 (see FIG. 6(a)). , (b)). Note that the frame that constitutes the developer container 32 may be constructed of one member, or may be constructed by combining a plurality of members. Here, a stirring member 34 is provided in the transfer chamber 36. The stirring member 34 has a shaft member 34a provided near the center of rotation of the stirring member 34, and a blade portion 34b extending in the radial direction from the shaft member 34a. In the cross section, the toner within the rotation locus of the tip of the blade portion 34b is pushed and moved in accordance with the movement of the blade portion 34b. The toner supplied through the opening 8021 is conveyed toward the developing roller 31 , the supply roller 33 , and the developing blade 35 while being stirred by the stirring member 34 .

The cleaning unit 803 includes a waste toner chamber 8033 that includes a fourth conveyance member 8031, a fifth conveyance member 8032, and a frame (FIGS. 6A and 6B). Note that the frame that constitutes the waste toner chamber 8033 may be composed of one member or may be composed of a combination of a plurality of members. The waste toner chamber 8033 is a space that accommodates collected materials such as transfer residual toner collected from the photosensitive drum 21 by the cleaning blade 24 (so-called waste toner), and is independent of the internal space of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developing unit 802. are doing. The waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 24 is transported in the direction of arrow M by the fourth transport member 8031 and the fifth transport member 8032, and is gradually accumulated from the back part 8033a of the waste toner chamber toward the front.

Here, between the cleaning unit 803 and the developing unit 802, there is a laser passing space SP which is a gap through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (FIG. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass. is formed (FIG. 6(a)). As described above, the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 for transferring toner from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 are provided at the end of each unit in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the process cartridge 20 has a compact structure as a whole, and while ensuring the laser passage space SP, the cartridge can receive toner supplied from outside the image forming apparatus (particularly through a replenishment port opened on the top surface of the apparatus). It can be transported to the developing container 32 at the bottom.

(1-5) Configuration of Toner Pack The configuration of the toner pack 40 will be explained. FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 with the shutter member 41 in a closed state, and FIG. 7(b) is a bottom view thereof. 8(a) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 with the shutter member 41 in an open state, FIG. 8(b) is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 when the user replenishes toner. It shows squeezing by hand. Further, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the toner pack 40 when the shutter member 41 is in the closed state, viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the toner pack 40, which is an example of a supply container, includes a bag member 43 filled with toner, a resin discharge part 42 attached to the bag member 43, and a discharge part 42 made of resin. A shutter member 41 that can open and close the opening is provided. Further, a memory unit 45 as a storage means for storing information about the toner pack 40 is attached to the discharge section 42 . The memory unit 45 has a plurality of metal plates (metal terminals) exposed outside the toner pack 40 as a contact portion 45a that contacts a contact portion 70133 (see FIG. 9) of a supply container mounting portion 701 (described later). . Further, as the material for the bag member 43, PP resin (polypropylene), PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate resin), cardboard, paper, etc. can be adopted. Further, the thickness can be 0.01 mm to 1.2 mm. In addition, from the viewpoint of ease of unraveling the bag by the user and durability, a range of 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm is more preferable.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), FIG. 8(b), and FIG. 12, the shutter member 41 has a shape in which a portion of a disc that can rotate relative to the ejection portion 42 is cut out. The side surface forming the thickness of the shutter member 41 at the cutout portion functions as the engagement surface 41s. On the other hand, the discharge section 42 also has a cutout shape. The discharge portion 42 has an engagement surface 42s parallel to the engagement surface 41s in the cutout portion. The discharge port 42a is provided at a position approximately 180 degrees apart from the engagement surface 42s in the circumferential direction of the discharge port 42a. Note that the details of the engagement surface 41s and the engagement surface 42s are shown in FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 12, when the notches of the shutter member 41 and the discharge section 42 are aligned when viewed from the top or bottom surface, the discharge port 42a is covered by the shutter member 41 ( closed state). As shown in FIG. 8(b), when the shutter member 41 rotates 180 degrees with respect to the discharge part 42, the discharge port 42a is exposed through the cutout part of the shutter member 41, and the internal space of the bag member 43 is opened. It communicates with the external space of the toner pack 40. As shown in FIG. 12, the shutter member 41 preferably has a structure in which a sealing layer 41b made of an elastic material such as sponge is bonded to a rigid main body 41a. In this case, in the closed state, the seal layer 41b comes into close contact with the seal layer 42c that covers the peripheral edge of the discharge port 42a, thereby preventing toner leakage. Although the sealing layer 42c is shown in FIG. 12, this sealing layer 42c is also made of an elastic material such as sponge, like the sealing layer 41b.

As will be described later, when replenishing toner from the toner pack 40 to the image forming apparatus 1, the discharge section 42 is aligned to a predetermined position, and the toner pack 40 is inserted and coupled to the replenishment container mounting section 701. Then, by rotating the discharge section 42 by 180 degrees, the discharge section 42 rotates relative to the shutter member 41, the discharge port 42a opens, and the toner in the bag member 43 flows down to the toner receiving unit 801 according to gravity. It has become. At this time, the shutter member does not move relative to the supply container mounting section 701.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the user attaches the toner pack 40 to the supply container mounting portion 701 and rotates it 180 degrees, and then squeezes the bag member 43 by hand to remove the toner from the toner pack 40. It can encourage excretion.

Note that although the rotary shutter member 41 is illustrated here, the shutter member may be omitted, or a sliding shutter member may be used instead of the rotary shutter member 41. Further, the shutter member 41 may be configured to be destroyed by attaching the toner pack 40 to the supply port 8012 or rotating the toner pack in the attached state, or may have a removable lid structure such as a seal. good.

Further, it is preferable to attach a protective cap to the discharge portion 42 of an unused toner pack 40 to prevent toner from leaking out during transportation. The protective cap is configured to engage with the notch portions of the shutter member 41 and the ejection portion 42 when attached to the ejection portion 42, for example, and to restrict relative rotation between the shutter member 41 and the ejection portion 42. By removing the protective cap, the user can attach the toner pack 40 to the supply container attachment section 701.

(1-6) Configuration of Replenishment Container Mounting Section The shutter opening/closing mechanism of the toner pack 40 and toner receiving unit 801, and the locking mechanism of the shutter member 41 will be described. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the supply container mounting portion 701, and FIG. 9(b) is a top view thereof. The supply container mounting section 701 has a supply port 8012, a supply port shutter 7013, a locking member 7014, and a rotation detection section 7015.

The replenishment port 8012 is an opening that communicates with the toner storage portion 8011 (see FIG. 6) of the toner receiving unit 801, and is fixed to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. The replenishment port shutter 7013 includes a lid portion 70131 that covers the replenishment port 8012, a cylindrical portion 70132 that receives the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, and a contact portion 45a of the memory unit 45 of the toner pack 40 (see FIG. 8(b)). and a contact portion 70133 connected to the contact portion 70133. In the figure, a portion of the cylindrical portion 70132 that covers the contact portion 70133 is shown as a cylindrical portion 70132a. The supply port shutter 7013 is a member in which the lid portion 70131, the cylindrical portion 70132, and the contact portion 70133 are integrated, and is rotatably attached to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Each conductor exposed in the contact portion 70133 controls the image forming apparatus 1 mounted on the printer body 100 via the wiring provided in the process cartridge 20 and the contact between the process cartridge 20 and the printer body 100. electrically connected to the

The rotation detection unit 7015 as a rotation detection sensor is a mechanism that detects rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013. The rotation detection section 7015 of this embodiment is composed of two electrically conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152. The leaf spring 70152 is biased clockwise, and when pressed by the protrusion 70135a provided on the outer periphery of the replenishment port shutter 7013, the leaf spring 70152 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151 at the tip 701521. In other words, the rotation detection unit 7015 is an electric circuit configured to switch between a conductive state and a disconnected state depending on the rotation angle (rotational position) of the replenishment port shutter 7013. As will be described later, the control section 90 (FIG. 19) of the image forming apparatus controls the replenishment of the toner pack 40 outlet 42a and the replenishment container attachment section 701 based on whether the rotation detection section 7015 is electrically connected or disconnected. It is recognized whether or not the mouth 8012 is in communication. In other words, the control unit 90 can determine that the user's operation to replenish the toner pack 40 has been performed normally up to at least the communication between the discharge port 42a and the replenishment port 8012.

A plurality of protrusions 70135a and 70135b are provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 70132 of the replenishment port shutter 7013. Further, a plurality of protrusions 70125a and 70125b are also provided on a portion of the frame 8010 that supports the cylindrical portion 70132 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 (cylindrical portion 7011a of 7011). The plurality of protrusions 70125a and 70125b are located lower in the gravity direction than the protrusion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)). The protrusion 70125b allows passage of the protrusion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10A) by rotation. On the other hand, the protruding part 70135a (left side in FIG. 10(a)) is at the same height as the protruding part 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)) and extends downward to a height that overlaps with the protruding parts 70125a and 70125b. There is. Therefore, the protrusion 70125b comes into contact with the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10(a)) depending on the rotation angle (rotation position) of the replenishment port shutter 7013, and the rotation of the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10(a)) Regulate movement.

Furthermore, before the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates in the R1 direction, the protrusion 70125a contacts the protrusion 70135a (left side) to restrict rotational movement of the protrusion 70135a in the R2 direction. Further, the protruding portion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)) comes into contact with the locking member 7014, and restricts rotational movement of the locking member 7014 in the R1 direction. On the other hand, after the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates in the R1 direction, the protrusion 70135b contacts the locking member 7014 that has been moved to the lock position, and restricts the rotational movement of the locking member 7014 in the R2 direction. Furthermore, the protrusion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)) comes into contact with the protrusion 70125b, and restricts further rotational movement of the protrusion 70135a in the R1 direction. It is assumed that the rotation direction of the supply port shutter 7013 is the R1 direction when the toner pack 40 is attached, and the R2 direction when the toner pack 40 is removed.

The lock member 7014 is a member that restricts rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013. FIG. 11(a) shows a state in which the locking member 7014 is in the locked position, and FIG. 11(b) shows a state in which the locking member 7014 is in the unlocked position. The locking member 7014 can be shifted between a locking position (restricted position) and an unlocking position (permissive position) by moving up and down. As shown in FIGS. 9(b) and 11(a), when the locking member 7014 contacts the protrusion 70135a of the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the locked position, rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013 is restricted. When the locking member 7014 moves to the unlocked position as shown in FIG. 11(b), the locking member 7014 retreats from the locus of movement of the protrusion 70135a when the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates, and the replenishment port shutter 7013 Rotation is allowed.

