JP6680241B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and particularly to operation control when a nonconforming toner container is attached.

  In a general image forming apparatus, a photosensitive drum as an image carrier, a charging device for charging the photosensitive drum, and a surface of the charged photosensitive drum are irradiated with laser light based on an original, An exposure device that forms a latent image of the original on the surface of the photoconductor drum, a developing device that visualizes the latent image with toner, and a transfer that transfers the toner image formed by visualizing it to recording paper. A roller, a fixing device that fixes the transferred toner image on the recording paper, and a cleaning device that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum are provided.

  By the way, in recent years, the use of non-conforming toner containers has been increasing. Since the performance of the non-conforming product is different from that of the conforming product, the performance of the image forming apparatus may not be sufficiently exhibited when the non-conforming product toner container is used.

  In Patent Document 1 below, a toner container attached by a wireless tag attached to the toner container and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification: Radio Frequency Identification) communication unit attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus is a compatible product. If there is a non-conforming product, it is described about the technology to display a warning message to inform the user that the non-conforming toner container is mounted on the display panel. Suggestions have been made to encourage users to use the container.

JP, 2011-028017, A

  If there is a large difference between the charging performance of the toner replenished from the toner container to the developing device (replenishment toner) and the charging performance of the toner already stored in the developing device, image stain due to fog (so-called replenishment fog) Occurs. Especially when high density printing is performed or when the toner container is replaced (replace state) when the toner in the toner container is empty (replace replacement), a large amount of toner can be added to the developing device in a short time. Since toner is replenished, replenishment fog is likely to occur.

  For example, compatible toners are designed to have a higher charge rising property, designed to prevent shortage of charge amount of replenishment toner, and to suppress charge fluctuation due to environmental dependence and stress, and to reduce charge amount and overcharge. Is being prevented. As a result, the difference in charging performance between the replenishment toner and the toner in the developing device does not increase, and replenishment fog is prevented. The conforming product is one that satisfies the usage conditions and sufficiently exhibits the performance of the image forming apparatus. For example, it is a genuine product or a genuine product.

  On the other hand, some non-conforming toners have different performances from those of the conforming toners and have unstable charging properties. Therefore, if a non-conforming toner container is used, the difference in charging performance between the replenishment toner and the toner in the developing device tends to become large, and it may occur when high density printing is performed or when Replace is replaced. Since toners having greatly different charging performance are mixed in the apparatus, insufficient charge amount toners or reversely charged toners may be generated, which may cause image defects due to replenishment fog.

  In addition, when the toner having a poor charging is generated, the toner is scattered near the developing device, which causes further image stain. Also, unlike the toner of the conforming product, the toner of the non-conforming product is often low in fluidity (mixing property), so that the replenishment toner is difficult to be melted and mixed with the toner in the developing device. Therefore, replenishment fog is likely to occur due to poor mixing. Further, even if the toner container is returned to a conforming product, there is a case where the image forming apparatus fails without returning to a normal state.

  The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes a technique for displaying a warning message that informs the user that a non-conforming toner container has been attached to the display panel. However, the user ignores the warning message and does not conform. If the product toner container is continuously used, an image defect occurs due to defective charging of the toner.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Even if a non-conforming toner container is used, stable image formation is realized by preventing defective charging of the toner, and a failure of the image forming apparatus occurs. The purpose is to be able to prevent.

