JP4530250B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or those related to the image forming apparatus such as those of the MFP.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many image forming apparatuses such as a color copying machine have been developed in which an apparatus unit such as a process cartridge is configured to be detachable from an image forming apparatus main body. In such an image forming apparatus, when an existing apparatus unit has reached the end of its life or failure, a maintenance work is performed by an operator such as a user or a service person to replace the existing apparatus unit with a new apparatus unit. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Here, the new equipment unit that is replaced and installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus is recovered after being used in any one of the image forming apparatuses in addition to the one that has been completely newly manufactured in the manufacturing factory. Recycled units that have been reused are also included.
In particular, with the recent increase in awareness of resource saving, the manufacture (reuse processing) of recycling units is often performed by a manufacturer different from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling an image forming apparatus in accordance with information on a process cartridge that is installed in the image forming apparatus main body in a replaceable manner.
Specifically, when it is determined that the type of the replaced process cartridge is constant, the image forming apparatus is controlled so as to conform to it. On the other hand, if it is determined that the type of the replaced process cartridge is not constant, image formation is prohibited unconditionally.

JP 2001-296786 A (page 2-6, FIG. 6)

  In the conventional image forming apparatus described above, there is a case where the image quality in the output image is deteriorated by replacing the process cartridge at the time of maintenance.

Details are as follows.
That is, an image forming apparatus manufactured at a manufacturing factory is shipped after various adjustments are made in a state where a process cartridge is installed in the apparatus. Among the adjustments, there is also an elaborate adjustment for ensuring the highest image quality, and there is often a one-to-one correspondence between the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body. That is, when the process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus for which adjustment has been completed is replaced with another one, strictly speaking, there are many cases where exactly the same image quality cannot be obtained.

Such a problem becomes apparent when an operator performs maintenance work in an image forming apparatus on the market. In other words, when the existing process cartridge has reached the end of its life or failure and the replacement process cartridge is installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the image quality may deteriorate.
The above-described problem hardly causes a difference in image quality if the replacement process cartridge is a genuine one (the quality is controlled by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus). That is, the image forming apparatus main body and the process cartridge are designed and manufactured based on the know-how that the difference in image quality is minimized even if the process cartridge is replaced. The same applies to a process cartridge recycled by a genuine manufacturer.

On the other hand, the process cartridge for replacement is a non-genuine one (manufactured by a manufacturer different from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus and cannot be controlled by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus). In some cases, the above problem may not be negligible. That is, non-genuine ones often do not reflect the above-mentioned know-how. The same is true for process cartridges recycled by non-genuine manufacturers. Non-genuine recycling includes a case where a genuine product is collected and reused by a non-genuine manufacturer, or a case where a non-genuine product is collected and further reused by a non-genuine manufacturer.
The above-described problem cannot be ignored particularly in a color image forming apparatus that requires high image quality.

In order to solve such a problem, a technique is disclosed in which process cartridges such as non-genuine products whose type cannot be identified cannot be uniformly installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus (for example, Patent Document 1 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-260867). (See Fig. 4 of 2003-29583, Fig. 5-6 of JP 2003-58003, etc.).
However, some non-genuine products should be able to maintain the same good image quality as genuine products by the efforts of the manufacturer. In particular, if a genuine product is collected and recycled, there is a high possibility that a good image can be maintained even if it is recycled by a non-genuine manufacturer. It is not appropriate to make them impossible to install in the image forming apparatus uniformly, because it limits the options for the user of the image forming apparatus.

  Note that the above-described problem is an apparatus unit configured on the premise that the image forming apparatus main body is replaced other than the process cartridge, and an apparatus unit (for example, a photosensitive unit) whose quality may vary depending on the unit difference. This is a problem common to all the body drum, charging unit, developing unit, toner cartridge, cleaning unit, optical unit, transfer unit, paper feeding unit, fixing unit, and the like.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The apparatus unit exchanged for the image forming apparatus main body can be any type regardless of whether it is genuine / non-genuine or recycled / non-recycled. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can always be operated under optimum conditions even if it is in a state and can be used with peace of mind by users.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having a first non-volatile memory that holds recognition information, the apparatus unit being installed in a replaceable manner, and related to a plurality of apparatus units. An image forming apparatus main body having a second non-volatile memory that holds a plurality of second recognition information, a plurality of control information corresponding to each of the plurality of second recognition information, and predetermined standard control information ; And comparing the recognition information held in the first nonvolatile memory with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second nonvolatile memory, and the recognition information is the plurality of second recognition information. One of the control information corresponding to the second recognition information is selected by the control of the image forming apparatus body, and image formation is performed based on the control information. We, if the recognition information is control information similar to the control information of the device unit according to the recognition information in the plurality of control information in a case that does not match one of the plurality of second recognition information In the case where the similar control information is selected by the control of the image forming apparatus main body, image formation is performed based on the similar control information, and the recognition information does not match any of the plurality of second recognition information. If there is no similar control information among the plurality of control information, the standard control information is selected when the standard control information is selected by the user's operation of the image forming apparatus main body. Thus, image formation is performed .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the second nonvolatile memory is configured to compare the recognition information with the plurality of second recognition information. Further holding control information used for image formation, comparing the recognition information held in the first nonvolatile memory with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second nonvolatile memory, When the recognition information does not match any of the plurality of second recognition information, and when there is no similar control information in the plurality of control information, control information for selecting the standard control information; The control information used for the image formation until the comparison is performed when the control is not performed is the selected control information .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention includes the display unit and the operation unit, and the recognition is held in the first nonvolatile memory. If the recognition information does not match any of the plurality of second recognition information by comparing information and the plurality of second recognition information held in the second nonvolatile memory, the display unit Display and confirmation display for performing image formation based on control information selectable by the user, and the operation unit can input whether or not image formation can be performed based on the selectable control information. It is formed.

