JP7392505B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that includes a rotary bottle that stores waste developer.

Generally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a rotary bottle that stores powdered waste developer collected from a printing apparatus that forms an image on a sheet. The bottle is a container having an opening formed at one end in the longitudinal direction. Note that the bottle may be referred to as a waste toner bottle, for example.

The bottle has a helical convex portion that protrudes spirally along the longitudinal direction on the inner surface. The bottle is arranged with the longitudinal direction facing sideways, and is driven to rotate. The rotating bottle accommodates the waste developer conveyed to the opening and conveys the waste developer to the back of the bottle.

The image forming apparatus further includes a developer sensor that detects the amount of waste developer in the bottle. When the developer sensor detects that the bottle is full, printing processing by the printing device is prohibited.

For example, it is known that the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of capacitance sensors that detect the amount of waste developer at each of a plurality of locations within the bottle (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-66789

Incidentally, before the full state of the bottle is detected, a transport failure of the waste developer may occur in the waste developer transport path. In this case, if the printing process continues, the waste developer may remain in the transport path, causing problems such as leakage of the waste developer.

Further, in the image forming apparatus, it is desirable that the number of sensors for detecting the amount of waste developer is as small as possible.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can detect poor conveyance of waste developer and a full state of the waste developer in a bottle using as few sensors as possible.

An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a printing device, a bottle, a developer sensor, and a state determining section. The printing device executes a printing process to form a toner image on a sheet, and discharges powdered waste developer. The bottle is a container having an opening formed at a first end in the longitudinal direction, and is arranged with the longitudinal direction facing sideways and is rotationally driven to collect the waste transported from the printing device to the opening. The developer is accommodated inside and the waste developer inside is conveyed to the second end side in the longitudinal direction. The developer sensor detects the amount of waste developer in the bottle. The state determination unit determines the device state and notifies the determination result. The bottle includes a hollow small-diameter portion that extends from the first end in the longitudinal direction to a step portion formed near the first end, and a side of the second end in the longitudinal direction from the step portion. and a hollow large diameter part that is thicker than the small diameter part. The developer sensor includes a first developer sensor that detects the amount of the waste developer present in the small diameter portion, and a second developer sensor that detects the amount of the waste developer that exists in the large diameter portion. ,including. The state determining unit determines that the bottle is full when the first developer sensor and the second developer sensor each detect the waste developer exceeding a predetermined upper limit amount. If the amount detected by the first developer sensor does not show a predetermined change during a target period determined based on a period during which the printing device executes the printing process, a transport failure of the waste developer occurs. It is determined that the

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can detect poor conveyance of waste developer and a full state of the waste developer in a bottle using as few sensors as possible.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a bottle and its surroundings in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of control-related equipment in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the amount detected by the first developer sensor in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples of embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Configuration of image forming apparatus 10]
The image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment is an apparatus that forms a toner image on a sheet using an electrophotographic method. The sheet is a sheet-like image forming medium such as paper or a resin film.

The image forming apparatus 10 includes a paper feeding section 30, a sheet conveying device 3, a printing device 4, one or more toner containers 400, a bottle 5, and a waste developer collecting device 6, which are arranged in the main body 1.

The paper feed section 30 is a device that accommodates a plurality of sheets and sends out the accommodated sheets one by one to the sheet conveyance path 300. The sheet conveyance device 3 conveys the sheet along a sheet conveyance path 300.

The printing device 4 executes a printing process of forming a toner image using an electrophotographic method on the sheet fed from the paper feeding section 30 through the sheet conveying device 3.

The printing device 4 includes a laser scanning unit 40, one or more image forming devices 4x, a transfer device 44, and a fixing device 46.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 4 is a tandem type color image printing device. Therefore, the printing device 4 includes four toner containers 400 corresponding to the four colors of toner 9 and four image forming devices 4x. Each of the image forming devices 4x includes a drum-shaped photoreceptor 41, a charging device 42, a developing device 43, and a drum cleaning device 45.

In each of the image forming devices 4x, the photoreceptor 41 rotates, and the charging device 42 charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 41. Further, in each of the image forming devices 4x, a developing device 43 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 41 by the laser scanning unit 40 into a toner image. The photoreceptor 41 is an example of an image carrier.

