JP7306100B2 - Powder amount detection device, powder amount detection method, powder amount detection program, powder supply device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a powder amount detection device, a powder amount detection method, a powder amount detection program, a powder supply device, and an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a powder amount detection device for detecting the amount of powder contained in a container. The powder amount detection device is, for example, a device that detects the amount of powder (so-called "toner") used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus as a change in capacitance between a pair of electrodes.

In order to more accurately detect the amount of powder (remaining amount) inside the powder storage container, a plurality of electrodes are provided, and the electrodes are placed at multiple locations for each powder storage container. There is known an image forming apparatus that is arranged and determines the remaining amount based on the result of detection of the amount of powder by each electrode (see Patent Document 1).

In the case of an image forming apparatus that forms a full-color image, one apparatus is provided with a plurality of powder storage containers, and each powder storage container stores powder containing developer of a different color. . Since the plurality of powder storage containers are arranged adjacently, the powder amount detection device for detecting the remaining amount of toner in each powder storage container is used for the powder stored in the other adjacent powder storage container. can be affected by the amount of In order to prevent this, an insulating member is arranged to electrically insulate adjacent powder containers.

In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the electrical grounding of the insulating member arranged between the adjacent powder containers is defective, the amount of powder in the adjacent powder containers causes There is a problem that it is not possible to prevent deterioration of the detection accuracy of the remaining amount of the detection target.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a powder amount detection apparatus capable of improving the powder amount detection accuracy.

In order to solve the above technical problem, one aspect of the present invention is a powder amount detection device for detecting the amount of powder in a plurality of powder containers arranged adjacently, comprising: An electrode selection that arbitrarily selects a combination of a pair of flat plate electrodes arranged to correspond to each other, an insulating member arranged between the adjacent powder containers for electrical insulation, and the flat plate electrodes. a capacitance detection unit that detects the capacitance between the selected pair of plate electrodes; and a determination unit that determines whether or not the detected capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold value. characterized by having

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the amount of powder.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer that is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of one of four image forming units; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing one of the four toner replenishing devices; AA sectional view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a toner container is installed in a toner container housing; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example in which adjacent toner containers are partitioned by a ground electrode; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating how capacitance is detected when a ground electrode is normal; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the state of electric lines of force from adjacent flat plate electrodes when a ground electrode is abnormal; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the appearance of electric lines of force from adjacent plate electrodes when the ground electrode is normal; 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of a powder amount detection device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of a powder detection method according to the present invention; The figure which shows the example of the data table with which the powder amount detection apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is provided.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be appropriately simplified or omitted. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer 100, which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 includes an intermediate transfer unit 15, a fixing section 20, a stack section 30, a toner replenishing device 60, and a toner bottle accommodating section .

In the toner bottle storage unit 70, toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K) serving as powder storage containers for storing powders containing developing materials (toners) of respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are provided. ) is installed detachably (exchangeably). An intermediate transfer unit 15 is arranged below the toner bottle accommodating section 70 . Imaging units 6 (Y, M, C, K) corresponding to respective colors are arranged side by side so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer unit 15 .

Further, toner supply devices 60 (Y, M, C, K) are arranged below the toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K), respectively. The toners stored in the toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K) are respectively developer supply means, and toner supply devices 60 (Y, M, C, K) constituting a powder supply device. , the powder is supplied (replenished) into the developing device 5 (powder using portion) of the image forming portion 6 (Y, M, C, K). The developing device 5 as developing means will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The four toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K) corresponding to each color, the image forming section 6 (Y, M, C, K), and the toner supply device 60 (Y, M, C, K) are used. They have the same configuration except that the toner color is different. Therefore, in the following description and drawings, the suffixes "Y", "M", "C", and "K" indicating the colors of the toners to be used are appropriately omitted.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the schematic configuration of one of the four imaging units 6. As shown in FIG. The image forming section 6 includes the photoreceptor 1, a charging section 4 disposed around the photoreceptor 1, a developing device 5 (developing section), a cleaning section 2, a neutralization section, and the like. Then, an image forming process (charging process, exposure process, development process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photoreceptor 1 to form an image of each color on the photoreceptor 1 .

