JP6897579B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a developing apparatus and a toner container.

Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a developing device that stores toner and supplies the toner to an image carrier such as a photoconductor drum, and a toner container that stores the toner supplied to the developing device. Be prepared. The toner container is interchangeably attached to the image forming apparatus. A new toner container holds the maximum capacity of toner. The toner container includes an IC chip, and the IC chip stores information specific to the toner container (for example, the total amount of toner indicating the maximum capacity of toner, etc.) in advance.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that stores toner in a replaceable toner storage means (toner container) and supplies toner to a developing device (developing device) by operating a toner replenishing operating unit. There is. The above image forming apparatus replenishes a substantially predetermined amount of toner according to the operation of the toner replenishment operating unit.

The image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 is a calculation means for calculating a calculated value by comparing the operating amount of the toner replenishment operating unit and the image signal amount, and a toner storage means by comparing the calculated calculated value with a predetermined value. It is provided with a remaining amount determining means for determining the remaining amount of toner in the inside. The above calculation means integrates the rotation speed of the transport screw as the operating amount of the toner replenishment operating unit and also integrates the image signal. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the remaining amount of toner is determined based on the fact that the amount of toner consumed is proportional to the integrated value of the image signal and the amount of operation of the toner replenishment operating unit is proportional to the amount of toner consumed. Will be done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-182141

The determination of the remaining amount of toner in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above is based on the premise that the amount of toner replenished per toner replenishment operation is constant. However, in general, the amount of toner replenished by the toner replenishment operation is constant only during the operation according to the same replenishment operation pattern. In an image forming apparatus that executes a toner replenishment operation according to a plurality of replenishment operation patterns, the amount of toner replenished by the toner replenishment operation differs depending on the replenishment operation pattern.

Therefore, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of replenishment operation patterns, it is difficult to accurately obtain the remaining amount of toner based on the product of the cumulative number of times the toner replenishment operation is executed and the predetermined unit replenishment amount.

In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to appropriately calculate the remaining amount of toner even when there are a plurality of replenishment operation patterns in toner replenishment.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a developing device that stores toner and supplies the toner to an image carrier, a toner container that stores the toner that is supplied to the developing device, and the toner container. A control device that controls the replenishment operation of the toner to the developing device according to any one of a plurality of replenishment operation patterns, a total amount of toner indicating the maximum capacity of the toner container, and the toner container. The remaining amount of toner indicating the remaining amount of the toner, the first toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of the replenishment operation patterns when the remaining amount of the toner is equal to or more than the threshold value, and the remaining amount of the toner are below the threshold value. A storage device for storing a second toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns and the cumulative number of times the replenishment operation is executed for each replenishment operation pattern is provided. When the toner replenishment amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control device replenishes subtotal toner based on the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation and the first toner replenishment amount for each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns. While calculating the amount, when the toner replenishment amount is lower than the threshold value, the subtotal toner replenishment amount is calculated based on the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation, the first toner replenishment amount, and the second toner replenishment amount. The total toner replenishment amount is calculated by totaling the plurality of the subtotal toner replenishment amounts, and the toner remaining amount is calculated based on the comparison between the total toner amount and the total toner replenishment amount.

In the image forming apparatus, the toner replenishment amount indicates the amount of the toner replenished when the toner motor makes one rotation in the replenishment operation according to the replenishment operation pattern corresponding to the toner replenishment amount, and the cumulative execution is performed. It is preferable that the number of times indicates the cumulative number of rotations of the toner motor.

Preferably, the toner is provided with a transport screw connected to the toner motor, and the toner is supplied from the toner container to the developing device by rotating the transport screw according to the rotation of the toner motor, and the threshold value is set to the toner. This corresponds to the remaining amount of toner in which the toner in the container decreases and the transport screw begins to be exposed.

It is preferable that the image forming apparatus further includes a display unit for displaying the remaining amount of toner.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately calculate the remaining amount of toner even when there are a plurality of replenishment operation patterns in toner replenishment.

