JP2024068015A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an image forming device and an image forming system capable of accurately identifying the type of toner container. [Solution] The device includes a toner remaining amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner contained in a storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which a light receiving unit receives light emitted from a light emitting unit for each rotation of an agitating member, and a display unit that displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit. The control unit executes a type determination process to determine the type of toner containers having different toner capacities based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging multiple post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the multiple post-replenishment output values. [Selected Figure] Figure 21

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material and an image forming system that includes the same.

In general, electrophotographic image forming devices form an image by transferring a toner image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum onto a transfer material as a transfer medium. Known methods for replenishing developer include, for example, a process cartridge method and a toner container replenishing method. In the process cartridge method, the photosensitive drum and the developer container are integrated into a process cartridge, and when the developer runs out, the process cartridge is replaced with a new one. On the other hand, in the toner container replenishing method, when the toner runs out, toner is replenished from a toner container such as a toner pack or toner bottle to the developer container.

Conventionally, an image forming device has been proposed that includes a toner remaining amount sensor for estimating the amount of toner remaining in a developing container based on the light-receiving time that it takes for the detection light irradiated from the light-emitting portion and passed through the developing container to be received by the light-receiving portion (see Patent Document 1). The developing container is provided with a stirring member that stirs the toner, and the light-receiving time by the light-receiving portion increases as the amount of toner remaining in the developing container decreases. Information regarding the detected amount of remaining toner is displayed on a toner remaining amount panel provided on the surface of the image forming device. The toner remaining amount panel is a panel member that consists of three scales, and each scale turns on or off depending on the amount of remaining toner, notifying the user of the amount of remaining toner.

JP 2020-154300 A

However, the fluidity of toner that has just been replenished from a new toner container is different from that of toner remaining in the developing container. For this reason, the toner remaining amount sensor described in Patent Document 1 cannot accurately detect the amount of toner remaining in the developing container, especially when toner has just been replenished in the developing container, because the light reception time varies.

In recent years, there has been a demand for image forming devices that use a toner container for refilling toner containers to be able to accommodate multiple types of toner containers with different amounts of toner that can be stored, thereby increasing the variety of toner amounts that can be refilled at one time. However, as described above, the toner remaining amount sensor described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it cannot accurately detect the amount of toner remaining in the development container, and cannot accurately distinguish the type of toner container.

The present invention aims to provide an image forming device and an image forming system that can accurately identify the type of toner container.

The present invention is an image forming device capable of mounting a toner container that stores toner, the image forming device having a mounting section capable of mounting the toner container, a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container mounted in the mounting section, a stirring member that stirs the toner in the storage section, an actuator for driving the stirring member, a light-emitting section that emits light, and a light-receiving section that receives light emitted from the light-emitting section and passed through the inside of the storage section, and the toner stored in the storage section is detected by outputting an output value corresponding to the time that the light-receiving section receives the light emitted from the light-emitting section every time the stirring member rotates once. The toner container includes a toner remaining amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner being supplied, a display unit that displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit, and a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator, and the control unit executes a type determination process that determines the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging multiple post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the multiple post-replenishment output values.

The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner, the image forming apparatus having a mounting section capable of mounting the toner container, a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container mounted to the mounting section, a stirring member for stirring the toner in the storage section, an actuator for driving the stirring member, a light-emitting section for emitting light, and a light-receiving section for receiving light emitted from the light-emitting section and passing through the inside of the storage section, and the image forming apparatus detects the amount of toner contained in the storage section by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light-receiving section receives the light emitted from the light-emitting section every time the stirring member rotates once. The toner container includes a toner remaining amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner remaining in the toner container, a display unit that displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit, and a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator, and the control unit executes a type determination process that determines the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging multiple post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on one value of the multiple post-replenishment output values that is higher than the median value.

The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner, the image forming apparatus having a mounting section capable of mounting the toner container, a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container mounted to the mounting section, a stirring member for stirring the toner in the storage section, an actuator for driving the stirring member, a light-emitting section for emitting light, and a light-receiving section for receiving light emitted from the light-emitting section and passing through the inside of the storage section, and the amount of toner stored in the storage section is calculated by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light-receiving section receives the light emitted from the light-emitting section every time the stirring member rotates once. The toner container includes a toner remaining amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner remaining, a display unit that displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit, and a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator, and the control unit executes a type determination process that determines the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on a value obtained by averaging a value higher than the median value among the plurality of post-replenishment output values.

The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner, the image forming apparatus having a mounting section capable of mounting the toner container, a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container mounted to the mounting section, a stirring member for stirring the toner in the storage section, an actuator for driving the stirring member, a light-emitting section for emitting light, and a light-receiving section for receiving light emitted from the light-emitting section and passing through the inside of the storage section, and the light-receiving section outputs an output value corresponding to the time at which the light-receiving section receives the light emitted from the light-emitting section for each rotation of the stirring member, thereby detecting the amount of toner stored in the storage section. The device includes a toner remaining amount detection unit that detects the amount of toner stored in the toner container, a display unit that displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit, and a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator, and the control unit executes a type determination process that determines the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging multiple post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the slope of a moving average line of the multiple post-replenishment output values.

The present invention also relates to an image forming system including a toner container that stores toner, and an image forming device to which the toner container can be attached, the image forming device having a mounting section to which the toner container can be attached, a storage section configured to store toner replenished from the toner container attached to the mounting section, a stirring member that stirs the toner in the storage section, an actuator for driving the stirring member, a light-emitting section that emits light, and a light-receiving section that receives light that is emitted from the light-emitting section and passes through the inside of the storage section, and an output time corresponding to the time that the light-receiving section receives the light emitted from the light-emitting section is generated for each rotation of the stirring member. The toner remaining amount detection unit detects the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting a force value, a display unit displays the amount of toner remaining based on the output value output from the toner remaining amount detection unit, and a control unit controls the display unit and the actuator, and the control unit executes a type determination process to determine the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging multiple post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the multiple post-replenishment output values.

This invention makes it possible to accurately identify the type of toner container.

1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in a state where a discharge tray is in a closed position, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in a state where a discharge tray is in an open position. FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of the supply unit, the scanner unit, and the photosensitive drum. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the lever in the operating position, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the lever in the supply position, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the lever in the operating position when viewed from a different perspective than (a) and (b). 4A is an exploded perspective view of the supply unit, and FIG. 4B is another exploded perspective view of the supply unit. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the state of the switch when the lever is in the operating position, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the state of the switch when the lever is in the refill position. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the positions of the gripping portion of the lever when the lever is in the operating position and the supply position. 4A is a perspective view of the supply pack, and FIG. 4B is another perspective view of the supply pack. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the supply pack, FIG. 1B is another exploded perspective view of the supply pack, and FIG. 1C is yet another exploded perspective view of the supply pack. 1A is a perspective view of the supply pack and the supply unit immediately before the supply pack is attached to the supply unit, and FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the supply pack and the supply unit immediately before the supply pack is attached to the supply unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a user is unpacking the supply pack. FIG. 4A is a control block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control unit, and FIG. 4B is a control block diagram showing a software configuration of the control unit. 1A is a perspective view showing the display section indicating the NearOut level, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the display section indicating the Low level, FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the display section indicating the Mid level, and FIG. 1D is a perspective view showing the display section indicating the Full level. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between a threshold value for switching the remaining toner amount display and the amount of toner in the container. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a supply mode display on the display unit, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing another example of a supply mode display on the display unit. 1A is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the developing container, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control of the display unit when a replenishment operation is performed. 10 is a flowchart showing a supply pack type determination process. 11 is a graph for explaining a method for distinguishing between a small pack and a large pack. (a) is a graph showing the change in pulse count when a small pack is replenished, (b) is another graph showing the change in pulse count when a small pack is replenished, and (c) is a graph showing the change in pulse count when a large pack is replenished.

The following describes exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the following embodiments should be modified as appropriate depending on the configuration and various conditions of the device to which the invention is applied, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the following embodiments.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1. 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 a variety of 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.

In the following description, the height direction (opposite to the vertical direction) of the image forming apparatus 1 when the image forming apparatus 1 is installed on a horizontal surface is referred to as the Z direction. The direction that intersects with the Z direction and is parallel to the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 11 (main scanning direction) described later is referred to as the X direction. The direction that intersects with the X direction and the Z direction is referred to as the Y direction. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction preferably intersect perpendicularly with each other. For convenience, the positive side in the X direction is referred to as the right side and the negative side is referred to as the left side, the positive side in the Y direction is referred to as the front side or front side and the negative side is referred to as the rear side or back side, and the positive side in the Z direction is referred to as the upper side and the negative side is referred to as the lower side.