The photoreceptor 1 is an image carrier that is driven to rotate in the arrow direction (clockwise) in FIG. 2 by a drive motor 91 . Then, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is uniformly charged at the position of the charging unit 4 (charging step). After that, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 reaches the irradiation position of the laser light L emitted from the exposure device 7 (see FIG. 1), and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color is formed by exposure scanning at this position. (exposure step). After that, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 reaches a position facing the developing device 5, and the electrostatic latent image is developed at this position to form a toner image of each color (developing step). After that, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is a primary transfer portion facing the primary transfer roller 9 with the intermediate transfer belt 8 therebetween, and the toner image on the photoreceptor 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 (primary transfer step). . A color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 by superimposing and transferring the toner images of each color formed on the photoreceptors 1 of each color onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 .

Since a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 that has passed through the primary transfer section, the cleaning section 2 is arranged to collect the untransferred toner. When the surface of the photoreceptor 1 that has passed through the primary transfer portion reaches the position facing the cleaning portion 2, the untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor 1 is mechanically collected by the cleaning blade 2a (cleaning step). Finally, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 reaches a position facing the neutralization section, and the residual potential on the photoreceptor 1 is removed.

Returning to FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 15 included in the printer 100 includes an intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer rollers 9 (Y, M, C, K), a secondary transfer backup roller 12, a plurality of tension rollers, an intermediate transfer It consists of a cleaning section and the like. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched and supported by a plurality of tension rollers, and is endlessly moved counterclockwise in plan view in FIG. 1 by rotational driving of a secondary transfer backup roller 12 among roller members. The four primary transfer rollers 9 (Y, M, C, K) respectively sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the photoreceptors 1 (Y, M, C, K) to form a primary transfer nip. .

A transfer bias opposite in polarity to the toner is applied to the primary transfer rollers 9 (Y, M, C, K). The intermediate transfer belt 8 travels in the direction of the arrow and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer rollers 9 (Y, M, C, K). In this way, the toner images of the respective colors on the photoreceptor 1 (Y, M, C, K) are superimposed and primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 .

The intermediate transfer belt 8 onto which the toner images of each color are superimposed and transferred reaches a secondary transfer portion facing the secondary transfer roller 19 . In the secondary transfer portion, the intermediate transfer belt 8 is sandwiched between the secondary transfer backup roller 12 and the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is transferred onto a recording medium P such as a transfer paper conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred onto the recording medium P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8 . After that, the intermediate transfer belt 8 reaches the position of the intermediate transfer cleaning section, and the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collected. Thus, a series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are completed.

The recording medium P conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip is conveyed from a paper feed section 26 disposed below the apparatus main body via a paper feed roller 27, a pair of registration rollers 28, and the like. . Specifically, a plurality of sheets of the recording medium P are stored in the paper feeding section 26 in a piled manner. Then, when the paper feed roller 27 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in plan view in FIG. 1, the uppermost recording medium P is fed between the rollers of the registration roller pair 28 . The recording medium P conveyed to the registration roller pair 28 is temporarily stopped by the roller nip of the registration roller pair 28 whose rotational drive is stopped. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotationally driven in time with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the recording medium P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. A desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P in this manner.

The recording medium P onto which the color image has been transferred at the secondary transfer nip is conveyed to the fixing section 20 . At this position, the color image transferred to the surface is fixed onto the recording medium P by heat and pressure from the fixing belt and pressure roller. After that, the recording medium P is discharged out of the apparatus through a pair of discharge rollers 29 . The recording medium P ejected outside the apparatus by the paper ejection roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on the stack section 30 as an output image. Thus, a series of image forming processes in the printer 100 are completed.

Next, the configuration and operation of the developing device 5 in the image forming section 6 will be described in more detail. The developing device 5 includes, as shown in FIG. It has two conveying screws 55 disposed therein. Furthermore, a toner concentration detection sensor 56 for detecting the toner concentration in the developer in the first developer container 53 is provided. The developing roller 51 is composed of a magnet fixed inside, a sleeve that rotates around the magnet, and the like. A two-component developer G composed of carrier and toner is accommodated inside the first developer accommodating portion 53 and the second developer accommodating portion 54 . The second developer container 54 communicates with the toner drop transport path 64 through an opening formed above.

The sleeve of the developing roller 51 is rotationally driven in the arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. The developer G carried on the developing roller 51 by the magnetic field formed by the magnet moves on the developing roller 51 as the sleeve rotates. The developer G in the developing device 5 is adjusted so that the ratio of toner in the developer (toner concentration) is within a predetermined range. The toner contained in the toner bottle 32 is replenished into the second developer container 54 via the toner replenishing device 60 according to the toner consumption in the developing device 5 . The configuration and operation of the toner replenishing device 60 will be described later in detail.