An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a conveyance unit that conveys a recording sheet, an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet, and an apparatus main body that is detachably attached to the image forming unit. A toner container containing the toner to be used, a conforming product determination unit that determines whether the toner container attached to the apparatus body is a conforming product, and operations of the transport unit and the image forming unit are controlled. The image forming unit includes a control unit, rotates around a rotation axis, and supplies an image carrier that carries a toner image on the surface and toner replenished from the toner container to the image carrier. And a developing device for forming a toner image on the image carrier, wherein the controller determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus body is not a compatible product by the compatible product determination unit. The toner in the normal mode in which the operation of the image forming unit is controlled so that the toner replenishing speed from the toner container to the developing device is such that the conveying unit and the image forming unit form an image at a predetermined standard speed. The control unit reduces the speed to a predetermined speed lower than the replenishment speed , and the control unit determines that the compatible product determination unit determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus body is not a compatible product, and then the compatible product determination unit. When it is determined that the toner container attached to the apparatus main body is a conforming product, the toner replenishment speed that is reduced to the predetermined speed over a predetermined time is set to the normal mode. Return to the current toner replenishment speed .
An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys recording paper, an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording paper, and an image formed by the image forming unit. A toner container containing the toner used for forming, a conforming product determination unit for determining whether or not the toner container attached to the apparatus body is a conforming product, and operations of the transport unit and the image forming unit And a control unit for controlling the image forming unit, wherein the image forming unit rotates about a rotation axis and bears a toner image on the surface, and the toner replenished from the toner container. And a developing device that forms a toner image on the image carrier, and the controller determines by the compatible product determination unit that the toner container attached to the device body is not a compatible product. In the normal mode, the operation of the image forming section is controlled so that the toner replenishing speed from the toner container to the developing device is such that the conveying section and the image forming section form an image at a predetermined standard speed. The toner replenishment speed is lower than the toner replenishment speed, and the control unit returns the toner replenishment speed to the state in the normal mode according to an instruction from the user, and then a predetermined number of images After formation, the toner replenishment rate is again reduced to the predetermined rate.

  According to the present invention, when a non-conforming toner container is attached to the main assembly of the apparatus, the toner replenishment speed is reduced to a speed lower than that in the normal mode. Therefore, it is necessary to stir the toner in the developing device. You can secure time. Therefore, there is a portion where the proportion of toner (non-conforming product toner) newly replenished from the non-conforming product toner container becomes too high compared to the toner (conforming product toner) already stored in the developing device. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent image defects and toner scattering due to toner charging defects, to realize stable image formation, and to prevent failure of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view showing, in an enlarged manner, a developing device and a toner container constituting the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is the figure which showed an example of the display screen displayed on a display part. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operations performed by a control unit in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A)-(C) is the figure which showed an example of the display screen displayed on a display part. (A) and (B) are graphs showing the experimental results of examining the fog density by performing the printing operation a plurality of times using the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic side sectional view of a developing device and a toner container that form the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a printer, and includes a device body 11 including a paper feeding unit 14, an image forming unit 12, a toner container 17, a fixing unit 13, a discharge tray 151, and a manual feed tray 161. . The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a conveyance unit 19 that conveys the recording paper P from the paper feed unit 14 to the discharge tray 151 via the image formation unit 12 and the fixing unit 13.

  The transport unit 19 includes a transport path 191, which connects the paper feed unit 14 and the discharge tray 151, a reverse transport path 1911, a plurality of transport roller pairs 192 provided at appropriate positions on the transport path 191 and the reverse transport path 1911, and a resist. The roller pair 193, the transport drum 194, and the discharge roller pair 195 are provided.

  The paper feed unit 14 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 11, and has a paper feed cassette 141 that stores a plurality of recording papers P, and a first pickup for taking out the recording papers P stored in the paper feed cassette 141 one by one. A roller 142 and a paper feed roller pair 143 that sends the recording paper P taken out by the first pickup roller 142 to the conveyance path 191 are provided.

  The recording paper P fed by the paper feed roller pair 143 is sent out to the transport path 191 via the transport drum 194. The recording paper P delivered to the transport path 191 is supplied to the image forming unit 12 by the registration roller pair 193.

  The image forming unit 12 is provided above the paper feed cassette 141, and includes the photosensitive drum 121, the charging device 122, the exposure device 123, the developing device 124, the transfer unit 120, the cleaning device 60, and the charge removing device 51. With.