Furthermore, the transfer device 44 includes an intermediate transfer belt 440, four primary transfer devices 441, a secondary transfer device 442, and a belt cleaning device 443.

The intermediate transfer belt 440 rotates while contacting the four photoreceptors 41, and the four primary transfer devices 441 transfer the toner images from the four photoreceptors 41 to the intermediate transfer belt 440.

The secondary transfer device 442 transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 440 to the sheet being conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 300. Belt cleaning device 443 removes waste toner from intermediate transfer belt 440 . Further, in each of the image forming devices 4x, a drum cleaning device 45 removes waste toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 41.

The fixing device 46 fixes the toner image on the sheet by heating and pressing the toner image on the sheet. The sheet conveyance device 3 discharges the sheet on which the image is formed from the sheet conveyance path 300.

Each toner container 400 supplies toner 9 to a corresponding developing device 43 in the printing device 4 .

In the printing device 4, the developing device 43 discharges granular waste developer 90 containing waste toner that has remained for a long period of time. Further, the drum cleaning device 45 and the belt cleaning device 443 discharge waste developer 90, which is a removed material. The waste developer collecting device 6 collects the waste developer 90 discharged from the printing device 4 into the bottle 5 .

Furthermore, when the developing device 43 performs development using a two-component developer containing toner 9 and carrier, the waste developer also includes waste carrier that has remained in the developing device 43 for a long period of time. Furthermore, the waste developer and the material removed by the drum cleaning device 45 and the belt cleaning device 443 may include the waste carrier.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bottle 5 is a container in which an opening 50 is formed at a first end 51 in the longitudinal direction. For example, the bottle 5 is a container made of synthetic resin. The bottle 5 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 53. A straight line along the longitudinal direction of the bottle 5 is the center line L0 of the outer peripheral surface 53.

The bottle 5 has a helical convex portion 54 that protrudes spirally along the longitudinal direction on the inner surface. Note that the spiral convex portion 54 is a spiral concave portion when viewed from the outside of the bottle 5.

The bottle 5 is arranged with the longitudinal direction facing sideways, and is driven to rotate. Thereby, the bottle 5 accommodates therein the waste developer 90 conveyed from the developing device 43 and the belt cleaning device 443 to the opening 50, and conveys the waste developer 90 inside toward the second end 52 side in the longitudinal direction. do.

Further, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a control device 8, an operating device 801, and a display device 802. The operating device 801 is a touch panel, an operating button, or the like that accepts human operations. The display device 802 is a liquid crystal panel unit or the like that displays information.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 82, a secondary storage device 83, an image data processing device 84, and the like.

The CPU 81 is an example of a processor that controls electrical equipment in the image forming apparatus 10 and performs various data processing by executing programs stored in the secondary storage device 83 or the like.

It is also conceivable that another processor such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) executes various controls and data processing instead of the CPU 81.

The RAM 82 is a storage device that temporarily stores the program executed by the CPU 81 and data output and referenced during the process of the CPU 81 executing the program.

Secondary storage 83 is a computer readable non-volatile data storage. The secondary storage device 83 can store the program and various data. For example, one or a combination of a hard disk drive and an SSD (Solid State Drive) is employed as the secondary storage device 83.

The image data processing device 84 executes image processing such as processing or conversion processing on the image data used in the print processing. For example, the image data processing device 84 executes processing such as converting print job data into raster data for printing.

For example, the image data processing device 84 is realized by one or both of a processor such as a DSP and an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[Waste developer recovery device 6]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the waste developer recovery device 6 includes a waste developer transport mechanism 60, a bottle support section 61, a carry-in relay section 62, and a bottle drive mechanism 63.

The bottle support portion 61 supports the bottle 5 containing the waste developer 90. The bottle 5 is placed on the bottle support part 61 with the longitudinal direction facing sideways. The waste developer transport mechanism 60 transports the waste developer 90 discharged from the developing device 43 and the belt cleaning device 443 to the carry-in relay section 62 along the waste developer transport path 600 .