It is sectional drawing which shows the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the toner container, the photoconductor drum and the developing apparatus of the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the cumulative rotation speed of a toner motor, and the cumulative toner supply amount in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the cumulative rotation speed of a toner motor, and the cumulative toner supply amount in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the toner-related amount calculation in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the toner remaining amount in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

1. 1. Overall Configuration of Image Forming Device First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a multifunction device having a printing function, a copying function, a fax function, and the like.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is referred to as the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. Arrows L, R, U, and Lo appropriately attached to each figure indicate the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a substantially box-shaped apparatus main body 2. A paper cassette for storing paper is provided in the lower part of the apparatus main body 2, and a paper discharge tray is provided in the upper part of the apparatus main body 2.

An upper cover 3 can be opened and closed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 on the side of the output tray. The toner container 4 is stored below the upper cover 3. By opening the upper cover 3, the storage space of the toner container 4 in the apparatus main body 2 is exposed, and the toner container 4 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 2. The apparatus main body 2 includes a container detector 41 and a reader / writer unit 42 in the vicinity of the storage space of the toner container 4 (see FIG. 3). The container detector 41 detects the attachment / detachment (that is, replacement) of the toner container 4. The reader / writer unit 42 communicates with the IC chip 23 (see FIG. 3) of the mounted toner container 4 to read and write data.

An exposure device 5 composed of a laser scanning unit (LSU) is arranged below the paper output tray on the upper part of the apparatus main body 2. An image forming unit 6 is provided below the exposure device 5. The image forming unit 6 has a rotatable photoconductor drum 7 (image carrier). A charging unit 8, a developing device 9 connected to the toner container 4, a transfer roller, and a cleaning unit are arranged around the photoconductor drum 7 along the rotation direction of the photoconductor drum 7.

A paper transport path 10 is provided inside the apparatus main body 2. A paper feed unit is provided near the paper feed cassette at the upstream end of the transport path 10. A transfer portion having a photoconductor drum 7 and a transfer roller is provided in the middle flow portion of the transport path 10. A fixing device is provided downstream of the transport path 10. A paper ejection portion is provided near the output tray at the downstream end of the transport path 10.

The device main body 2 further includes a control device 15 that controls each part of the image forming device 1. Further, the apparatus main body 2 is provided with a display unit 17 on the upper surface or the side surface for displaying the state of the image forming apparatus 1 (see FIG. 3). The display unit 17 is composed of a touch panel, a display, or the like, and displays, for example, the remaining amount of toner (toner gauge) of the toner container 4. The display unit 17 may include operation keys for operating the image forming apparatus 1, such as a start key, a stop / clear key, and a numeric keypad. The display unit 17 may be separately provided outside the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the display unit 17 may be configured as a display device such as an external display connected to the image forming device 1.

2. Outline of Operation of Image Forming Device Next, an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be schematically described. The image forming apparatus 1 starts the image forming operation when the image data is input from an external computer or the like and the printing start is instructed. In the image forming operation, first, the charging part 8 of the image forming part 6 charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 7, and then the exposure device 5 emits a laser beam, so that the exposure corresponding to the image data is performed by the photoconductor drum 7. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 7. Then, the developing device 9 of the image forming unit 6 develops the above electrostatic latent image into a toner image using toner.

On the other hand, the paper stored in the paper feed cassette is taken out by the paper feed unit and transported on the transport path 10. The paper on the transport path 10 is transported to the transfer unit at a predetermined timing, and the toner image on the photoconductor drum 7 is transferred to the paper by the transfer unit. The paper on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device, and the toner image is fixed on the paper by the fixing device. The paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged from the paper ejection section to the output tray.

3. 3. Detailed configuration of each part of the image forming apparatus 3-1. Detailed Configuration of Toner Container Next, the toner container 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the toner container 4 includes a container body 20 that houses toner inside. A transport member 21 for supplying toner to the developing device 9 and a stirring member 22 for stirring the toner are provided in the container body 20. An IC chip 23 for storing container information regarding the toner container 4 is provided on the side surface of the container body 20.