(1-7) Locking Member Pressing Mechanism FIG. 13 shows a pressing mechanism 600 that moves the locking member 7014 between the locked position and the unlocked position. The pressing mechanism 600 includes a motor 601, an input gear 602, a cam gear 603, and a reciprocating pin 604. Input gear 602 is a screw gear attached to the output shaft of motor 601. The cam gear 603 includes a gear portion 6032 made of a helical gear that meshes with the input gear 602, and a cam portion 6031 for reciprocating the advancing/retracting pin 604.

The reciprocating pin 604 is supported by a holding member so as to be capable of linear movement in the direction of gravity and the opposite direction (vertical direction). When the motor 601 rotates, the cam gear 603 rotates via the input gear 602, and the advancing/retracting pin 604 moves up and down as it is pressed by the cam part 6031, and the locking member 7014 also moves between the locked position and the unlocked position. Move up and down between positions. FIG. 13 shows the locked state.

Although the drive transmission configuration in the pressing mechanism 600 of this embodiment is a combination of a helical gear and a screw gear, the configuration is not limited to this as long as the configuration can convert the rotation of the motor into linear motion. For example, a bevel gear may be used, or the input gear 602 may be eliminated and the cam gear 603 may be directly driven by the motor 601. Furthermore, instead of the motor 601, an actuator that outputs linear motion, such as a solenoid, may be used as a driving source.

Further, each member constituting the pressing mechanism 600 shown in FIG. 13 is supported by a frame 609 of the printer main body. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 7014a of the locking member 7014 is held by a holding portion provided on the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is replaced, the locking member 7014 is also replaced at the same time, and the pressing mechanism 600 remains in the printer body. The rotation shaft 7014a and the advancing/retracting pin 604 are made of separate members. When the locking member 7014 is in the unlocked position, the advancing/retracting pin 604 is separated from the locking member, and the process cartridge 20 is removed from the main body while leaving the advancing/retracting pin 604 in the main body. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and it is also possible, for example, to support the rotation shaft 7014a of the locking member 7014 on the printer main body.

(1-8) Flow of replenishment operation using a toner pack Based on the configurations of the toner pack 40, the replenishment container attachment part 701, and the pressing mechanism 600 described above, the toner pack 40 is attached to the replenishment container attachment part 701. A series of operations when removing toner after replenishing it will be explained. 10(a) is a top view of the supply container mounting portion 701 with the supply port 8012 in the closed state, and FIG. 10(b) is a top view of the supply container mounting portion 701 with the supply port 8012 in the open state. be.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the closed state is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the replenishment port 8012 by abutting the locking member 7014 in the lock position with the protruding portion 70135a in the rotational direction. has been done. At this time, the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 completely closes the replenishment port 8012. Furthermore, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection section 7015 are separated, and the rotation detection section 7015 is in a disconnected state.

When inserting the toner pack 40 into the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the user inserts the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 and the cutout portion (FIG. 12) of the shutter member 41 into the replenishment port 8012 and the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013. Align and insert. Then, the engagement surface 42s of the discharge part 42 engages with the engagement surface 7013s (see FIG. 9(c)) which is the side surface of the lid part 70131, and the engagement surface 41s of the shutter member 41 engages with the outer peripheral part of the replenishment port 8012. The engagement surface 8012s (see FIG. 9(c)) is engaged with the engagement surface 8012s (see FIG. 9(c)). At this time, the discharge part 42 engaged with the lid part 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the replenishment port shutter 7013 is later unlocked by the locking member 7014. It can be rotated together with 7013. On the other hand, the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the replenishment port 8012 fixed to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. In addition, as another engagement structure between the lid part 70131 and the ejection part 42, a convex part is provided that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the lid part 70131, and the lower surface 42b of the ejection part 42 (see FIG. 12) is engaged with this protrusion. A recess may also be provided.

Further, when the toner pack 40 is inserted, the contact portion 45a (FIG. 7) of the memory unit 45 comes into contact with the contact portion 70133 of the supply container mounting portion 701, and the information recorded in the memory unit 45 is transferred to the control portion 90 of the image forming apparatus. read by. Information (a new flag) indicating whether or not the toner pack 40 contains toner (whether or not it is a used toner pack) is recorded in the memory unit 45. When the control unit 90 reads the new flag and determines that the currently installed toner pack 40 contains toner (is unused), it controls the pressing mechanism 600 to push up the locking member 7014. As a result, the locking member 7014 moves from the locked position to the unlocked position (FIG. 11(b)).

When the locking member 7014 is moved to the unlocked position, the locking member 7014 is separated from the protruding portion 70135a of the replenishing port shutter 7013, so that the refilling port shutter 7013 is moved in the R1 direction in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b). It becomes rotatable (FIG. 11(b)). On the other hand, since the protrusion 70125a provided on the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801 interferes with the protrusion 70135a (FIG. 10(a)), rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the R2 direction is restricted. . That is, in FIG. 10A, 70125a and 70125b are located lower than 70135a and 70135b in the gravity direction so that 70135a and 70135b can move and pass in the rotational direction.

When the user grips the toner pack 40 and rotates the discharge section 42 or the bag member 43 in the vicinity thereof by 180 degrees in the R1 direction, the state shown in FIG. 10(b) is obtained. When the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees together with the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, the lid portion 70131 moves from the position covering the replenishment port 8012, and the replenishment port 8012 is exposed. The lid part 70131 has its side surface pushed by the engagement surface 42s, which is a part of the rotating discharge part 42, and rotates together with the engagement surface 42s. Furthermore, by rotating the discharge section 42 by 180 degrees while the shutter member 41 is fixed, the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 is exposed (FIG. 8(b)) and faces the replenishment port 8012. As a result, the internal space of the toner pack 40 and the internal space of the toner receiving unit 801 communicate with each other via the discharge port 42a and the replenishment port 8012, and the toner filled in the bag member 43 flows down into the toner storage portion 8011. do.

As described above, the toner that has fallen into the toner storage section 8011 is transported inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developer container 32, where it becomes usable for the development process. Note that even before the newly replenished toner reaches the developer container 32, as long as the amount of toner necessary to maintain image quality remains in the developer container 32, the developer unit 802 continues the development process. It may be an executable configuration. That is, regardless of whether or not the image forming operation is being executed in the image forming unit 10 (FIG. 1(a)), it is possible to replenish toner from a replenishment container located outside the image forming apparatus to the developer container. good.

Further, the protrusion 70125b is arranged so as to come into contact with the protrusion 70135a of the replenishment port shutter when the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees in the R1 direction from the state shown in FIG. )). That is, like 70125a, protrusion 70125b is also located lower than 70135a and 70135b in the direction of gravity. Thereby, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from rotating in the R1 direction by more than 180 degrees. At the same time, the protrusion 70135a of the replenishment port shutter 7013 presses the leaf spring 70152 of the rotation detection part 7015, bringing its tip 701521 into contact with the leaf spring 70151. When the rotation detection section 7015 becomes conductive, the control section 90 recognizes that the replenishment port shutter 7013 is in the open state, operates the pressing mechanism 600, and moves the locking member 7014 to the locking position again. Then, the locking member 7014 engages with the protrusion 70135b of the replenishment port shutter 7013 to restrict rotation in the R2 direction, thereby preventing the replenishment port shutter 7013 and the toner pack 40 from rotating in any direction.

Further, in the state shown in FIG. 10B in which the discharge section 42 of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are rotated by 180 degrees, the cover section 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 is positioned to cover the upper part of the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40. It becomes a relationship. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to lift the toner pack 40 upward from the supply container mounting portion 701, the shutter member 41 interferes with the lid portion 70131, and the movement of the toner pack 40 is restricted. Therefore, the toner pack 40 is prevented from falling off from the supply container mounting section 701 unless the user performs the operation for removing the toner pack 40 according to a predetermined procedure described below.

After the discharge of toner from the toner pack 40 begins, when the conditions for determining the completion of toner discharge are satisfied, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the locking member 7014 to the unlocked position. In this embodiment, completion of toner discharge is determined based on the elapsed time from the time when the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive.

After the locking member 7014 moves to the unlocked position, the user can remove the toner pack 40 by performing the reverse procedure of attaching the toner pack 40. That is, the user grasps the discharge section 42 of the toner pack 40 or the bag member 43 in the vicinity thereof, and rotates the bag member 43 by 180 degrees in the R2 direction, which is opposite to the direction at the time of attachment. Then, the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees together with the discharge portion 42, and the replenishment port 8012 is covered by the cover portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 as shown in FIG. 10(a). Further, the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10A) of the replenishment port shutter 7013 comes into contact with the protrusion 70125a, so that rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the R2 direction by more than 180 degrees is restricted. .

When the discharge section 42 of the toner pack 40 is rotated 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the position of the notch of the discharge section 42 and the position of the notch of the shutter member 41 are aligned (FIG. 12). Therefore, even if the toner pack 40 moves upward, the shutter member 41 will not interfere with the lid part 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013, and the user can grasp and lift the toner pack 40 and move it to the replenishment container mounting part 701. It can be removed from.

Note that in the process of the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotating 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the protruding portion 70135a separates from the leaf spring 70152, and the rotation detecting portion 7015 returns to the disconnected state. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state, and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position. As a result, the replenishment container mounting section 701 returns to the initial state before performing the toner replenishment operation. For example, the control unit 90 may determine that a predetermined condition for moving the locking member 7014 to the unlocked state is satisfied when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the rotation detection unit 7015 became conductive. Note that the trigger for moving the locking member 7014 to the locking position is, for example, when the toner pack 40 is pulled out from the supply container mounting section 701, and the contact section 70133 of the supply container mounting section and the contact section 45a of the toner pack (see FIG. 7) are activated. It may also be due to a loss of continuity.

In this embodiment, the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port 8012 communicate with each other by rotating 180 degrees. , the rotation angle required for communication can be changed.

(1-9) Panel Next, the panel 400 will be explained. The panel 400 is provided on the front surface of the casing of the printer main body 100, as shown in FIG. 1(b) and FIG. 14. The panel 400 is an example of a display unit that displays replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished to the developer container 32. The panel 400 is a liquid crystal panel that includes a plurality of scales (indicators) that can independently control light emission states such as on, off, and blinking. Note that instead of "unlit" in the following description, the light may be turned on at a lower brightness than the normal lighting state, or may be issued in a different color from the normal lighting state.

