JP6705425B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming device and an image forming device.

In an image forming apparatus represented by a multi-function peripheral, light is applied to a photoconductor based on image data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor. After that, charged toner is supplied onto the formed electrostatic latent image to develop the electrostatic latent image, and the electrostatic latent image is transferred to a sheet and fixed, and the sheet is output to the outside of the apparatus.

A technique relating to development in the image forming apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-98816 (Patent Document 1).

According to the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a toner container that is removable from the apparatus main body and stores magnetic toner containing magnetic powder, and a bottom surface of the toner container that is disposed inside the toner container are within a rotation range. By a stirring means for rotating the magnetic toner to stir the magnetic toner, a toner sensor disposed on the main body of the apparatus facing the bottom surface of the toner container for magnetic detection, and a detection signal of the toner sensor obtained by the rotation of the stirring means. In an image forming apparatus including a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of toner and a remaining amount, a member that detects the toner sensor is formed in the stirring unit, and the detection unit detects the toner based on the detection signal of the toner sensor. The feature is that it detects the presence or absence of the toner and the remaining amount, and also detects whether or not the toner container is attached.

JP, 2003-98816, A

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a member for sensing by the toner sensor, for example, a magnet on the toner container side. However, the toner container is a so-called consumable item, and the magnet provided in the toner container is also discarded. Then, there is a problem in terms of cost. Of course, it is desired that the types of sensors that detect the attached/detached state of the toner container and the remaining amount of toner are configured as inexpensively as possible.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be appropriately developed with an inexpensive structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately forming an image on a sheet.

In one aspect of the present invention, the image forming device supplies toner onto the photoconductor to perform development. The image forming apparatus includes a storage unit, a developing unit, a toner container, a motor, a magnet, a magnetic sensor, an attachment/detachment determination unit, a storage control unit, and a toner amount derivation unit. The storage unit stores data. The developing unit agitates the toner and supplies the toner onto the photoconductor. The toner container is filled with toner, is attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a rotation shaft that supplies toner into the developing unit by rotation. The motor is provided on the developing unit side, and rotates the rotating shaft by driving. The magnet has an annular shape, is provided on the developing unit side, and has N poles and S poles arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and comes into contact with the rotating shaft when the toner container is attached to the developing unit side. As a result, when the toner container is separated from the developing unit side, it is rotated forward by a predetermined angle in one direction, and when the toner container is separated from the developing unit side, the toner container is reversely rotated by a predetermined angle in the other direction and rotated in the circumferential direction when the motor is driven. The magnetic sensor detects both a vertical magnetic field and a horizontal magnetic field of a magnet rotating in the circumferential direction. The attachment/detachment determination unit determines the toner container from the displacement state of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse derived from the vertical magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor and the horizontal magnetic pulse derived from the horizontal magnetic field. Judge whether is attached or detached. The storage control unit controls the storage unit to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit. The toner amount derivation unit derives the amount of toner filled in the toner container from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. The rotating shaft is tapered so that when the toner container is attached to the developing unit side, it rotates forward by a predetermined angle in one direction, and when the toner container separates from the developing unit side, it rotates backward by a predetermined angle in the other direction. A first gear that is a helical gear provided with toothed teeth. The developing unit is provided so as to be meshable with the first gear and includes a second gear that is a helical gear that rotates together with the magnet.

In another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes the above-described image forming apparatus that supplies toner to a photoconductor to perform development.

In still another aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses that supply toner onto the photoconductor to perform development. Each of the image forming devices includes a storage unit, a developing unit, a toner container, a motor, a magnet, a magnetic sensor, an attachment/detachment determination unit, a storage control unit, and a toner amount derivation unit. The storage unit stores data. The developing unit agitates the toner and supplies the toner onto the photoconductor. The toner container is filled with toner, is attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a rotation shaft that supplies toner into the developing unit by rotation. The motor is provided on the developing unit side, and rotates the rotating shaft by driving. The magnet has an annular shape and is provided on the developing unit side, and N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and the magnet comes into contact with the rotating shaft when the toner container is attached to the developing unit side. As a result, when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, it is rotated in the opposite direction by a prescribed angle in the other direction when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, and in the circumferential direction when the motor is driven. The magnetic sensor detects both the vertical magnetic field and the horizontal magnetic field of the magnet rotating in the circumferential direction. The attachment/detachment determination unit determines the toner container from the displacement state of at least one of a vertical magnetic pulse derived from the vertical magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor and a horizontal magnetic pulse derived from the horizontal magnetic field. Judge whether the is attached or detached. The storage control unit controls to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit in the storage unit. The toner amount deriving unit derives the amount of toner filled in the toner container from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. The rotating shaft is tapered so that when the toner container is attached to the developing unit side, it rotates forward by a predetermined angle in one direction, and when the toner container separates from the developing unit side, it rotates backward by a predetermined angle in the other direction. A first gear, which is a helical gear provided with a toothed profile. The developing unit is provided so as to be meshable with the first gear and includes a second gear that is a helical gear that rotates together with the magnet.