An image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control information selected by the control of the main body of the image forming apparatus or the user's Control information selected by operating the image forming apparatus main body is held in the second nonvolatile memory.

An image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the second nonvolatile memory is connected to a control unit of the image forming apparatus main body. The nonvolatile memory is detachably installed.

An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the first nonvolatile memory is formed detachably with respect to the apparatus unit. The IC tag is provided.

An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the first nonvolatile memory communicates serially with a control unit of the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is formed so as to exchange information.

An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the recognition information of the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory are the same. The comparison with a plurality of pieces of second recognition information is performed when the apparatus unit is replaced in the image forming apparatus main body.

An image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the apparatus unit includes a charging unit that charges the image carrier and the image carrier. A process cartridge in which at least one of a developing unit that develops the latent image formed on the image forming unit and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier and the image carrier are integrally held.

An image forming apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the apparatus unit includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, A developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, a transfer unit that transfers a toner image formed on the image carrier to a transfer material, and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier. , Any one or more of them are unitized.

An image forming apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the apparatus unit is a toner cartridge containing toner.

According to the present invention, in addition to a plurality of control information corresponding to a plurality of pieces of second recognition information for recognizing a plurality of device units, the second nonvolatile memory of the image forming apparatus main body includes standard control information and pre-exchange information. Control information is held and the control unit selects the most suitable control information according to the type of the device unit to be exchanged for the image forming apparatus main body, and performs adjustment control of the image forming apparatus, or the exchanged device unit To notify users that there is no optimal control information. As a result, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that operates under optimum image forming conditions and can be used with peace of mind by the user regardless of the type of apparatus unit to be replaced.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an entire image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
In FIG. 1, 1 is an apparatus main body of a color copying machine as an image forming apparatus, 2 is an optical unit (optical unit) that emits laser light based on image information, and 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are colors (yellow, magenta, A process cartridge 21 as an apparatus unit installed in an installable position corresponding to cyan and black) in a replaceable manner; a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier housed in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK; Is a charging unit for charging the photosensitive drum 21, 23 is a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 21, and 24 is a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 as a material to be transferred. A transfer roller for transferring to P, a cleaning unit 25 for collecting untransferred toner on the photosensitive drum 21, and a reference numeral 30 for a transfer belt unit. A copying belt, 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32BK are toner supply units that supply toner of each color to the developing unit 23 of each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and 61 is a storage material P such as transfer paper. A paper feeding unit (paper feeding unit) 66 is a fixing unit (fixing unit) for fixing an unfixed image on the transfer material P, and 80 is detachably installed in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. The IC tag 90 is a touch panel type operation unit provided so that a part thereof is exposed on the exterior of the apparatus main body 1, 90 a is a display unit provided integrally with the touch panel type operation unit 90, and 100 is the apparatus main body 1. The control unit 120 includes a scanner that optically reads a placed document.

  Here, in each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK, a photosensitive drum 21, a charging unit 22, a developing unit 23, and a cleaning unit 25 are integrally held, respectively. Then, image formation of each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) is performed on the photosensitive drum 21 in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK.

Hereinafter, an operation during normal color image formation in the image forming apparatus will be described.
Each of the four photosensitive drums 21 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged at a position facing the charging unit 22 (a charging process). Thereafter, the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 21 reaches the irradiation position of each laser beam.

  On the other hand, when a color original is placed on the original placement portion of the scanner 120, image information of the original is optically read by a reading portion (not shown). That is, the original is scanned with an illumination light source, and an original image is formed on a color CCD (not shown). Then, an original image, that is, reflected light of light irradiation on the original is photoelectrically converted by a color CCD to generate R, G, and B image signals. These image signals are transferred to the optical unit 2. Thereafter, in the optical unit 2, laser light corresponding to the image signal is emitted from the LD light source corresponding to each color. The laser light is incident on the polygon mirror 3 and reflected, and then passes through the lenses 4 and 5. The laser light after passing through the lenses 4 and 5 passes through different optical paths for each color component of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (this is an exposure process).

The yellow component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 6 to 8 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the first process cartridge 20Y from the right side of the drawing. At this time, the yellow component laser light is scanned in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 21 by the polygon mirror 3 that rotates at high speed. Thus, an electrostatic latent image of a yellow component is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 charged by the charging unit 22.
Similarly, the magenta component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 9 to 11 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the second process cartridge 20M from the right side of the paper, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of the magenta component. The The cyan component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 12 to 14 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 of the third process cartridge 20C from the right side of the paper, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of the cyan component. The black component laser light is reflected by the mirror 15 and then is irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the fourth process cartridge 20BK from the right side of the drawing to form a black component electrostatic latent image.

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 on which the electrostatic latent images of the respective colors are formed further rotates and reaches a position facing the developing unit 23. Then, the toner of each color is supplied from the developing unit 23 onto the photosensitive drum 21, and the latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 is developed (this is a developing step).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the development process reaches a position facing the transfer belt 30. Here, the transfer roller 24 is installed at each facing position so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the transfer belt 30. Then, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 21 are sequentially transferred onto the transfer material P conveyed by the transfer belt 30 at the position of the transfer roller 24 (transfer process).

