阅读说明：本技术 图像形成装置以及控制方法 (Image forming apparatus and control method ) 是由 井口健 菊地和彦 杉山祯 伊势时彦 于 2021-01-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种图像形成装置以及控制方法,在废调色剂的回收容器中高效率地回收废调色剂。实施方式的图像形成装置具有图像形成部、废调色剂回收容器、叶片电机、存储部以及控制部。图像形成部利用从收容调色剂的调色剂盒补给的调色剂,在片材上形成调色剂像。废调色剂回收容器收容在图像形成部中产生的废调色剂。叶片电机使设在废调色剂回收容器内的搅拌叶片旋转。存储部针对每种调色剂的类型存储系数。控制部在从调色剂盒向图像形成部补给调色剂时,获得作为有关补给量的值的计数值。控制部以对应于调色剂的类型的系数校正计数值。控制部以校正后的计数值更新累计计数值。控制部根据更新后的累计计数值来驱动叶片电机。(An image forming apparatus and a control method for efficiently recovering waste toner in a waste toner recovery container. The image forming apparatus of the embodiment includes an image forming unit, a waste toner collecting container, a blade motor, a storage unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms a toner image on a sheet with toner supplied from a toner cartridge containing toner. The waste toner collecting container contains waste toner generated in the image forming section. The blade motor rotates an agitating blade provided in the waste toner collecting container. The storage section stores coefficients for each toner type. The control unit obtains a count value as a value related to the amount of toner supply when the toner is supplied from the toner cartridge to the image forming unit. The control section corrects the count value by a coefficient corresponding to the type of toner. The control unit updates the cumulative count value with the corrected count value. The control unit drives the vane motor according to the updated cumulative count value.)

1. An image forming apparatus is characterized by comprising:

an image forming section for forming a toner image on a sheet by using toner supplied from a toner cartridge containing the toner;

a waste toner collecting container for accommodating waste toner generated in the image forming unit;

a blade motor that rotates an agitating blade provided in the waste toner collecting container;

a storage section that stores a coefficient for each of the toner types; and

and a control section that obtains a count value as a value relating to a replenishment amount when replenishing the toner from the toner cartridge to the image forming section, corrects the count value by the coefficient corresponding to the type of the toner, updates an accumulated count value by the corrected count value, and drives the blade motor according to the updated accumulated count value.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the coefficient is determined according to a position of a waste toner introduction port, which is an opening portion through which toner is introduced from the image forming portion to the waste toner collecting container.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the coefficient is determined according to the position of a developing device using the toner.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the coefficient is determined according to whether the toner is a toner used in superimposition with other types of toners.

5. A control method for an image forming apparatus,

the image forming apparatus includes:

an image forming section for forming a toner image on a sheet by using toner supplied from a toner cartridge containing the toner;

a waste toner collecting container for accommodating waste toner generated in the image forming unit;

a blade motor that rotates an agitating blade provided in the waste toner collecting container; and

a storage section that stores a coefficient for each of the types of the toners,

the image forming apparatus has the steps of:

a step of acquiring a count value as a value related to a replenishment amount when replenishing the toner from the toner cartridge to the image forming section;

a step of correcting the count value by the coefficient corresponding to the type of the toner;

updating the accumulated count value with the corrected count value; and

and driving the vane motor according to the updated accumulated count value.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to an image forming apparatus and a control method.

Background

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using toner, a structure for collecting waste toner has been adopted. For example, as waste toner, toner remaining on a drum unit when transferred from the drum unit to an intermediate transfer belt, toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt when transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to a sheet, or the like is collected. These waste toners are stored in a waste toner collecting container such as a waste toner cartridge. The waste toner collecting container is provided with a stirring blade for the purpose of making the waste toner in the container uniform. The stirring blade may be controlled to operate when the amount of the waste toner in the container increases beyond a predetermined value.

However, there is a problem that waste toner is likely to accumulate at a specific position due to the operating environment of the image forming apparatus and the like. If the waste toner accumulates at a specific position, it may be difficult to effectively use the waste toner collecting container, and for example, even if the amount of the waste toner collecting container is too large, a notification urging replacement is issued after detection by a sensor.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides an image processing apparatus and a control method capable of efficiently recovering waste toner in a waste toner recovery container.