[overall structure]
The overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The image forming apparatus 1 and a refill pack 210, which will be described later, constitute an image forming system 1000. As shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming section 20 that forms a toner image on a recording material, a feeding section 30 that feeds the recording material P, a fixing section 9 that fixes the toner image formed by the image forming section 20 onto the recording material, and a pair of discharge rollers 10.

The image forming section 20 has a scanner unit 50, an electrophotographic process unit 40, and a transfer roller 7 that transfers a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of the process unit 40 to a recording material P. The process unit 40 has the photosensitive drum 11, a cleaning unit 13 arranged around the photosensitive drum 11, a charging roller 17, a developing roller 12, and a storage section 18 that stores toner. The process unit 40 may be screwed to the housing 72 of the image forming device 1, and may be removed by a service technician.

The photosensitive drum 11 serving as an image carrier is a cylindrically shaped photosensitive body. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 11 has a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively charged organic photosensitive body on a drum-shaped base body formed of aluminum. The photosensitive drum 11 serving as an image carrier is rotated by a motor in a predetermined direction (direction R in the figure) at a predetermined process speed.

The charging roller 17 contacts the photosensitive drum 11 with a predetermined pressure to form a charging portion. In addition, a desired charging voltage is applied by a charging high-voltage power supply to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 to a predetermined potential. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 11 is negatively charged by the charging roller 17.

The scanner unit 50 uses a polygon mirror to irradiate the photosensitive drum 11 with laser light corresponding to image information input from an external device, thereby scanning and exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. This exposure forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. Note that the scanner unit 50 is not limited to a laser scanner device, and may, for example, be an LED exposure device having an LED array in which multiple LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 11.

The developing roller 12 is rotatably supported by the storage section 18. The developing roller 12 is disposed at the opening of a developing container 230 (see FIG. 5) including the storage section 18 so as to face the photosensitive drum 11. The storage section 18 may be provided with a supply roller that applies toner contained in the storage section 18 as a developer to the surface of the developing roller 12.

The process unit 40 of this embodiment uses a contact development method as the development method. That is, the toner layer carried by the development roller 12 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 11 in the development section (development area) where the photosensitive drum 11 and the development roller 12 face each other. A development voltage is applied to the development roller 12 by a development high-voltage power supply. Under the development voltage, the toner carried by the development roller 12 is transferred from the development roller 12 to the drum surface according to the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image.

The toner in this embodiment does not contain a magnetic component, and is a so-called non-magnetic one-component developer in which the toner is carried on the developing roller 12 mainly by intermolecular forces and electrostatic forces (image forces). However, a one-component developer containing a magnetic component may also be used. In addition to toner particles, a one-component developer may also contain additives (e.g., wax or silica particles) for adjusting the fluidity and charging performance of the toner. A two-component developer composed of a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier may also be used as the developer. When a magnetic developer is used, for example, a cylindrical developing sleeve with a magnet arranged inside is used as the developer carrier.

The fixing unit 9 is a thermal fixing type that fixes the image by heating and melting the toner on the recording material. The fixing unit 9 is equipped with a heating roller 9a that incorporates a fixing heater 9c, and a pressure roller 9b that is pressed against the heating roller 9a.

The feeding section 30 has a cassette 4 on which the recording material P is loaded, a pickup roller 3 as a transport section, a feeding roller 5a, and a separation roller 5b. A front cover 70 is provided on a portion of the front end face of the image forming device 1, and the front cover 70 covers the circuit board 100. The housing 72 has the front cover 70, a discharge tray 14, and an exterior cover 71 that constitutes the exterior of the image forming device 1 other than the front cover 70 and the discharge tray 14. The housing 72 has a discharge opening 15 through which the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 14 passes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming device 1 has a circuit board 100. The circuit board 100 is composed of a wiring board 101 made of an insulator, and electronic components 111, 121 soldered to the wiring board 101. Conductive wiring is provided on and inside the wiring board 101, so that the electronic components 111, 121 are electrically connected. The circuit board 100 has the function of converting AC current supplied from outside the image forming device 1 into DC current, and converting the input voltage to obtain a specified voltage value required for the image formation process.

The circuit board 100 is oriented such that the surface of the wiring board 101 on which the electronic components 111 and 121 are mounted intersects with the ejection direction. Furthermore, the wiring board 101 is provided between the front cover 70 and the scanner unit 50 in the ejection direction. The electronic components 111 and 121 are provided on the surface of the wiring board 101 that faces the scanner unit 50.

[Image Formation Mode]
The image forming mode of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. In the image forming mode of this embodiment, an image is formed on a recording material in a state where the discharge tray 14 is in a closed position as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3(a). When an image forming command is input to the image forming apparatus 1, an image forming process is started by the image forming section 20 based on image information input from an external computer connected to the image forming apparatus 1. The scanner unit 50 irradiates a laser beam toward the photosensitive drum 11 based on the input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 11 is charged in advance by the charging roller 17, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 11 by irradiating it with the laser beam. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 12, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 11.

In parallel with the image formation process described above, the pickup roller 3 of the feeding section 30 feeds out the recording material P supported by the cassette 4. The recording material P is separated one by one by the feeding roller 5a and the separation roller 5b, and is conveyed to the conveying roller pair 5c. The recording material P is then conveyed by the conveying roller pair 5c toward the transfer nip formed by the transfer roller 7 and the photosensitive drum 11.

A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 7 from a high-voltage transfer power supply, and the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to the recording material P being transported by the transport roller pair 5c. The recording material P with the transferred toner image is transported to the fixing unit 9, where the toner image is heated and pressurized as it passes through the nip between the heating roller 9a and pressure roller 9b of the fixing unit 9. This causes the toner particles to melt and then adhere, thereby fixing the toner image to the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing unit 9 is discharged from the discharge port 15 by the discharge roller pair 10 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 (outside the machine) and is stacked on the discharge tray 14.

When forming images on both sides of the recording material P, the pair of discharge rollers 10 switches back the recording material P with the image formed on the first side, guiding the recording material P to the double-sided conveying path 16. The recording material P guided to the double-sided conveying path 16 is conveyed again toward the transfer roller 7 by the pair of double-sided conveying rollers 5d. After the image is formed on the second side of the recording material P by the transfer roller 7, the recording material P is discharged outside the machine by the pair of discharge rollers 10. In addition, after the toner image is transferred to the recording material P, any toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 13.

[Supply Department]
Next, the supply unit 200 (mounting unit) will be described with reference to FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 7(c). The discharge tray 14 is supported so as to be openable and closable at a closed position where the recording material P can be loaded and the image forming mode can be executed as shown in FIG. 3(a) and an open position where the discharge tray 14 is open as shown in FIG. 3(b). An open/close detection unit (not shown) can detect whether the discharge tray 14 is in the open position or the closed position. The discharge tray 14 covers the supply unit 200 at the closed position. When the discharge tray 14 is moved to the open position, the top surface 240 and the supply unit 200 disposed adjacent to the top surface 240 are exposed. The supply unit 200 is configured so that a supply pack 210 as a toner container described later can be detachably attached (mounted). The image forming apparatus 1 is configured so that a user or a service person can replenish toner to the image forming apparatus 1 from the outside without removing the developing container 230 from the housing 72 (see FIG. 1).

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the developer container 230 of the image forming apparatus 1. Figure 5 is a top view of the image forming apparatus 1 with the exterior removed. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the developer container 230. Note that the lever 201 of the supply unit 200 and some of the associated members are omitted in Figure 6.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the developing container 230 includes a storage section 18 and a supply section 200. The supply section 200 has a lever 201, a cylindrical passage member 202, and a main body shutter 206 (see Figure 7 (b)). The passage member 202 has an extension section 202b that extends to the storage section 18, and a side opening 202a that connects to the extension section 202b. Toner discharged from a supply pack 210 attached to the supply section 200 is supplied to the storage section 18 through the main body shutter opening 206a of the main body shutter 206, the side opening 202a of the passage member 202, and the extension section 202b.

The extension portion 202b is connected to one end of the storage portion 18 in the longitudinal direction of the developing container 230, i.e., in the X direction. Inside the storage portion 18, as shown in FIG. 4, an agitating member 60 is provided that rotates around a rotating shaft 60a extending in the X direction. The agitating member 60 has a blade portion 60b fixed to the rotating shaft 60a, and is driven to rotate by a motor 311 (see FIG. 15) to agitate and level the toner in the storage portion 18 that is replenished from the refill pack 210, and transport the toner toward the developing roller 12. In this embodiment, the agitating member 60 is composed of the rotating shaft 60a and the blade portion 60b, but a spiral-shaped agitating member may be used to distribute the toner over the entire length of the storage portion 18.