In this embodiment, a four-stage indicator 401 in which four scales 4011, 4012, 4013, and 4014 are arranged vertically from top to bottom is used as the panel 400. The panel 400 shows the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished into the developer container 32 by displaying scales 4011 to 4014 that change stepwise. Further, the scale 4014 at the bottom also indicates whether the toner in the developer container 32 is at a Low level or an Out level. However, the Low level indicates that although it is necessary to replenish the developer container 32 with toner, a minimum amount of toner remains to maintain image quality, and image forming operations can be performed at this time. . The Out level indicates that there is almost no toner remaining in the developer container 32 and the image forming operation cannot be performed.

In the illustrated configuration example of the panel 400, when all four scales 4011 to 4014 are off, this indicates that the toner in the developer container 32 is at the Out level. As shown in FIG. 24A, when only the lowermost scale 4014 is blinking, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level.

As shown in FIG. 24B, when only the lowermost scale 4014 is lit, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the first level, which is higher than the Low level. As shown in FIG. 24(c), when the lower two scales 4013 and 4014 are lit and the upper two scales 4011 and 4012 are off, the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is lower than the first level. Indicates that the second level is the highest. If the lower three scales 4012 to 4014 are lit and only the uppermost scale 4011 is off, this indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the third level, which is greater than the second level. .

As shown in FIG. 24(d), when all the scales 4011 to 4014 are lit, this indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the Full level, which is higher than the third level. In this state, since there is no scale that is off, it can be seen that toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40, for example.

As will be described later, in this embodiment, it is possible to connect multiple types of replenishment containers containing different amounts of toner, and when toner is replenished from the replenishment container located outside the image forming apparatus to the developer container. , the display on panel 400 is changed. At this time, the amount of increase in the scale of the panel 400 during toner replenishment is changed depending on the type of replenishment container.

Note that the panel 400 illustrated in FIG. 14 is an example of a display unit whose display contents are changed depending on the level of the amount of toner that can be replenished to the developer container 32, and other configurations may be used. For example, instead of the liquid crystal panel, the panel may be constructed by combining a light source such as an LED or an incandescent lamp with a diffusion lens. The scale may be omitted and only the number panel may be used, or the number panel may be omitted and only the scale may be used. Furthermore, the panel 400 of the present embodiment displays the level of the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 based on the detection result of the remaining toner amount detection means 51 (FIG. 19), which will be described later, even during a period when toner is not replenished. It has a remaining capacity display function. However, the display means only needs to have at least a function of displaying to the user replenishment amount information that indicates the amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container 32, and does not have a remaining amount display function. It may be something.

(2) First Modification Next, as another example of the supply container, a first modification using a bottle-shaped toner bottle unit instead of the bag-shaped toner pack will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Note that this toner bottle unit, like the above-described toner pack 40, is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the above-described supply container mounting portion 701. Therefore, description of the configuration of the image forming apparatus that is common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

(2-1) Configuration of Toner Bottle Unit FIG. 15(a) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 15(b) is a perspective view showing the toner bottle unit 900 after toner has been discharged. 15(c) is a view of the toner bottle unit 900 viewed from below the piston, and FIG. 15(d) is a sectional view of the toner bottle unit 900 at the sectional position DD shown in FIG. 15(c).

Further, FIG. 16(a) is a perspective view of the toner bottle unit 900 with the outer cylinder 903 (see FIG. 15(a)) hidden, and FIG. 16(b) is a perspective view of the outer cylinder 903 in a state after toner has been discharged. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a toner bottle unit 900 with the toner bottle unit 900 hidden. FIG. 16(c) is a diagram showing the state of the parts involved in push detection of the toner bottle unit 900 before the push-in operation, and FIG. 16(d) is a diagram showing the state of the parts involved in push-in detection after the push-in operation. It is. 16(e) is a diagram showing the state before the rotation operation of the parts involved in the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 16(f) is a diagram showing the state after the rotation operation of the parts involved in the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15D, the toner bottle unit 900 roughly includes an outer cylinder 903, an inner cylinder 901, a piston 902, a shutter member 904, and a memory unit 911. The outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901 are cylindrical, and the inner cylinder 901 is fitted inside the outer cylinder 903. The piston 902 is fitted further inside the inner cylinder 901 and slides against the inner cylinder 901. It is possible. Hereinafter, the direction in which the piston 902 moves (the direction of the axes of the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901) will be referred to as the axial direction of the toner bottle unit 900. Further, the piston 902 is an example of a pressing member.

The inner cylinder 901 has a cylindrical toner storage portion 9014 that stores toner, a bottom portion 9013 provided at one end in the axial direction, and a discharge port 9011 provided in the bottom portion 9013. The inner cylinder 901 has a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction of a toner storage portion 9014 is closed by a bottom portion 9013. The other end of the toner storage section 9014 is an opening 9012, and the piston 902 is inserted into the toner storage section 9014 through the opening 9012. Further, the inner cylinder 901 includes a spherical weight member 905 that can freely move within the toner storage portion 9014 .

The outer cylinder 903 has a cylindrical inner cylinder accommodating part 9034 that accommodates the toner accommodating part 9014 of the inner cylinder 901 inside, a bottom part 9033 provided at one end in the axial direction, and an outlet 9031 provided in the bottom part 9033. ,have. Like the inner cylinder 901, the outer cylinder 903 has a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction of the inner cylinder accommodating part 9034 is closed by the bottom part 9033, and holds the inner cylinder 901 in a relatively immovable manner. The other end side of the inner cylinder accommodating portion 9034 is an opening 9032 through which the piston 902 is inserted.

The discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 has a narrow cylindrical shape extending from the bottom 9013 to one end in the axial direction. The outlet 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is provided in the bottom 9033 at a position corresponding to the outlet 9011 of the inner cylinder 901. A discharge port 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is a discharge port that discharges the toner contained in the toner storage portion 9014 to the outside of the toner bottle unit 900. Note that a retraction space 9013a is provided adjacent to the discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901, into which the weight member 905 retreats so as not to block the discharge port 9011 when the piston is pushed in.

Note that the bottom portion 9013 of the inner cylinder 901 has an inclined shape whose cross-sectional area becomes smaller toward the discharge port in the axial direction (in particular, a conical shape whose inner diameter decreases toward the discharge port in the axial direction). . A bottom portion 9033 of the outer tube 903 that faces the bottom portion 9013 of the inner tube 901 also has a similar inclined shape. The discharge port 9011 and the evacuation space 9013a of the inner cylinder 901 are provided at the apex portion of the inclined shape of the bottom portion 9033. The weight member 905 has a spherical shape, is guided by this bottom portion 9013, and moves to the retreat space 9013a by gravity.

The piston 902 has an elastic member 906 attached to an end 9023 on one axial end side (discharge port side), and an elastic member 906 provided near the other end 9022 (the part pressed by the user when pushing the piston). A push-in rib 9021 is provided. The elastic member 906 is configured to contact the inner circumferential surface of the toner storage portion 9014 without a gap, and has a function of preventing toner from slipping through when the piston is pushed. Further, the pushing rib 9021 has a convex shape that projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902.

The configuration of the shutter member 904 is similar to the shutter member 41 provided in the toner pack 40 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the shutter member 904 has the shape of a partially cut out disc that can rotate relative to the outer cylinder 903. A side surface forming the thickness of the shutter member 904 at the cutout portion functions as an engagement surface 904s. On the other hand, the outer cylinder 903 also has a notched shape. The outer cylinder 903 has an engagement surface 903s that is parallel to the engagement surface 904s in the cutout portion. The discharge port 9031 is provided at a position approximately 180 degrees away from the engagement surface 903s in the circumferential direction of the outer cylinder 903.

Although FIG. 15C shows a state in which the discharge port 9031 is already exposed, in the state at the time of shipment of the toner bottle unit 900, the shutter member 904 and the cutout-shaped engagement surfaces 903s and 904s of the outer cylinder 903 The positions of are aligned. In this case, the discharge port 9031 is covered by the shutter member 904, and the toner storage portion 9014 is maintained in a sealed state (closed state). As shown in FIG. 15(c), when the shutter member 904 rotates 180 degrees with respect to the outer cylinder 903, the discharge port 9031 is exposed through the notch of the shutter member 904, and the toner storage portion 9014 is unsealed. It is released and the toner can be discharged (open state). The configurations of the discharge port 9031, the engagement surface 903s, and the shutter member 904 are basically the same as those described in FIGS. 7, 8, and 12.

A memory unit 911 serving as a storage means for storing information about the toner bottle unit 900 is attached near the discharge port 9031 in the outer cylinder 903 . The memory unit 911 has a plurality of metal plates 9111, 9112, 9113 (FIG. 16) exposed outside the toner bottle unit 900 as a contact portion 911a that contacts the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9(a)) of the supply container mounting portion 701. (a)).

(2-2) Piston push-in detection mechanism Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(c), there is a push-in detection mechanism between the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901 that detects the push-in operation of the piston 902. A push-in detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 are arranged as follows. The push detection rod 907 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The push-in detection rod 907 has a contact release part 9072 at one end in the axial direction (discharge port side), and has a piston contact part 9071 that can come into contact with the push-in rib 9021 of the piston 902 at the other end in the axial direction. are doing. The push-in detection rod 907 moves in the axial direction as the piston contact portion 9071 is pressed by the push-in rib 9021 in conjunction with the push-in operation of the piston 902 .

For example, the push-in detection rod 907 is fitted into an axial groove shape formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner tube 901 or the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube 903, thereby restricting its movement in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Moreover, it is held movably in the axial direction with respect to the inner cylinder 901 and the outer cylinder 903. Further, the piston contact portion 9071 has a shape bent perpendicularly to the axial direction, that is, in an L-shape, and is configured so that the pushing rib 9021 comes into contact with it more reliably. In addition, in FIG. 16(a), the push-in rib 9021 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902 over the entire circumference, but it is also possible to form the push-in rib 9021 only at the circumferential position corresponding to the piston contact portion 9071. good.

The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are metal plates whose conductive state and disconnected state are switched depending on the position of the push-in detection rod 907 made of insulating resin. A method for detecting a new toner bottle unit 900 using the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 will be described later.

Further, a tube cover 910 (FIG. 15(a)) is provided at the end of the outer tube 903 on the opening side to prevent the push detection rod 907 from falling off. In other words, the cylinder cover 910 constituting the opening 9032 of the outer cylinder 903 is narrowed inward from the radially outer end position of the piston contact portion 9071 (Fig. 16(b)) (Fig. 15(b)). d)). Therefore, even if a force is applied to move the push-in detection rod 907 toward the opening in the axial direction, the piston contact portion 9071 interferes with the cylinder cover 910, and the push-in detection rod 907 does not fall off from the toner bottle unit 900.