The toner replenished in the second developer accommodating portion 54 is mixed and agitated with the developer G by the two conveying screws 55 while being mixed and agitated by the two developer accommodating portions, that is, the first developer accommodating portion 53 and the second developer accommodating portion. It circulates in the developer container 54 . The toner in the developer G is attracted to the carrier by triboelectrification with the carrier, and is carried on the developing roller 51 together with the carrier by the magnetic force formed on the developing roller 51 . The developer G carried on the developing roller 51 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 and reaches the position of the doctor blade 52 .

After the amount of developer G on the developing roller 51 is adjusted to an appropriate amount at this position, the developer G is transported to a position facing the photoreceptor 1 (development area), and the electric field formed in the development area causes the development of the photoreceptor. Toner is attracted to the latent image formed on 1 . Thereafter, the developer G remaining on the developing roller 51 reaches above the first developer container 53 as the sleeve rotates, and is separated from the developing roller 51 at this position.

[Details of Toner Replenishing Device 60]
Next, the toner supply device 60 and the toner bottle 32 are described in detail. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing one of the four toner supply devices 60. As shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K) are installed in the toner bottle accommodating section 70. As shown in FIG.

The toner in the toner bottle 32 installed in the toner bottle storage section 70 of the printer 100 is appropriately developed for each color by the toner replenishing device 60 provided for each toner color according to the toner consumption in the developing device 5 for each color. The device 5 is replenished.

By moving the toner bottle 32 in the direction of the arrow "Q" in FIG.

Return to FIG. The toner bottle 32 is a substantially cylindrical powder storage container, and is mainly composed of a cap 34 that is non-rotatably held in the toner bottle storage portion 70 and a container body 33 integrally formed with a gear 33c. Configured. The container body 33 is held rotatably relative to the cap 34 , and the gear 33 c meshes with the drive output gear 81 of the toner replenishing device 60 . By rotating the drive output gear 81, the drive motor 91, which is a drive means, transmits the drive to the gear 33c of the container body 33, and the container body 33 is driven to rotate while the outer peripheral surface of the container body 33 is guided by the guide portion 72. do.

As the container main body 33 rotates, the toner stored inside the container main body 33 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the container main body 33 by the helical projections 331 formed in a spiral shape on the inner peripheral surface of the container main body 33 . 3 is conveyed from the left side to the right side. The conveyed toner is discharged from the toner bottle 32 and supplied to the hopper portion 61 of the toner replenishing device 60 . That is, the container body 33 of the toner bottle 32 is appropriately rotationally driven by the drive motor 91 so that the toner is appropriately supplied to the hopper portion 61 . Each color toner bottle 32 (Y, M, C, K) is replaced with a new one when it reaches the end of its life (when almost all the contained toner is consumed and becomes empty).

As shown in FIG. 3, the toner replenishing device 60 is composed of a toner bottle accommodating portion 70, a hopper portion 61, a toner conveying screw 62, a drive motor 91, and the like. Toner supplied from the toner bottle 32 is stored in the hopper portion 61, and a toner conveying screw 62 is provided.

When the control unit detects that the toner concentration in the developing device 5 has decreased based on the detection result of the toner concentration detection sensor 56 (see FIG. 2), the toner conveying screw 62 is rotated for a predetermined time, and the developing device 5 is supplied with toner. Since the toner is replenished by rotating the toner conveying screw 62, the amount of toner supplied to the developing device 5 can be calculated with high accuracy by detecting the number of rotations of the toner conveying screw 62. FIG. The toner density detection sensor 56 constitutes powder amount detection means.

A toner end sensor is installed on the wall surface of the hopper portion 61 to detect that the amount of toner stored in the hopper portion 61 has fallen below a predetermined amount. A piezoelectric sensor or the like can be used as the toner end sensor. When the toner end sensor detects that the amount of toner stored in the hopper portion 61 has fallen below a predetermined amount (toner end detection), the drive motor 91 is driven. Then, the container body 33 of the toner bottle 32 is rotationally driven for a predetermined time to replenish the toner to the hopper portion 61 .