The agitating member 60 circulates the toner that is not used for development and is scraped off from the developing roller 12 within the storage section 18, and serves to homogenize the toner within the storage section 18. Note that the agitating member 60 is not limited to a rotating type. For example, an agitating member that oscillates may be used. In addition to the agitating member 60, another agitating member may be provided within the storage section 18.

In addition, the side surface 18a of the storage section 18 opposite the developing roller 12 is provided with a remaining amount detection section 312 (toner remaining amount detection section) for detecting the amount of toner in the storage section 18, and the remaining amount detection section 312 has a light emitting section 312a and a light receiving section 312b. More specifically, as shown in Figures 19 (a) and (b), a substrate 700 is attached to the side surface 18a of the developing container 230 via a substrate holding member 710. In addition, a light guide member 600 is attached to the side surface 18a, and the light guide member 600 has a light emitting side light guide 610 and a light receiving side light guide 620. The light emitting section 312a and the light receiving section 312b are assembled to the substrate 700, and the light emitting section 312a and the light receiving section 312b are arranged side by side in the X direction. The light-emitting light guide 610 guides the light emitted from the light-emitting portion 312a into the storage portion 18 of the developing container 230. The light-receiving light guide 620 guides the light emitted from the light-emitting light guide 610 and entering the storage portion 18 via the optical path Q1 to the light-receiving portion 312b. That is, the light-emitting portion 312a and the light-receiving portion 312b form the optical path Q1 inside the storage portion 18 by the light guide member 600 guiding the light. The optical path Q1 extends in the X direction. Note that the light-emitting portion 312a and the light-receiving portion 312b may each have a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element disposed inside the storage portion 18.

Furthermore, the light-emitting unit 312a and the light-receiving unit 312b are provided in the central portion of the storage unit 18 in the X direction. More specifically, the light-emitting unit 312a and the light-receiving unit 312b are arranged in an area corresponding to the laser passing space SP (see FIG. 5) in the X direction. The laser passing space SP is a space through which the laser light irradiated by the scanner unit 50 toward the photosensitive drum 11 passes. In this way, by providing the light-emitting unit 312a and the light-receiving unit 312b in the central portion of the storage unit 18, the amount of remaining toner in the storage unit 18 can be detected well. That is, the developer (toner) may be unevenly distributed at the end of the storage unit 18 in the X direction, but the developer is less unevenly distributed in the central portion of the storage unit 18, so the actual amount of remaining toner can be detected.

In this embodiment, an LED is used for the light-emitting unit 312a, and a phototransistor that is turned on by light from the LED is used for the light-receiving unit 312b, but this is not limiting. For example, a halogen lamp or a fluorescent lamp may be used for the light-emitting unit 312a, and a photodiode or an avalanche photodiode may be used for the light-receiving unit 312b.

The light receiving unit 312b, which is a phototransistor, receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 312a and outputs a signal (current) according to the amount of light received. This signal is converted to a voltage and input to the control unit 302 (see FIG. 15). In other words, the light receiving unit 312b changes its output value based on the amount of toner (developer) contained in the container 18.

The control unit 302 determines whether the light receiving unit 312b has received light from the light emitting unit 312a based on the input voltage level. The control unit 302 calculates the amount of toner (amount of developer) in the storage unit 18 based on the length of time that the light receiving unit 312b detects each light when the toner in the storage unit 18 is stirred for a certain period of time by the stirring member 60. That is, the ROM 302b of the control unit 302 in FIG. 15(a) stores in advance a table that can output the remaining toner amount from the light receiving time when the toner is transported by the stirring member 60, and the control unit 302 predicts/calculates the remaining toner amount based on this table.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the light path Q1 of the remaining amount detection unit 312 is set to overlap with the rotation locus TC of the agitating member 60 when viewed in the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the agitating member 60. In other words, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 312a of the remaining amount detection unit 312 passes through the inside of the storage unit 18 within the rotation locus TC of the agitating member 60 when viewed in the axial direction of the agitating member 60. The time during which the light path Q1 is blocked by the toner transported by the agitating member 60 when the agitating member 60 rotates once, i.e., the time during which the light-receiving unit 312b does not detect the light from the light-emitting unit 312a, varies depending on the amount of remaining toner.

In other words, when there is a lot of remaining toner, the light path Q1 is more likely to be blocked by the toner, and the time that the light receiving element 312b receives light is shorter. On the other hand, when there is little remaining toner, the time that the light receiving element 312b receives light is longer. Therefore, the control unit 302 can determine the remaining toner level in the storage unit 18 based on the light receiving time of the light receiving element 312b.

The detailed configuration of the supply unit 200 to which the supply pack 210 is attached will be described. Figures 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views of the supply unit 200 as viewed from the same direction. Figure 7(c) is a perspective view of the supply unit 200 as viewed from a different angle than Figure 7(a). Figures 8(a) and (b) are exploded perspective views of the supply unit 200.

As shown in Fig. 8(a) and (b), the supply unit 200 has a lever 201 (operation unit), a rotation restriction member 247, a cover 248, a sealing member 243, a main body shutter 206, and a passage member 202. The main body shutter 206 is configured to be rotatable (movable) around the rotation axis RA relative to the passage member 202. The main body shutter 206 is disposed inside the cylindrical passage member 202, and has a main body shutter opening 206a. The main body shutter 206 also has a main body shutter engaging portion 206b that engages with a container shutter engaged portion 214b of the container shutter 214 described later. If a virtual circle centered on the rotation axis RA is defined as a virtual circle VC, the main body shutter engaging portion 206b is a protrusion that protrudes inward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC.

When the main body shutter 206 is in the closed position (second closed position) shown in FIG. 7(a), the main body shutter opening 206a does not overlap with the side opening 202a of the passage member 202 (see FIG. 8(b)). In other words, the main body shutter opening 206a does not communicate with the side opening 202a of the passage member 202. As a result, the side opening 202a is blocked by the main body shutter 206, and toner is not discharged to the extension portion 202b of the passage member 202. When the main body shutter 206 is in the open position (second open position) shown in FIG. 7(b), the main body shutter opening 206a overlaps with the side opening 202a of the passage member 202. In other words, the main body shutter opening 206a communicates with the side opening 202a of the passage member 202. Therefore, the toner supplied from the supply pack 210 attached to the supply unit 200 can pass through the main body shutter opening 206a and the side opening 202a and be discharged to the extension portion 202b of the passage member 202.

As will be described in more detail later, the main body shutter 206 moves (rotates) between the closed position and the open position when the lever 201 is rotated with the supply pack 210 attached to the supply unit 200. In other words, when the lever 201 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by the user, the main body shutter 206 moves from the closed position shown in FIG. 7(a) to the open position shown in FIG. 7(b).

A sealing member 243 is attached around the body shutter opening 206a on the inner peripheral side of the body shutter 206. The sealing member 243 has a seal opening 243a. The sealing member 243 is attached to the body shutter 206 so that the seal opening 243a overlaps with the body shutter opening 206a. When the body shutter 206 is in the open position, the sealing member 243 seals the gap between the body shutter 206 and the periphery of the insertion portion opening 212a of the insertion portion 212 of the refill pack 210 described below.

The rotation restriction member 247 is fixed to the passage member 202 and is provided inside the main body shutter 206 in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC. The rotation restriction member 247 has a rotation restriction portion 247a that engages with a rotation restricted portion 212b of the insertion portion 212 of the supply pack 210 described below and restricts rotation of the insertion portion 212 about the rotation axis RA.

The lever 201 has a ring portion 201a provided with an insertion port 201e through which the insertion portion 212 of the supply pack 210 is inserted, and a grip portion 201b provided integrally with the ring portion 201a. The lever 201 has a lever engagement portion 201d protruding from the inner peripheral surface forming the insertion port 201e toward the inside in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the lever engagement portion 201d as an engagement portion is in the same phase as the main body shutter engagement portion 206b in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle VC when the main body shutter 206 is in the closed position. In other words, when the main body shutter 206 is in the closed position, the lever engagement portion 201d overlaps with the main body shutter engagement portion 206b when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis RA. The cover 248 is fixed to the passage member 202 via the cover 248, and is a member that covers the body shutter opening 206a when the body shutter 206 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 7(a).

When forming an image on the recording material P, the toner in the storage section 18 is stirred by the stirring member 60 (see FIG. 4), and the side opening 202a of the passage member 202 is covered by the main body shutter 206 to prevent the toner from leaking out of the side opening 202a. Therefore, when forming an image, the lever 201 is in the operating position (first position) shown in FIG. 7(a) so that the main body shutter 206 is in the closed position. On the other hand, when replenishing toner from the replenishing pack 210 described later to the storage section 18, it is necessary to open the side opening 202a. Therefore, when replenishing toner, the lever 201 is in the replenishing position (second position) shown in FIG. 7(b) so that the main body shutter 206 is in the open position.

Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are side views showing the lever 201 and the switch 208 (detection section). As shown in Figures 8(a) and 9(a), the lever 201 has a detectable rib 201c formed integrally with the ring section 201a. A switch 208 is disposed below the ring section 201a as a sensor. When the lever 201 is in the operating position, the switch 208 is OFF without contacting the detectable rib 201c. When the lever 201 is in the refilling position, the switch 208 is in contact with the detectable rib 201c and is ON.

In this way, by turning switch 208 OFF or ON, it is possible to detect whether lever 201 is in the operating position or the supply position. Also, by switching switch 208 from an OFF state to an ON state, it is possible to detect that lever 201 has moved from the operating position to the supply position. Also, by switching switch 208 from an OFF state to an ON state, it is possible to detect that lever 201 has moved from the supply position to the operating position.
[Supply Pack]
The configuration of the supply pack 210 will be described with reference to Figures 11(a) to 12(c). Figures 11(a) and 11(b) are perspective views of the supply pack 210 as viewed from different angles. Figures 12(a), 12(b), and 12(c) are exploded perspective views of the supply pack 210 as viewed from different angles. In Figure 11(b), the insertion portion opening 212a as an opening is shown by a dotted line because it is covered by the container shutter 214 and cannot actually be seen.

As shown in Figures 11(a) to 12(c), the supply pack 210 includes a pouch 211, an insertion portion 212 (end member), a container shutter 214 as a shutter, and a container shutter seal 231. The rotation axis RA is the axis of rotation about which the container shutter 214 rotates relative to the insertion portion 212.

Pouch 211 is a container formed by processing a polypropylene sheet into a bag shape, and contains toner inside. Pouch 211 has a flattened shape toward the opposite side from insertion portion 212, and has pouch end 211a at its end that extends in a direction perpendicular to rotation axis RA. Note that although a pouch is used as the toner storage portion of refill pack 210 in this embodiment, a resin bottle or a container made of paper or vinyl may also be used.

The insertion portion 212 is a cylindrical member that can be inserted into the insertion opening 201e of the lever 201, and has an insertion portion opening 212a on its side extending in the direction of the rotation axis RA. The insertion portion 212 is provided at the end of the pouch 211 in the direction of the rotation axis RA, and is a member for discharging the toner in the pouch 211 to the outside of the supply pack 210 through the insertion portion opening 212a. The insertion portion 212 further has a rotation restricted portion 212b. The rotation restricted portion 212b engages with the rotation restricting portion 247a of the rotation restricting member 247 of the supply unit 200, thereby restricting the rotation of the insertion portion 212 about the rotation axis RA.

The container shutter 214 is a cylindrical member configured to be concentric with the insertion portion 212. The container shutter 214 is provided outside the insertion portion 212 in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC and is rotatable about the rotation axis RA relative to the insertion portion 212. The container shutter 214 is also configured to move (rotate) between a closed position (first closed position) that closes the insertion portion opening 212a and an open position (first open position) that opens the insertion portion opening 212a.

The container shutter 214 is formed with a container shutter opening 214c (opening). When the container shutter 214 is in the open position, the container shutter opening 214c and the insertion portion opening 212a overlap and communicate with each other. At this time, toner can be discharged from the supply pack 210 to the outside of the supply pack 210 through the container shutter opening 214c and the insertion portion opening 212a. When the container shutter 214 is in the closed position, the insertion portion opening 212a is closed by the container shutter 214. At this time, toner is not discharged from the supply pack 210 to the outside of the supply pack 210. When the supply pack 210 is not attached to the image forming device 1, the container shutter 214 is in the closed position. Also, when the container shutter 214 is in the closed position, the rotation restricted portion 212b of the insertion portion 212 is exposed from the container shutter opening 214c. This will be described later.

The outer peripheral surface of the container shutter 214 is provided with a container shutter engaged portion 214b that engages with the lever engagement portion 201d of the lever 201 and the main body shutter engagement portion 206b of the main body shutter 206 when the refill pack 210 is attached to the refill section 200. The container shutter engaged portion 214b as the engaged portion is a recess recessed inward from the outer peripheral surface of the container shutter 214 in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC, and extends to the tip of the container shutter 214 on the side farther from the pouch 211 in the direction of the rotation axis RA. The container shutter engaged portion 214b receives a force from the lever engagement portion 201d of the lever 201 in the rotation direction centered on the rotation axis RA, causing the container shutter 214 to rotate relative to the insertion section 212. Note that the container shutter engaged portion 214b does not need to be a recess as long as it is configured to engage with the lever 201 and rotate the container shutter 214 when the lever 201 rotates.

The container shutter seal 231 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the container shutter 214. The container shutter seal 231 seals between the periphery of the insertion portion opening 212a of the insertion portion 212 and the container shutter 214 when the container shutter 214 is in the closed position.

[Installing and replenishing resupply packs]
Next, a method of mounting the resupply pack 210 in the resupply unit 200 and a method of resupplying toner using the resupply pack 210 will be described with reference to Figures 13(a) to 14. Figures 13(a) and 13(b) are perspective views of the resupply unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 1 and the resupply pack 210 immediately before being mounted in the resupply unit 200, as viewed from different directions. Figure 14 is a perspective view showing a state in which a user is holding a pouch 211 in his or her hand.

As shown in Figures 13(a) and 13(b), when the refill pack 210 is attached to the refill unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 1, the refill pack 210 needs to be aligned in two ways with respect to the refill unit 200. This alignment is a rotational alignment centered on the rotation axis RA, and is possible when the container shutter 214 is in the closed position. The first alignment is, as shown in Figure 13(a), an alignment between the rotation-regulated portion 212b of the insertion portion 212 exposed from the container shutter opening 214c of the container shutter 214 and the rotation-regulated portion 247a of the rotation-regulated member 247. The second alignment is, as shown in Figure 13(b), an alignment between the container shutter engaged portion 214b and the lever engaging portion 201d. If this second alignment can be performed, the container shutter engaged portion 214b and the main body shutter engaging portion 206b will also be aligned. This is because the lever engagement part 201d and the main body shutter engagement part 206b overlap when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis RA.

When the resupply pack 210 has been attached to the resupply section 200, the container shutter engaged section 214b engages with the lever engaging section 201d and also engages with the main body shutter engaging section 206b of the main body shutter 206. The rotation restricted section 212b of the insertion section 212 engages with the rotation restricting section 247a. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the user grasps the grip section 201b and rotates the lever 201 clockwise by 90 degrees, causing the lever 201 to rotate from the operating position to the resupply position relative to the insertion section 212.

At this time, the container shutter 214 is rotated from the closed position to the open position together with the lever 201 as the container shutter engaged portion 214b is pushed by the lever engaging portion 201d. The main body shutter 206 is rotated from the closed position to the open position together with the lever 201 and the container shutter 214 as the main body shutter engaging portion 206b is pushed by the container shutter engaged portion 214b. In this way, the main body shutter 206 is configured to be rotated by the lever 201 via the container shutter 214, so it does not rotate even if the lever 201 is rotated from the operating position to the supply position when the supply pack 210 is not attached to the supply unit 200. Therefore, even if the user operates the lever 201 when the supply pack 210 is not attached, the main body shutter 206 will not open.

When the refill pack 210 is attached to the refill section 200 and the lever 201 is in the refill position, both the container shutter 214 and the main body shutter 206 are in the open position, and the container shutter opening 214c and the main body shutter opening 206a are in communication. In this state, when the user opens the pouch 211 with his or her hands as shown in FIG. 14, the toner in the pouch 211 moves toward the insertion section 212 together with the air. The toner that has moved into the insertion section 212 passes through the insertion section opening 212a, the container shutter opening 214c, and the main body shutter opening 206a, and is refilled into the storage section 18 of the developing container 230.

When toner replenishment is completed and the resupply pack 210 is to be removed from the resupply unit 200, the user grasps the grip portion 201b and rotates the lever 201 90 degrees counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 10. This operation rotates the lever 201 from the resupply position to the operating position relative to the insertion portion 212. At this time, the container shutter 214 is rotated together with the lever 201 from the open position to the closed position as the container shutter engaged portion 214b is pressed by the lever engaging portion 201d. The main body shutter 206 is rotated together with the lever 201 and the container shutter 214 from the open position to the closed position as the main body shutter engaging portion 206b is pressed by the container shutter engaged portion 214b. The resupply pack 210 is removed from the resupply unit 200 with the lever 201 in the operating position. When the refill pack 210 is removed from the refill unit 200, the container shutter 214 is in the closed position, preventing toner leakage from the insertion opening 212a of the refill pack 210.

[Control unit]
15A is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the control unit 302 provided in the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 302 has a CPU 302a as a calculation device, a ROM 302b, and a RAM 302c. The CPU 302a reads various programs stored in the ROM 302b and executes processes. The RAM 302c is used as a work area for the CPU 302a.