(2-3) Determining whether the toner bottle unit is new or used Next, when the toner bottle unit 900 is attached to the supply container mounting portion 701, it is detected whether the toner bottle unit 900 is unused (new) or used. The configuration will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 16(c) and 16(d), the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 is located near the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909.

FIG. 16(c) corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 16(a) before the piston is pushed in, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in a conductive state due to contact with each other. At this time, it is preferable that one of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 made of metal be formed into a leaf spring shape so as to be in pressure contact with the other contact plate. Further, for example, by applying conductive grease to the contact surfaces of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 can be made more reliable.

FIG. 16(d) corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 16(b) after the piston has been pushed in, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in a disconnected state. In this state, the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 pushed in by the push-in rib 9021 enters between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, thereby physically separating them. In the push-in detection rod 907, at least the contact release part 9072 is formed of an insulating material, and in the state shown in FIG. be done.

The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are connected to a different metal plate among the plurality of metal plates 9111 to 9113 at the end opposite to the end that contacts the contact release part 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907. each connected. Here, it is assumed that the first contact plate 908 is connected to the metal plate 9111 and the second contact plate 909 is connected to the metal plate 9113. In this case, by detecting the presence or absence of current when a weak voltage is applied between the metal plates 9111 and 9113, it is possible to determine whether the toner bottle unit 900 is in the state before the piston is pushed (unused) or the state after the piston is pushed. (used) can be determined. That is, when the toner bottle unit 900 is attached to the supply container attachment section 701, the control section 90 of the image forming apparatus determines whether the toner bottle unit 900 is unused or not, based on the presence or absence of electrical continuity between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. You can judge whether it is completed or not. Furthermore, the control unit 90 can determine that the replenishment operation by the user has ended when the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 become non-conductive. Based on this determination, the control unit 90 controls the display of the panel 400 described above. Further, the control unit 90 sets a new flag (new: 1, used: 0) in the memory unit 45 to indicate that the toner bottle unit 900 is used due to a change in conductivity between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. Write.

Note that in the case of the above configuration, it is preferable that the memory unit 911 is placed on a circuit that connects the metal plates 9111 and 9112. As a result, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus monitors the pushing operation of the toner bottle unit 900 via the metal plates 9111 and 91113, and in parallel, the control unit 90 pushes the toner bottle unit 900 into the memory unit 911 via the metal plates 9111 and 9112. can be accessed.

(2-4) Detection of rotation of toner bottle unit Next, a method of detecting rotation of toner bottle unit 900 will be described using FIGS. 16(e) and (f). The rotation detection method in this embodiment is similar to the method using the toner pack 40 described above, except that the shutter member 904 that seals the outlet of the supply container is attached to the outer cylinder 903 of the toner bottle unit 900. It is similar to the form.

As shown in FIGS. 16(e) and 16(f), two electrically conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are arranged as a rotation detecting section 7015 in the supply container mounting section 701 of the process cartridge. Furthermore, a protrusion 70135b is provided on the outer periphery of the replenishment port shutter 7013.

As shown in FIG. 16(e), before the toner bottle unit 900 inserted into the supply container mounting portion 701 is rotated, the tip 701521 of the leaf spring 70152 is not in contact with the leaf spring 70152, and the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated. The detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state. That is, even if a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152, no current flows. As shown in FIG. 16(f), when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated 180 degrees, the leaf spring 70152 is pressed by the protruding portion 70135a, and the tip portion 701521 contacts the other leaf spring 70151 to be in a conductive state. . In this state, when a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152, a current flows. The control section 90 of the image forming apparatus determines whether the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 and the supply port 8012 of the supply container mounting section 701 are in communication based on whether the rotation detection section 7015 is electrically connected or disconnected. Recognize whether or not.

(2-5) Flow of replenishment operation using toner bottle unit A series of operations for removing toner bottle unit 900 after attaching toner bottle unit 900 to replenishment container mounting portion 701 and replenishing toner will be described. Note that descriptions of the same parts as in the above-described embodiment using the toner pack 40 will be omitted.

First, the user attaches an unused toner bottle unit 900 to the supply container attachment section 701. Specifically, the notched engagement surfaces 903s and 904s (FIG. 15(c)) of the outer cylinder 903 and the shutter member 904 are connected to the replenishment port 8012 and the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 (FIG. 9(a)). Align and insert. Then, the engagement surface 903s of the outer cylinder 903 engages with the engagement surface 7013s that is the side surface of the lid 70131, and the engagement surface 904s of the shutter member 904 engages with the engagement surface 8012s provided on the outer periphery of the replenishment port 8012. engage with. At this time, the outer cylinder 903 engaged with the lid 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the refill port shutter 7013 is later unlocked by the locking member 7014. It can be rotated together with 7013. On the other hand, the shutter member 904 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the replenishment port 8012 fixed to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Furthermore, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection section 7015 are separated, and the rotation detection section 7015 is in a disconnected state (FIG. 16(e)).

When an unused toner bottle unit 900 is inserted into the supply container mounting section 701, the control section 90 recognizes that the toner bottle unit 900 is new due to the above-described new product detection configuration. As described above, the control unit 90 may recognize the continuity between the metal plates 9111-91113, or read and determine the new flag of the memory unit 45 (new: 1, used: 0). Also good. Then, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the locking member 7014 to the unlocked position, and the toner bottle unit 900 becomes rotatable.

After that, when the user grasps the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees, the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are opened, and the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 and the refill port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 are opened. communicate. The operation of opening the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 as the toner bottle unit 900 rotates is similar to that of the toner pack 40 described using FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b).

As shown in FIG. 16(f), when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated 180 degrees, the end 701521 of the leaf spring 70152 pressed by the protrusion 70135b of the replenishment port shutter 7013 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151. do. When the rotation detection section 7015 becomes conductive in this manner, the control section 90 of the image forming apparatus detects that the rotation operation of the toner bottle unit 900 has been performed. That is, the control unit 90 recognizes that the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 have been unsealed and the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 have communicated with each other. Further, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position, thereby restricting the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900.

Next, the user presses the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900 to start discharging the toner. The toner that has fallen into the toner storage portion 8011 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developer container 32 . Also in this modification, when the piston 902 is pushed in to the deepest position, the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 is detected by the above-mentioned pushing detection mechanism. That is, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the push-in rib 9021 of the piston 902 presses the piston contact portion 9071 of the push-in detection rod 907, so that the push-in detection rod 907 moves in conjunction with the piston 902. Then, as shown in FIG. 16(d), the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 disconnects the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909. The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus detects that no current flows even when a voltage is applied between the metal plate 9111 connected to the first contact plate 908 and the metal plate 9113 connected to the second contact plate 909. Based on this, completion of pushing the piston 902 is recognized. In other words, in the case of this modification, the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 is detected by the pushing detection mechanism as a condition for determining the completion of toner discharge. In addition, as another configuration example, when the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is broken, the control unit 90 rewrites the new product flag of the memory unit 911, and by rewriting the new product flag, the toner is removed. It may be determined that the discharge has been completed.

When the control unit 90 detects the completion of toner discharge from the toner bottle unit 900, it operates the pressing mechanism 600 again to move the locking member 7014 to the unlocked position, thereby making the toner bottle unit 900 rotatable. The user grasps the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees. Then, the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 is covered by the shutter member 904, and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is covered by the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013. Further, as shown in FIG. 16(e), the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are separated, and the rotation detection section 7015 returns to the disconnected state. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state, and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position. As a result, the replenishment container mounting section 701 returns to the initial state before toner replenishment.

(3) Second Modification Next, a second modification in which the structure of the process cartridge is different will be described. This modified example has the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the configuration related to the process cartridge, so the description of the common parts will be omitted.

(3-1) Process Cartridge FIG. 17 is (a) a perspective view, (b) a side view, (c) a sectional view, and (d) a sectional view of a process cartridge 20A according to this modification. FIGS. 17(c) and 17(d) each represent a cut surface at the cutting position shown in FIG. 17(b).

As shown in each figure in FIG. 17, the process cartridge 20A of this modification includes a toner receiving unit 801, a developing unit 802, and a drum unit 803A. When compared with the first embodiment, the drum unit 803A is not provided with a cleaning blade 24 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 and a waste toner chamber 8033 (see FIG. 6A) that accommodates waste toner. This is because this modification adopts a cleaner-less configuration in which transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 without being transferred to the recording material is collected in the developing unit 802 and reused. It is assumed here that, for example, a non-magnetic or magnetic one-component developer is used.

In the illustrated example, the developing unit 802 is located below the process cartridge 20A, and the toner receiving unit 801 and drum unit 803A are located above the developing unit 802 in the direction of gravity. As shown in FIG. 17B, the positions of the toner receiving unit 801 and the drum unit 803A do not overlap when viewed in the gravity direction, but they may be arranged at least partially vertically. Furthermore, a toner receiving unit 801 is arranged in the space where the cleaning blade 24 and waste toner chamber 8033 were provided in the first embodiment. The configuration of the supply container mounting portion 701 provided in the toner receiving unit 801 is the same as that in the first embodiment, but a simplified shape is shown in FIG. 17.

Between the developing unit 802, the drum unit 803A, and the toner receiving unit 801, there is a laser gap through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see FIG. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass. A passage space SP is formed. Further, in the drum unit 803A, a pre-exposure device that irradiates light onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to erase the electrostatic latent image is arranged downstream of the transfer section in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 21 and between the charging roller 22. It is preferable.

(3-2) Behavior of toner in cleanerless configuration The behavior of toner in cleanerless configuration will be explained. Transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 in the transfer section is removed in the following steps. The residual toner after transfer includes positively charged toner and negatively charged toner that does not have sufficient charge. The pre-exposure device neutralizes the charge on the photosensitive drum 21 after the transfer, and the charging roller 22 causes a uniform discharge, so that the residual toner remaining after the transfer is charged to negative polarity again. The transfer residual toner that has been negatively charged again in the charging section reaches the developing section as the photosensitive drum 21 rotates. The surface area of the photosensitive drum 21 that has passed through the charging section is exposed to light by the scanner unit 11 and an electrostatic latent image is written thereon, with the residual toner still attached to the surface.

Here, the behavior of the transfer residual toner that has reached the developing section will be explained separately for the exposed section and the non-exposed section of the photosensitive drum 21. Transfer residual toner adhering to the non-exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the developing roller 31 due to the potential difference between the potential of the non-exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21 (dark area potential) and the developing voltage in the developing section, and is transferred to the developing roller 31 in the developing container 32. will be collected. This is because, assuming that the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative, the developing voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is positive relative to the potential of the non-exposed area. Note that the toner collected in the developer container 32 is agitated and dispersed with the toner in the developer container by the stirring member 34, and is carried on the developer roller 31 to be used again in the development process.