The container body 20 is formed in a substantially box shape long in the front-rear direction, and has a supply port 20a opened on the lower surface. The replenishment port 20a communicates with the developing device 9 via the replenishment path 12.

The transport member 21 is rotatably attached to a position corresponding to the supply port 20a at the lower part of the container body 20. The transport member 21 is configured as, for example, a transport screw having a rotation shaft long in the front-rear direction and a spiral transport blade formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft. One end (for example, the rear end) of the rotating shaft of the transport member 21 is connected to a container drive source 43 (see FIG. 3) such as a toner motor. The transport member 21 is rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from the container drive source 43. By the rotation of the transport member 21, the toner in the container body 20 is replenished to the developing device 9 via the replenishment port 20a and the replenishment path 12.

The stirring member 22 is rotatably attached in the container body 20 at substantially the center in the vertical direction. The stirring member 22 has, for example, a rotating shaft long in the front-rear direction and stirring blades formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft. By rotating the stirring member 22, the toner in the container body 20 is stirred.

The IC chip 23 can communicate with the reader / writer unit 42 connected to the control device 15 with the toner container 4 mounted on the device main body 2, and even if the IC chip 23 communicates via an antenna (not shown). Good. The IC chip 23 includes a storage medium (not shown) such as a non-volatile memory, and stores the container information of the toner container 4. The IC chip 23 stores, for example, the total amount of toner indicating the maximum amount of toner contained in the container body 20 of the new toner container 4 and the amount of toner replenished described later as container information of the toner container 4.

3-2. Detailed Configuration of Developing Device Next, the developing device 9 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 9 includes a housing 30 for accommodating toner. Inside the housing 30, a developing roller 31 that supplies toner to the photoconductor drum 7, a stirring member 32 that stirs the toner, and a transport member 33 that conveys the toner are provided.

The housing 30 is formed in a substantially box shape long in the front-rear direction, and has an opening opened on the left side so as to face the photoconductor drum 7 and a supply port 30a opened on the upper surface. The supply port 30a communicates with the toner container 4 via the supply path 12.

The developing roller 31 is arranged so as to face and contact the photoconductor drum 7 through the opening. The developing roller 31 has a long rotation axis in the front-rear direction and is rotatably attached to the housing 30. The developing roller 31 carries a predetermined amount of toner in the housing 30, and supplies the carried toner to the photoconductor drum 7 by rotating.

The stirring member 32 and the conveying member 33 are arranged side by side in the lower part of the housing 30. Further, the transport member 33 is arranged below the supply port 30a. The stirring member 32 and the conveying member 33 have a long rotation shaft in the front-rear direction and are rotatably attached to the housing 30. The rotation of the stirring member 32 and the conveying member 33 agitates the toner in the housing 30 and conveys it to the developing roller 31.

3-3. Detailed Configuration of Control Device Next, the electrical configuration of the control device 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 15 is composed of a CPU or the like, and is connected to a storage device 16 such as a ROM or RAM. Further, the control device 15 is connected to each part of the image forming device 1 such as the container detector 41, the reader / writer unit 42, the container drive source 43, and the display unit 17.

The control device 15 controls each unit connected to the control device 15 based on the control program and control data stored in the storage device 16. The control device 15 controls, for example, the toner replenishment operation from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 according to any one of a plurality of replenishment operation patterns.

The replenishment operation pattern is, for example, a drive pattern for operating a toner motor (container drive source 43) that rotates a transport member 21 to replenish toner. The control device 15 controls the toner motor so that it operates in a different replenishment operation pattern depending on the state of the image forming device 1. For example, when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on, it is necessary to immediately replenish the toner to the housing 30 of the developing apparatus 9 which is empty of toner, so that the toner motor of the control device 15 is used. Control is performed using a replenishment motion pattern that rotates continuously. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 1 is printing, if the toner is continuously supplied to the developing apparatus 9, the amount of toner becomes excessive and a problem such as fog (a phenomenon in which a small amount of toner adheres to a non-image portion) occurs. Since there is a possibility, the control device 15 executes control using a replenishment operation pattern in which the toner motor rotates intermittently.