  The photoconductor drum 121 is an image carrier, is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis, and carries a toner image on its surface. The charging device 122 charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 121. The exposure device 123 forms a latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 121 by irradiating the laser light L on the basis of image data transmitted from an external device (for example, a personal computer).

  The developing device 124 supplies toner to the latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 121 to form a toner image. A toner replenishing port 1242 is formed in the developing housing 1241, and a toner replenishing port 1242 is formed in the developing housing 1241. Contains the toner supplied from the toner container 17. In addition, the developing device 124 regulates the thickness of the toner carried on the developing roller 1243 and the developing roller 1243 which conveys the toner to the vicinity of the photoconductor drum 121 in the developing housing 1241, and controls the developing roller 1243 to have the same thickness. A regulation blade 1246 that forms a toner layer on the inner surface, spiral feeders 1247 and 1248 that stir and convey the toner, and a toner sensor 1249 that is provided on the wall surface near the toner replenishment port 1242 and that detects the amount of toner in the developing housing 1241. And

  The developing roller 1243 is configured to include a magnet roller 1244 having a magnetic pole and a developing sleeve 1245 mounted on the magnet roller 1244, and the developing sleeve 1245 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure around a rotation axis. It is like this.

  The spiral feeders 1247 and 1248 are rotationally driven, agitate the toner inside the developing housing 1241 and convey the toner toward the developing roller 1243, and supply the toner to the peripheral surface of the developing roller 1243. The toner supplied to the peripheral surface of the developing roller 1243 is carried on the peripheral surface of the developing roller 1243 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 1244, and is conveyed in the rotation direction by the rotation of the developing roller 1243 (developing sleeve 1245).

  The transfer unit 120 is configured to include a transfer belt 125 that transfers the recording paper P, a drive roller 125A, a driven roller 125B, and a transfer roller 126. The conveyor belt 125 is stretched between a driving roller 125A and a driven roller 125B, and is driven by the driving roller 125A while being in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 121, and runs endlessly in synchronization with the photosensitive drum 121. To do. Further, a transfer roller 126 is provided at a position where the toner image is transferred from the surface of the photoconductor drum 121 to the recording paper P, sandwiching the conveyor belt 125, and a transfer nip portion N1 is formed between the photoconductor drum 121 and the transfer roller 126. ing.

  The cleaning device 60 includes a cleaning roller 61 and a cleaning blade 62. The cleaning roller 61 and the cleaning blade 62 contact the surface of the photoconductor drum 121 to remove toner and adhering substances remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 121, and clean the surface of the photoconductor drum 121.

  The static eliminator 51 is for removing charges remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 121, and irradiates the surface of the photoconductor drum 121 with static elimination light after image formation by the image forming unit 12.

  The toner container 17 is attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body 11, stores toner that is a consumable item of the image forming unit 12, and supplies the toner to the developing device 124. A toner discharge port 172 is formed in the toner container 17, and the toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11 so that the toner discharge port 172 is located above the toner supply port 1242 of the developing device 124. Further, the toner container 17 includes a spiral rod 173, and by the rotation of the spiral rod 173, the toner contained in the toner container 17 is conveyed to the toner discharge port 172, and the toner is supplied from the toner discharge port 172 to the developing device 124. To be done. The spiral rod 173 is an example of the toner transport unit in the claims.

  The fixing unit 13 fixes the toner image on the recording paper P by thermocompression bonding, and includes a heating roller 131 having a heat lamp 132 as a heat source and a pressure roller 133. The heating roller 131 and the pressure roller 133 form a pair, and when the recording paper P is nipped and conveyed at the fixing nip portion N2 formed by the heating roller 131 and the pressure roller 133, an unfixed toner image of the heat lamp 132 is generated. It is melted by heat and fixed on the recording paper P by the pressure of the heating roller 131 and the pressure roller 133.

  The recording paper P on which the fixing process has been performed is conveyed upward through the conveyance path 191, and is ejected to the ejection tray 151 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 11 via the ejection roller pair 195.