The input side of the control unit 302 is connected to a switch 208, a temperature sensor 9d, and a remaining amount detection unit 312 as a toner remaining amount detection unit. The temperature sensor 9d detects the temperature of the fixing nip of the fixing unit 9. The output side of the control unit 302 is connected to a motor 311 as an actuator and a display unit 415. In addition, the control unit 302 is connected to an I/O controller 313 as an input/output port that is connected to an external device.

The motor 311 drives the stirring member 60 and various rollers (including the photosensitive drum 11, the developing roller 12, and various transport rollers) in the image forming apparatus 1. In this embodiment, all rollers in the image forming apparatus 1 and the stirring member 60 are driven by one motor 311, but this is not limited to this. For example, the stirring member 60 and some rollers in the image forming apparatus 1 may be driven by the motor 311, and the other rollers may be driven by another motor. In addition, the motor 311 may be directly connected to all rollers by drive transmission members such as gears, and an electromagnetic clutch may be provided between the motor 311 and the stirring member 60. In this case, the actuator that turns the driving of the stirring member 60 on and off is the electromagnetic clutch.

Figure 15 (b) is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 302 provided in the image forming device 1. The control unit 302 has a temperature detection unit 303, a drive control unit 304, a transmission/reception unit 305, a remaining amount calculation unit 306, and a memory unit 315. The temperature detection unit 303 detects the current temperature of the fixing unit 9 based on a temperature detection signal 307 from the temperature sensor 9d. The drive control unit 304 drives and controls the motor 311 as necessary based on the print operation, initial control, etc. of the image forming device 1.

The drive possibility determination unit 314 determines whether the motor 311 may be driven depending on the state of the image forming device 1. For example, the drive possibility determination unit 314 does not permit the motor 311 to be driven in the case of a jammed state in which the recording material P is stuck in the image forming device 1, or in a malfunction state. The drive control unit 304 drives the motor 311 based on the determination of the drive possibility determination unit 314.

The remaining amount calculation unit 306 calculates the amount of toner contained in the storage unit 18 based on a remaining amount detection signal 309 output by a remaining amount detection unit 312 disposed in the storage unit 18. The transmission/reception unit 305 transmits and receives information to and from an I/O controller 313 that receives image information from a host such as a PC (not shown), and in this embodiment, in particular, transmits the remaining amount of toner contained in the storage unit 18 to an external PC or the like as remaining amount information 308.

Here, the remaining amount of toner is transmitted in %, for example, with the amount of toner that the storage unit 18 can store being 100%. The remaining amount detection signal 309 depends on the configuration of the remaining amount detection unit 312, but may be, for example, an analog signal whose voltage changes based on the remaining amount of development, or a pulse signal in which a pulse is output at a constant period and the H/L pulse width changes according to the remaining amount of toner. In this embodiment, the remaining amount detection signal 309 output from the remaining amount detection unit 312 is the above-mentioned pulse signal. A low pulse is output when the light path Q1 (see FIG. 4) of the remaining amount detection unit 312 is blocked by the toner in the storage unit 18, and a high pulse is output when the light path Q1 is not blocked by the toner. The control unit 302 measures the high pulse output when the stirring member 60 rotates once as a pulse count. The pulse count as an output value increases the longer the light path Q1 is transmitted through, i.e., the less toner there is in the storage section 18, and decreases the longer the light path Q1 is blocked from light, i.e., the more toner there is in the storage section 18. In other words, the control section 302 estimates that the higher the pulse count, the less toner there is in the storage section 18, and that the lower the pulse count, the more toner there is in the storage section 18.

[Toner Remaining Display]
Next, the toner remaining amount display of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 415 is provided on the right side of the front surface of the housing 72 of the image forming apparatus 1, and displays information regarding the amount of toner remaining in the storage unit 18 of the developing container 230.

16(a)-(d) show enlarged views of the display unit 415. As shown in FIG. 16(a)-(d), the display unit 415 is a panel member that can be turned on and off and includes multiple (three in this embodiment) scales arranged vertically. As shown in FIG. 16(a), when only the lower scale is blinking, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 is at the NearOut level. As shown in FIG. 16(b), when only the lower scale is continuously lit, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 is at the Low level. As shown in FIG. 16(c), when the lower and center scales are lit and the upper scale is off, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 is at the Mid level. As shown in FIG. 16(d), when all three scales are lit, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 is at the Full level.

The display unit 415 is not limited to a liquid crystal panel, and may be composed of a light source such as an LED or an incandescent lamp and a diffusion lens. Also, without providing a separate display unit 415, the remaining toner amount may be displayed on the display of the operation unit using each scale as described in this embodiment. Also, although the display unit 415 in this embodiment has three scales, the number of scales is not limited to this and may be set appropriately depending on the configuration of the image forming device, etc.

Next, the switching of the display of the display unit 415 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the threshold value for switching the display of the display unit 415 according to the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage section 18 of the developing container 230 and the display pattern of the display unit 415.

As shown in FIG. 17, when the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 18 varies depending on toner consumption or toner replenishment in the image forming mode, the display of the display unit 415 is switched based on the detection result by the remaining amount detection unit 312. That is, the display unit 415 displays the remaining amount of toner based on the remaining amount detection signal 309 output from the remaining amount detection unit 312. Specifically, when the detection result of the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is equal to or greater than the threshold D, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to the Full level (first display) with all three scales lit. Also, when the detection result of the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is less than the threshold D and equal to or greater than the threshold C, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to the Mid level (second display) with two scales lit. In this embodiment, the value of the threshold D is set to 5.0 k. The various thresholds described below, including the threshold D, may be set appropriately according to the capacity of the toner to be replenished and various configurations of the image forming device.

When the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is less than the threshold C (2.5k in this embodiment) and equal to or greater than the threshold B, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to a Low level (third display) with one scale lit. Also, when the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is less than the threshold B (0.5k in this embodiment) and equal to or greater than the threshold A, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to a NearOut level (fourth display) with one scale blinking. And when the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is less than the threshold A (0k in this embodiment), the control unit 302 determines that the toner in the storage unit 18 has run out, and sets the toner out state with all three scales turned off.

That is, when the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is 5.0k or more, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to the first display. When the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is between 2.5k and 5.0k, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to the second display, and when it is between 0.5k and 2.5k, the control unit 302 sets the display of the display unit 415 to the fourth display when the detection result of the remaining toner amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is between 0k and 0.5k, and when it is determined that there is no remaining amount, the control unit 302 sets all the scales to the off state.

The image forming device 1 in this embodiment can be replenished by mounting various types of resupply packs 210. For example, the image forming device 1 can be mounted with a small resupply pack 210 (hereinafter simply referred to as a small pack) and a large resupply pack 210 (hereinafter simply referred to as a large pack). The large pack contains a larger volume of toner than the small pack. In other words, the small pack is a resupply pack that can contain a first amount of toner, and the large pack is a resupply pack that can contain a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount.

In this embodiment, the interval (difference) between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold D and the toner amount corresponding to the threshold C, i.e., the interval (difference) between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold related to the display switching of the top scale, is set to the supply amount of one small pack (2.5k). Similarly, the interval (difference) between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold C and the threshold A, i.e., the interval between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold related to the display switching of the middle scale, is also set to the supply amount of one small pack. Also, the interval (difference) between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold D and the toner amount corresponding to the threshold A in this embodiment is set to the supply amount of one large pack (5.0k). That is, when toner is replenished with a small pack, the scale of the display unit 415 increases by one, and when toner is replenished with a large pack, the scale of the display unit 415 increases by two. By setting the interval between the toner amount corresponding to the threshold related to the display switching of the scale in this way, the display of the display unit 415 is switched by normally replenishing a new replenishing pack 210, and the user can recognize that replenishing is completed. In addition, the user can easily identify the number of refill packs 210 that can be replenished, improving the visibility for the user of the toner refill status.

In addition, in this embodiment, the display unit 415 can display the supply mode shown in Fig. 18(a)(b) in addition to the toner supply display described in Fig. 17. The supply mode display is a display for letting the user know that the supply mode is being executed. As the supply mode display, a pattern in which the three scales of the display unit 415 are repeatedly turned on one by one as shown in Fig. 18(a), or a pattern in which the three scales are turned off and turned on all at once as shown in Fig. 18(b) can be considered. In addition, without being limited to these two patterns, a pattern in which the first display of the display unit 415 is randomly switched from the first display to the fourth display described above, such as a pattern in which the three scales are turned off one by one from a state in which all the scales are turned on, can also be considered. As the supply mode display, a configuration may be used in which at least two of the five states of the first display to the fourth display and the all-off state (toner out state) in which none of the scales are turned on are repeatedly displayed as shown in Figs. 16(a) to (d). This allows a display that is not one of the five aforementioned states to be displayed, allowing the user to visually confirm that the supply mode is in progress.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment measures the time during which the light path Q1 (see FIG. 4) in the storage unit 18 is not blocked as a pulse count for each rotation of the stirring member 60, and estimates the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 18 based on the pulse count. However, the fluidity (also called toner fluidity) of the toner in the storage unit 18 may differ depending on the usage conditions, etc., and the pulse count may differ even if the amount of toner in the storage unit 18 is the same. Here, we will explain the degree of cohesion as one index of toner fluidity in the storage unit 18.