In this embodiment, the hopper portion 61 is provided to temporarily store the toner discharged from the toner bottle 32 , but the toner discharged from the toner bottle 32 may be directly supplied to the developing device 5 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner bottle 32 according to the present embodiment has an upper flat plate electrode 65 and a lower flat plate electrode 66 forming a pair of parallel plate electrodes arranged outside thereof. It is configured such that the toner bottle 32 is sandwiched between flat electrodes. The upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 are arranged so as to cover substantially the entire toner bottle 32 . Specifically, the length of the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 in the lateral direction (length in the left-right direction in FIG. 4) is longer than the diameter of the toner bottle 32, and the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode The length of the plate electrode 66 in the longitudinal direction (the length in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3) is more than half the length of the toner container.

The upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 may be arbitrary conductive members, such as iron plates.

As shown in FIG. 4, the toner bottle 32 is supported by two guide portions 72. As shown in FIG. The guide portion 72 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower plate electrode 66, which is a plate electrode. An upper plate electrode 65 and a lower plate electrode 66, which constitute a pair of plate electrodes, are attached to an upper wall surface 67 and a lower wall surface 68 via an insulating member 69, respectively. The member forming the upper wall surface 67 and the member forming the lower wall surface 68 are each electrically grounded, and these constitute ground electrodes as ground electrodes.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the photoreceptor 1, the charging unit 4, the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the like are arranged below the toner bottle 32. Under the influence of these, the upper plate electrodes sandwiching the toner bottle 32 are disposed. The capacitance between 65 and lower plate electrode 66 may fluctuate. Electrical noise from the photosensitive member 1, the charging unit 4, the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the like can be cut by electrically grounding (grounding) the members constituting the lower wall surface 68 to form a ground electrode. can.

In addition, printed recording paper, an operation panel, and the like are placed above the toner bottle 32, and a human hand may be placed on it. There is a risk of These electrical noises can be cut by electrically grounding (grounding) the members forming the upper wall surface 67 to form a ground electrode.

As a result, it is possible to suppress the change in capacitance due to electrical noise, and to accurately detect the amount of toner. In order to effectively cut electrical noise, the ground electrode grounded to the ground should be larger than the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 so that when viewed from the ground electrode side, the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode It is preferable that the electrode 66 is covered.

In this embodiment, the sizes of the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 are assumed to be the same. By making the size of the pair of flat plate electrodes the same, it is possible to suppress variations in the density of the electric lines of force between the flat plate electrodes. can be suppressed from being different.

The amount of toner contained in toner bottle 32 is detected by measuring device 10 that detects the capacitance between upper plate electrode 65 and lower plate electrode 66 . The details of the configuration of the measuring device 10 will be described later.

Next, the arrangement of the toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, K) arranged as shown in FIG. 5 and the configuration for electrically insulating adjacent toner bottles 32 will be described. FIG. 6 shows the present embodiment in which an insulating portion 120 composed of an insulating member that is electrically connected to a ground electrode and grounded between adjacent toner bottles 32 is fixed to the toner bottle accommodating portion 70 and arranged. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the detail of a form.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insulator 120 is electrically grounded. Focusing on one toner bottle 32 (32K), as shown in FIG. When detecting, the electric lines of force between the upper plate electrode 65 (65K) and the lower plate electrode 66 (66K) originate from the upper plate electrode 65 (65K) and reach the lower plate electrode 66 (66K).

If there is no insulating part 120 (G3), or the grounding of the insulating part 120 (G3) is floating, the grounding of the insulating part 120 (G3) becomes abnormal, and the adjacent toner bottles 32 (32K and 32C) FIG. 8 exemplifies a case in which there is no electrical insulation between them. As shown in FIG. 8, if the insulating portion 120 (G3) does not exist between the adjacent toner bottles 32 (32K and 32C), the upper plate electrode 65 (65K) and the lower plate electrode 66 (66K) between the plate electrodes will ) goes toward the flat plate electrode (66C) corresponding to the adjacent toner bottle 32. As shown in FIG. In this case, the electric lines of force do not reach the lower plate electrode 66 (66K) that should be reached, and the current flows through the toner inside the adjacent toner bottle 32 (M). In this case, even if an attempt is made to detect the amount of toner contained in a specific toner bottle 32 (32K), the amount of toner contained in another adjacent toner bottle 32 (32C) will affect and change. That is, when the configuration for electrically insulating the adjacent toner bottle 32 (32C) is not in a normal state, even if an attempt is made to detect the capacitance of the toner bottle 32 (32K) to be detected, the It cannot be detected, and the detection accuracy of the toner amount is lowered.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, by partitioning the adjacent toner bottles 32 (32K and 32M) with the insulating portion 120 (G3), the electric force between the plate electrodes (between 65K and 66K) is reduced. If the line were to go to the adjacent plate electrode (66M), it could be cut by the insulator 120 (G3). That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a part of the electric line of force between the plate electrodes (between 65K and 66K) is adjacent to the insulating portion 120 (G3) beyond the insulating portion 120 (G3). Going to the toner bottle 32 (32C) is blocked. As a result, the electrostatic capacity to be detected can be suppressed from being affected by the amount of toner in the adjacent toner container, and accurate detection of the amount of toner can be performed.