  The manual feed tray 161 is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 11 and holds the recording paper P. The recording paper P placed on the manual feed tray 161 is taken out one by one by the second pickup roller 162, and the recording paper P taken out by the second pickup roller 162 is sent out to the transport path 191.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, an image forming unit 12, an image memory 32, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 92, a fixing unit 13, a paper feeding unit 14, a conveying unit 19, an RFID communication unit 21, a toner container 17, and an operation. The unit 47, the attachment / detachment sensor 22, the toner sensor 1249, the replenishment motor drive unit 24, and the toner replenishment motor 25 are included. The same components as those of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

  The image memory 32 is an area for temporarily storing image data transmitted from an external device (for example, a personal computer) or temporarily storing image data to be printed by the image forming unit 12. Is. The HDD 92 is a large-capacity storage device that stores image data and the like.

  The RFID communication unit 21 communicates with the RF tag 171 attached to the toner container 17 that is detachably attached to the apparatus body 11. The RF tag 171 includes a memory that stores product information of the toner container 17, and the RFID communication unit 21 acquires the product information of the toner container 17 by receiving a signal transmitted from the RF tag 171.

  The operation unit 47 receives instructions such as an image formation operation execution instruction from the operator regarding various operations and processes that the image forming apparatus 1 can execute. The operation unit 47 includes a display unit 473 for displaying operation guidance and the like to the operator. The display unit 473 is a touch panel, and the operator can operate the image forming apparatus 1 by touching the buttons and keys displayed on the screen.

  The replenishment motor drive unit 24 controls the drive of the toner replenishment motor 25 according to an instruction from the control unit 100 of the control unit 10 which will be described later. The toner replenishment motor 25 is a drive source that supplies a rotational drive force to the spiral rod 173 (see FIG. 2). The replenishment motor drive unit 24 and the toner replenishment motor 25 are included in the image forming unit 12.

  The toner sensor 1249 constantly detects the amount of toner in the developing housing 1241. For example, the toner sensor 1249 sends a toner replenishment signal to the control unit 10 when the toner amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

  The control unit 10 includes a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like. The control unit 10 includes a control unit 100, an operation reception unit 101, and a conforming product determination unit 103.

  The control unit 10 functions as the control unit 100, the operation receiving unit 101, and the conforming product determination unit 103 by the operation of the processor according to the control program stored in the HDD 92. However, the control unit 100 and the like may be configured by a hardware circuit instead of the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10. Hereinafter, the same applies to each embodiment unless otherwise specified.

  The control unit 100 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 100 drives the image forming unit 12, the image memory 32, the HDD 92, the fixing unit 13, the paper feeding unit 14, the transport unit 19, the RFID communication unit 21, the operation unit 47, the attachment / detachment sensor 22, the toner sensor 1249, and the supply motor drive. It is connected to the unit 24 and controls driving of these units.

  The conforming product determination unit 103 determines whether or not the toner container 17 mounted on the apparatus body 11 of the image forming apparatus 1 is a conforming product. The compatible product determination unit 103 includes the toner container 17 included in the product information of the toner container 17 by the RFID communication unit 21 communicating with the RF tag 171 when the toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11. When the information indicating that the toner container 17 is a conforming product is obtained, it is determined that the mounted toner container 17 is a conforming product. Further, the conforming product determination unit 103 determines that the RFID communication unit 21 cannot communicate with the RF tag 171 when the toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, or the toner container 17 is a conforming product. When the information indicating that is not obtained, it is determined that the mounted toner container 17 is a non-conforming product.

  For example, when the control unit 100 receives the toner replenishment signal transmitted from the toner sensor 1249, it controls the drive of the replenishment motor drive unit 24 to drive the toner replenishment motor 25, thereby rotating the spiral rod 173. Then, the toner is supplied from the toner container 17 to the developing device 124. In the normal mode, the control unit 100 controls the driving of the replenishment motor drive unit 24 so that the toner replenishment speed V becomes the predetermined speed VN. The normal mode is a mode in which the control unit 100 causes the transport unit 19 and the image forming unit 12 to form an image at the above-described standard speed.