[Cohesion]
The degree of cohesion is an index that indicates how easily toner gathers. When the degree of cohesion is high, the toner gathers and clumps together, resulting in low toner fluidity. Conversely, when the degree of cohesion is low, the toner does not gather easily, resulting in high toner fluidity. Such degree of cohesion can be measured, for example, by the following method.

The measuring device is a Powder Tester (registered trademark) PT-D type manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation. The measurement is performed as follows. First, three types of sieves are stacked and set on the vibration table of the measuring device. The three types of sieves are, from the top, a 200 mesh sieve with a sieve opening of 75 μm, a 390 mesh sieve with a sieve opening of 38 μm, and a 635 mesh sieve with a sieve opening of 25 μm. These are set on the vibration table, and 5 g of toner is aged overnight in an environment of 23° C. and 50% humidity, and vibration with an amplitude of 0.6 mm is applied to the vibration table for 15 sec to measure the toner remaining on each sieve, and the degree of cohesion is calculated using the following formula.
Mass % of toner remaining on 75 μm sieve × 1 (a)
(b) (% by mass of toner remaining on 38 μm sieve)×0.6
(c) (% by mass of toner remaining on 25 μm sieve)×0.2
Cohesion degree=(a)+(b)+(c) (%)

The relationship between toner fluidity and toner remaining amount detection is explained below. Toner fluidity tends to be inversely proportional to the degree of toner cohesion. Even if the amount of toner in the storage section 18 is the same, if the toner fluidity is different, there will be a difference in the timing at which the toner lifted by the stirring member 60 starts to fall downward.

When the toner cohesion is low, the toner fluidity is high, and the toner accumulated on the stirring member 60 tends to slide downward in the direction of gravity. On the other hand, when the toner cohesion is high, the toner fluidity is low, and compared to conditions where the toner fluidity is high, the toner accumulated on the stirring member 60 tends to maintain its position. Therefore, the toner on the stirring member 60 is less likely to slide downward in the direction of gravity. In other words, the timing at which the toner on the stirring member 60 starts to fall downward in the direction of gravity is later under conditions where the toner fluidity is low than under conditions where the toner fluidity is high.

For this reason, under conditions of low toner fluidity, the time during which the light receiving section 312b of the remaining amount detection section 312 can detect light during one revolution of the stirring member 60 tends to be longer than under conditions of high toner fluidity. In other words, even if the amount of toner in the storage section 18 is the same, if the toner fluidity is different, the time during which the light receiving section 312b detects light will differ. Specifically, under conditions of high toner fluidity, the light receiving time of the light receiving section 312b will be short, and under conditions of low toner fluidity, the light receiving time of the light receiving section 312b will be long. In other words, under conditions of high toner fluidity (low toner cohesion), the pulse count of the remaining amount detection section 312 will be small, and under conditions of low toner fluidity (high toner cohesion), the pulse count will be high.

In addition, the toner contained in a new refill pack 210 tends to have low cohesion and high toner fluidity. For this reason, when detecting the amount of toner remaining in the storage section 18 that has just been refilled with toner from a new refill pack 210, the pulse count of the remaining amount detection section 312 tends to be low.

[Control of display unit during replenishment operation]
Next, the control of the display unit 415 when a replenishing operation is performed in which toner is replenished from the replenishing pack 210 to the storage unit 18 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 20 and 21. As shown in Figure 20, the control unit 302 first judges whether or not the lever 201 is in the replenishing position based on the detection result of the switch 208 (step S41). Note that the control unit 302 may determine that the lever 201 is in the replenishing position based on the detection result of the switch 208, that the discharge tray 14 has moved from the closed position to the open position, detected by the open/close detection unit.

In this embodiment, as described above, by attaching the resupply pack 210 to the resupply unit 200 and rotating the lever 201 from the operating position to the resupply position, it becomes possible to resupply toner from the resupply pack 210 to the storage unit 18. When the lever 201 is in the open position, the user can open the pouch 211 of the resupply pack 210 to resupply toner from the resupply pack 210 to the storage unit 18. When the switch 208 detects that the lever 201 has been rotated from the operating position to the resupply position (step S41: Yes), the resupply mode display is started on the display unit 415 (step S42).

When the refill mode display starts, the user performs a refill operation, such as opening the pouch 211 by hand, and sends out toner from the pouch 211 of the refill pack 210 toward the storage section 18. The control section 302 then determines whether the lever 201 is in the operating position based on the detection result of the switch 208 (step S43). That is, the control section 302 determines whether the lever 201 has been moved from the refill position to the operating position. If it is determined that the lever 201 is in the operating position (step S43: Yes), the control section 302 determines whether the motor 311 can be driven (step S44). Note that the motor 311 is stopped between steps S41 and S43. Therefore, no driving noise is generated from the gears for driving the motor 311 and the stirring member 60 while the user is performing the refill operation, which makes it less likely for the user to hesitate to perform the refill operation.

If the motor 311 is in a state where printing can be performed smoothly even if it is driven, it is determined that the motor 311 can be driven, and if the motor 311 is in a state where driving the motor 311 would cause a serious jam, it is determined that the motor 311 cannot be driven. In addition, if a malfunction occurs within the image forming device 1, it is also determined that the motor 311 cannot be driven. Note that, as in this embodiment, step S44 is required when all rollers and the stirring member 60 within the image forming device 1 are driven by a single motor 311, but this is not limited to this. For example, step S44 is not necessary if the rollers involved in transporting the recording material are not driven.

If it is determined that the motor 311 can be driven (step S44: Yes), the control unit 302 starts driving the motor 311 (step S45). This drives the stirring member 60 provided in the storage unit 18. The control unit 302 then determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the driving of the motor 311 was started (step S46). In this embodiment, the predetermined time is set to three seconds. The stirring member 60 equalizes the toner in the storage unit 18 during these three seconds. This equalization of the toner in the storage unit 18 by the stirring member 60 is performed in preparation for the remaining toner detection that is performed in the subsequent step, but it may be omitted.

If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S46: Yes), the control unit 302 starts to detect the toner remaining amount in the storage unit 18 by the remaining amount detection unit 312, and acquires the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312, which is the post-replenishment remaining amount information (step S47). In other words, the post-replenishment remaining amount information is a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the remaining amount detection unit 312 after the movement of the lever 201 from the refill position to the operating position is detected by the switch 208. Next, the control unit 302 processes the post-replenishment remaining amount information by a first information processing method and a second information processing method described later, and then performs a refill pack type determination as a type determination process (steps S48, S49). The refill pack type determination in step S49 determines the type of refill pack 210 with a different toner capacity, and in this embodiment, it determines whether the refill was made from the small pack or the large pack described above.

The post-replenishment remaining amount information also includes multiple pulse counts output from the remaining amount detection unit 312 from when the remaining amount detection unit 312 starts to detect the toner remaining amount until the control unit 302 executes the refill pack type determination. That is, in step S48, the control unit 302 processes the multiple pulse counts as multiple post-replenishment output values using the first information processing method and the second information processing method. Then, in step S49, the control unit 302 executes the refill pack type determination based on the values obtained by each of the first information processing method and the second information processing method.

In this embodiment, the first information processing method averages the pulse counts of the most recent N pieces (N>1) at the time when the resupply pack type determination is performed, and the value obtained thereby is the first judgment value. In other words, the first judgment value is a value obtained by averaging multiple values close to the time when the type determination process is performed. The second information processing method extracts a portion of the pulse counts of the most recent N pieces (N>1) at the time when the resupply pack type determination is performed, and the value obtained thereby is the second judgment value. In this embodiment, the second judgment value is the highest value of the pulse counts of the most recent N pieces (N>1).

As described above, the toner contained in the new refill pack 210 has low cohesion and high toner fluidity. Therefore, especially immediately after toner refilling, when old toner and new toner are mixed, the pulse count tends to be high and the pulse count tends to be low, and the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 varies. FIG. 22 plots the deviation rate from the threshold value of the first judgment value and the second judgment value when toner is refilled multiple times with small and large packs for a storage unit 18 containing a certain amount of toner. The horizontal axis of FIG. 22 shows the deviation rate of the first judgment value from a predetermined threshold value, and the vertical axis shows the deviation rate of the second judgment value from a predetermined threshold value. In FIG. 22, ● (filled circle) indicates a small pack, and ▲ (filled triangle) indicates a large pack. The above threshold value may be set arbitrarily, and may be any value that can distinguish between a small pack and a large pack.