  In the transfer belt unit (transfer section), the transfer belt 30 is stretched and supported by a driving roller and three driven rollers. Then, the transfer belt 30 travels in the direction of the arrow in the drawing by the driving roller. This transfer belt unit is configured as an apparatus unit in which members such as the transfer roller 24 and the transfer belt 30 described above are integrally formed and can be exchanged for the apparatus main body 1.

Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the transfer process reaches a position facing the cleaning unit 25. The untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected by the cleaning unit 25 (this is a cleaning process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 passes through a static elimination unit (not shown), and a series of image forming processes is completed.

On the other hand, the material to be transferred P fed by the paper feed roller 62 is guided from the paper feed unit 61 (paper feed unit) to the position of the registration roller 64 after passing through the transport guide 63. The transfer material P guided to the registration roller 64 is transported toward the contact portion between the transfer belt 30 and the suction roller 27 while the transport timing is controlled.
Thereafter, the transfer material P sequentially passes through the facing positions of the four photosensitive drums 21 while being conveyed to the transfer belt 30 that runs in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. Thus, the toner images of the respective colors are transferred onto the transfer material P, and a color image is formed.

Thereafter, the transfer material P on which the color image is formed is separated from the transfer belt 30 of the transfer belt unit and guided to the fixing unit 66 (fixing unit). In the fixing unit 66, the color image is fixed on the transfer material P at the nip portion between the heating roller 67 and the pressure roller 68.
The transferred material P after the fixing process is discharged out of the apparatus main body 1 by the paper discharge roller 69, and a series of operations of the image forming apparatus is completed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus body 1 in a replaceable manner will be described in detail.
The four process cartridges installed in the apparatus main body 1 have substantially the same structure except that the color of the toner T to be stored is different. Therefore, the four process cartridges are illustrated by omitting the alphabets (Y, M, C, BK). To do.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing the process cartridge 20 in a new state (a state in which a non-recycled product or a recycled product has never been used in the apparatus main body after manufacturing or after a recycling process).
As shown in the figure, the process cartridge 20 mainly includes a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier, a charging unit 22, a developing unit 23, and a cleaning unit 25, which are integrally stored in a case 26. Has been. The developing unit 23 includes a developing roller 23a, stirring rollers 23b and 23c, a doctor blade 23d, a T sensor 29 (toner density sensor), and the like, and a developer composed of the carrier C and the toner T is accommodated therein. Has been. The cleaning unit 25 includes a cleaning blade 25a, a cleaning roller 25b, and the like.

Here, an IC tag 80 is detachably installed on the case 26 of the process cartridge 20.
Specifically, the IC tag 80 is an IC that can communicate with the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body 1 and is a packaged IC including an external terminal. The external terminal of the IC tag 80 is inserted into the connection terminal of the IC socket 81 fixed to the case 26. This facilitates replacement of the IC tag 80 when the process cartridge 20 fails, and facilitates reuse processing of the IC tag 80 when the process cartridge 20 is recycled.
The form of the IC tag 80 is not limited to the present embodiment, and can be an IC chip having a size of several millimeters square, or an IC chip is mounted on a PCB having external terminals. It can also be. Further, the exchange of information with the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body 1 can be performed as a contact IC tag by wire, or can be performed wirelessly as a non-contact IC tag.

Then, replacement work for the apparatus main body is performed by the operator in units of the process cartridge 20.
That is, referring to FIG. 2B, the process cartridge 20 as an apparatus unit is installed in the installation section of the apparatus main body.
Specifically, after the door (not shown) of the apparatus main body is opened by the operator, the process cartridge 20 is guided by a rail (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body and installed in the apparatus main body.

  When the installation of the process cartridge 20 in the apparatus main body is completed, first, information is compared between the IC tag 80 of the process cartridge 20 and the engine control board 110 of the control unit 100 in the apparatus main body. Information to be compared at this time is stored in the recognition information of the process cartridge 20 stored in the first nonvolatile memory installed in the IC tag 80 and in the second nonvolatile memory 111 installed in the engine control board 110. And a plurality of second recognition information. The control related to the comparison of information at this time will be described in detail later.

Then, referring to FIG. 2B, after the comparison of the above information is completed, adjustment of the image forming apparatus based on the control information is performed as necessary, and then normal image formation is performed. This normal image formation is performed as described above with reference to FIG.
Specifically, the developing roller 23a rotates in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. The toner T in the developing unit 23 is mixed with the carrier C together with the toner T supplied from the toner supply unit 32 by the stirring rollers 23b and 23c that rotate counterclockwise in the drawing. The frictionally charged toner T is supplied onto the developing roller 23a together with the carrier C by one stirring roller 23b.
The toner T in the toner bottle 33 is appropriately supplied into the developing unit 23 as the toner T in the developing unit 23 is consumed. The toner T in the developing unit 23 is consumed by a toner concentration sensor 28 (P sensor) as an optical sensor facing the photosensitive drum 21 and a toner concentration sensor (T) as a magnetic permeability sensor provided in the developing unit 23. Sensor).

Thereafter, the toner T carried on the developing roller 23a passes through the position of the doctor blade 23d and then reaches a position facing the photosensitive drum 21. At the opposite position, the toner T adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. Specifically, the toner T adheres to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by an electric field formed by a potential difference between the surface potential of the region irradiated with the laser light L and the developing bias applied to the developing roller 23a.
Most of the toner T adhering to the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the transfer material P. The toner T remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected in the cleaning unit 25 by the cleaning blade 25a and the cleaning roller 25b.