According to such an image forming device, it is possible to appropriately perform development with an inexpensive structure.

Further, according to such an image forming apparatus, it is possible to appropriately form an image on a sheet.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multifunction machine when an image forming apparatus including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the multifunction machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the multifunction machine shown in FIG. 1. It is an appearance perspective view showing an example of the 1st gear. It is a schematic diagram showing composition of a magnet. It is a figure which shows the state which a magnet rotates normally. It is a graph which shows the state of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when it is determined whether or not a toner container is attached/detached using the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when a toner amount is detected by using the multifunction machine.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multifunction machine when an image forming apparatus including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the multifunction machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the multifunction machine shown in FIG. The conveyance direction of the sheet conveyance path provided in the multifunction peripheral is indicated by the thick arrow D ₁ .

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the multifunction peripheral 11 has a plurality of functions regarding image processing, such as a copying function, a printer function, and a facsimile function. The multifunction device 11 includes a control unit 12, an operation unit 13, an image reading unit 14, an image forming unit 15, three paper feed cassettes 16a, 16b, and 16c, and a hard disk 17 as a storage unit for storing data. , A network interface unit 18 for connecting to a network 29, and a discharge unit 28.

The control unit 12 controls the entire multifunction peripheral 11. The control unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and includes a main storage memory 19 that temporarily stores data. The main storage memory 19 also stores data on a mounting flag and a detachment flag, which are data relating to the mounting/dismounting state of the toner container 34a, which will be described later, and data on the amount of toner in the toner container 34a. The operation unit 13 includes a touch panel type display screen 20 for displaying information transmitted from the multifunction device 11 side and contents input by the user. The operation unit 13 receives inputs from the user regarding image formation such as image formation conditions such as the number of print copies and gradation. The image reading unit 14 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 21 as a document feeding device that conveys the document set at the setting position to the reading position. The image reading unit 14 reads the image of the document set on the ADF 21 or the mounting table. Each of the three paper feed cassettes 16a, 16b, 16c can store a plurality of sheets therein. The image forming unit 15 forms an image on a sheet conveyed from any of the sheet feeding cassettes 16 a to 16 c based on the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 14 and the image data transmitted via the network 29. To form. The hard disk 17 stores image formation data such as transmitted image data and input image formation conditions.

Next, the configuration of the image forming unit 15 provided in the multifunction machine 11 will be described in more detail. The image forming unit 15 includes an LSU (Laser Scanner Unit) 22, a transfer belt 23 as an intermediate transfer member, a secondary transfer roller 24 as a transfer unit, a first image forming device 25a, and a second image forming unit. It includes a device 25b, a third image forming device 25c, a fourth image forming device 25d, and a fixing unit 26 having a pair of fixing rollers 27a and 27b. The LSU 22 is schematically shown by a chain line. The fixing unit 26 is schematically shown by a chain double-dashed line. The multi-function peripheral 11 is equipped with a so-called quadruple tandem type image forming unit 15. The four image forming devices 25a to 25d are provided corresponding to respective colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

The LSU 22 exposes the photoconductors included in the four image forming devices 25a to 25d, based on the image data read by the image reading unit 14 and the received image data. An electrostatic latent image is formed on each photoconductor based on the exposed light of each color component. Toners of respective colors are formed on the respective photoconductors by supplying toners of the respective colors from the developing units included in the respective image forming devices 25a to 25d to the electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photoconductors. The toner images formed on the respective photoconductors are primarily transferred so as to be superposed on the transfer belt 23. The toner image primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 23 is secondarily transferred onto a sheet by the secondary transfer roller 24, and then conveyed to the fixing unit 26. Then, the sheet on which the toner image is secondarily transferred is conveyed between the pair of fixing rollers 27 a and 27 b to fix the toner image on the sheet, and the sheet is ejected out of the multifunction machine 11, specifically, onto the ejecting unit 28. ..