  On the other hand, when the nonconforming toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, the controller 100 sets the toner replenishment speed V to a predetermined speed lower than the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode (for example, a predetermined speed). , 1/4 of the speed VN in the normal mode), and the drive of the replenishment motor drive unit 24 is controlled so that the toner replenishment speed V becomes the predetermined speed.

  When the toner container 17 of the non-conforming product is attached to the apparatus main body 11, when replenishing the toner from the toner container 17 to the developing device 124, the control unit 100 controls the toner stirring speed (toner circulation) in the developing housing 1241. Regarding the speed), the same speed as in the normal mode is maintained, and only the toner replenishment speed V is adjusted. That is, the rotation speeds of the spiral feeders 1247 and 1248 are the same as those in the normal mode.

  As a method of adjusting the toner replenishment speed V, for example, there is a method of adjusting the rotation speed of the toner replenishment motor 25, or a method of adjusting the toner replenishment duty (on time per unit time in the toner replenishment motor 25). .

  The operation reception unit 101 receives an operation input from the user via the operation unit 47. The operation reception unit 101 also includes an instruction reception unit 102 that receives an instruction from the user to cancel the decrease in the toner supply speed V. For example, the instruction receiving unit 102 displays the display screen D1 on the display unit 473 as shown in FIG. 4, and receives the instruction from the user via the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 473. On the display screen D1, a message M1 indicating that the toner replenishment speed V is being reduced and a selection button B1 labeled “Release” are formed, and the instruction receiving unit 102 selects the selection button B1 via the touch panel. When is operated, an instruction to cancel the decrease in the toner replenishment speed V is received from the user.

  Next, an example of the processing operation performed by the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the control unit 100 sets 0 (0: conforming product, 1: non-conforming product) to a flag F1 indicating whether or not the toner container 17 mounted on the apparatus main body 11 is a conforming product as an initial setting. Yes (S1). This is because the toner container 17 of the conforming product is attached to the apparatus main body 11 when the product is shipped.

  Subsequently, the control unit 100 sets the toner replenishment speed V to the speed VN in the normal mode as an initial setting (S2), and the flag F2 indicating whether the toner replenishment speed V is set to the speed VN in the normal mode. Is set to 0 (0: set to the speed VN in the normal mode, 1: not set to the speed VN in the normal mode) (S3).

  Subsequently, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the toner container 17 has been replaced, based on the information obtained from the attachment / detachment sensor 22 (S4). When the control unit 100 determines that the toner container 17 has been replaced (YES in S4), the conforming product determination unit 103 is attached to the apparatus main body 11 based on the information obtained from the RFID communication unit 21. It is determined whether the toner container 17 is a non-conforming product (S5).

  When the conforming product determination unit 103 determines that the toner container 17 mounted on the apparatus main body 11 is a non-conforming product (YES in S5), the control unit 100 sets the flag F1 to 1 (S6), The toner supply speed V is set to 1/4 of the speed VN in the normal mode (S7), and the flag F2 is set to 1 (S8). After that, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 473 to display the display screen D2 as shown in FIG. 6 (A) (S9). Then, the process returns to S4.

  A predetermined message M2 is formed on the display screen D2, the fact that the toner replenishment speed V is lowered and the reason why the toner replenishment speed V is lowered (for example, for protection of the image forming apparatus 1). Is written.

  On the other hand, when the compliant product determination unit 103 determines that the toner container 17 mounted on the apparatus body 11 is not a non-compliant product (a compliant product) (NO in S5), the control unit 100 sets the flag F1 to 0. (S10), the toner replenishment speed V is set to the speed VN in the normal mode (S11), and the flag F2 is set to 0 (S12). After that, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 473 to display the display screen D3 as shown in FIG. 6B (S13). Then, the process returns to S4.