As can be seen from Figure 22, the plots for small packs are concentrated in the first quadrant of the graph in Figure 22, and the plots for large packs are concentrated in the third quadrant of the graph in Figure 22. However, for example, when the plots for small packs (●) and the plots for large packs (▲) are separated by the vertical axis VA, point TG1, which is located in the third quadrant, is located on the same side of the vertical axis VA as the plots for large packs (▲). For this reason, even if one tries to distinguish between small packs and large packs using only the first judgment value, point TG1 will end up in the large pack group.

For example, when the plots for small packs (●) and large packs (▲) are separated on the horizontal axis HA, point TG2, which is located in the fourth quadrant, is located on the same side of the horizontal axis HA as the plots for large packs (▲). Therefore, even if one tries to distinguish between small packs and large packs using only the second judgment value, point TG2 will end up in the large pack group.

For this reason, in this embodiment, a refill pack type determination is performed to distinguish between small packs and large packs using both the first and second determination values. This makes it possible to separate the area AR1 corresponding to the first, second, and fourth quadrants of the graph from the area AR2 corresponding to the third quadrant of the graph in FIG. 22.

The supply pack type determination will be explained in more detail using Figures 21 and 23. Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the supply pack type determination. Figure 23(a) is a graph showing the change in pulse count when a small pack is supplied, and Figure 23(b) is another graph showing the change in pulse count when a small pack is supplied. Figure 23(c) is a graph showing the change in pulse count when a large pack is supplied.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the supply pack type determination is started, the control unit 302 determines whether the determination based on the first information processing method is a small pack or not (step S61). More specifically, the control unit 302 determines that the pack is a small pack when the first determination value obtained by the first information processing method is higher than a threshold value (TH1), and determines that the pack is a large pack when the first determination value is equal to or less than the threshold value. This determination is referred to as the first determination.

For example, Figure 23 (a) shows the change in the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 when toner is replenished with a small pack located in the first quadrant of Figure 22. In Figures 23 (a) to (c), the symbol AL indicates the moving average line of the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312. As shown in Figure 23 (a), when toner is replenished with a small pack, the remaining amount detection unit 312 initially outputs a pulse count lower than the threshold value TH1, but soon stabilizes and outputs a pulse count higher than the threshold value TH1. For this reason, the first judgment value when determining the type of replenishment pack is a value DV1 larger than the threshold value TH1.

Therefore, the control unit 302 proceeds to the Yes side of step S61 in FIG. 21 and determines that it is a small pack (step S63). On the other hand, if the first judgment value is lower than the threshold value TH1 in step S61 (step S61: No), the control unit 302 determines whether the judgment based on the second information processing method is a large pack (step S62). More specifically, the control unit 302 determines that it is a small pack when the second judgment value obtained by the second information processing method is higher than the threshold value (TH2), and determines that it is a large pack when the second judgment value is equal to or less than the threshold value. This kind of judgment is called the second judgment.

For example, FIG. 23B shows the transition of the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 when toner is replenished with a small pack (point TG1) located in the second quadrant of FIG. 22. As shown in FIG. 23B, when toner is replenished with a small pack, the pulse count of new toner tends to be low, so the remaining amount detection unit 312 outputs a pulse count that is temporarily lower than the threshold value TH2. On the other hand, as the mixing of old toner and new toner by the stirring member 60 progresses, the pulse count gradually becomes higher than the threshold value TH2. Therefore, the second judgment value when judging the type of the replenishment pack is the value DV2 indicated by the point Vmax1, and the value DV2 is higher than the threshold value TH2. Therefore, the control unit 302 proceeds to the No side of step S62 in FIG. 21 and judges that it is a small pack (step S63). Note that in the example shown in FIG. 23B, the first judgment value is equal to or lower than the threshold value TH1.

Also, FIG. 23(c) shows the transition of the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 when toner is replenished by a large pack located in the third quadrant of FIG. 22. As shown in FIG. 23(c), when toner is replenished by a large pack, a large amount of new toner, which tends to have a low pulse count, is replenished, so that the first judgment value by the remaining amount detection unit 312 stably outputs a low pulse count and becomes equal to or less than the threshold value TH1. In other words, the control unit 302 proceeds to the No side in step S61 of FIG. 21 and proceeds to step S62. When toner is replenished by a large pack, the remaining amount detection unit 312 stably outputs a low pulse count, and the second judgment value when judging the type of the replenishment pack becomes the value DV3 indicated by the point Vmax2. The value DV3 is equal to or less than the threshold value TH2. Therefore, the control unit 302 proceeds to the Yes side in step S62 of FIG. 21 and judges that it is a large pack (step S64). With the above, the replenishment pack type judgment is completed.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 20, when the supply pack type determination is completed, the control unit 302 ends the remaining toner amount detection by the remaining amount detection unit 312 (step S50). Furthermore, the control unit 302 stops the drive of the motor 311 and stops the stirring member 60 (step S51). Note that the drive of the motor 311 may be stopped simultaneously with the end of the remaining toner amount detection by the remaining amount detection unit 312.

Then, the control unit 302 switches from the supply mode display to the toner remaining amount display, and controls the display unit 415 based on the type of the supply pack determined in step S48 (step S52). For example, if the display unit 415 is in the first state (e.g., Low level) before the supply operation is performed, when it is determined that the pack is a small pack in step S48, the display unit 415 becomes the second state (e.g., Mid level). Also, if the display unit 415 is in the first state (e.g., Low level) before the supply operation is performed, when it is determined that the pack is a large pack in step S48, the display unit 415 becomes the third state (e.g., High level). For example, the first state is a state in which a first number of scales of the scale of the display unit 415 is lit, and the second state is a state in which a second number of scales that is greater than the first number of scales of the scale of the display unit 415 is lit. The third state is a state in which a third number, which is greater than the second number, is lit up on the scale of the display unit 415. This ends the control of the display unit 415 during the replenishment operation.

As described above, in this embodiment, the post-replenishment remaining amount information output by the remaining amount detection unit 312 is processed by the first information processing method and the second information processing method to obtain the first judgment value and the second judgment value, respectively. Then, it is possible to accurately distinguish between small packs and large packs by the first judgment based on the first judgment value (see step S61) and the second judgment based on the second judgment value (see step S62).

In particular, new toner has high toner fluidity, and therefore the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 varies immediately after toner replenishment, especially when old toner and the newly replenished toner are mixed. However, according to the replenishment pack type determination including the first and second determinations as in this embodiment, it is possible to distinguish between small and large packs with greater accuracy than simply using the pulse count of the remaining amount detection unit 312 as is to determine the type of replenishment pack. This improves the usability related to toner replenishment.

In addition, as with the resupply pack 210 of this embodiment, in order to resupply toner from the resupply pack 210 to the storage section 18 of the developing container 230, a resupply operation such as opening the pouch 211 may be required. The resupply mode of this embodiment has the advantage that the user is less likely to hesitate to perform the resupply operation because no driving noise is generated from the gears for driving the motor 311 and the stirring member 60 while the user is performing the resupply operation.

<Modification>
In this embodiment, the second determination value is the highest value among the most recent N pulse counts (N>1), but is not limited to this. For example, the second determination value may be the highest value among the most recent M pulse counts (M>1), or any one of the higher values of the pulse counts from the start of replenishment. For example, in FIG. 23(b), the second determination value may be any one of the values indicated by the dots in the area AR3. The second determination value may also be a value (higher average value) obtained by averaging values higher than the median value among the most recent N pulse counts (N>1). The higher value is, for example, a value higher than the median value among the data used to determine the type of the replenishment pack. In any case, it is preferable not to use a value lower than the median value among the data used to determine the type of the replenishment pack as the second determination value.

The second judgment value may also be the slope of the moving average line AL at the time when the refill pack type judgment is performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 23(b), when toner is replenished using a small pack, the slope of the moving average line AL may be relatively large. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23(c), when toner is replenished using a large pack, the slope of the moving average line AL is approximately close to zero. For this reason, for example, a threshold value may be set to one-third or one-half, and if the slope of the moving average line AL at the time when the refill pack type judgment is performed is greater than the threshold, it may be judged to be a small pack, and if it is equal to or less than the threshold, it may be judged to be a large pack.

<Other embodiments>
In this embodiment, replenishing pack 210 having pouch 211 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the effects of this embodiment can be obtained even with a resin container in which the user pushes a plunger to push toner out, or a resin container in which the user strikes or deforms to discharge toner out.