Next, the configuration of the first image forming device 25a will be described. Note that the configurations of the second image forming device 25b, the third image forming device 25c, and the fourth image forming device 25d are the same as the configuration of the first image forming device 25a, so description thereof will be given. Omit it.

The first image forming device 25a includes a photoconductor 31a, a process unit 32a that charges and cleans the photoconductor 31a, a developing unit 33a that agitates the toner to supply the toner onto the photoconductor 31a, and a toner container. 34a, motor 36a, magnet 37a, and magnetic sensor 38a are included. The toner container 34a has a box shape, and the inside thereof is filled with toner. The toner container 34a is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the first image forming device 25a, in this case, the multifunction machine 11 including the first image forming device 25a. When the toner in the toner container 34a becomes empty, the user opens the front cover and removes the toner container 34a from the multifunction machine 11. Then, a new toner container 34a filled with toner is attached to the multifunction machine 11. In this way, the toner that is sequentially consumed by image formation is replenished in the multifunction machine 11.

The toner container 34a includes a rotation shaft 35a that supplies toner into the developing unit 33a by rotation. The toner container 34a is provided with an opening for supplying toner into the developing unit 33a. The rotary shaft 35a has, for example, a spiral portion, and the toner in the toner container 34a is sequentially transported to the region where the opening is located in accordance with the rotation of the rotary shaft 35a. Then, the toner is supplied into the developing unit 33a by dropping the toner from the opening toward the developing unit 33a. Here, the amount of toner supplied into the developing unit 33a is determined by the number of rotations of the rotating shaft 35a.

A first gear 39a is attached to an end portion of the rotary shaft 35a located on the developing unit 33a side. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of the first gear 39a. Referring to FIG. 3, the first gear 39a is a so-called helical gear, which is a cylindrical gear having teeth 40a inclined and a tooth line having a helical line. That is, the rotation shaft 35a, the other when the toner container 34a, as will be described later by a predetermined angle in one direction when it is attached to the developing unit 33a side rotates forward, the toner container 34a is detached from the developing unit 33a side The configuration includes a first gear 39a provided with tapered teeth so as to rotate backward by a predetermined angle in the direction .

The motor 36a is provided on the side of the developing unit 33a and drives to rotate the rotating shaft 35a. The developing unit 33a is provided so as to be able to mesh with the first gear 39a and includes a second gear 39b that rotates together with the magnet 37a. A helical gear is also used for the second gear 39b. That is, the driving force from the motor 36a is applied to the rotary shaft 35a by the meshing of the two helical gears, and the rotary shaft 35a is rotated.

The magnet 37a is annular and is provided on the developing unit 33a side. The magnetic sensor 38a is provided at a predetermined distance from the magnet 37a. The magnetic sensor 38a is, for example, a Hall IC for pulse encoder. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the magnet 37a. Referring to FIG. 4, in magnet 37a, four N poles 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d and four S poles 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. That is, the angle in the circumferential direction occupied by one N pole 41a to 41d or one S pole 42a to 42d is 45°. The magnet 37a makes a positive rotation in the circumferential direction indicated by an arrow R ₁ in FIG. 4 when the motor 36a is driven.

A vertical magnetic field is generated around the magnet 37a having the above-described configuration from the N pole 41a toward the outer diameter side as indicated by an arrow 43a. Further, as shown by the arrow 43b, a lateral magnetic field is generated from the N pole 41a toward the adjacent S pole 42a. Further, as indicated by an arrow 43c, a vertical magnetic field is generated from the outer diameter side toward the S pole 42a. Further, as indicated by an arrow 43d, a lateral magnetic field is generated from the S pole 42a toward the adjacent N pole 41b. That is, a vertical magnetic field and a horizontal magnetic field are alternately generated around the magnet 37a. The magnetic sensor 38a alternately detects both the vertical magnetic field indicated by the arrows 43a and 43c and the horizontal magnetic field indicated by the arrows 43b and 43d of the magnet 37a rotating in the circumferential direction.