On the other hand, the transfer residual toner adhering to the exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 21 remains on the drum surface without being transferred from the photosensitive drum 21 to the developing roller 31 in the developing section. This is because, assuming that the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative, the developing voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is a potential that is more negative than the potential of the exposed area (bright area potential). . The transfer residual toner remaining on the drum surface is carried by the photosensitive drum 21 together with other toner transferred from the developing roller 31 to the exposure section, moves to the transfer section, and is transferred to the recording material at the transfer section.

The cleaner-less configuration eliminates the need for installation space for a collection container for collecting residual toner, etc., making it possible to further downsize the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, by reusing residual toner, the image forming apparatus 1 can be further downsized. It is also possible to reduce printing costs.

(4) Third Modification Next, a third modification in which the structure of the process cartridge is different from any of the above-described embodiments will be described. This modified example has the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the configuration related to the process cartridge, so the description of the common parts will be omitted.

(4-1) Third form of process cartridge FIG. 18 is (a) a perspective view, (b) a side view, and (c) a sectional view of a process cartridge 20B according to this modification. FIG. 18(c) shows a cut surface at the cutting position shown in FIG. 18(b).

As shown in each figure in FIG. 18, the process cartridge 20B of this modification includes a developing unit 802 and a drum unit 803A. When compared with the third embodiment, the toner receiving unit 801 is omitted, and instead, a supply container mounting section 701, a first conveying member 8013, and a second conveying member 8014 are arranged in the developing unit 802. That is, in this modification, a replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900 is attached to the replenishment port 8012 provided in the developer container 32 from outside the image forming apparatus to replenish toner. be. The configuration of the supply container mounting portion 701 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but a simplified shape is illustrated.

Between the developing unit 802, the drum unit 803A, and the toner receiving unit 801, there is a laser gap through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see FIG. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass. A passage space SP is formed. Further, in the drum unit 803A, a pre-exposure device that irradiates light onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to erase the electrostatic latent image is arranged downstream of the transfer section in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 21 and between the charging roller 22. It is preferable. This modification employs a cleanerless configuration. The behavior of the toner in the cleaner-less configuration is the same as that in the second modification, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(5) Control System of Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 90 as a control means of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU 91 as a calculation device, a RAM 92 used as a work area of the CPU 91, and a nonvolatile memory 93 that stores various programs. The control unit 90 also includes an I/O interface 94 as an input/output port connected to external equipment, and an A/D conversion unit 95 that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The CPU 91 controls each part of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and executing a control program stored in the nonvolatile memory 93. Therefore, non-volatile memory 93 is an example of a non-transitory storage medium that stores a control program for operating the image forming apparatus in a specific manner.

Also connected to the control unit 90 are a T memory 57 which is a non-volatile memory mounted on a supply container such as the toner pack 40 or a toner bottle unit 900, and a P memory 58 which is a non-volatile memory mounted on the process cartridge 20. . Examples of the T memory 57 as a storage means provided in the supply container are the memory unit 45 mounted on the above-mentioned toner pack 40 and the memory unit 911 mounted on the above-mentioned toner bottle unit 900. Further, the T memory 57 also stores toner information indicating that the toner contained in the replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900 is a toner that can be replenished into the developer container 32. The toner information is, for example, information that describes whether the toner pack 40 is unused, the initial capacity of the toner, the expiration date, and the like. The P memory 58 also contains information regarding the remaining amount of toner contained in the developer container 32, the total amount of toner replenishment from the replenishment container, information regarding the life of the photoreceptor, and information regarding the replacement timing of the process cartridge 20. etc. are memorized.

Furthermore, the rotation lock mechanism 59 and the image forming section 10 are connected to the control section 90 . Examples of the rotation locking mechanism 59 are a locking member 7014 (FIGS. 9 and 11) provided on the supply container mounting portion 701 and a pressing mechanism 600 (FIG. 13) that moves this locking member 7014. The image forming section 10 includes a motor M1 as a drive source that drives the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, the stirring member 34, and the like. Note that the driving sources for these rotating members do not necessarily have to be the same; for example, the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, and the stirring member 34 may be configured to be driven by separate motors. good. The image forming section 10 also includes a power supply section 211 for applying voltage to each member such as the developing roller 31, and an exposure control section 212 for controlling the scanner unit 11.

Connected to the input side of the control section 90 are a toner remaining amount detection means 51, a waste toner fullness detection means 52, an attachment detection means 53, an opening/closing detection means 54, a rotation detection means 55, and a push-in detection means 56.

The remaining toner amount detection means 51 detects the remaining amount of toner contained in the developer container 32 . An example of the remaining toner amount detection means 51 is an optical sensor (51a, 51b) shown in FIG. 6(a). This optical sensor includes a light emitting section 51a that emits detection light toward the inside of the developer container 32, and a light receiving section 51b that detects the detection light. In this case, the ratio (Duty) of the period during which the optical path of the detection light is blocked by the toner with respect to the rotation period when the stirring member 34 rotates is correlated with the amount of toner remaining in the developer container 32 . By utilizing this and preparing in advance the correspondence between the Duty value and the remaining amount of toner, the remaining amount of toner can be determined from the current Duty value. Note that such an optical sensor is an example of a remaining toner amount detecting means, and a pressure-sensitive sensor or a capacitive sensor may also be used. The waste toner full detection unit 52 detects that the amount of waste toner accumulated in the waste toner chamber 8033 (FIG. 6(a)) of the cleaning unit 803 has reached a predetermined upper limit. As the waste toner fullness detection means 52, for example, a pressure-sensitive sensor placed in the waste toner chamber 8033 can be used. Further, the control unit 90 may calculate and predict the amount of waste toner from the image information based on the expectation that a predetermined percentage of the image information will be collected as waste toner.

The attachment detection means 53 detects that a replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 is attached to the replenishment container attachment section 701 . The attachment detection means 53 is, for example, a pressure-sensitive switch that is provided in the supply container attachment section 701 and outputs a detection signal when pressed by the bottom surface of the toner pack 40 . Further, the attachment detection means 53 may be a detection circuit that detects that the T memory 57 is electrically connected to the control section 90 via the contact section 70133 (FIG. 9) of the supply container attachment section 701.

The rotation detection means 55 detects the rotation of the supply container mounted on the supply container mounting section 701. An example of the rotation detecting means 55 is a rotation detecting section 7015 constituted by leaf springs 70151 and 70152 (FIGS. 9 and 16). The rotation detection section 7015 is an example of the rotation detection means 55, and for example, a photoelectric sensor whose light is blocked by a protrusion provided on the replenishment port shutter 7013 can also be used as the rotation detection sensor. Further, as another example of the rotation detection sensor, a configuration may be adopted in which the plate springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection section 7015 are electrically connected by a protrusion provided on the discharge section 42 of the toner pack 40.

The push-in detection means 56 is an element added when using the toner bottle unit 900 of the first modification, and detects completion of pushing of the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900. An example of the push-in detection means 56 is an image forming apparatus that detects a state change of a push-in detection mechanism (FIG. 16) that includes a push-in detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 provided in a toner bottle unit 900. This is a detection circuit provided in 1. This detection circuit monitors the current value when a voltage is applied to the metal plates 9111 and 9113 to which the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are connected, respectively. Detect.

The control unit 90 also includes an operation unit 300 that serves as a user interface of the image forming apparatus 1, and a toner remaining amount control unit that serves as a notification unit (notification unit) that notifies the user of information regarding the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32. A panel 400 is connected. Here, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner is not limited to indicating the remaining amount of toner itself. In addition, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner also includes information indicating how much toner has already been replenished using the toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900. The information regarding the remaining amount of toner also includes information indicating how many toner packs 40 are left in the developer container 32 and the free capacity of the developer container 32 that can be replenished with the toner bottle unit 900.

As shown in FIG. 20, the operation unit 300 has a display unit 301 that can display various setting screens. The display section 301 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The operation unit 300 also includes an input unit 302 that accepts input operations from the user. The input unit 302 includes, for example, physical buttons or a touch panel function unit of a liquid crystal panel. Further, the control unit 90 is connected to an external device such as a desktop computer or a smartphone via an I/O interface 94.

Further, the control unit 90 is connected to an external device such as a desktop computer or a smartphone via an I/O interface 94, and can display a message 561 as shown in FIG. 21 on the display 560 of the host computer. It is possible.

(6) Control according to the type of replenishment container The operation when replenishing the image forming apparatus 1 with toner from the replenishment container will be described below. In this embodiment, a plurality of types of replenishment containers containing different amounts of toner can be connected to one image forming apparatus 1. There is an advantage that the image forming apparatus 1 can be operated more flexibly by allowing the user to select the amount of toner to be replenished in one toner replenishment. Here, as an example of the replenishment container, a case will be described in which a plurality of types of toner bottle units with different capacities (filling sizes) are used.

(6-1) Types of Toner Bottle Units FIG. 22 shows the types of toner bottle units 900 described above. FIG. 22A shows a small-capacity toner bottle unit 991, which stores toner for 1000 printed sheets. FIG. 22(b) shows a medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992, which stores toner for 2000 printed sheets. FIG. 22C shows a large-capacity toner bottle unit 993, which stores toner for 4000 printed sheets. However, the "number of printed sheets" represents an increase in the number of recording materials on which images can be formed by the image forming apparatus, which is increased by replenishing toner using the toner bottle unit. In addition, "the amount of toner for 1000 sheets printed" refers to the amount of toner when outputting 1000 images at the standard average printing rate (area ratio of the toner image to the effective image area of the recording material). Refers to consumption.

Note that each of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 has the same configuration as the above-described toner bottle unit 900 except that their capacities are different from each other. Therefore, each of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 includes a T memory 57 as a storage means such as the memory unit 911, a first contact plate 908, a second contact plate 909, and a push detection rod 907 that constitute the push detection means 56. It is equipped with

(6-2) Circuit configuration of toner bottle unit FIG. 23 shows the circuit configuration of toner bottle units 991 to 993 including the T memory 57 and the push-in detection mechanism. The T memory 57 is connected to metal plates 9111 and 9112, the first contact plate 908 is connected to the metal plate 9111, and the second contact plate 909 is connected to the metal plate 9113. Furthermore, when the toner bottle units 991 to 993 are attached to the supply container attachment section 701, the metal plates 9111 to 9113 of the contact section 911a are connected to the image forming apparatus via the contact section 70133 (FIG. 9) of the supply container attachment section 701. Electrically connected to the control unit.