The carry-in relay section 62 is a member that forms a guide duct 62a. The carry-in relay section 62 guides the waste developer 90 transported into the guide duct 62 a by the waste developer transport mechanism 60 to the opening 50 of the bottle 5 supported by the bottle support section 61 .

The bottle drive mechanism 63 is connected to the first end 51 of the bottle 5 supported by the bottle support section 61 and drives the bottle 5 to rotate. The motor 4a that rotationally drives the photoreceptor 41 of the printing device 4 also serves as a drive source for the waste developer transport mechanism 60 and the bottle drive mechanism 63 (see FIG. 2).

In this embodiment, the motor 4a and the bottle drive mechanism 63 are an example of a drive device that rotationally drives the bottle 5.

The bottle drive mechanism 63 transmits the rotational force of the motor 4a to the first end 51 of the bottle 5. The bottle 5 receives power from the bottle drive mechanism 63 and rotates around the center line L0 in a predetermined rotation direction.

By rotating the bottle 5 in the predetermined rotation direction, the waste developer 90 in the bottle 5 is conveyed toward the second end 52 and is leveled along the longitudinal direction of the bottle 5. By rotating the bottle 5, the waste developer 90 is prevented from staying in the bottle 5 toward the opening 50 side.

The bottle 5 is removably attached to the bottle support section 61 and the bottle drive mechanism 63. When a full state in which the amount of waste developer 90 in the bottle 5 has reached the upper limit is detected, the bottle 5 is replaced.

Incidentally, before the full state of the bottle 5 is detected, a transport failure of the waste developer 90 may occur in the waste developer transport path 600. In this case, if the printing process continues, the waste developer 90 may remain in the waste developer transport path 600, causing problems such as leakage of the waste developer 90.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 10, it is desirable that the number of sensors that detect the amount of waste developer 90 be as small as possible.

Hereinafter, features of the image forming apparatus 10 for detecting poor conveyance of the waste developer 90 and the full state of the waste developer 90 in the bottle 5 using as few sensors as possible will be described.

The bottle 5 has a hollow small diameter part 5a that occupies a part of the range from the opening 50, and a hollow large diameter part 5b that is thicker than the small diameter part 5a. The small diameter portion 5a and the large diameter portion 5b are connected to each other via a stepped portion 5c.

The small diameter portion 5a occupies a range from the first end 51 of the bottle 5 in the longitudinal direction to the stepped portion 5c. The stepped portion 5c is formed at a position closer to the first end 51 in the longitudinal direction of the bottle 5. The large diameter portion 5b is formed to extend from the stepped portion 5c toward the second end 52 in the longitudinal direction.

As the bottle 5 rotates, the waste developer 90 flows from the opening 50 into the large diameter portion 5b via the small diameter portion 5a.

In order for the waste developer 90 to smoothly flow into the large diameter portion 5b of the bottle 5, the waste developer 90 must flow into the waste developer transport path 600 of the waste developer transport mechanism 60 and the small diameter portion 5a of the bottle 5, respectively. It is necessary to prevent stagnation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 10 further includes a humidity sensor 70 and developer sensors 71 and 72. The developer sensors 71 and 72 include a first developer sensor 71 and a second developer sensor 72.

Humidity sensor 70 detects the humidity of the installation environment of image forming apparatus 10 . The first developer sensor 71 and the second developer sensor 72 detect the amount of waste developer 90 in the bottle 5 .

In this embodiment, the first developer sensor 71 and the second developer sensor 72 are each capacitance sensors.

The first developer sensor 71 is arranged to face the small diameter portion 5a of the bottle 5. Thereby, the first developer sensor 71 detects the amount of waste developer 90 present in the small diameter portion 5a.

On the other hand, the second developer sensor 72 is disposed facing the large diameter portion 5b of the bottle 5. Thereby, the second developer sensor 72 detects the amount of waste developer 90 present within the large diameter portion 5b.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the second developer sensor 72 is arranged to face a portion of the large diameter portion 5b of the bottle 5 near the second end 52. In the example shown in FIG. In this case, the second developer sensor 72 detects the amount of waste developer 90 present in a portion of the large diameter portion 5b closer to the second end 52. Note that the second developer sensor 72 is disposed opposite to a portion of the large diameter portion 5b of the bottle 5 near the stepped portion 5c, and detects the amount of waste developer 90 present in the opposing portion. can also be considered.