When the toner container 34a is attached to the developing unit 33a side, the magnet 37a comes into contact with the rotating shaft 35a and rotates positively in one direction by a predetermined angle. That is, when the first gear 39a and the second gear 39b are meshed with each other, the first gear 39a and the second gear 39b are positively rotated by a predetermined angle in the direction of the arrow R ₁ . Further, when the toner container 34a is detached from the developing unit 33a side, the toner container 34a is detached from the rotary shaft 35a and is rotated in the other direction by a predetermined angle in the reverse direction. That is, when the first gear 39a and the second gear 39b are disengaged from each other, the first gear 39a and the second gear 39b are reversely rotated by a predetermined angle in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow R ₁ .

Here, the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the magnet 37a will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the magnet 37a rotates forward. The left side in FIG. 5 shows before the normal rotation, and the right side shows after the normal rotation. Referring to FIG. 5, the position 44 between the N pole 41a and the S pole 42a indicated by a circle in the left side of FIG. 5 is changed to the position 44 shown in the right side of the figure when the magnet 37a rotates by 45°. Moving. During this forward rotation, the magnetic sensor 38a detects the displacement state of the vertical magnetic field and the horizontal magnetic field.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the state of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor 38a. The vertical axis indicates the detection state of the vertical magnetic field and the horizontal magnetic field as ON or OFF. The horizontal axis represents the circumferential position of the magnet 37a. Referring to FIG. 6, the vertical magnetic field and the horizontal magnetic field are detected by the magnetic sensor 38a as a vertical magnetic field pulse indicated by a line 45a and a horizontal magnetic field pulse indicated by a line 45b, respectively. In the case of forward rotation, the magnetic sensor 38a detects the position P ₄ , the position P ₃ , the position P ₂ , and the position P ₁ in this order. On the other hand, in the case of reverse rotation, the magnetic sensor 38a detects position P ₁ , position P ₂ , position P ₃ , and position P ₄ in this order. From the displacement state of the vertical magnetic field pulse and the horizontal magnetic field pulse detected by the magnetic sensor 38a, it is possible to determine whether the normal rotation or the reverse rotation is occurring.

Next, the configuration of the control unit 12 will be described. Referring again to FIG. 2, the control unit 12 includes an attachment/detachment determination unit 51, a storage control unit 52, a toner amount derivation unit 53, a change presence/absence determination unit 54, a determination control unit 55, and a notification unit 56. Prepare Whether the toner container 34a is attached is determined by the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 based on the displacement status of the vertical magnetic pulse derived from the vertical magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor 38a and the horizontal magnetic pulse derived from the horizontal magnetic field. Determine if you have been removed. The storage control unit 52 controls to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 in the main storage memory 19. The toner amount deriving unit 53 derives the amount of toner filled in the toner container 34a from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. The change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines whether or not there is a change in the output of the magnetic sensor 38a. If the change presence/absence determiner 54 determines that the output of the magnetic sensor 38a has changed, the determination controller 55 controls the attachment/detachment determiner 51 to operate. The notification unit 56 notifies that the toner container 34a is empty when the number of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse is a predetermined number or more. These configurations will be described later in detail.

Next, a case will be described in which the presence or absence of attachment/detachment of the toner container 34a is determined using the multifunction machine 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the fact that the front cover has been opened is detected, and this is taken as the trigger for the determination. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the case of determining whether or not the toner container 34a is attached/detached using the multi-function peripheral 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 7, when it is detected that the front cover is opened (YES in step S11 in FIG. 7, hereinafter, “step” is omitted), the toner container attachment/detachment detection mode is entered (S12). Then, the change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines whether or not there is a change in the output of the magnetic sensor 38a (S13). Specifically, it is determined whether or not the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse shown in FIG. 6 have changed. If the change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines that the output of the magnetic sensor 38a has not changed (NO in S13), it is recognized that the toner container 34a has not been attached/detached (S18), and the process ends.

If the change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines that the output of the magnetic sensor 38a has changed (YES in S13), it is determined whether or not the normal rotation vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse are detected (S14). ). Specifically, the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse shown by the forward rotation arrow in FIG. 6 are detected, or the vertical magnetic pulse shown by the reverse rotation arrow in FIG. 6 is detected. And determine whether a lateral magnetic pulse has been detected.

If it is determined that the forward rotation vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse are detected (YES in S14), it is determined that the toner container 34a is attached (S15). Then, the judgment result is stored (S16). That is, the storage control unit 52 controls the main storage memory 19 to store the data of the mounting flag indicating that the toner container 34a is mounted.