Guard members similar to the insulating portion 120 are also provided on the left and right sides of FIG. 6 and in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6 so as to surround the four toner bottles 32 (Y, M, C, and K). may As a result, electrical noise caused by people crossing the printer 100 and electrical noise caused by devices arranged on the sides, front and back of the printer 100 can be cut off by the ground electrode, and the amount of toner can be detected with higher accuracy. can.

Further, the flat plate electrodes may be arranged in the horizontal direction across the toner bottle 32 (perpendicular to both the rotation axis direction and the vertical direction of the toner container), but the flat plate electrodes may be arranged in the vertical direction across the toner container. Placement is preferred.

In this embodiment, by providing the flat plate electrode on the outside of the toner bottle 32, it is possible to prevent the toner from adhering to the flat plate electrode, and to accurately detect the remaining amount of toner. Furthermore, the number of parts of the toner bottle 32 can be reduced, and the cost of the toner bottle 32 can be reduced.

In addition, by sandwiching the toner bottle 32 between the pair of upper plate electrode 65 and lower plate electrode 66, the electrostatic capacity is not changed due to the shape error of the toner container and the rotational eccentricity of the toner container. Accurate toner remaining amount can be detected.

Further, in this embodiment, each toner bottle 32 is substantially entirely covered with a pair of the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66 . As a result, almost all of the toner in the toner container is included in the electric lines of force (electric field) between the pair of electrodes, so even if the toner is unevenly distributed in the toner container, the remaining amount of toner in the toner container can be accurately determined. It is possible to inform the user of the correct remaining amount of the toner container.

[Embodiment of powder amount detection program]
Next, an embodiment of a powder amount detection program executed in the powder amount detection device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is also an embodiment of the powder amount detection device, and illustrates the functional configuration of the measuring device 10 that constitutes the control system according to this embodiment. This functional configuration is realized by executing a powder amount detection program composed of a computer program in an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU provided in the measuring device 10 . As shown in FIG. 10, the measuring device 10 has, as functional configuration, a capacitance detection unit 111, a remaining toner amount calculation unit 112, a storage unit 113, a display unit 114, an electrode selection unit 115, and a determination unit. 116 and .

The capacitance detection unit 111 is connected to a capacitance detection circuit composed of a pair of upper plate electrode 65 and lower plate electrode 66, and applies electric power to the pair of upper plate electrode 65 and lower plate electrode 66. , and the capacitance between the plate electrodes (between the pair of upper plate electrode 65 and lower plate electrode 66) is detected.

A common method may be used for detecting the capacitance in the capacitance detection unit 111. In the present embodiment, a charging method (a constant voltage or constant current is applied between electrodes, and the time and voltage or current at the charging reaching point are measured). measuring the capacitance from the relationship) as an example.

The toner remaining amount calculation unit 112 calculates the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 32 based on the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 111 . The detected capacitance varies with the dielectric constant between the plate electrodes. Also, toner has a higher dielectric constant than air. Therefore, the dielectric constant changes depending on the amount of toner within the range of the electric field between the plate electrodes. The capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 111 changes depending on the amount of toner in the toner bottle 32 sandwiched between the pair of upper and lower plate electrodes 65 and 66 arranged outside each toner bottle 32 . Therefore, the amount (remaining amount) of toner in the toner bottle 32 can be calculated from this electrostatic capacity.