The display unit 415 is not limited to a liquid crystal panel, and may be composed of a light source such as an LED or an incandescent lamp and a diffusion lens. In addition, without providing a separate display unit 415, the remaining toner amount may be displayed on an operation display where the user makes various settings using scales as described in this embodiment.

In addition, in this embodiment, the supply pack 210 can transition between a replenishment-enabled state and a replenishment-disabled state by operating the lever 201 while the supply pack 210 is attached to the supply unit 200, but this is not limited to the above. For example, instead of operating the lever 201, the supply pack 210 itself may be rotated to transition between the replenishment-enabled state and the replenishment-disabled state. In other words, the container shutter 214 and the main body shutter 206 may be rotated in conjunction with the rotational operation of the supply pack 210.

In addition, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment is configured to have a main body shutter, but a removable cap may be used instead of the main body shutter. The configuration may also be such that the user removes or moves the cap and then attaches the refill pack 210 to the refill unit 200.

The disclosure of the present embodiment also includes the following configuration examples and method examples.
(Configuration 1)
An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after the toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
(Configuration 2)
An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on one value higher than a median value among the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
(Configuration 3)
An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on a value obtained by averaging a value higher than a median value among the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
(Configuration 4)
An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on a slope of a moving average line of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
(Configuration 5)
the display unit is capable of transitioning to a first state, a second state, and a third state, which are different from one another, in displaying the remaining toner amount;
when the control unit, in a case where the display unit is in the first state before toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, determines in the type determination process that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a first amount of toner, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the second state, and when the control unit, in the type determination process, determines that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the third state.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.
(Configuration 6)
the display unit has a plurality of scales that can be turned on and off, a first number of scales among the plurality of scales are turned on in the first state, a second number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the first number are turned on in the second state, and a third number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the second number are turned on in the third state.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,
(Configuration 7)
a toner container for storing toner;
an image forming apparatus into which the toner container can be mounted;
In an image forming system comprising:
The image forming apparatus includes:
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after the toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming system comprising:
(Configuration 8)
the toner container includes a pouch for storing toner, an end member provided at an end of the pouch and having an opening for discharging the toner in the pouch to the outside of the toner container, and a shutter movable relative to the end member between a closed position for closing the opening and an open position for opening the opening,
The mounting portion is
an operating unit having an engaging portion that engages with the shutter when the toner container is attached, the operating unit being configured to move together with the shutter as a result of the engaging portion engaging with the shutter, the operating unit being movable between a first position that positions the shutter at the closed position and a second position that positions the shutter at the open position;
A detection unit that detects movement of the operation unit;
having
the toner remaining amount detection unit outputs the plurality of post-replenishment output values after the driving of the stirring member is started based on the detection by the detection unit of the movement of the operation unit from the second position to the first position.
8. The image forming system according to claim 7.
(Configuration 9)
the stirring member is stopped from being driven during a period from when the movement of the operation part from the first position to the second position is detected by the detection part until when the movement of the operation part from the second position to the first position is detected by the detection part.
9. The image forming system according to configuration 8.
(Configuration 10)
the control unit controls the display unit to start a supply mode display different from the toner remaining amount display based on the detection by the detection unit of the movement of the operation unit from the first position to the second position, and switches the supply mode display to the toner remaining amount display after the toner remaining amount detection unit finishes detecting the toner amount.
10. The image forming system according to claim 8 or 9.
(Configuration 11)
The pouch is formed from a polypropylene sheet.
11. The image forming system according to any one of configurations 8 to 10.
(Configuration 12)
When the shutter is rotated by the operating unit, the pouch does not rotate.
12. The image forming system according to any one of configurations 8 to 11.

1: Image forming device / 18: Storage section / 60: Stirring member / 200: Mounting section (supply section) / 201: Operation section (lever) / 201d: Engagement section (lever engagement section) / 208: Detection section (switch) / 210: Toner container (supply pack) / 211: Pouch / 212: End member (insertion section) / 212a: Opening (insertion section opening) / 214: Shutter (container shutter) / 302: Control section / 302: Actuator (motor) / 312: Toner remaining amount detection section (remaining amount detection section) / 415: Display section / 1000: Image forming system

Claims (18)

An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after the toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: the display unit is capable of transitioning to a first state, a second state, and a third state, which are different from one another, in displaying the remaining toner amount;
when the control unit, in a case where the display unit is in the first state before toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, determines in the type determination process that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a first amount of toner, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the second state, and when the control unit, in the type determination process, determines that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the third state.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the display unit has a plurality of scales that can be turned on and off, a first number of scales among the plurality of scales are turned on in the first state, a second number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the first number are turned on in the second state, and a third number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the second number are turned on in the third state.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on one value higher than a median value among the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: the display unit is capable of transitioning to a first state, a second state, and a third state, which are different from one another, in displaying the remaining toner amount;
when the control unit, in a case where the display unit is in the first state before toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, determines in the type determination process that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a first amount of toner, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the second state, and when the control unit, in the type determination process, determines that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the third state.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4. the display unit has a plurality of scales that can be turned on and off, a first number of scales among the plurality of scales are turned on in the first state, a second number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the first number are turned on in the second state, and a third number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the second number are turned on in the third state.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on a value obtained by averaging a value higher than a median value among the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: the display unit is capable of transitioning to a first state, a second state, and a third state, which are different from one another, in displaying the remaining toner amount;
when the control unit, in a case where the display unit is in the first state before toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, determines in the type determination process that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a first amount of toner, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the second state, and when the control unit, in the type determination process, determines that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the third state.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, the display unit has a plurality of scales that can be turned on and off, a first number of scales among the plurality of scales are turned on in the first state, a second number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the first number are turned on in the second state, and a third number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the second number are turned on in the third state.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a toner container for storing toner,
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on a slope of a moving average line of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: the display unit is capable of transitioning to a first state, a second state, and a third state, which are different from one another, in displaying the remaining toner amount;
when the control unit, in a case where the display unit is in the first state before toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, determines in the type determination process that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a first amount of toner, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the second state, and when the control unit, in the type determination process, determines that toner has been replenished from the toner container capable of accommodating a second amount of toner that is greater than the first amount, the control unit transitions the display unit from the first state to the third state.
11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10. the display unit has a plurality of scales that can be turned on and off, a first number of scales among the plurality of scales are turned on in the first state, a second number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the first number are turned on in the second state, and a third number of scales among the plurality of scales that is greater than the second number are turned on in the third state.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11. a toner container for storing toner;
an image forming apparatus into which the toner container can be mounted;
In an image forming system comprising:
The image forming apparatus includes:
a mounting portion into which the toner container can be mounted;
a storage section configured to store toner supplied from the toner container attached to the mounting section;
an agitating member for agitating the toner in the container;
an actuator for driving the stirring member;
a toner remaining amount detection unit having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passed through the inside of the storage unit, and detecting the amount of toner contained in the storage unit by outputting an output value corresponding to the time at which the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit every time the stirring member rotates once;
a display unit that displays a remaining toner amount based on the output value output from the remaining toner amount detection unit;
a control unit that controls the display unit and the actuator,
the control unit executes a type determination process for determining the type of the toner container having a different toner capacity based on a first determination based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of post-replenishment output values output from the toner remaining amount detection unit after toner is replenished from the toner container to the storage unit, and a second determination based on the highest value of the plurality of post-replenishment output values.
1. An image forming system comprising: the toner container includes a pouch for storing toner, an end member provided at an end of the pouch and having an opening for discharging the toner in the pouch to the outside of the toner container, and a shutter movable relative to the end member between a closed position for closing the opening and an open position for opening the opening,
The mounting portion is
an operating unit having an engaging portion that engages with the shutter when the toner container is attached, the operating unit being configured to move together with the shutter as a result of the engaging portion engaging with the shutter, the operating unit being movable between a first position that positions the shutter at the closed position and a second position that positions the shutter at the open position;
A detection unit that detects movement of the operation unit;
having
the toner remaining amount detection unit outputs the plurality of post-replenishment output values after the driving of the stirring member is started based on the detection by the detection unit of the movement of the operation unit from the second position to the first position.
14. The image forming system according to claim 13. the stirring member is stopped from being driven during a period from when the movement of the operation part from the first position to the second position is detected by the detection part until when the movement of the operation part from the second position to the first position is detected by the detection part.
15. The image forming system according to claim 14. the control unit controls the display unit to start a supply mode display different from the toner remaining amount display based on the detection by the detection unit of the movement of the operation unit from the first position to the second position, and switches the supply mode display to the toner remaining amount display after the toner remaining amount detection unit finishes detecting the toner amount.
15. The image forming system according to claim 14. The pouch is formed from a polypropylene sheet.
15. The image forming system according to claim 14. When the shutter is rotated by the operating unit, the pouch does not rotate.
18. The image forming system according to claim 14,

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