The image forming apparatus of the embodiment includes an image forming unit, a waste toner collecting container, a blade motor, a storage unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms a toner image on a sheet with toner supplied from a toner cartridge containing toner. The waste toner collecting container contains waste toner generated in the image forming section. The blade motor rotates an agitating blade provided in the waste toner collecting container. The storage section stores a coefficient for each of the toner types. The control unit obtains a count value as a value related to a replenishment amount when replenishing the toner from the toner cartridge to the image forming unit. The control section corrects the count value by the coefficient corresponding to the type of the toner. The control unit updates the cumulative count value with the corrected count value. The control unit drives the vane motor according to the updated cumulative count value.

A control method according to an embodiment is a control method for an image forming apparatus including: an image forming section for forming a toner image on a sheet by using toner supplied from a toner cartridge containing the toner; a waste toner collecting container for accommodating waste toner generated in the image forming unit; a blade motor that rotates an agitating blade provided in the waste toner collecting container; and a storage section that stores a coefficient for each type of the toner, the image forming apparatus having: a step of acquiring a count value as a value related to a replenishment amount when replenishing the toner from the toner cartridge to the image forming section; a step of correcting the count value by the coefficient corresponding to the type of the toner; updating the accumulated count value with the corrected count value; and driving the vane motor according to the updated accumulated count value.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming unit 14.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the waste toner cartridge 40.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the flow of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment.

Reference numerals

1 … image forming apparatus; 11 … paper supply part; 111 … paper supply cassette; 12 … conveying roller; 13 … registration rollers; 14 … an image forming section; 15 … fixing part; 16 … paper discharge section; 161 … paper discharge tray; 17 … an image reading section; 18 … control panel; 19 … display; 20 … storage part; 21 … control unit; 30 … vane motor; 141 … processing elements; 1401 … a photosensitive drum; 1402 … electrification device; 1403 … exposure means; 1404 … developing means; 1405 … photoreceptor cleaner; 1406 … primary transfer roller; 142 … secondary transfer roller; 143 … secondary transfer counter roller; 144 … intermediate transfer belt; 145 … toner cartridge; 146 … supply motor; 147 … transfer cleaner; 40 … waste toner cartridges; 401 … stirring blade; 402 … detection part; 403 … holding part; 404 … waste toner inlet.

Detailed Description

Next, an image forming apparatus and a control method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. First, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed unit 11, a plurality of transport rollers 12, registration rollers 13, an image forming unit 14, a fixing unit 15, a paper discharge unit 16, an image reading unit 17, a control panel 18, a display 19, a storage unit 20, a control unit 21, and a blade motor 30. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on a sheet with a developer such as toner. The sheet is, for example, paper or label paper. The sheet may be any substance as long as an image can be formed on the surface thereof by the image forming apparatus 1.

The paper feed unit 11 includes a paper feed cassette 111 and a paper feed roller 112. One or more sheets are stored in the paper feed cassette 111. The paper feed roller 112 rotates to take out the sheets stored in the paper feed cassette 111 one by one, and the taken-out sheet is sent out in the conveyance path 110.

A conveyance path 110 for conveying a sheet to be subjected to image formation is provided inside the image forming apparatus 1. The conveying path 110 is formed by providing a plurality of conveying rollers 12 for a space through which a sheet can pass. The conveying roller 12 is driven to rotate by a motor, thereby conveying the sheet located on the conveying path 110.

The registration rollers 13 are provided midway in the conveyance path 110. The registration roller 13 is usually provided before the transfer section of the image forming section 14. The sheet conveyed in the conveying path 110 abuts against the non-rotating registration rollers 13, and the inclination of the sheet is corrected. After that, when the registration roller 13 rotates, the sheet with the corrected skew enters the image forming portion 14.