FIG. 4 shows the experimental results on the relationship between the cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor and the cumulative toner replenishment amount in the three replenishment operation patterns used in the image forming apparatus 1 during printing and realizing the intermittent rotation of the toner motor. It is a representation graph. The replenishment operation pattern 1 is a drive pattern in which the toner motor alternately repeats rotation for 0.1 seconds and stop for 1.0 seconds. The replenishment operation pattern 2 is a drive pattern in which the toner motor alternately repeats rotation for 0.2 seconds and stop for 1.0 seconds. The replenishment operation pattern 3 is a drive pattern in which the toner motor alternately repeats rotation for 0.75 seconds and stop for 1.0 second. The above replenishment operation pattern is an example, and other replenishment operation patterns may be appropriately adopted.

As shown in FIG. 4, according to the experiment by the inventor of the present application, the replenishment operation pattern in which the rotation time (on time) of the toner motor is shorter (in other words, the replenishment operation pattern in which the toner motor rotates in smaller steps). The amount of toner replenished per rotation of the toner motor was higher. From the above experimental results, the amount of toner replenished from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 (toner replenishment amount) when the toner motor makes one rotation is not constant, but depends on the drive pattern (replenishment operation pattern) of the toner motor. It was concluded that they were different.

Further, FIG. 5 is a graph showing the experimental results regarding the relationship between the cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor and the cumulative toner replenishment amount in one replenishment operation pattern. As shown in FIG. 5, according to an experiment by the inventor of the present application, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 (= total amount of toner-cumulative amount of toner replenished) falls below a predetermined value, the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 decreases. The amount of toner replenished per rotation of the toner motor decreased as compared with the case where the value was equal to or higher than the predetermined value.

In the above, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the entire conveying member 21 is covered with toner, but when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is less than the predetermined value, the conveying member This is a phenomenon caused by a decrease in toner replenishment efficiency when the transport member 21 makes one rotation because the entire 21 is not covered with toner. The above tendency was the same in other replenishment operation patterns. From the above experimental results, the amount of toner (toner replenishment amount) replenished from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 when the toner motor makes one rotation is such that the remaining amount of toner is a predetermined value in any replenishment operation pattern. It was concluded that it decreases when it falls below.

Therefore, when calculating the toner replenishment amount based on the cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor (cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation), a plurality of obtained toner replenishment amounts are obtained after subtotaling the toner replenishment amount for each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns. By summing the subtotals, the total toner supply amount can be calculated more accurately. Further, in the above calculation process, after the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 falls below the threshold value, the replenishment amount per rotation of the toner motor is changed to a lower value and the replenishment amount of toner is subtotaled. The total toner supply amount can be calculated more accurately.

Based on the above-mentioned findings, the control device 15 calculates the subtotal toner replenishment amount based on the cumulative number of times the replenishment operation is executed (cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor) and the toner replenishment amount for each of the above-mentioned replenishment operation patterns. The total toner replenishment amount is calculated by totaling the plurality of subtotal toner replenishment amounts, and the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is calculated based on the comparison between the total toner amount and the total toner replenishment amount. Further, in the above calculation process, after the remaining amount of toner falls below the threshold value, the amount of toner replenished is changed to a lower value for each of the replenishment operation patterns. In the following description, the subtotal toner replenishment amount, the total toner replenishment amount, and the remaining amount of toner calculated by the control device 15 may be collectively referred to as "toner-related amount".

The storage device 16 stores, for example, a control program for executing the above-mentioned replenishment operation control and toner-related amount calculation. Further, the storage device 16 stores the toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns and the total amount of toner used for calculating the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4, and is calculated by the operation described later. The remaining amount of toner is memorized each time.