The T memory 57 stores different capacity information (toner amount information) depending on the type of toner bottle units 991 to 993. If the toner bottle unit 991 has a small capacity, the T memory 57 stores capacity information indicating that the toner amount for 1000 printed sheets is stored. In addition, for the medium-capacity and large-capacity toner bottle units 992 and 993, capacity information indicating that the toner amount for 2000 printed sheets and 4000 printed sheets is stored, respectively, is stored in the T memory 57. . Further, the T memory 57 stores a new flag as information indicating whether the toner bottle units 991 to 993 are unused (new) or used for toner replenishment.

The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 connected to the T-memory 57 via the contact portion 70133 acquires the capacity information stored in the T-memory 57 through the metal plate 9111 and the metal plate 9112. In other words, the contact portion 70133 is an example of an acquisition unit for the image forming apparatus to acquire information representing the type of supply container. In this embodiment, the type of toner bottle units 991 to 993 is specified by the control unit 90 reading capacity information from the T memory 57 via the contact unit 70133. The method of communicating with the T memory 57 is a so-called two-wire transmission method in which a power supply line and a communication signal line are used, and communication is performed through metal plates 9111 and 9112. Note that another communication method may be used.

Note that the information that the control unit 90 acquires from the T memory 57 is not limited to information that directly represents the capacity of the toner bottle unit, but also information that identifies which of multiple types of toner bottle units with different capacities the toner bottle unit is. Any information that is possible is fine. In that case, the control unit 90 can determine the capacity of the toner bottle unit by referring to the correspondence between the type of toner bottle unit and its capacity, which is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory.

As explained using FIGS. 16(a) to 16(d), when the pistons 902 of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 are pushed, an insulating material is pressed between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909. The contact release portion 9072 of the detection rod 907 enters and the conduction is released. In other words, FIG. 23 shows the circuit state after the piston 902 is pushed in. However, in FIG. 23, the switch mechanism consisting of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is illustrated as an equivalent circuit symbol that is turned on/off by the push detection rod 907.

When no current flows even when a voltage is applied between the metal plates 9111 and 9113, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 causes the piston 902 to be pushed in and the toner stored in the toner bottle units 991 to 993 to be discharged. Consider it complete. On the other hand, when the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are electrically connected, the control unit 90 controls the piston based on the fact that a current flows by applying a voltage between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. It is determined that 902 is not pushed in (new state).

(6-3) Display control of replenishment amount information during toner replenishment Next, the panel 400 when toner replenishment is performed using any of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 with different capacities (FIGS. 14 and 24) The control will be explained below.

During the period when toner is not being replenished, the control section 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 changes the display on the panel 400 based on the detection result of the remaining toner amount detection means 51 (FIG. 19). Each scale corresponds to the amount of toner for one bottle of the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991, that is, the amount of toner for 1000 sheets printed. In other words, when the image forming apparatus 1 repeats the image forming operation without toner replenishment, one scale that has been lit on the panel 400 goes out every time images are formed on approximately 1000 sheets of recording material.

For example, the state shown in FIG. 24(b) in which one scale is lit indicates that the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 has enough free space to replenish toner for three bottles (3000 sheets printed). represents. In other words, this indicates that the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 has already been replenished with toner for one bottle (for 1000 printed sheets). The state shown in FIG. 24(c) in which two scale marks are lit indicates that the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 has enough free space to replenish toner for two bottles (2000 sheets printed). . In other words, this indicates that two small-capacity toner bottle units 991 or one medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992 (for 2000 printed sheets) of toner have already been replenished. The state shown in FIG. 24(d) in which all the scales are lit indicates a state in which toner cannot be replenished using any toner bottle unit (a state in which the remaining amount of toner is at the Full level). In other words, this indicates that four bottles, two bottles, and one bottle (for 4,000 printed sheets) of toner have already been replenished in the small-capacity, medium-capacity, and large-capacity toner bottle units, respectively. Further, when the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level, the control unit 90 turns off the top three scales and blinks the bottom scale, as shown in FIG. 24(a). The state shown in FIG. 24A indicates that the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 has an empty capacity capable of replenishing toner for four bottles (for 4000 printed sheets). As described above, in the present embodiment, "the number of scales in the off state or blinking state" corresponds to replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has already been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container 32.

The operation during toner replenishment will be described using FIG. 25. In the procedure of this flowchart, S501, S508, S511, S519, and S520 represent operations performed by the user. The other steps are realized by the CPU 91 (FIG. 19) provided in the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 executing the program read from the nonvolatile memory 93.

First, the user opens the opening/closing member 83 (FIG. 4(c)) and attaches a small-capacity, medium-capacity, or large-capacity toner bottle unit 991, 992, or 993 to the supply container mounting section 701 (S501). . As a result, the T-memory 57 is connected to the control unit 90, so the control unit 90 communicates with the T-memory 57 and acquires the new product flag and capacity information stored in the T-memory 57 (S502). Further, the control unit 90 communicates with the P memory 58 to obtain information on the free capacity of the developer container 32 stored in the P memory 58 (S503). Note that the information on the free capacity of the developer container 32 in the P memory 58 is updated by the control section 90 at any time based on the detection result of the remaining toner amount detection means 51.

The control unit 90 determines whether or not the toner bottle units 991 to 993 currently installed in the supply container installation unit 701 are new based on the value of the new product flag acquired from the T memory 57 (S504). Further, the control unit 90 compares the capacity information of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 acquired from the T memory 57 with the free capacity information of the P memory 58, and determines whether there is sufficient free capacity in the developer container 32. A judgment is made (S505). That is, when the free capacity of the developer container 32 is larger than the capacity of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 currently installed in the supply container mounting section 701, it is determined that the developer container 32 has sufficient free capacity.

If the currently installed toner bottle units 991 to 993 are new and there is sufficient free space in the developer container 32, the control unit 90 operates the rotation lock mechanism 59 to unlock the replenishment port shutter 7013. (S506, see FIG. 11(a)).

On the other hand, if the currently installed toner bottle units 991 to 993 are not new, the control unit 90 maintains the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the locked state (S507, see FIG. 11(b)). Even when there is not enough free space in the developer container 32, the control unit 90 maintains the locked state of the replenishment port shutter 7013 (S507, see FIG. 11(b)). Note that if the replenishment port shutter 7013 is not unlocked, the user cannot rotate the toner bottle units 991 to 993, so the process does not proceed to the subsequent steps S506 to S519. In this case, the procedure ends when the user pulls out the toner bottle units 991 to 993 (S520), and the image forming apparatus 1 returns to the state before performing the toner replenishment operation.

When the replenishment port shutter 7013 is unlocked (S506), the user rotates the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by 180 degrees (S508). Then, the rotation detection means 55 detects that the supply port shutter 7013 has rotated 180 degrees (S509), and based on this, the control unit 90 locks the rotation locking mechanism 59 (S510). As a result, the state in which the discharge ports of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 installed in the replenishment container mounting section 701 are communicated with the replenishment port 8012 is maintained without accepting the rotation operation of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by the user. .

When the user pushes the piston 902 of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 to discharge the toner (S511), the push-in detection means 56 detects that the piston 902 has been pushed (S512). That is, in this configuration example, the push-in detection means 56 is used as a discharge detection means for detecting the completion of discharge of toner from the supply container. When detecting the completion of toner discharge, the control unit 90 lights up at least one of the scales that are off on the panel 400 to notify the user that toner has been replenished.

Here, the control unit 90 changes the increment displayed on the scale of the panel 400 according to which toner bottle unit is replenished with toner among the plurality of types of toner bottle units 991 to 993 having different capacities ( S513-S516).

For example, assume that toner replenishment is performed in the state shown in FIG. 24A, which indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level. In this case, if capacity information indicating the small capacity toner bottle unit 991 has been acquired in S502, the control unit 90 lights up one scale on the panel 400 to enter the state shown in FIG. 24(b) (S514) . If the capacity information representing the medium capacity toner bottle unit 992 has been acquired in S502, two scales on the panel 400 are lit to bring the state shown in FIG. 24(c) (S515). If the capacity information representing the large capacity toner bottle unit 993 has been acquired in S502, four scales on the panel 400 are lit to create the state shown in FIG. 24(d) (S516).

Further, for example, assume that toner replenishment is performed in the state shown in FIG. 24(b), which indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the first level. In this case, if capacity information indicating the small capacity toner bottle unit 991 has been acquired in S502, the control unit 90 lights up one scale on the panel 400 to enter the state shown in FIG. 24(c) (S514) . If the capacity information indicating the medium capacity toner bottle unit 992 has been acquired in S502, two scales on the panel 400 are lit, so that a total of three scales are lit (S515). Note that if capacity information representing the large capacity toner bottle unit 993 has been acquired in S502, the rotation lock mechanism 59 is kept locked in S505 and toner replenishment is not performed, so S516 is not executed. .

In this way, the unit in which the scale increases or decreases in the display means of this embodiment corresponds to the capacity of the replenishment container (first replenishment container) having the smallest capacity among the plurality of types of replenishment containers. In other words, when toner is replenished using the first replenishment container with the smallest capacity among the plurality of types of replenishment containers (for example, the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991), the scale on the display means changes by one step. . When toner is replenished using a second replenishment container having a larger capacity than the first replenishment container (for example, a medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992) among multiple types of replenishment containers, the display means may display multiple scales. Change in stages.

After changing the display on the panel 400, the control unit 90 records in the T memory 57 that the toner pack has been used (S517), and releases the rotation lock mechanism 59 (S518). The user rotates the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by 180 degrees (S519) and removes the toner bottle units 991 to 993 from the supply container mounting section 701 (S520). This completes the procedure for replenishing toner to the image forming apparatus 1.

Although the procedure for replenishing toner using the toner bottle units 991 to 993 has been described here, when using other replenishment containers such as the toner pack 40, toner replenishment is basically the same procedure, and the panel 400 display is changed. For example, in the case of an image forming system that can use three types of toner packs: small capacity, medium capacity, and large capacity, the display control of the panel 400 described above can be applied as is.

However, in the case of a toner pack, since the piston is not pushed in, other discharge detection means is used to detect the completion of toner discharge instead of the steps S511 and S512 in FIG. Specifically, there is a method in which discharging is deemed to be completed when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the rotation of the toner bottle was detected in S509. Alternatively, for example, after detecting the rotation of the toner bottle in S509, a button notifying that the toner discharge is completed is displayed on the operation unit 300, and the toner discharge is completed based on the user pressing the button. There is.

As described above, in this embodiment, in a configuration in which multiple types of replenishment containers containing different amounts of toner can be used, when replenishing toner, the panel 400, etc. The replenishment amount information to be displayed on the display means is determined. This allows the user to quickly check changes in the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished to the developer container 32 based on the display content on the panel 400 or the like, leading to improved convenience.