Next, the control unit 100 of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the IC tag 80 of the process cartridge 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the control unit 100 includes a controller board 101 related to the overall control of the apparatus, an operation unit control board 102 that performs control related to the operation unit 90, an HDD 103 that stores image information, and a communication control device 105. Communication control device interface board 104 connected to a public communication line such as an analog telephone line via LAN, LAN interface board 106 connected to LAN, facsimile control unit (FCU) 107 connected to PCI bus, IEEE 1394 board / Wireless LAN board / USB board 108, engine control board 110 connected to controller board 101 via PCI bus 109, and I / O control board connected to engine control board 110 to control I / O of device main body 1 40, consists of the scanner 120 reads the image of the placed copied document on the scanner board (SBU) 122, written on the photosensitive drum 21 to image information as a laser beam LDB130 like.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the color CCD 121 of the scanner 120 is a three-line color CCD, and generates EVENch / ODDch R, G, and B image signals. These image signals are input to the analog ASIC of the SBU 122. Here, the SBU 122 is equipped with a timing generation circuit for generating the driving timing of the analog ASIC and the color CCD 121. The output of the CCD 121 is sampled and held by a sample and hold circuit inside the analog ASIC, and then A / D converted. The A / D converted R, G, and B image data is then subjected to shading correction and sent to an IPP (image information processor) of the engine control board 110 via an output I / F (interface).

In the IPP of the engine control board 110, separation generation (determination of whether an image is a character area or a photographic area), background removal, scanner gamma conversion, filter, color correction, scaling, image processing, printer gamma Conversion, gradation processing, etc. are performed. The IPP is a programmable arithmetic processing unit that performs image processing.
The image information transferred from the SBU 122 to the IPP is written into the frame memory of the controller board 101 after correction for signal deterioration.

The controller board 101 includes a CPU, a ROM that controls the controller board 101, an SRAM that is a working memory used by the CPU, a backup of the SRAM with a built-in lithium battery, an NV-RAM with a built-in clock, and a system bus control. It consists of an ASIC that controls the CPU periphery, such as frame memory control and FIFO, an interface circuit, and the like.
The controller board 101 has application functions as a multifunction machine such as a scanner application, a facsimile application, a printer application, and a copy application, and controls the entire system. That is, the information related to the application input from the operation unit control board 102 is decoded, the system is set, and the state is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 90.

  The controller board 101 is connected to the communication control device 105 via the communication control device interface board 104 so that full duplex asynchronous serial communication can be performed. Note that the communication control device 105 is multidrop-connected in accordance with the RS-485 interface standard. Then, communication with a management system (not shown) is performed via the communication control device interface board 104.

  The controller board 101 is connected to a LAN (Internet) via a LAN interface board 106. The LAN interface board 106 is a standard communication interface of a PHY chip I / F or an I2C bus I / F equipped with a PHY chip. Then, communication with a management system (not shown) is performed via the LAN interface board 106.

  The HDD 103 connected to the controller board 101 functions as a system application program, an application database for storing activation information, and a database for image information. The HDD 103 is connected to the controller board 101 through an interface compliant with ATA / ATAPI-4.

  The operation unit control board 102 connected to the controller board 101 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, LCDC, and the like. Through communication between the operation unit control board 102 and the controller board 101, key input is performed on the touch panel type operation unit 90, and display necessary for operation is displayed on the display unit 90a. In other words, the system setting is input by the operator through the operation unit 90, and the display unit 90a notifies the operator of the system setting contents and system status. The ROM of the operation unit control board 102 holds a control program for controlling input reading and display output. The RAM of the operation unit control board 102 is a working memory used by the CPU.

On the other hand, the engine control board 110 mainly performs control related to the image forming process described above with reference to FIGS. The engine control board 110 includes a CPU 116, I / O / ACIC, IPP, a ROM 115 holding a program necessary for control relating to image formation, an SRAM necessary for the control, a second nonvolatile memory 111, and the like.
Here, the second non-volatile memory 111 is an IC that can communicate with the CPU 116 via a bus, and is a packaged EEPROM including an external terminal. The external terminal of the second nonvolatile memory 111 is inserted into a connection terminal of an IC socket (not shown) fixed to the engine control board 110. This facilitates replacement of the second nonvolatile memory 111 when the engine control board 110 fails, and facilitates reuse processing of the second nonvolatile memory 111 when the engine control board 110 is recycled. Further, by making communication between the CPU 116 of the control unit 100 and the first nonvolatile memory 157 serial communication, the number of pins of the connector for connection is reduced, and the attachment / detachment work is simplified.
The second nonvolatile memory 111 is not limited to the EEPROM in the present embodiment, and various memories such as a RAM backed up with power supply can be used, for example.

The engine control board 110 is connected to the controller board 101 via the PCI bus 109. Here, the PCI bus 109 is an image information bus / control command bus that transfers image information and control commands in a time-sharing manner.
In addition, in the LD board (LDB) 130 connected to the engine control board 110, write signals of each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) output from the work memory of the controller board 101 are input to the LD write circuit. . In this LD writing circuit, LD current control (modulation control) is performed and output to each LD light source.