The storage unit 113 stores information used by the remaining toner amount calculation unit 112 to calculate the amount of toner from the capacitance, and information indicating the relationship between the capacitance and the amount of toner obtained in advance. Therefore, the toner remaining amount calculation unit 112 calculates the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 32 based on the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 111 and the information stored in the storage unit 113 . The storage unit 113 also stores information on combinations of plate electrodes selected by the electrode selection unit 115 . FIG. 12 illustrates an electrode combination data table 1131 that stores information on combinations of plate electrodes stored in the storage unit 113 .

In the electrode combination data table 1131, "Tx1, Tx2, Tx3, Tx4" are the upper plate electrodes 65 (65Y, 65M, 65C, 65K) arranged to face each toner bottle 32 (Y, M, C, K). corresponds to Also, "Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4" correspond to the lower plate electrodes 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, 66K) arranged to face each toner bottle 32 (Y, M, C, K). For example, the combination "Tx1-Rx2" corresponds to the combination for detecting the electrical grounding state of the insulator 120 (G1) between the toner bottle 32 (32Y) and the toner bottle 32 (32M).

Return to FIG. A display unit 114 displays the calculation result (remaining toner amount) of the remaining toner amount calculating unit 112 . Further, the display unit 114 displays electrical insulation information between the adjacent toner bottles 32 determined by the determination unit 116, that is, information indicating whether the electrical grounding state of the insulating unit 120 is normal.

The electrode selection unit 115 selects a combination of a pair of plate electrodes for detecting capacitance based on the electrode combination data table 1131 stored in the storage unit 113, and performs the determination with the capacitance detection unit 111. 116 is notified.

The determination unit 116 acquires from the capacitance detection unit 111 the capacitance associated with the pair of plate electrodes notified from the electrode selection unit 115 . Further, the determination unit 116 determines whether or not the acquired capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold. When the acquired capacitance exceeds the threshold, the determining unit 116 determines that the electrical grounding of the insulating unit 120 arranged between the selected plate electrode pair is defective, The determination result is displayed on the display unit 114 . If the acquired capacitance does not exceed the threshold value for all combinations stored in the electrode combination data table 1131, the determination unit 116 determines that the insulation unit 120 is normal, and displays that fact on the display unit. 114 to execute processing for measuring the remaining amount of toner in each toner bottle 32 . In other words, the determination process described above in determination unit 116 is executed before the remaining amount of toner (powder amount) in each toner bottle 32 is detected.

[Embodiment of powder amount detection method]
Next, an embodiment of the powder amount detection method realized by executing the powder amount detection program in the measuring device 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 11 . This method is executed as part of the toner remaining amount measuring process for detecting the toner remaining amount of each toner bottle 32 . The flow of the method for each processing step of the powder amount detection program will be described below.

First, when the toner remaining amount measurement process is started, the electrode combination data table 1131 is referred to by the electrode selection unit 115, and one combination included therein (a combination of the upper plate electrode 65 and the lower plate electrode 66) is selected. It is selected (S1101).

Subsequently, based on the selected combination of plate electrodes, the determination unit 116 acquires the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 111 (S1102).

Subsequently, the determination unit 116 compares the acquired capacitance with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 113, and determines whether the capacitance exceeds the threshold value (S1103). As a result of the determination, when the capacitance exceeds the threshold (S1103/NO), the electrical grounding of the insulating portion 120 arranged between the selected plate electrodes is defective. The display unit 114 displays that there is a failure (S1106).

As a result of determination, when the capacitance does not exceed the threshold value (S1103/YES), the electrical grounding of the insulator 120 arranged between the selected plate electrodes is normal. Therefore, it is determined whether or not all combinations have been processed (S1104), and if there is an unfinished combination (S1104/NO), the process returns to S1101.

If all combinations have been completed (S1104/YES), the electrical grounding of all insulating portions 120 is normal, so the amount of remaining toner in each toner bottle 32 is measured (S1105).

As described above, according to the method for detecting the amount of powder according to the present embodiment, after confirming in advance that the state of electrical insulation between adjacent toner bottles 32 is normal, the amount of toner remaining in each toner bottle 32 is detected. detect. As a result, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the remaining amount of toner.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the technical scope of the invention. All matters are covered by the present invention. Although the above embodiment shows a preferred example, a person skilled in the art can realize various modifications from the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