On the other hand, if it is not determined that the forward rotation vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse are detected (NO in S14), it is determined that the reverse rotation vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse are detected, and the toner container is detected. It is determined that 34a has been detached (S17). After that, the determination result is stored in the same manner as described above (S16). That is, the storage control unit 52 controls the main storage memory 19 to store the data of the detachment flag indicating that the toner container 34a is detached.

The amount of toner can be derived by detecting the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse by the magnetic sensor 38a. Next, the case where the toner amount is detected using the above-described multifunction machine 11 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing when the toner amount is detected using the multifunction machine 11. Referring to FIG. 8, when the driving of the motor is detected (YES in S21), counting of the number of pulses is started (S22). In this case, one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse may be used. Of course, both may be counted. Here, since the pulse number has a correlation with the rotation number of the rotation shaft 35a, the toner drop amount can be derived from the pulse number. Then, the toner amount deriving unit 53 can derive the toner amount in the toner container 34a by subtracting the toner drop amount from the initially filled toner amount.

Next, with respect to the number of pulses for which counting is started, the toner amount derivation unit 53 determines whether or not the number of pulses has become a predetermined value or more (S23). The predetermined value is a value corresponding to the timing when the toner drop amount and the toner amount previously filled in the toner container 34a are equal. If it is determined that the amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (YES in S23), the toner amount derivation unit 53 derives that the remaining amount of toner has become zero. That is, it is determined that the toner container 34a is empty (S24). After that, the fact that the toner container 34a is empty is displayed on the display screen 20, for example, as a message to notify (S25). On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of pulses is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value (NO in S23), it is determined that toner remains (S26).

According to the multi-function peripheral 11 having such a configuration, the attachment/detachment state of the toner container 34a can be determined from the displacement state of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse detected by the magnetic sensor 38a, and the inside of the toner container 34a can be determined. It is also possible to grasp the amount of toner. Then, it is possible to detect two situations such as the attachment/detachment state of the toner container 34a and the remaining amount of toner, by the magnet and the magnetic sensor 38a, and the number of sensors provided can be reduced. Since the magnet 37a is provided on the developing unit 33a side, it is never thrown away. Therefore, the multifunction device 11 having such a configuration can appropriately perform development with an inexpensive configuration.

For example, compared with a configuration in which a toner amount is detected using a PI (Photo Interrupter) sensor or the like, according to the configuration of the present invention, since the magnet 37a can be used semipermanently, the light emitting element used in the PI sensor can be used. It is not necessary to consider the life of the product. Furthermore, the standby power can be reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 makes a determination based on the displacement state of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse based on whether the magnet has rotated normally or reversely. Moreover, the attachment/detachment state of the toner container 34a can be detected.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 56 notifies that the toner container 34a is empty when the number of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse is equal to or more than the predetermined number. Notify me. Therefore, if the toner container 34a becomes empty, the fact can be recognized by the user or service person.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the change presence/absence determining unit 54 that determines whether the output of the magnetic sensor 38a has changed, and if the change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines that the output of the magnetic sensor has changed, Since the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 is provided to control the operation of the attachment/detachment determination unit 51, when the toner container 34a is operated, the toner container 34a is attached or detached regardless of the storage state of the main storage memory 19. It is possible to properly detect whether or not it has been done.

Further, in the present embodiment, the rotating shaft 35a rotates forward by a predetermined angle in one direction when the toner container 34a is mounted on the developing unit 33a side, and when the toner container 34a separates from the developing unit 33a side. Includes a first gear 39a provided with tapered teeth so as to rotate backward by a predetermined angle in the other direction . The developing unit 33a is provided so as to be capable of meshing with the first gear 39a, and together with the magnet 37a. This is a configuration including the rotating second gear 39b. Then, based on the meshing of the first gear 39a and the second gear 39b, it is possible to more reliably rotate the rotating shaft forward or backward by a predetermined angle.

Next, the multifunction device 11 has a first mode that consumes a predetermined amount of power, that is, a standby mode, and a second mode that consumes less than a predetermined amount of power, that is, a sleep mode that is also called an energy saving mode. The case will be described. In this case, it is assumed that the opening of the front cover is detected in the sleep mode which is the second mode. Then, if the change presence/absence determining unit 54 determines that there is a change in the output of the magnetic sensor 38a in any of the image forming devices 25a to 25d in the second mode, the normal rotation vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal direction are generated. It is determined whether or not a magnetic pulse is detected, and the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 determines whether the toner container 34a is attached or detached. Then, the storage control unit 52 controls to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 in the main storage memory 19.