  The I / O • ASIC of the engine control board 110 includes a serial interface that transmits and receives signals to and from the CPU 116. The I / O ASIC controls devices such as counters, fans, solenoids, and motors mounted near the engine control board 110.

The I / O control board 140 connected to the engine control board 110 through a synchronous serial interface includes a CPU, an I / O ASIC, a process cartridge I / F 141, and the like. The CPU of the I / O control board 140 functions as a so-called sub CPU and performs I / O control such as analog control of the toner density sensors 28 and 29 described in FIG.
Here, the detection of the mounting of the new process cartridge 20 to the apparatus main body 1 is performed when the door of the apparatus main body 1 is opened and closed. That is, when the door SW (switch) connected to the I / O control board 140 is off, the process cartridge 20 may be replaced, so that the confirmation is performed and the result is transferred to the engine control board 110.

The process cartridge I / F 141 is an interface circuit for exchanging information between the engine second nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus main body 1 and the first nonvolatile memory of the IC tag 80 mounted on the process cartridge 20. is there.
The communication interface between the first nonvolatile memory and the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body 1 can be an I2C bus. In that case, the parallel signal from the CPU 116 of the control unit 100 is converted into an I2C signal and transmitted to the first nonvolatile memory of the IC tag 80. Similarly, the signal from the first nonvolatile memory is converted into a parallel signal and transmitted to the CPU 116 of the control unit 100. Furthermore, an I2C bus can be provided in the CPU 116 of the control unit 100 to connect both directly.
A PSU 135 as a power source is a unit that supplies power for controlling the image forming apparatus main body 1. By turning on the main SW, commercial power is supplied to the image forming apparatus.

Next, the IC tag 80 detachably installed on the process cartridge 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the IC tag 80 is a contact type IC tag, and includes a CPU 152, an I / O port 153, a system control logic 154, a ROM 155, a RAM 156, an EEPROM 157 as a first nonvolatile memory, an E-EEPROM 158, and the like. It is configured.

Here, the first nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 157 holds the recognition information and control information of the process cartridge 20.
The recognition information held in the first nonvolatile memory 157 is information such as a recognition code for specifying the type of the process cartridge 20 (manufacturer, presence / absence of recycling, number of times of recycling, version, color, etc.). .

The control information stored in the first nonvolatile memory 157 is information related to the process cartridge 20 necessary for controlling the image forming apparatus, and corresponds to the recognition information of the process cartridge 20. .
As control information, information related to image forming conditions such as “exposure amount”, “charge amount”, “development bias”, “process cartridge lot”, “manufacturing date”, “type (color ID)”, “Retention period”, “Start date of use”, “Number of copies”, “Number of recycling”, “Upper limit of number of recycling”, “Replacement time of component”, “Toner lot”, “Reproduction date”, Information such as “filling amount”, “filling date”, “toner remaining amount”, “T sensor control information”, and “P sensor control information” is stored in the first nonvolatile memory 157.
The image forming conditions relate to the image forming process described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the exposure amount of the laser beam L in the exposure process, the charge amount of the charging unit 22 in the charging process, and the development process. The development bias of the development unit 23 is information unique to the process cartridge 20 for optimal image formation.

Further, the CPU 152 writes information into the first nonvolatile memory 157 and reads information held in the first nonvolatile memory 157 by a program stored therein.
The I / O port 153 is a communication interface compliant with ISO7816-3, and exchanges communication interface signals 181 and 182 with the second nonvolatile memory 111 via the CPU 116 installed on the engine control board 116. To do. The CPU 152 can also exchange the communication interface signal 170 with the apparatus main body CPU other than the CPU 116 of the engine control board 116.

The system control logic 154 is a control circuit related to control in the IC tag 80. The ROM 155 is a program memory, and the RAM 156 is a working memory for executing the program. Further, the E-EEPROM is a memory that holds a dedicated program related to a write operation to the first nonvolatile memory 157.
The CPU 152, the I / O port 153, the system control logic 154, the ROM 155, the RAM 156, the first nonvolatile memory 157, and the E-EEPROM 158 are respectively connected by a control signal 161, a control bus 162, a data bus 163, and an address bus 164. ,It is connected.

In the present embodiment, the IC tag 80 is a contact IC tag, but may be a non-contact IC tag. In this case, the IC tag 80 is provided with a non-contact communication interface connected to the transmission / reception antenna instead of the I / O port of FIG. 4 and a power supply source (power supply). Information is exchanged wirelessly with a CPU provided on the main body side.
The first nonvolatile memory 157 in the IC tag 80 is not limited to the EEPROM of this embodiment, and various types of nonvolatile memories can be applied.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 4, the second nonvolatile memory 111 of the control unit 100 in the apparatus main body includes a plurality of second recognition information, a plurality of control information corresponding to the plurality of second recognition information, and a plurality of pieces of control information. Control information that complements the control information is stored.
Here, the second recognition information held in the second nonvolatile memory 111 is information such as a recognition code for identifying the type of the process cartridge 20 installed in the apparatus main body 1. That is, assuming that various process cartridges 20 are installed in the apparatus main body 1, the second nonvolatile memory 111 includes a plurality of second recognitions corresponding to a plurality of process cartridges that may be replaced. Information is retained.

The control information stored in the second non-volatile memory 111 is information relating to the process cartridge 20 necessary for controlling the image forming apparatus, and corresponds to the second recognition information individually. . As the control information, there is information exemplified earlier (information related to image forming conditions).
Here, there are not a few pieces of control information similar to the predetermined control information among the plurality of control information. As a result, even when there is no control information that completely matches the control conditions of the process cartridge to be controlled in the plurality of control information, similar control information (compatible compatibility) is selected from the plurality of control information. Some control information can be found.