The CPU 81 of the control device 8 includes a state determination section 8a and a device control section 8b that are realized by executing a computer program stored in the secondary storage device 83 (see FIG. 2). The status determination unit 8a executes a process of determining the status of the image forming apparatus 10 and notifying the determination result. The device control unit 8b controls the motor 4a and other devices included in the printing device 4.

The device control unit 8b operates the bottle drive mechanism 63 by operating the motor 4a when a predetermined operating condition is satisfied.

Specifically, the operating condition is a condition that is satisfied from the start to the end of the printing process. That is, the operating conditions of the bottle drive mechanism 63 in this embodiment are conditions under which the printing device 4 executes the printing process. For example, the operating condition is satisfied from when a print job that is a request for execution of the print process is generated until the print process corresponding to the print job is completed.

However, when the state determining section 8a determines that the bottle 5 is full, the device control section 8b prohibits the printing device 4 from executing the printing process. That is, when the state determination unit 8a determines that the full state has occurred, the device control unit 8b does not cause the printing device 4 to perform the printing process even if the operating condition is satisfied.

Hereinafter, the amount detected by the first developer sensor 71 will be referred to as a first detected amount Q1, and the amount detected by the second developer sensor 72 will be referred to as a second detected amount Q2 (see FIG. 3).

The state determination unit 8a determines that the full state occurs when the first detected amount Q1 exceeds a predetermined first upper limit amount and the second detected amount Q2 exceeds a predetermined second upper limit amount. It is determined that the

If the state determining unit 8a determines that the full state has occurred, it notifies you through the display device 802 that the bottle 5 needs to be replaced.

The state determining unit 8a determines whether or not a transport failure of the waste developer 90 has occurred based on a change in the first detected amount Q1 in a state where it has not been determined that the full state has occurred.

Specifically, the state determination unit 8a determines if the first detected amount Q1 does not show a predetermined change in the target periods TT1 and TT2, which are determined based on the print period TP0 during which the printing device 4 executes the print process. It is determined that the conveyance defect has occurred (see FIG. 4).

The graph shown in FIG. 4 represents an example of a change in the first detected amount Q1. The horizontal axis of the graph in FIG. 4 is the motor operating time Td0. The motor operating time Td0 is an operating time of the motor 4a that drives the photoreceptor 41 and the waste developer transport mechanism 60. The vertical axis of the graph in FIG. 4 is the first detected amount Q1.

In FIG. 4, the period from print start time P11 to print end time P12 is print period TP0. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the target periods TT1 and TT2 include a first target period TT1 and a second target period TT2. Further, the reference amount Q10 shown in FIG. 4 is an amount smaller than the first upper limit amount.

The first target period TT1 is a period determined based on the print start time P11. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first target period TT1 is a period from when the motor operating time Td0 from the print start time P11 reaches the first reference time T1 until it reaches the second reference time T2.

The second target period TT2 is a period determined based on the printing end point P12. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the second target period TT2 is a period from when the motor operating time Td0 from the print end time P12 reaches the third reference time T3 until it reaches the fourth reference time T4.

The first reference time T1, the second reference time T2, the third reference time T3, and the fourth reference time T4 are the times required for the waste developer 90 generated by the printing process to be transported from the printing device 4 to the bottle 5. This is a predetermined time based on

For example, if the first detection amount Q1 does not change from a state below a preset reference amount Q10 to a state exceeding a preset reference amount Q10 in the first target period TT1, or if the first detection amount Q1 does not change in the second target period TT2, If Q1 does not change from a state exceeding the reference amount Q10 to a state below, it is determined that the conveyance defect has occurred, and in other cases, it is determined that the conveyance defect has not occurred.

If the state determining unit 8a determines that the conveyance failure has occurred, it notifies the user through the display device 802 that the conveyance failure has occurred.