The toner replenishment amount is a value indicating the amount of toner (which may be weight or capacity) replenished from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 each time the replenishment operation is executed, and corresponds to the replenishment operation. It takes different values depending on the replenishment operation pattern. Further, the toner replenishment amount takes a lower value when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is lower than the threshold value, as compared with the case where the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Hereinafter, the toner replenishment amount when the remaining amount of toner is equal to or higher than the threshold value is referred to as the first toner replenishment amount, and the amount of toner replenished when the remaining amount of toner is below the threshold value is referred to as the second toner replenishment amount.
It is called the toner supply amount. As described above, the following inequality holds also in the replenishment operation pattern.
1st toner replenishment amount> 2nd toner replenishment amount

The "one-time replenishment operation" corresponds to one unit operation of the member related to the toner replenishment described above (for example, one rotation of the toner motor (container drive source 43) and one rotation of the transfer screw (conveyor member 21)). To do. For example, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the amount of toner replenished in the replenishment operation pattern 1 (0.1 second rotation-1.0 second stop) is 0.025 g, and the replenishment operation pattern 2 (0). The toner replenishment amount in the 2 second rotation-1.0 second stop) is 0.018 g, and the toner replenishment amount in the replenishment operation pattern 3 (0.75 second rotation-1.0 second stop) is 0.0175 g. Further, for example, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is below the threshold value, the toner replenishment amount in the replenishment operation pattern 1 is 0.020 g, the toner replenishment amount in the replenishment operation pattern 2 is 0.015 g, and the replenishment operation pattern 3 is used. The toner supply amount is 0.0145 g. The total amount of toner is a value indicating the maximum amount of toner contained in the toner container 4.

The storage device 16 may store a plurality of toner replenishment amounts and total toner amounts included in the container information read from the IC chip 23 when the toner container 4 is mounted on the image forming device 1, or may be shipped from the factory. A plurality of toner replenishment amounts and total toner amounts may be stored as default values of.

4. Details of Operation of the Image Forming Device The operation of calculating the toner-related amount described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As a premise of the operation of calculating the toner-related amount, the control device 15 of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment stores the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation (cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor) in the storage device 16 for each replenishment operation pattern. ing.

The control device 15 determines whether or not the execution trigger of the toner remaining amount calculation process has been detected (step S1). If the execution trigger is not detected (step S1: NO), the control device 15 repeats this detection loop. When the execution trigger is detected (step S1: YES), the control device 15 advances the process to step S1.1. The execution trigger of the toner remaining amount calculation process in step S1 is, for example, the end of a series of toner replenishment operations (more specifically, the end of rotation of the toner motor or the end of rotation of the transport member 21). The control device 15 may detect another event (for example, a user instruction) as an execution trigger of the toner remaining amount calculation process.

Next, the control device 15 determines whether or not the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is below the threshold value (step S1.1). The control device 15 proceeds to step S2 when the remaining amount of toner is equal to or higher than the threshold value, and proceeds to step S2.1 when the remaining amount of toner is lower than the threshold value.

As described above, the above threshold value is the remaining amount of toner in which the toner in the toner container 4 starts to decrease and does not cover the entire transport member 21 (that is, the transport member 21 starts to be exposed). Therefore, the above threshold value is a value that depends on the shape of the toner container 4 and the shape of the transport member 21 (conveyor screw), and can be obtained experimentally or theoretically.

In step S1.1, the control device 15 may use the previous remaining amount of toner calculated in the previous operation of calculating the toner-related amount (steps S1 to S5) and stored in the storage device 16 for determination. Alternatively, steps S2 to S4 may be tentatively executed for the determination in step S1.1 to calculate the temporary toner remaining amount, and the determination may be executed using the calculated temporary toner remaining amount.

When the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control device 15 calculates the subtotal toner replenishment amount according to the following formula for each of the N replenishment operation patterns (step S2). As a result, N subtotal toner replenishment amounts are obtained.
Subtotal toner replenishment amount of replenishment operation pattern n (n is an integer satisfying 1 ≦ n ≦ N) = cumulative number of times of replenishment operation by replenishment operation pattern n × replenishment operation pattern n when the remaining amount of toner is equal to or more than a threshold value Toner replenishment amount (first toner replenishment amount)