In addition, the control information that complements the plurality of control information stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 is an image forming apparatus that corresponds to a case where a process cartridge of a type that is not assumed is installed in the apparatus main body 1. This is information related to the process cartridge, which is necessary for optimally controlling the process. Here, as control information to be supplemented, there are standard control information and control information before replacement (current control information).
The standard control information is information related to control conditions in which process cartridge control conditions are not individualized and all are averaged conditions.
The control information before replacement is information related to the previous process cartridge control condition before the process cartridge is replaced, and is used for image formation until comparison between recognition information described later and second recognition information is performed. This is the control information that has been provided.

  Then, no matter what type of process cartridge 20 is installed in the apparatus main body 1, it matches the control conditions of the process cartridge from the control information held in the second non-volatile memory 111 and the control information complementary thereto. The control information to be selected and the optimum control information are selected, and the image forming apparatus is adjusted and controlled based on the selected control information.

Next, the control in the above-described image forming apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control of the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge 20 is installed in the apparatus main body 1.
As shown in FIG. 5, first, the process cartridge 20 (described as “PC” in the figure) is checked, that is, whether or not the process cartridge 20 has been replaced in the apparatus body 1 is determined (steps S1 and S2). . Details will be described with reference to FIG.

As a result, when it is determined that the process cartridge is not exchanged, this flow is finished and the flow proceeds to another flow (step S3).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the process cartridge is exchanged, the control unit 100 reads the recognition information held in the first nonvolatile memory 157 of the process cartridge (step S4).

Next, the recognition information held in the first non-volatile memory 157 is compared with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second non-volatile memory 111 of the apparatus body 1 (step S5).
As a result, when it is determined that the recognition information does not correspond to any of the plurality of second recognition information (no match or similarity), there is no recognition information corresponding to the exchanged process cartridge on the apparatus main body 1 side. A flag indicating that there is no corresponding PC recognition information is set in the working memory of the control unit 100 (step S10). And this flow is complete | finished and it transfers to another flow F7 shown in FIG. 7 (step S11).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that the recognition information corresponds to any one of the plurality of second recognition information, is there control information related to the second recognition information further matching the recognition information? It is determined (step S6).
As a result, when it is determined that there is control information that matches the recognition information, the control information is stored in the second nonvolatile memory as “selected control information” (step S7).
Further, after the flow shown in FIG. 8 (image formation flow), image formation is performed by adjusting and controlling the image forming apparatus based on the control conditions corresponding to the control information stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 (steps). S8). At this time, the image forming apparatus is operated based on control conditions that completely match the replacement process cartridge.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S9).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that there is no control information that matches the recognition information, the control information related to the control condition similar to the control condition of the recognition information (compatible control) It is determined whether there is (information) (step S12).
As a result, when it is determined that there is control information compatible with the recognition information, the control information is stored in the second nonvolatile memory as “selected control information” (step S13).
Further, after the flow shown in FIG. 8, image formation is performed based on the control information (control conditions) stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 (step S14). At this time, the image forming apparatus is operated based on a control condition with high similarity although it does not completely match the replacement process cartridge.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S15).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that there is no control information compatible with the recognition information, the current control information is “selected control information” after the flow shown in FIG. Is stored in the second nonvolatile memory (step S16). Here, the current control information is control information before process cartridge replacement, which has been used for image formation until the recognition information and the second recognition information are compared (until this flow is started). .
Further, image formation is performed based on the control information (control conditions) stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 (step S17). At this time, the image forming apparatus is operated based on the previous control condition although it does not coincide with the replacement process cartridge.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S18).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control related to the process cartridge 20 replacement check. Here, the control related to the replacement check (step S2) of the process cartridge 20 described in FIG. 5 will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, in order to check the replacement of the process cartridge 20, it is first determined whether or not the door of the apparatus main body 1 is open (steps S31 to S32).

As a result, when it is determined that the door is open, a door open flag is set (step S33).
Then, the time of the clock mounted on the control unit 100 of the apparatus main body is stored in the first nonvolatile memory of the process cartridge (step S34).
Further, the exchange of information between the control unit of the apparatus main body and the first nonvolatile memory of the process cartridge is stopped (step S35), and the power supply to the process cartridge is stopped (step S36).
Thus, this flow is finished (step S37).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that the door is closed, it is further determined whether the door open flag is set (step S38).
As a result, when it is determined that the door open flag is set, that is, when it is determined that the door has been opened / closed, power supply to the process cartridge is resumed, and the control unit and the first non-volatile The exchange of information with the memory is resumed (step S39).

Next, the recognition information held in the first non-volatile memory read in step S40 and the process cartridge recognition information held in the second non-volatile memory (differentiated from the second recognition information). A comparison is made (step S41).
As a result, if the two pieces of recognition information do not match, the process cartridge has been replaced, and a flag indicating that fact is set (step S42). Thereafter, the door open flag and the power-on flag are reset (step S43), and this flow is ended (step S44).
Here, the power-on flag is a flag that is set in the initialization routine when the main SW (power switch) in FIG. 3 is turned on.

  On the other hand, if both pieces of recognition information match in step S41, it is determined that the process cartridge has not been replaced, step S42 is skipped, and this flow is terminated through step S43 (step S44). ).