With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce power consumption because it is not necessary to restart other devices or parts in the sleep mode. That is, since a plurality of, specifically, all four image forming devices 25a to 25d included in the multifunction peripheral 11 employ such a configuration, the toner container 34a is attached/detached to/from each of the image forming devices 25a to 25d. Also, the amount of toner can be grasped. Then, especially when the multi-function peripheral 11 is in the so-called energy saving mode, it suffices to detect the attachment/detachment state of the toner container 34a only in the image forming device 25a corresponding to the attached or detached toner container 34a. Since it is not necessary to start the devices 25b to 25d, it is possible to further reduce power consumption.

In the above embodiment, the notification unit 56 may be configured not to notify that the toner container 34a is empty, but to notify only the derived toner amount, for example.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 determines based on whether the magnet 37a is normally rotated or reversely rotated based on the displacement states of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the attachment/detachment determination unit 51 may make the determination based on the cycle of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. Since the torque of the motor 36a loaded by the rotating shaft 35a changes between when the toner container 34a is attached and when the toner container 34a is detached, the rotation speed of the magnet 37a changes, and the magnetic sensor 38a detects the rotation speed accordingly. The cycle of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse changes. By making a determination based on the change in the cycle, the toner container 34a is mounted in a state where the data of the mounting flag and the detachment flag are not stored in the main memory 19, specifically, immediately after the power is turned on. It can be determined whether or not.

In the above embodiment, the rotary shaft 35a includes the first gear 39a provided with the tapered teeth 40a, and the developing unit 33a is provided so as to be able to mesh with the first gear 39a. , The second gear 39b that rotates together with the magnet 37a is included, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a hardware configuration for rotating the magnet 37a in the forward or reverse direction may be used to attach the toner container 34a to the developing unit 33a side. When the toner container 34a separates from the developing unit 33a side, it positively rotates in one direction by abutting against the rotating shaft 35a, and when the toner container 34a separates from the developing unit 33a side, it reversely rotates in the other direction by a predetermined angle. A configuration may be adopted.

Although the image forming device 25a is included in the multifunction peripheral 11 in the above-described embodiment, the image forming device 25a is not limited to this. That is, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit, a developing unit, a toner container, a motor, a magnet, a magnetic sensor, an attachment/detachment determination unit, a storage control unit, and a toner amount derivation unit. .. The storage unit stores data. The developing unit agitates the toner and supplies the toner onto the photoconductor. The toner container is filled with toner, is attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a rotation shaft that supplies toner into the developing unit by rotation. The motor is provided on the developing unit side, and rotates the rotating shaft by driving. The magnet has an annular shape and is provided on the developing unit side, and N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and the magnet comes into contact with the rotating shaft when the toner container is attached to the developing unit side. As a result, when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, it is rotated in the opposite direction by a prescribed angle in the other direction when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, and is rotated in the circumferential direction when the motor is driven. The magnetic sensor detects both the vertical magnetic field and the horizontal magnetic field of the magnet rotating in the circumferential direction. The attachment/detachment determination unit determines the toner container from the displacement state of at least one of a vertical magnetic pulse derived from the vertical magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor and a horizontal magnetic pulse derived from the horizontal magnetic field. Judge whether the is attached or detached. The storage control unit controls to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit in the storage unit. The toner amount deriving unit derives the amount of toner filled in the toner container from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. Such a configuration may be adopted.

It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplifications in all respects, and are not restrictive in any way. The scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the scope of the claims and all modifications within the scope.

The image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention are particularly effectively used when appropriate development is required with an inexpensive structure.

11 multifunction machine, 12 control unit, 13 operation unit, 14 image reading unit, 15 image forming unit, 16a, 16b, 16c paper feed cassette, 17 hard disk, 18 network interface unit, 19 main memory, 20 display screen, 21 ADF , 22 LSU, 23 transfer belt, 24 secondary transfer roller, 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d image forming device, 26 fixing unit, 27a, 27b fixing roller, 28 discharge unit, 29 network, 31a photoconductor, 32a process unit, 33a developing unit, 34a toner container, 35a rotating shaft, 36a motor, 37a magnet, 38a magnetic sensor, 39a first gear, 39b second gear, 40a teeth, 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d N pole, 42a, 42b , 42c, 42d S pole, 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d arrow, 44 position, 45a, 45b line, 51 attachment/detachment determination unit, 52 storage control unit, 53 toner amount derivation unit, 54 change presence/absence determination unit, 55 determination control unit , 56 Notification section.