  A predetermined message M3 is formed on the display screen D3, and the fact that the toner replenishment speed V is returned to the speed VN in the normal mode and the reason for returning it to the original state (because the compatible toner container 17 has been attached ) Is written.

  When it is determined in S4 that the toner container 17 has not been replaced (NO in S4), the control unit 100 determines whether the flag F1 is 1 (S14).

  When the control unit 100 determines that the flag F1 is 1 (YES in S14), the toner container 17 attached to the apparatus main body 11 is a non-conforming product, and therefore it is determined whether the flag F2 is 1 or not. A judgment is made (S15).

  When the control unit 100 determines that the flag F2 is 1 (YES in S15), the toner replenishment speed V is set to the normal mode because the nonconforming toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11. Therefore, the control unit 100 determines whether the instruction receiving unit 102 has received an instruction from the user to cancel the decrease in the toner replenishment speed V (S16). .

  When determining that the instruction receiving unit 102 has received the instruction to cancel the decrease in the toner replenishment speed V from the user (YES in S16), the control unit 100 sets the toner replenishment speed V to the speed VN in the normal mode (S17). ), The flag F2 is set to 0 (S18), and the counter C for counting the number of printed sheets is reset to 0 (S19). After that, the process proceeds to S20.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the instruction receiving unit 102 has not received the instruction to cancel the decrease in the toner replenishment speed V from the user (NO in S16), the process directly returns to S4.

  If the control unit 100 determines in S15 that the flag F2 is not 1 (0) (NO in S15), the process proceeds to S20. This is because the toner replenishment speed V is set to the speed VN in the normal mode even though the nonconforming toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11.

  In S20, the control unit 100 controls the operation of the image forming unit 12 and the like to determine whether or not the recording paper P on which an image is formed is discharged to the discharge tray 151 (S20). When the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper P has been discharged to the discharge tray 151 (YES in S20), the counter C is incremented by 1 (S21), and the counter C has a predetermined number CA (for example, 500). It is determined whether the number is equal to or more than the number of sheets (S22).

  When the control unit 100 determines that the counter C is equal to or larger than the predetermined number CA (that is, the number of printed sheets reaches 500) (YES in S22), the control unit 100 sets the toner replenishment speed V to the normal value. It is set to 1/4 of the mode speed VN (S23) and the flag F2 is set to 1 (S24). After that, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 473 to display the display screen D4 as shown in FIG. 6C (S25). After this, the process returns to S4.

  A predetermined message M4 is formed on the display screen D4, the fact that the toner replenishment speed V is lowered and the reason why the toner replenishment speed V is lowered (for example, for protection of the image forming apparatus 1). Is written.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper P on which the image is formed is not discharged to the discharge tray 151 (NO in S20), the control unit 100 determines that the counter C is not equal to or larger than the predetermined number CA. When it is determined (NO in S22), the process returns to S4.

  According to the first embodiment, when the nonconforming toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, the toner replenishment speed V is reduced to a speed lower than that in the normal mode. The time required to stir the can be ensured. Therefore, the proportion of toner (non-conforming product toner) newly replenished from the non-conforming product toner container 17 is too high compared to the toner (conforming product toner) already stored in the developing device 124. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent image defects and toner scattering due to toner charging defects, realize stable image formation, and prevent failure of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Further, when the nonconforming toner container 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, the toner replenishment speed V is reduced, but the toner replenishment speed V can be returned to the speed VN in the normal mode by the intention of the user. Therefore, the usability for the user is improved.

  Even if the toner replenishment speed V is returned to the normal mode speed VN by the user's intention, when the number of printed sheets reaches a predetermined number CA, the toner replenishment speed V is reduced again, so that the toner charging failure occurs. The probability of occurrence can be reduced.