In the present embodiment, the state determining unit 8a detects the occurrence of a first transport failure, which is the transport failure in the waste developer transport path 600 from the printing device 4 to the bottle 5, and the transport failure in the small diameter portion 5a of the bottle 5. It is possible to individually determine the occurrence of the second conveyance failure, which is a failure.

Specifically, the state determining unit 8a determines whether or not the first conveyance defect has occurred based on a change in the first detected amount Q1 during the first target period TT1. Further, the state determining unit 8a determines whether or not the second transport defect has occurred based on the change in the first detected amount Q1 during the second target period TT2. In this case, the state determination unit 8a distinguishes and notifies the occurrence of the first conveyance defect and the occurrence of the second conveyance defect.

The device control section 8b prohibits the printing device 4 from executing the printing process when the state determining section 8a determines that the first conveyance failure or the second conveyance failure has occurred. That is, when the state determining unit 8a determines that the first conveyance failure or the second conveyance failure has occurred, the device control unit 8b causes the printing device 4 to perform the printing even if the operating condition is satisfied. Do not execute the process.

As shown above, the image forming apparatus 10 can detect the poor conveyance of the waste developer 90 and the full state of the waste developer 90 in the bottle 5 using the two developer sensors 71 and 72. .

In the image forming apparatus 10, even if the state determination unit 8a changes the first reference time T1, the second reference time T2, the third reference time T3, and the fourth reference time T4 according to the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 70, good. The first reference time T1, the second reference time T2, the third reference time T3, and the fourth reference time T4 are examples of shift times of the target periods TT1 and TT2 with respect to the print period TP0.

Generally, the waste developer transport mechanism 60 is less efficient at transporting the waste developer 90 when the humidity is high than when it is low. Therefore, the time it takes for the waste developer 90 to reach the bottle 5 from the printing device 4 is longer when the humidity is high than when it is low.

Therefore, it is conceivable that the state determination unit 8a sets the shift time of the target periods TT1 and TT2 with respect to the print period TP0 to be longer when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 70 is high than when it is low. Thereby, the state determining unit 8a can correctly determine the conveyance failure even when the humidity fluctuates greatly.

Generally, there is a positive correlation between the number of pixels drawn in the toner image formed in the printing process and the amount of waste developer 90. Therefore, as the number of pixels to be drawn increases, the amount of waste developer 90 passing through the small diameter portion 5a of the bottle 5 increases according to the printing process.

Therefore, it is conceivable that the state determining section 8a changes the determination condition for the change in the first detection amount Q1 in determining the conveyance failure, depending on the number of pixels drawn in the toner image, for each print process.

For example, it is conceivable that the state determining unit 8a determines the change in the first detected amount Q1 using a larger reference amount Q10 when the number of drawn pixels is large than when it is small. It is also conceivable that the state determining unit 8a determines the conveyance failure only when the number of drawn pixels exceeds a predetermined lower limit number.

In the present embodiment, the device control unit 8b executes the idle feeding control when the state determining unit 8a determines that the first conveyance failure or the second conveyance failure has occurred.

The idle feed control is a control in which the waste developer transport mechanism 60 is operated until a predetermined idle feed end condition is satisfied in a situation where the printing apparatus 4 is not performing the printing process. The device control section 8b operates the waste developer transport mechanism 60 by operating the motor 4a. As a result, the bottle 5 rotates in a situation where the printing process is not executed.

The condition for terminating the dry feed is that a predetermined feed time has elapsed, or the state determination unit 8a determines that one or both of the first conveyance defect and the second conveyance defect that are occurring have been resolved. That's true.

If the first detection amount Q1 shows a predetermined change while the idle feed control is being executed, the state determining unit 8a determines whether one of the first conveyance defect and the second conveyance defect that is occurring, or It is determined that both have been resolved.

That is, when it is determined that the first conveyance defect has occurred, the state determination unit 8a determines whether the first detected amount Q1 changes from below the reference amount Q10 to above the reference amount Q10 when the idle feeding control is executed. If the state changes, it is determined that the first conveyance defect has been resolved.

Similarly, if it is determined that the second conveyance defect has occurred, the state determination unit 8a determines whether the first detected amount Q1 exceeds the reference amount Q10 while the idle feed control is being executed. If it changes to a state where the value is lower than that, it is determined that the second conveyance defect has been resolved.