Claims (8)

An image forming device for supplying toner onto a photosensitive member to perform development,
A storage unit for storing data,
A developing unit that agitates the toner and supplies the toner onto the photoconductor;
A toner container that is filled with the toner, is removable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a rotation shaft that supplies the toner into the developing unit by rotation;
A motor which is provided on the developing unit side and rotates the rotating shaft by driving;
It is annular and is provided on the developing unit side, and N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. When the toner container is attached to the developing unit side, it comes into contact with the rotary shaft. When the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, it is rotated in the opposite direction by a predetermined angle in the other direction when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side. A rotating magnet,
A magnetic sensor for detecting both a longitudinal magnetic field and a lateral magnetic field of the magnet rotating in the circumferential direction,
From the displacement state of at least one of a longitudinal magnetic pulse derived from the longitudinal magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor and a lateral magnetic pulse derived from the lateral magnetic field, the toner container is An attachment/detachment determination unit that determines whether it is attached or detached,
A storage control unit that controls the storage unit to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit;
A toner amount deriving unit that derives the amount of the toner filled in the toner container from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse ,
The rotation shaft rotates forward by a predetermined angle in one direction when the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side, and rotates by a predetermined angle in the other direction when the toner container separates from the developing unit side. Includes a first gear, which is a helical gear with tapered teeth for reverse rotation,
The image forming apparatus , wherein the developing unit is provided so as to be capable of meshing with the first gear and includes a second gear that is a helical gear that rotates together with the magnet . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attachment/detachment determination unit makes a determination based on a displacement state of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse based on whether the magnet has rotated normally or reversely. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attachment/detachment determination unit makes a determination based on a displacement state of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse. A change presence/absence determining unit that determines whether or not the output of the magnetic sensor has changed,
4. The determination control unit that controls to operate the attachment/detachment determination unit when the change presence/absence determination unit determines that the output of the magnetic sensor has changed. The image forming apparatus according to the item. The image forming device has a first mode that consumes a predetermined power, and a second mode that consumes a power that is less than the predetermined power,
The storage control unit controls to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit in the storage unit when the change presence/absence determination unit determines that the output of the magnetic sensor has changed in the second mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The notification unit that further notifies that the toner container is empty when the number of at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse exceeds a predetermined number, further comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. An image forming apparatus including the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 . An image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming devices for supplying toner onto a photoconductor to perform development,
All the imagers are
A storage unit for storing data,
A developing unit that agitates the toner and supplies the toner onto the photoconductor;
A toner container that is filled with the toner, is removable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a rotation shaft that supplies the toner into the developing unit by rotation;
A motor which is provided on the developing unit side and rotates the rotating shaft by driving;
It is annular and is provided on the developing unit side, and N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. When the toner container is attached to the developing unit side, it comes into contact with the rotary shaft. When the toner container is detached from the developing unit side, it is rotated in the opposite direction by a predetermined angle in the other direction when the toner container is detached from the developing unit side. A rotating magnet,
A magnetic sensor for detecting both a longitudinal magnetic field and a lateral magnetic field of the magnet rotating in the circumferential direction,
Whether the toner container is attached from at least one of a vertical magnetic pulse derived from the vertical magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor and a horizontal magnetic pulse derived from the horizontal magnetic field. An attachment/detachment determination unit that determines whether or not it has been detached,
A storage control unit that controls the storage unit to store the determination result of the attachment/detachment determination unit;
A toner amount deriving unit that derives the amount of the toner filled in the toner container from at least one of the vertical magnetic pulse and the horizontal magnetic pulse ,
The rotation shaft rotates forward by a predetermined angle in one direction when the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side, and rotates by a predetermined angle in the other direction when the toner container separates from the developing unit side. Includes a first gear, which is a helical gear with tapered teeth for reverse rotation,
The image forming apparatus , wherein the developing unit is provided so as to be capable of meshing with the first gear and includes a second gear that is a helical gear that rotates together with the magnet .

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