When the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 4 is below the threshold value, the control device 15 calculates the subtotal toner replenishment amount according to the following formula for each of the N replenishment operation patterns (step S2.1). As a result, N subtotal toner replenishment amounts are obtained.
Subtotal toner replenishment amount of replenishment operation pattern n = Cumulative number of executions of replenishment operation by pattern n while the remaining amount of toner is determined to be equal to or higher than the threshold value × Toner replenishment of replenishment operation pattern n when the remaining amount of toner is equal to or higher than the threshold value Amount (first toner replenishment amount) + cumulative number of executions of replenishment operation by pattern n while it is determined that the remaining amount of toner is below the threshold × Toner replenishment amount of replenishment operation pattern n when the remaining amount of toner is below the threshold (Second toner replenishment amount)

The control device 15 totals the N subtotal toner replenishment amounts obtained in step S2 or step S2.1 to calculate the total toner replenishment amount (step S3).

The control device 15 calculates the remaining amount of toner based on the comparison between the total amount of toner read from the storage device 16 and the total amount of toner replenished obtained in step S3, and stores the calculated remaining amount of toner in the storage device 16. (Step S4). Here, the remaining amount of toner may be expressed by weight or by a ratio.

When the remaining amount of toner is expressed by weight, the remaining amount of toner is calculated according to the following formula.
Remaining toner = total toner amount-total toner replenishment amount

When the remaining amount of toner is expressed as a percentage (%), the remaining amount of toner is calculated according to the following formula.
Toner remaining amount = ((total toner amount-total toner replenishment amount) / total toner amount) x 100

The control device 15 controls the display unit 17 so as to display the calculated remaining amount of toner (step S5). The remaining amount of toner displayed on the display unit 17 may be displayed, for example, only as a numerical value, or as shown in FIG. 7, the percentage of the remaining amount of toner may be displayed as a bar-shaped graph.

5. Technical effects of the present embodiment According to the present embodiment, as described above, the image forming apparatus 1 is the developing apparatus 9 that accommodates the toner and supplies the toner to the photoconductor drum 7 (image carrier). A toner container 4 for accommodating toner to be replenished to the developing device 9, a control device 15 for controlling the toner replenishing operation from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 according to any of a plurality of replenishment operation patterns. Each of the total amount of toner indicating the maximum capacity of the toner container 4, the remaining amount of toner indicating the remaining amount of toner contained in the toner container 4, and the plurality of replenishment operation patterns when the remaining amount of toner is equal to or higher than the threshold value. The first toner replenishment amount corresponding to the above, the second toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns when the remaining amount of toner is below the threshold value, and the cumulative number of times of replenishment operation for each replenishment operation pattern are memorized. A storage device 16 is provided. Then, the control device 15 calculates the subtotal toner replenishment amount based on the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation and the first toner replenishment amount when the toner replenishment amount is equal to or more than the threshold value for each of the replenishment operation patterns. , If the toner replenishment amount is below the threshold, the subtotal toner replenishment amount is calculated based on the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation and the first toner replenishment amount and the second toner replenishment amount, and the plurality of subtotal toner replenishment amounts are totaled. The total toner replenishment amount is calculated, and the remaining amount of toner is calculated based on the comparison between the total toner amount and the total toner replenishment amount.

According to the above configuration, the remaining amount of toner is calculated by comparing the total toner replenishment amount calculated based on the toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns with the total toner amount. Compared with the configuration in which the remaining amount of toner is calculated based on the amount of toner replenished, it is possible to obtain the remaining amount of toner more accurately. That is, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately calculate the remaining amount of toner even when there are a plurality of replenishment operation patterns in toner replenishment. Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated component for detecting the remaining amount of toner, so that the manufacturing cost and the arrangement space can be suppressed.

Further, according to the above configuration, the subtotal toner replenishment amount is calculated using different toner replenishment amounts depending on whether the toner remaining amount is above the threshold value or below the threshold value, so that even if the toner remaining amount changes. It is possible to obtain the remaining amount of toner more accurately than in the configuration in which the amount of toner replenished does not change.