Then, when it is determined that the conveyance failure has been resolved, the device control unit 8b cancels the prohibition of the printing process. Furthermore, when it is determined that the conveyance defect has been resolved, the state determination unit 8a notifies the user through the display device 802 that the conveyance defect has been resolved.

If the conveyance failure is automatically eliminated by the idle feed control, the downtime of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced.

1: Main body 3: Sheet transport device 4: Print device 4a: Motor 4x: Image forming device 5: Bottle 5a: Small diameter section 5b: Large diameter section 5c: Step section 6: Waste developer collection device 8: Control device 8a: Status Judgment section 8b: Device control section 9: Toner 10: Image forming device 30: Paper feeding section 40: Laser scanning unit 41: Photoreceptor 42: Charging device 43: Developing device 44: Transfer device 45: Drum cleaning device 46: Fixing device 50 : Opening 51 : First end 52 : Second end 53 : Outer peripheral surface 54 : Spiral convex part 60 : Waste developer transport mechanism 61 : Bottle support part 62 : Carrying in relay part 62a : Guide duct 63 : Bottle drive mechanism 70 : Humidity sensor 71: First developer sensor 72: Second developer sensor 81: CPU
82: RAM
83: Secondary storage device 84: Image data processing device 90: Waste developer 300: Sheet conveyance path 400: Toner container 440: Intermediate transfer belt 441: Primary transfer device 442: Secondary transfer device 443: Belt cleaning device 600: Waste Developer transport path 801: Operating device 802: Display device L0: Center line P11: Print start time P12: Print end time Q1: First detected amount Q10: Reference amount Q2: Second detected amount T1: First reference time T2: Second reference time T3: Third reference time T4: Fourth reference time TP0: Print period TT1: First target period TT2: Second target period Td0: Motor operating time

Claims (6)

a printing device that executes a printing process to form a toner image on a sheet and discharges powdered waste developer;
The container has an opening formed at a first end in the longitudinal direction, and is arranged with the longitudinal direction facing sideways, and is rotated so that the waste developer transported from the printing device to the opening is stored inside the container. a bottle that accommodates the waste developer inside and conveys the waste developer therein to the second end side in the longitudinal direction;
a developer sensor that detects the amount of the waste developer in the bottle;
a status determination unit that determines the device status and notifies the determination result;
The bottle is
a hollow small diameter portion that occupies a range from the first end in the longitudinal direction to a stepped portion formed at a position near the first end;
a hollow large-diameter portion extending from the step portion toward the second end in the longitudinal direction and thicker than the small-diameter portion;
The developer sensor is
a first developer sensor that detects the amount of the waste developer present in the small diameter portion;
a second developer sensor that detects the amount of the waste developer present in the large diameter portion,
The state determining unit determines that the bottle is full when the first developer sensor and the second developer sensor each detect the waste developer exceeding a predetermined upper limit amount. If the amount detected by the first developer sensor does not show a predetermined change during a target period determined based on a period during which the printing device executes the printing process, a transport failure of the waste developer occurs. image forming apparatus that determines that 1 . The state determining unit changes a determination condition for a change in the amount detected by the first developer sensor in determining the conveyance failure according to the number of pixels drawn in the toner image formed in the printing process. The image forming apparatus described in . 3 . The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that prohibits the print processing by the printing device when the state determination unit determines that the full state or the transport failure has occurred. Image forming device. When it is determined that the conveyance failure has occurred, the control unit executes idle feeding control to operate a drive device that rotationally drives the bottle in a situation where the printing process is not being executed;
The state determining unit determines that the conveyance defect has been resolved when the amount detected by the first developer sensor shows a predetermined change while the idle feeding control is being executed;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit releases the prohibition of the printing process when it is determined that the conveyance failure has been resolved. further comprising a humidity sensor that detects humidity in an installation environment of the image forming apparatus,
5. The state determining unit changes the shift time of the target period with respect to the period during which the printing device executes the printing process, depending on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor. The image forming apparatus described in . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first developer sensor and the second developer sensor are each capacitance sensors.

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