Reference Signs List 1: photoreceptor 2: cleaning unit 2a: cleaning blade 4: charging unit 5: developing device 6: imaging unit 7: exposure device 8: intermediate transfer belt 9: primary transfer roller 10: measuring device 12: secondary transfer backup roller 15: Intermediate transfer unit 19: Secondary transfer roller 20: Fixing unit 26: Paper feed unit 27: Paper feed roller 28: Registration roller pair 29: Paper discharge roller pair 30: Stack unit 32: Toner bottle 33: Container body 33c: Gear 34 : Cap 51 : Developing Roller 52 : Doctor Blade 53 : First Developer Containing Section 54 : Second Developer Containing Section 55 : Conveying Screw 56 : Toner Density Detection Sensor 60 : Toner Replenishing Device 61 : Hopper Section 62 : Toner Conveying screw 64 : Toner drop conveying path 65 : Upper flat plate electrode 66 : Lower flat plate electrode 67 : Upper wall surface 68 : Lower wall surface 69 : Insulating member 70 : Toner bottle accommodating portion 72 : Guide portion 81 : Drive output gear 91 : Drive motor 100: Printer 111: Capacitance detection unit 112: Toner remaining amount calculation unit 113: Storage unit 114: Display unit 115: Electrode selection unit 116: Judgment unit 120: Insulation unit 331: Spiral projection 1131: Electrode combination data table

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Claims (12)

A powder amount detection device for detecting the amount of powder in a plurality of powder storage containers arranged adjacently,
a pair of flat plate electrodes arranged to correspond to each of the powder containers;
an insulating member disposed between the adjacent powder containers for electrical insulation;
an electrode selection unit that arbitrarily selects a combination of the plate electrodes;
a capacitance detection unit that detects the capacitance between the selected pair of plate electrodes;
and a determination unit that determines whether or not the detected capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The electrode selection unit arbitrarily selects a combination of adjacent and facing flat plate electrodes,
The judging section judges that the electrical grounding of the insulating member arranged between the adjacent powder storage containers is normal when the capacitance detected by the selected flat plate electrode does not exceed the threshold. , The powder amount detection device according to claim 1. The determination unit determines all combinations of the flat plate electrodes adjacent to and facing the flat plate electrode corresponding to the powder storage container before the capacitance detection unit detects the amount of powder in each powder storage container. Determine whether or not the capacitance detection has ended,
and instructing the capacitance detection unit to detect the capacitance between the plate electrodes corresponding to the respective powder storage containers when the capacitance detection results for all combinations do not exceed the threshold value. Item 3. The powder amount detection device according to Item 1 or 2. 4. A pair of flat plate electrodes corresponding to each container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pair of plate electrodes are arranged to face each other on the outside of each powder container so as to sandwich the powder container. powder amount detector. The powder amount detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plate electrodes have the same size. 6. The powder amount detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a ground electrode electrically grounded outside said flat plate electrode. 7. The powder amount detection device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the electrode in the longitudinal direction of the powder container is half or more of the length of the powder container in the longitudinal direction. . A powder replenishing device for replenishing powder in the powder storage container, comprising: a powder storage container; and powder amount detection means for detecting the amount of powder in the powder storage container,
8. A powder replenishing apparatus, wherein the powder amount detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is used as the powder amount detection means. The powder container has a cylindrical shape,
9. The powder replenishing device according to claim 8, further comprising driving means for rotating said powder container. An image comprising an image carrier, developing means for developing a latent image on the image carrier using a developer, and developer replenishing means for replenishing the developing means with the developer used in the developing means. A forming device,
10. An image forming apparatus, wherein the powder replenishing device according to claim 8 is used as the developer replenishing means. A powder amount detection method for detecting the amount of powder in a plurality of powder storage containers arranged adjacently,
detecting a capacitance between an arbitrarily selected plate electrode from among a pair of plate electrodes arranged so as to correspond to each of the powder containers;
Determining whether the detected capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold,
A method for detecting the amount of powder, characterized in that, after that, a capacitance between a pair of flat plate electrodes arranged so as to correspond to each of the powder containers is detected. A powder amount detection program to be executed in a powder amount detection device for detecting the amount of powder in a plurality of powder storage containers arranged adjacently,
detecting a capacitance between a pair of plate electrodes arranged to correspond to each of the powder containers;
arbitrarily selecting a combination of the plate electrodes;
sensing the capacitance between selected plate electrodes; and based on whether the sensed capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold, an electrical determining the condition of the insulating member that effectively insulates;
detecting a capacitance between a pair of plate electrodes arranged to correspond to each of the powder containers when the state of the insulating member is determined to be normal . A powder amount detection program characterized by:

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