If it is determined in step S38 that the door open flag is not set, it is further determined whether the power-on flag is reset (step S45).
As a result, when it is determined that the power-on flag has not been reset, that is, when there is power supply, this flow ends (step S46).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the power-on flag is reset, this flow is terminated through the flow after step S39 (step S44).
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, since the recognition information is checked only when the process cartridge is replaced, the control is simplified.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control in the operation unit 90 integrated with the display unit 90a, and is a flowchart following step S11 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the operation unit 90, through step S11 of FIG. 5, first, the presence or absence of the recognition information of the process cartridge is determined (steps S51 to S52). Specifically, the presence or absence of a flag in step S10 in FIG. 5 is checked.
As a result, when it is determined that there is the recognition information of the corresponding process cartridge, this flow is finished and the process proceeds to another flow (step S53).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no recognition information of the corresponding process cartridge, this is displayed on the display unit 90a (step S55). Specifically, a message such as “Control information corresponding to the replaced process cartridge cannot be selected”, “Optimum image quality cannot be guaranteed”, or the like is displayed.

Next, it is determined whether standard control information is held in the second nonvolatile memory (step S56).
As a result, when it is determined that there is standard control information, a confirmation display for continuation of operation based on the standard control information is displayed on the display unit 90a (step S57). Specifically, a message such as “Can image formation (copying) be performed with standard control information?” Is displayed.
Then, it is determined whether or not the operation of the image forming apparatus can be continued (step S58). That is, it is determined whether or not there is a key input of the operation unit 90 by the user for performing image formation.

As a result, when it is determined that the operation can be continued (with key input), standard control information is stored in the second nonvolatile memory as “selected control information” (step S59).
Further, after the flow shown in FIG. 8, image formation is performed based on the control information (control conditions) stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 (step S60). At this time, the image forming apparatus is operated based on a safe control condition although it does not completely match the replacement process cartridge.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S61).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S58 that the operation is not continued (no key input), a message indicating that image formation is prohibited is displayed on the display unit 90a and the control unit 100 is working. A flag for prohibiting image formation is set in the memory (step S64).
Thus, this flow is finished (step S65).

If it is determined in step S56 that there is no standard control information, a confirmation display for continued operation is displayed on the display unit 90a (step S62). Specifically, a message such as “Can image formation be performed as it is?” Is displayed.
Then, it is determined whether or not the operation of the image forming apparatus can be continued (step S63). That is, it is determined whether or not there is a key input of the operation unit 90 by the user for performing image formation.
As a result, if it is determined that the operation is not continued (no key input), the flow is terminated through step S64 (step S65).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation can be continued (with key input), the current control information (control information before replacement) is directly stored in the second nonvolatile memory as “selected control information”. Stored (step S66).
Further, after the flow shown in FIG. 8, image formation is performed based on the current control information (control conditions) stored in the second nonvolatile memory (step S67). At this time, the image forming apparatus is operated based on a proven control condition although it does not completely match the replacement process cartridge.
Thus, this flow is finished (step S68).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control related to image formation (copy operation). FIG. 8 shows in detail the flow up to the image formation described in steps S8, S14 and S17 in FIG. 5 and steps S60 and S67 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the image formation control flow, it is first determined whether or not a flag prohibiting image formation is set (steps S71 to S72). Specifically, the presence / absence of a flag related to step S64 in FIG. 7 is checked.

As a result, if it is determined that there is a flag for prohibiting image formation (image formation is not possible), this flow ends (step S73).
On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no flag for prohibiting image formation (image formation is possible), it is determined whether or not there is a start key input in the operation unit 90 for performing image formation. (Step S74). As a result, when it is determined that there is no start key input, this flow is finished (step S75).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the start key has been input, it is determined whether control information (stored in step S7 in FIG. 5) that matches the second nonvolatile memory is stored. (Step S76).
As a result, when it is determined that there is matching control information, image formation is performed based on the control conditions related to the control information (step S78).
In preparation for the next process cartridge replacement check, the recognition information of the replaced process cartridge (the one on which image formation has been performed in step S78) is stored in the second nonvolatile memory 111 of the apparatus main body 1. (Step S86).
Thus, this flow is finished (step S87).

In contrast, if it is determined in step S76 that there is no matching control information, the control information compatible with the second nonvolatile memory (stored in step S13 in FIG. 5). .) Is stored (step S79).
As a result, when it is determined that there is compatible control information, image formation is performed based on the control conditions related to the control information (step S80).
Then, after step S86, this flow is finished (step S87).

If it is determined in step S79 that there is no compatible control information, standard control information (which is stored in step S59 in FIG. 7) is further stored in the second nonvolatile memory. Is stored (step S82).
As a result, when it is determined that there is standard control information, image formation is performed based on the control conditions related to the control information (step S83).
Then, after step S86, this flow is finished (step S87).

If it is determined in step S82 that there is no standard control information, the image is based on the control conditions relating to the current control information (stored in step S66 in FIG. 7). Formation is performed (step S85).
Then, after step S86, this flow is finished (step S87).
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, even when there is no control information that matches or resembles the replaced process cartridge, the user knows the state from the display on the display unit 90a, and performs the subsequent operation based on the notification. Can be selected widely.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the process cartridge 20 having different types such as manufacturer, presence / absence of recycling, number of times of recycling, version, color and the like is replaced and installed in the apparatus main body 1, and the process cartridge Even when there is no control information that completely matches 20, control information that is similar, standard control information, or previous control information can be selected as control information. Thus, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used with peace of mind.