Further, the toner replenishment amount stored in the storage device 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 indicates the amount of toner to be replenished when the toner motor makes one rotation in the replenishment operation according to the replenishment operation pattern corresponding to the toner replenishment amount. The cumulative number of times the operation is executed indicates the cumulative number of rotations of the toner motor. As described above, the relationship between the number of revolutions of the toner motor and the amount of toner replenished has already been verified by experiments by the inventor. Therefore, according to the above configuration in which the remaining amount of toner is calculated based on the rotation speed of the toner motor, it is possible to calculate the remaining amount of toner more accurately.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a transport screw (convey member 21) connected to the toner motor. Toner is replenished from the toner container 4 to the developing device 9 by rotating the transport screw according to the rotation of the toner motor. The above-mentioned threshold value corresponds to the remaining amount of toner in which the toner in the toner container 4 decreases and the transport screw starts to be exposed (the entire transport screw starts not to be covered). According to the above configuration, the calculation method of the subtotal toner replenishment amount is changed based on the time when the toner replenishment amount per rotation of the toner motor decreases due to the decrease of toner and the transfer screw starts to be exposed. It is possible to accurately determine the remaining amount of toner.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a display unit for displaying the remaining amount of toner. According to the above configuration, since the remaining amount of toner is displayed on the image forming apparatus 1, it is easy for the user who directly operates the image forming apparatus 1 to check the remaining amount of toner, which is highly convenient.

6. Modification Example The replenishment operation of the present embodiment is not limited to the rotation of the toner motor, but may be the rotation of the transport screw. Further, the replenishment operation pattern of the present embodiment is not limited to the drive pattern of the toner motor. For example, the rotation pattern of the transport screw may be adopted as the replenishment operation pattern. Further, the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation of the present embodiment is not limited to the cumulative rotation speed of the toner motor. For example, the cumulative rotation speed of the transfer screw may be adopted as the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation.

In the present embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to the monochrome image forming apparatus 1 has been described, but in other different embodiments, it is applied to other image forming apparatus such as a color printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction device. It is also possible to apply the configuration of the present invention.

1 Image forming device 4 Toner container 7 Photoreceptor drum (image carrier)
9 Developing device 15 Control device 16 Storage device 17 Display unit 21 Conveying member (conveying screw)
43 Container drive source (toner motor)

Claims (4)

A developing device that accommodates toner and supplies the toner to an image carrier,
A toner container that houses the toner that is supplied to the developing device, and
A control device that controls the toner replenishment operation from the toner container to the developing device according to any one of a plurality of replenishment operation patterns.
A total amount of toner indicating the maximum capacity of the toner container, a remaining amount of toner indicating the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner container, and a plurality of the replenishment operations when the remaining amount of the toner is equal to or more than a threshold value. The first toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the patterns, the second toner replenishment amount corresponding to each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns when the remaining amount of toner is below the threshold value, and the replenishment for each replenishment operation pattern. It is equipped with a storage device that stores the cumulative number of times the operation is executed.
When the remaining amount of toner is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control device replenishes subtotal toner based on the cumulative number of executions of the replenishment operation and the first toner replenishment amount for each of the plurality of replenishment operation patterns. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner is lower than the threshold value, the subtotal toner replenishment amount is calculated based on the cumulative number of times the replenishment operation is executed, the first toner replenishment amount, and the second toner replenishment amount. An image characterized by calculating, totaling the plurality of the subtotal toner replenishment amounts to calculate the total toner replenishment amount, and calculating the toner remaining amount based on the comparison between the total toner amount and the total toner replenishment amount. Forming device. The toner replenishment amount indicates the amount of the toner to be replenished when the toner motor makes one rotation in the replenishment operation according to the replenishment operation pattern corresponding to the toner replenishment amount, and the cumulative number of executions is the toner motor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus shows a cumulative number of rotations. Equipped with a transport screw connected to the toner motor
By rotating the transport screw according to the rotation of the toner motor, the toner is replenished from the toner container to the developing device.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the threshold value corresponds to the remaining amount of toner in which the toner in the toner container decreases and the transport screw begins to be exposed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a display unit for displaying the remaining amount of toner.

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