In particular, in the above configuration example, by using the panel 400 having a scale that changes stepwise according to the remaining amount of toner, the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished to the developer container 32 can be visually displayed. There is. Thereby, the user can be informed of the type and number of replenishment containers that can replenish toner without exceeding the capacity of the developer container 32 in a form that is easy to intuitively understand. In this case, as described in the above configuration example, it is preferable to increase the number of scales to be lit after toner is replenished as the amount of toner stored in the replenishment container increases.

Further, in this embodiment, if the discharge detection means detects the completion of toner discharge from the replenishment container, the display means displays the result regardless of the detection result of the toner remaining amount detection means disposed in the developer container 32. Change the supply amount information. Therefore, the time from when the user performs an operation to discharge toner from the replenishment container until the result is reflected as a decrease in the amount of replenished or replenishable toner indicated by the replenishment amount information on the display means can be shortened. Convenience can be further improved. For example, in the present embodiment, the timing at which the scale on the panel 400 increases does not depend on whether or not the toner conveyance by the conveyance members (8013 to 8015, see FIG. 6) of the toner receiving unit 801 has finished.

However, it is also possible to use a structure other than the panel 400 as a display means for displaying replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been replenished to the developer container 32 or can be replenished. For example, in a configuration where the display unit 301 of the operation unit 300 displays the type and number of replenishment containers that can perform toner replenishment using an image or numerical value, when toner replenishment is performed, the replenishment used for the current toner replenishment is displayed. It is possible to change the display contents depending on the type of container.

Further, although FIG. 23 shows an example of the circuit configuration of the push-in detection mechanism of the toner bottle unit, other circuit configurations may be used. In this circuit configuration, the contacts connected to the memory tag 911 and the contacts of the push-in detection mechanism are shared by the same metal plate 9111, but these contacts may be made independent as shown in FIG. 26. In this circuit configuration, a memory tag 911 is connected to metal plates 9111 and 9112, a first contact plate 908 of the push detection mechanism is connected to a metal plate 9114, and a second contact plate 909 is connected to a metal plate 9113. In this case as well, the control section 90 accesses the memory tag 911 via the metal plates 9111 and 9112 in a state where the toner bottle unit is attached to the supply container attachment section 701, and also maintains continuity between the metal plates 9113 and 9114. Pushing of the piston can be detected from the presence or absence of the .

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the method of identifying the type of replenishment container based on its capacity. Other elements having the same configuration and operation as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

(Capacitance detection using resistor)
This embodiment will also be described using small, medium, and large capacity toner bottle units 991, 992, and 993 shown in FIG. 22 as examples of a plurality of types of replenishment containers with different capacities. However, in this embodiment, a resistor 912 is used as a storage means, as shown in FIG. 27, instead of a memory tag that is a storage medium that stores electronic information.

A plurality of types of resistors 912 having different resistance values are prepared, and resistors of types corresponding to the types of toner bottle units 991 to 993 are respectively attached. Specifically, a resistor 912 having a resistance value Ra is attached to a small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 that accommodates toner for 1000 printed sheets. A resistor 912 with a resistance value of 2Ra is attached to a medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992 that accommodates toner for 2000 printed sheets. A resistor 912 with a resistance value of 4Ra is attached to a large-capacity toner bottle unit 993 that accommodates toner for 4000 printed sheets. In either case, the resistor 912 is connected to the metal plates 9111 and 9112 of the contact portion 911a.

In this way, the resistor 912, which is the storage means of this embodiment, holds information (capacity information) regarding the type of supply container as a resistance value. In other words, the resistance value Ra represents the capacity information corresponding to the amount of toner for 1000 sheets, the resistance value 2Ra represents the capacity information corresponding to the amount of toner for 2000 sheets, and the resistance value 4Ra corresponds to the amount of toner for 4000 sheets. represents capacity information.

The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus can check the resistance value of the resistor 712 by applying a voltage to the resistor 712 via the contact unit 70133 provided in the supply container mounting unit 701. That is, a voltage is applied to the metal plate 9112 via the contact 91120 of the contact portion 70133. However, it is assumed that the voltage applied to the metal plate 9112 is obtained by dividing the resistance value Ra and the voltage Vcc, and the contact 91110 in contact with the other metal plate 9111 is grounded. The control unit 90 checks the resistance value of the resistor 712 by acquiring the voltage value on the resistor 912 side via the A/D conversion unit 95.

Here, the operation of the push-in detection means 56 (FIG. 19) will also be explained using FIG. 27. The configuration of the push-in detection mechanism in the toner bottle unit is the same as that described in the first embodiment. That is, the first contact plate 908 is connected to the metal plate 9111 of the contact part 911a, and the second contact plate 909 is connected to the other metal plate 9113 of the contact part 911a. When the piston 902 is pushed in, the push-in detection rod 907 slides in conjunction with the piston 902, and the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 disconnects the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909. (See also FIGS. 16(a)-(d)). Further, a contact 91130 of the contact portion 70133 is connected to the second contact plate 909 via a metal plate 9113, and a contact 91110 is connected to the first contact plate 908 via a metal plate 9111. However, in FIG. 27, the switch mechanism consisting of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is illustrated as an equivalent circuit symbol that is turned on/off by the push detection rod 907.

The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus prevents the piston 902 from being pushed in by monitoring the presence or absence of electrical continuity between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 via the contact unit 70133 provided on the supply container mounting unit 701. Can be detected. That is, when the toner bottle unit is attached to the supply container attachment part 701 and the piston 902 is not pushed in, the contact 91130 is grounded through the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 which are in a conductive state. Ru. Therefore, the voltage value detected by the CPU 91 is 0 [V]. On the other hand, when the piston 902 is pushed in, the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are disconnected, so the voltage value detected by the CPU 91 changes to Vcc [V]. Based on such a change in the voltage value, the control unit 90 determines whether the piston is pushed in.

(panel)
The panel 400 in this embodiment will be explained. As shown in FIG. 29, the panel 400 is provided on the front surface of the casing of the printer main body. The panel 400 is another example of a display unit that displays replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container. In this embodiment, an indicator 402 in which two scales 4021 and 4022 are arranged vertically above and below is used as the panel 400. The panel 400 shows the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished into the developer container 32 by displaying scales 4021 and 4022 that change in stages.

As shown in FIG. 30(a), when all the scales 4021 and 4022 are off, this indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level. As shown in FIG. 30(b), when only the lowermost scale 4014 is blinking, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the first level, which is higher than the Low level. In other words, this indicates that the small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 has already been replenished with toner for one bottle (for 1000 printed sheets).

As shown in FIG. 30(c), when only the lowermost scale 4022 is lit, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the second level, which is greater than the first level. In other words, this indicates that two small-capacity toner bottle units 991 or one medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992 (for 2000 printed sheets) of toner have already been replenished. As shown in FIG. 30(d), when all the scales 4021 and 4022 are lit, this indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the Full level, which is higher than the second level. In this state, since there is no scale that is off, it can be seen that toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40, for example. In other words, this indicates that four bottles, two bottles, and one bottle (for 4,000 printed sheets) of toner have already been replenished in the small-capacity, medium-capacity, and large-capacity toner bottle units, respectively. As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of scales in the off state and the number of scales in the blinking state correspond to replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container 32.

(Display control of replenishment amount information when replenishing toner)
Next, control of the panel 400 when toner is replenished using toner bottle units 991 to 993 having different capacities will be described. Hereinafter, in this section, as shown in FIG. 24, a panel 400 capable of displaying a four-level scale will be used.

The operation when replenishing the toner bottle will be described using FIG. 28. In this flowchart, steps other than S601, S608, S611, S619, and S620, which are user operations, are executed by the CPU 91 (FIG. 19) provided in the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 1, which executes the program read from the nonvolatile memory 93. This is achieved by doing.

First, the user opens the opening/closing member 83 (FIG. 4(c)) and attaches one of the small-capacity, medium-capacity, and large-capacity toner bottle units 991 to 993 to the supply container mounting section 701 (S601). As a result, the resistor 912 is connected to the control unit 90, so the control unit 90 acquires a voltage value from the circuit including the resistor 912 via the A/D converter 95, and based on the acquired voltage value, controls the toner bottle. Capacity information of units 991 to 993 is acquired (S602). Specifically, when the voltage value acquired by the A/D conversion unit 95 in FIG. 27 is Vcc×Ra/(Ra+Rb), the control unit 90 determines that the capacity information is the amount of toner for 1000 sheets printed. I judge that. Further, when the voltage value is Vcc×2Ra/(2Ra+Rb), the control unit 90 determines that the capacity information is the amount of toner for 2000 sheets printed. Further, when the voltage value is Vcc×4Ra/(4Ra+Rb), it is determined that the capacity information is the amount of toner for 4000 sheets printed. Further, the control unit 90 communicates with the P memory 58 to obtain the free space information of the developer container 32 stored in the P memory 58 (S603).

The control unit 90 compares the capacity information of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 determined based on the resistance value of the resistor 912 with the free capacity information of the P memory 58, and determines whether there is sufficient free capacity in the developer container 32. It is determined whether or not (S605). That is, when the free capacity of the developer container 32 is larger than the capacity of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 currently installed in the supply container mounting section 701, it is determined that the developer container 32 has sufficient free capacity.

If there is sufficient free space in the developer container 32, the control unit 90 operates the rotation locking mechanism 59 to unlock the replenishment port shutter 7013 (S606, see FIG. 11(a)). On the other hand, if there is not enough free space in the developer container 32, the control unit 90 maintains the locked state of the replenishment port shutter 7013 (S607, see FIG. 11(b)). If the replenishment port shutter 7013 is not unlocked, the user cannot rotate the toner bottle units 991-993, so the process does not proceed to the subsequent steps S606-S619. In this case, the procedure ends when the user pulls out the toner bottle units 991 to 993 (S620), and the image forming apparatus 1 returns to the state before performing the toner replenishment operation.

Note that a step may be provided between S603 and S605 in which the push-in detection means 56 confirms that the pistons 902 of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 are not pushed in. At this time, if the toner bottle unit is in a state before the piston is pushed in (if the first contact plate 908 and second contact plate 909 are electrically connected), it is determined that the toner bottle unit is new and the process proceeds to S605. shall proceed. In addition, if the toner bottle unit is in the state after the piston has been pushed (continuity between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is broken), it is determined that the toner bottle unit has been used. It is assumed that the process advances to S607.