In the present embodiment, the process cartridge 20 is the apparatus unit that is installed in the apparatus main body 1 in a replaceable manner and includes the first nonvolatile memory. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any apparatus unit that can cause a difference in quality of the image forming apparatus due to the unit difference. Here, in the present application, the “apparatus unit” is defined as a unit that is installed interchangeably with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.
For example, the present invention can be applied to the optical unit 2, the transfer belt units 24 and 30, the fixing unit 66, the paper feeding unit 61, the toner bottle 33 (toner cartridge) in FIG. In an image forming apparatus that does not take the form of a process cartridge, the present invention is applied to a single unit such as a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and a transfer unit as an apparatus unit related to an image forming process. it can. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a composite unit (a configuration other than a process cartridge) in which a plurality of photosensitive drums, charging units, developing units, cleaning units, and transfer units are unitized. In those cases, a first nonvolatile memory holding recognition information is mounted on the device unit. When the recognition information held in the first non-volatile memory and the plurality of second recognition information held in the second non-volatile memory of the apparatus main body are compared and they do not match, the optimum control condition Select. Also in this case, the same effect as this embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus in which four process cartridges are installed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various types of image forming apparatuses such as a single process cartridge are installed. The present invention can be applied to the image forming apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the engine control board 110 and the controller board 101 are distinguished from each other and installed in the control unit 100 of the image forming apparatus main body 1. However, these boards may be integrated.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is apparent that the embodiment can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, other than the one suggested in the embodiment. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be set to a number, position, shape, and the like that are suitable for implementing the present invention.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a process cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the process cartridge of FIG. 2A is installed in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an IC tag installed in the process cartridge of FIG. 2. 2 is a flowchart illustrating control when a process cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the control regarding the replacement check of a process cartridge. It is a flowchart which shows control of the operation part following FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control regarding image formation.

Explanation of symbols

1 image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body), 2 optical section (optical unit),
20, 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK Process cartridge,
21 photosensitive drum (image carrier), 22 charging unit,
23 developing unit, 24 transfer roller (transfer belt unit, transfer unit),
25 cleaning section, 30 transfer belt (transfer belt unit, transfer section),
32, 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32BK toner supply unit,
33 Toner bottle (toner cartridge),
61 paper feed unit (paper feed unit), 66 fixing unit (fixing unit),
80 IC tag, 90 operation unit, 90a display unit, 100 control unit,
101 controller board, 110 engine control board,
111 second non-volatile memory, 116, 152 CPU,
157 EEPROM (first nonvolatile memory).

Claims (11)

A device unit having a first non-volatile memory for holding recognition information;
The apparatus unit is installed in a replaceable manner, and a plurality of second recognition information related to the plurality of apparatus units, a plurality of control information corresponding to the plurality of second recognition information, and predetermined standard control information, respectively. An image forming apparatus main body having a second nonvolatile memory for holding
With
The recognition information held in the first non-volatile memory is compared with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second non-volatile memory, and the recognition information is one of the plurality of second recognition information. If one of the control information corresponding to the second recognition information is selected by the control of the image forming apparatus main body, image formation is performed based on the control information, and the recognition information is the plurality of pieces of recognition information. When the control information similar to the control information of the device unit related to the recognition information is present in the plurality of control information, the control unit controls the image forming apparatus. When the similar control information is selected and image formation is performed based on the similar control information, and the recognition information does not match any of the plurality of second recognition information If the similar control information is not included in the plurality of control information, the standard control information is selected when the standard control information is selected by the user's operation of the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, wherein image formation is performed based on the image forming apparatus. The second non-volatile memory further holds control information used for image formation until the recognition information and the plurality of second recognition information are compared,
The recognition information held in the first non-volatile memory is compared with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second non-volatile memory, and the recognition information is one of the plurality of second recognition information. And when there is no similar control information in the plurality of control information, the standard control information is used for image formation until the comparison is performed when the selected control information is not used. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selected control information is selected control information . A display unit and an operation unit;
The recognition information is compared with any of the plurality of second recognition information by comparing the recognition information held in the first nonvolatile memory with the plurality of second recognition information held in the second nonvolatile memory. If they do not match, the display unit performs a display to that effect and a confirmation display to perform image formation based on control information selectable by the user,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is formed so as to be able to input whether or not to perform image formation based on the selectable control information.   The control information selected by the control of the image forming apparatus main body or the control information selected by the user's operation of the image forming apparatus main body is stored in the second nonvolatile memory. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   5. The image formation according to claim 1, wherein the second non-volatile memory is a non-volatile memory that is detachably installed on a control unit of the main body of the image forming apparatus. apparatus.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first nonvolatile memory is provided in an IC tag that is detachable from the apparatus unit.   7. The image according to claim 1, wherein the first nonvolatile memory is formed to exchange information with a control unit of the image forming apparatus main body through serial communication. Forming equipment.   The comparison between the recognition information of the first nonvolatile memory and the plurality of second recognition information of the second nonvolatile memory is performed when the device unit is replaced in the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The apparatus unit includes at least one of a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier, and the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a process cartridge in which the body is integrally held.   The apparatus unit includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a toner image formed on the image carrier. 9. One or more of a transfer part for transferring to a material and a cleaning part for cleaning the image carrier are unitized. The image forming apparatus described.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus unit is a toner cartridge in which toner is stored.

Images