  Further, since the fact that the toner replenishment speed V has decreased and the reason thereof are presented to the user, the user is informed that the use of the non-conforming product toner container 17 is not preferable, and the user is informed of the use of the conforming product toner container 17. Can be urged.

  Next, effects of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described based on experimental results. A fog density FD was evaluated by changing the toner replenishment speed V (rotational speed of the toner replenishment motor 25, toner replenishment duty) by using a modified machine of a color printer FS-4300DN manufactured by Kyocera Document Solutions Co., Ltd. as an experimental machine.

  In the experiment, the conforming toner container 17 and the non-conforming toner container 17 were used, and each of the eight different toner replenishment speeds V shown below was used to print 1000 image patterns with a print ratio (original density) of 10%. No. 1 recording paper, and then a sample image was printed on a recording paper as an evaluation paper, and the fog density FD was measured. The fog density FD corresponds to a value obtained by subtracting the image density of the base paper (evaluation paper before printing) from the image density of the background portion (white background portion) of the evaluation paper after printing.

  With respect to the rotation speed of the toner replenishment motor 25, the above-mentioned experiment was carried out at the rotation speeds of 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 based on the rotation speed in the normal mode. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the experimental results.

  Regarding the toner replenishment duty, when the duty in the normal mode is set to 20%, it is set as a reference, and is 20% of 1 time, 10% of 0.5 time, 5% of 0.25 time, 0. The above experiment was performed at 1x 2%. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the experimental result.

  Regarding the fog density FD, if it is 0.01 or less, it is evaluated as “OK (good)”, and if it is 0.011 or more, it is evaluated as “NG (not good)”. When the toner is used, the fog density FD is 0.005 or less at any toner replenishment speed V and can be evaluated as “OK (good)”.

  On the other hand, when the non-conforming toner container 17 is used, if the rotation speed of the toner replenishment motor 25 is 0.5 times or less than the reference value and the toner replenishment duty is 12% or less, the fog density FD Is 0.01 or less and can be evaluated as "OK (good)". Therefore, from the experimental results, it was found that even if the nonconforming toner container 17 is used, the image defect can be suppressed by setting the toner replenishment speed V low.

  By the way, even if the toner container 17 is replaced from a non-conforming product to a conforming product, immediately after that, the toner in the developing device 124 remains the non-conforming product, and the toner in the developing device 124 gradually becomes the non-conforming product. The toner will be replaced with compatible toner. The period until complete replacement depends on the size of the developing device 124, but the developing device 124 that handles a single magnetic component generally requires printing of about 20,000 to 30,000 sheets.

  Therefore, as another embodiment, the control unit 100 determines that the toner container 17 mounted on the apparatus main body 11 has been exchanged from a non-conforming product to a conforming product based on the determination result by the conforming product determination unit 103. In this case, the toner replenishment speed V is returned to the normal mode speed VN by a predetermined speed over a predetermined time.

  The predetermined time is, for example, about 20,000 to 30,000 sheets in which the toner of the developing device 124 is replaced. In addition, when the toner contained in one toner container 17 can print the same number of sheets as the above number (for example, when 25,000 sheets can be printed), the usage period of one toner container 17 is set to the above. The time may be set to a predetermined time.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. Further, in the above embodiment, the printer is described as one embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, but this is merely an example, and, for example, a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. Other image forming apparatuses such as a multifunction peripheral having a plurality of functions as described above, a copier, a facsimile, and the like may be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configurations and processes shown in the above-described embodiments with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 are merely embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to the configurations and processes.