When the replenishment port shutter 7013 is unlocked (S606), the user rotates the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by 180 degrees (S608). Then, the rotation detection means 55 detects that the supply port shutter 7013 has rotated 180 degrees (S609), and based on this, the control unit 90 locks the rotation locking mechanism 59 (S610). As a result, the state in which the discharge ports of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 installed in the replenishment container mounting section 701 are communicated with the replenishment port 8012 is maintained without accepting the rotation operation of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by the user. .

When the user pushes the piston 902 of the toner bottle units 991 to 993 to discharge the toner (S611), the push-in detection means 56 detects that the piston 902 has been pushed (S612). That is, in this configuration example, completion of toner discharge from the supply container is determined based on the detection result of the push-in detection means. When detecting the completion of toner discharge, the control unit 90 lights up at least one of the scales that are off on the panel 400 to notify the user that toner has been replenished.

Here, the control unit 90 changes the increment displayed on the scale of the panel 400 according to which toner bottle unit is replenished with toner among the plurality of types of toner bottle units 991 to 993 having different capacities ( S613-S616). Note that in S614 to S616, the increase in the remaining amount of toner represented by the scale display on the panel 400 is described as an increase in the display level ("+1", "+2", etc.).

For example, assume that toner replenishment is performed in the state shown in FIG. 30A, which indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level. In this case, if the capacity information indicating the small capacity toner bottle unit 991 has been acquired in S602, the control unit 90 blinks one scale on the panel 400 to bring it into the state shown in FIG. 30(b) (S614) . If the capacity information representing the medium capacity toner bottle unit 992 has been acquired in S602, one scale on the panel 400 is lit to create the state shown in FIG. 30(c) (S615). If the capacity information representing the large capacity toner bottle unit 993 has been acquired in S602, two scales on the panel 400 are lit to create the state shown in FIG. 30(d) (S616).

Further, for example, assume that toner replenishment is performed in the state shown in FIG. 30(b), which indicates that the amount of toner remaining in the developer container 32 is at the first level. In this case, if the capacity information indicating the small capacity toner bottle unit 991 has been acquired in S602, the control unit 90 changes the scale at the bottom of the panel 400 from a blinking state to a lit state, as shown in FIG. 30(c). state (S614). If the capacity information indicating the medium capacity toner bottle unit 992 has been acquired in S602, the lower scale of the panel 400 is lit and the upper scale is blinked (S615). Note that if capacity information indicating the large capacity toner bottle unit 993 has been acquired in S602, the rotation lock mechanism 59 is kept locked in S605 and toner replenishment is not performed, so S616 is not executed. .

After changing the display on the panel 400, the control unit 90 releases the rotation lock mechanism 59 (S618). The user rotates the toner bottle units 991 to 993 by 180 degrees (S619) and removes the toner bottle units 991 to 993 from the supply container mounting section 701 (S620). This completes the procedure for replenishing toner to the image forming apparatus 1.

Although the procedure for replenishing toner using the toner bottle units 991 to 993 has been described here, when using other replenishment containers such as the toner pack 40, toner replenishment is basically the same procedure, and the panel 400 display is changed. For example, in the case of an image forming system that can use three types of toner packs: small capacity, medium capacity, and large capacity, the display control of the panel 400 described above can be applied as is.

However, in the case of a toner pack, the piston is not pushed in, so instead of the steps S611 and S612 in FIG. Detecting the completion of ejection is the same as in the first embodiment.

In this manner, in this embodiment as well, in a configuration in which a plurality of types of replenishment containers containing different amounts of toner can be used, when replenishing toner, the panel 400 is Change the display on display means such as At this time, the display on the display means is changed based on the capacity information acquired by the acquisition means, without depending on the detection result of the remaining toner amount detection means arranged in the developer container 32. This allows the user to quickly check changes in the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished to the developer container 32 based on the display content on the panel 400 or the like, leading to improved convenience.

Furthermore, although the panel 400 of this embodiment is configured with two scales, which are fewer than the number of types of supply containers, this is a specific example in which the display can be changed according to the type of supply container even in such a case. There is.

<Third embodiment>
As a third embodiment, yet another configuration example of the panel will be described. The panel 400 of this embodiment is provided on the front surface of the casing of the printer main body 100, as shown in FIGS. 31(a) to 31(c). The panel 400, which is an example of a display unit that displays replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container, is composed of a liquid crystal panel that includes a plurality of scales (indicators). In this embodiment, three scales 4001, 4002, and 4003 are arranged vertically from top to bottom. The panel 400 shows the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished into the developer container 32 by displaying scales 4001 to 4003 that change stepwise. Furthermore, the scale 4003 at the bottom also indicates whether the toner in the developer container 32 is at a Low level or an Out level.

In the illustrated configuration example of the panel 400, when all three scales 4001, 4002, and 4003 are off, this indicates that the toner in the developer container 32 is at the Out level (fourth state).

As shown in FIG. 31A, when only the lower scale 4003 is lit, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at a low level. In this state, since two scales are off, it can be seen that, for example, the small-capacity toner pack 40 can replenish two bottles of toner (third state). Furthermore, since the number panels "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are lit, it can be seen that it is possible to replenish two bottles of toner with the small-capacity toner pack 40.

As shown in FIG. 31(b), when the lower and center scales 4002 and 4003 are lit and the upper scale 4001 is off, the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is higher than the Low level, and the Full level (full) indicates a lower level. In this state, one scale is off, which indicates that, for example, the small capacity toner pack 40 can replenish one bottle of toner (second state). Additionally, the fact that the number panel "+1" adjacent to the scale is lit and the number panel "+2" is off indicates that it is possible to replenish one bottle of toner with the small-capacity toner pack 40. I understand.

As shown in FIG. 31(c), when all three scales 4001 to 4003 are lit, this indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developer container 32 is at the Full level. In this state, since there is no scale that is off, it can be seen that, for example, toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40 (first state). Furthermore, it can be seen that toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40 because the number panels "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are off. In this manner, in the present embodiment, the "number of scales in the off state" and the "number represented by the number panel in the on state" are replenishment amount information indicating the amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container 32. corresponds to

In this embodiment, it is preferable to use, for example, a small-capacity toner pack 40 and a medium-capacity toner pack 40 (or a small-capacity toner bottle unit 991 and a medium-capacity toner bottle unit 992). In this case, when toner for 1000 prints is supplied from the small-capacity toner pack 40 in the state shown in FIG. 31(a), the display on the panel 400 changes to the state shown in FIG. 31(b). Furthermore, when toner for 2000 prints is supplied from the medium capacity toner pack 40 in the state shown in FIG. 31(a), the display on the panel 400 changes to the state shown in FIG. 31(c).

Such control of the display of replenishment amount information is performed by applying the first embodiment to the capacity information acquired by the control unit 90 from the T memory 57 attached to the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle units 991, 992. It is done on the basis of As a result, in a configuration in which multiple types of replenishment containers containing different amounts of toner can be used, when replenishing toner, display on the display means such as the panel 400 according to the type of replenishment container used for the current toner replenishment. It becomes possible to change.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention provides a system or device with a program that implements one or more of the functions of the embodiments described above via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. This can also be achieved by processing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1... Image forming device/21... Image carrier (photosensitive drum)/31... Developing means (developing roller)/32... Developing container/34... Stirring member/40, 900,991,992,993... Supply container (toner pack) , toner bottle unit)/51...Toner remaining amount detection means/56...Ejection detection means (push detection means)/90...Control means (control unit)/400...Display means (panel)/45,911...Storage medium (memory Unit)/912...Resistor/8012...Refill port/8013,8014,8015...Transporting member (first carrying member, second carrying member, third carrying member)/70133...Obtaining means (contact part)

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material and has a removable supply container containing toner,
an image carrier;
a developer container containing toner;
a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier into a toner image using the toner contained in the developing container;
A replenishment port for replenishing toner from the replenishment container located outside the image forming apparatus to the developer container by attaching the replenishment container, the replenishment containers having a plurality of types filled with different amounts of toner. A supply port that can be connected to
a display unit that displays replenishment amount information indicating an amount of toner that has been replenished or can be replenished to the developer container;
acquisition means for acquiring information about the supply container connected to the supply port;
When the developer container is replenished with toner, the amount of toner indicated by the replenishment amount information in the state after toner replenishment changes depending on the type of the replenishment container used for toner replenishment; control means for determining the replenishment amount information to be displayed on the display means based on the information acquired by the acquisition means;
An image forming apparatus characterized by: The display means is configured to display the supply amount information on a scale that changes in stages,
The control means determines the number of scales to be changed when toner is replenished to the developer container based on the information acquired by the acquisition means.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display means is capable of controlling the light emitting state of each scale, and is configured such that the larger the amount of toner that has been or can be replenished to the developer container, the more scales are in an unlit state.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control means changes the scale of the display means by one step when toner replenishment is performed using a first replenishment container having the smallest capacity among the plurality of types of replenishment containers. When toner replenishment is performed using a second replenishment container having a larger capacity than the first replenishment container among the replenishment containers, the scale of the display means is changed by a plurality of steps;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: discharge detection means for detecting completion of discharge of toner from the supply container connected to the supply port;
Further comprising a remaining toner amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the developer container,
When the discharge detection means detects completion of toner discharge from the replenishment container, the control means is configured to perform the control based on the information acquired via the acquisition means, regardless of the detection result of the remaining toner amount detection means. determining the supply amount information to be displayed on the display means;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The supply container is configured to discharge toner by pushing a piston,
The discharge detection means detects a pushing operation of the piston.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The replenishment container has a discharge port for discharging toner and a shutter member for sealing the discharge port, and the discharge port and the replenishment port communicate with each other by rotating the supply container while attached to the replenishment port. It is configured as follows.
The discharge detection means detects completion of discharge of toner from the supply container based on the elapsed time from the time when the operation of rotating the supply container is performed.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: a stirring member that stirs the toner in the developing container and supplies the toner to the developing means;
When toner is replenished from the replenishment container, the toner received from the replenishment container via the replenishment port is transported toward a space within the developer container in which the developing means and the stirring member are arranged. further comprising a conveying member;
When the discharge detection means detects completion of toner discharge, the replenishment is displayed on the display means based on the information acquired by the acquisition means, regardless of whether toner conveyance by the conveyance member has finished. determine quantity information;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7. The acquisition means includes a contact portion that is electrically connected to a storage medium attached to the supply container when the supply container is connected to the supply port,
The control means determines the capacity of the supply container based on information read from the storage medium via the contact portion.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The acquisition means includes a contact portion that is electrically connected to a resistor attached to the supply container when the supply container is connected to the supply port,
The control means determines the capacity of the supply container based on the resistance value of the resistor obtained through the contact part.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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