1 Image Forming Apparatus 11 Apparatus Main Body 12 Image Forming Section 14 Paper Feeding Section 17 Toner Container 19 Conveying Section 25 Toner Supply Motor 100 Control Section 102 Instruction Receiving Section 103 Compliant Product Judgment Section 121 Photosensitive Drum 124 Developing Device 172 Toner Discharge 173 Spiral Rod 473 Display 1242 Toner supply port 1243 Development roller 1245 Development sleeve

Claims (7)

A transport unit for transporting recording paper,
An image forming unit that forms an image on the recording paper,
A toner container that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body and contains toner used for image formation by the image forming unit;
A conforming product determination unit that determines whether the toner container attached to the apparatus body is a conforming product,
And a control unit that controls the operations of the transport unit and the image forming unit,
The image forming unit rotates about a rotation axis, and an image bearing member that bears a toner image on the surface,
A developing device that supplies toner supplied from the toner container to the image carrier to form a toner image on the image carrier.
When the compatible product determination unit determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus main body is not a compatible product, the control unit controls the operation of the image forming unit to transfer the toner from the toner container to the developing device. The toner replenishment speed of the conveyance section and the image forming section to a predetermined speed lower than the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode in which image formation is performed at a predetermined standard speed ,
The control unit determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus body is a conforming product after the conforming product determination unit determines that the toner container mounted on the device body is not a conforming product. If it is determined that the toner replenishment speed is reduced to the predetermined speed over a predetermined time, the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode is returned to the image forming apparatus. The toner container includes a toner discharge port provided in the toner container, which is disposed above a toner supply port provided in the developing device, and a toner transport unit which transports toner to the toner discharge port. Prepare,
The image forming unit includes a toner replenishment motor that is a drive source of the toner transport unit, and a replenishment motor drive unit that drives the toner replenishment motor.
The image according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the toner replenishment motor to reduce the rotation speed of the toner replenishment motor, thereby reducing the toner replenishment speed to the predetermined speed. Forming equipment. The toner container includes a toner discharge port provided in the toner container, which is disposed above a toner supply port provided in the developing device, and a toner transport unit which transports toner to the toner discharge port. Prepare,
The image forming unit includes a toner replenishment motor that is a drive source of the toner transport unit, and a replenishment motor drive unit that drives the toner replenishment motor.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the toner replenishment motor to reduce a toner replenishment duty to reduce the toner replenishment speed to the predetermined speed. Equipped with a display,
If the control unit determines that the toner container attached to the apparatus main body is not a conforming product by the conforming product determination unit and reduces the toner replenishment speed, the control unit displays a predetermined message. To be displayed on the display unit,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined message describes that the toner replenishment speed has been reduced. An instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from the user to cancel the decrease in the toner replenishment speed,
When the instruction accepting unit accepts an instruction from the user to cancel the decrease after the conforming product determination unit determines that the toner container attached to the apparatus body is not a conforming product, the control unit is The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner replenishment speed is returned to the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode. The control unit determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus body is a conforming product after the conforming product determination unit determines that the toner container mounted on the device body is not a conforming product. If it is determined that the toner replenishment speed is being reduced to the predetermined speed over the predetermined time, the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode is incremented by a predetermined speed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is returned.   A transport unit for transporting recording paper,
  An image forming unit that forms an image on the recording paper,
  A toner container that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body and contains toner used for image formation by the image forming unit;
  A conforming product determination unit that determines whether the toner container attached to the apparatus body is a conforming product,
  And a control unit that controls the operations of the transport unit and the image forming unit,
  The image forming unit rotates about a rotation axis, and an image bearing member that bears a toner image on the surface,
  A developing device that supplies toner supplied from the toner container to the image carrier to form a toner image on the image carrier.
  When the compatible product determination unit determines that the toner container mounted on the apparatus main body is not a compatible product, the control unit controls the operation of the image forming unit to transfer the toner from the toner container to the developing device. The toner replenishment speed of the conveyance section and the image forming section to a predetermined speed lower than the toner replenishment speed in the normal mode in which image formation is performed at a predetermined standard speed,
  According to an instruction from the user, the control unit returns the toner replenishment speed to the state in the normal mode, and after forming a predetermined number of images, sets the toner replenishment speed to the predetermined speed. An image forming apparatus that lowers again.