The image forming unit 14 forms an image on the sheet conveyed along the conveying path 110 based on the image information generated by the image reading unit 17 or the received image information. The image forming unit 14 includes, for example, a developing unit and a transfer unit. The image forming unit 14 forms an image by, for example, the following processing. The developer of the image forming portion 14 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum based on the image information. The developer of the image forming portion 14 forms a visible image by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image. The transferor of the image forming section 14 transfers the visible image onto a sheet.

The fixing section 15 heats and presses the sheet to fix the visible image on the sheet.

The sheet discharge unit 16 includes a sheet discharge tray 161. The paper discharge unit 16 discharges the sheet on which the visible image is fixed. For example, the sheet conveyed along the conveying path 110 may be discharged onto the paper discharge tray 161 after being biased by the conveying rollers 12.

The image reading unit 17 is, for example, a scanner. The image reading unit 17 reads image information to be read as the light and shade of light. The image reading unit 17 records the read image information. The recorded image information may be stored in the storage unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 or may be transmitted to another information processing apparatus via a network. The recorded image information may form an image on a sheet by the image forming portion 14.

The control panel 18 has a plurality of buttons. The control panel 18 accepts an operation by the user. The control panel 18 outputs a signal according to an operation performed by the user to the control section 21 of the image forming apparatus 1.

The display 19 is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display 19 displays various information about the image forming apparatus 1. The control panel 18 and the display 19 may also be configured as an integrated touch panel.

The storage unit 20 is configured by a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 20 stores data necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The storage unit 20 may temporarily store or save data of an image formed in the image forming apparatus 1.

The control Unit 21 is constituted by a processor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a memory. The control unit 21 reads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 20 in advance. The control unit 21 controls operations of the respective devices included in the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 21 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in accordance with the user operation performed on the control panel 18.

The vane motor 30 is driven under the control of the control unit 21. The paddle motor 30 rotates an agitating blade described later.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming unit 14. The image forming section 14 includes one or more process units 141, a secondary transfer roller 142, a secondary transfer counter roller 143, an intermediate transfer belt 144, one or more toner cartridges 145, one or more replenishment motors 146, and a transfer cleaner 147. A process unit 141, a toner cartridge 145, and a replenishment motor 146 are provided according to the type of toner. In the example of fig. 3, as the types of toners, there are yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). As the type of toner, toners different from these four toners may also be employed. For example, achromatic toner, fluorescent toner, or decorative toner. In fig. 3, functional portions corresponding to the toners of the respective colors are distinguished by marks such as "Y", "M", "C", and "K". For example, 141-Y represents a processing unit 141 for yellow.

The process unit 141 forms a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 144 as an endless belt. The process unit 141 includes a photosensitive drum 1401, a charger 1402, an exposure device 1403, a developing device 1404, a photosensitive body cleaner 1405, and a primary transfer roller 1406. Four processing units 141Y, M, C, K are provided in the same configuration.

The photosensitive drum 1401 forms an electrostatic latent image on its surface. The photosensitive drum 1401 is an image carrier. The photosensitive drum 1401 is, for example, a cylindrical drum. The photosensitive drum 1401 has a photosensitive material on the outer circumferential surface, and has a property of discharging static electricity only in a portion to which light is irradiated.

The charging unit 1402 electrostatically charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1401. The charging device 1402 is, for example, a needle electrode.

The exposure device 1403 forms an electrostatic latent image of an image to be formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1401. The exposure device 1403 is, for example, a laser irradiation device.

The developing device 1404 supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1401, and develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner. The photoreceptor cleaner 1405 removes the residual toner of the photoreceptor drum 1401. The removed toner is collected as waste toner in a waste toner box.

The primary transfer roller 1406 transfers the electrostatic latent image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1401 to the intermediate transfer belt 144.

The secondary transfer roller 142 transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 144 to a sheet.

The secondary transfer opposing roller 143 is located at a position opposing the secondary transfer roller 142 via the intermediate transfer belt 144. The secondary transfer counter roller 143 sandwiches the sheet between itself and the secondary transfer roller 142, and conveys the sheet to which the image is transferred.

The secondary transfer roller 142 and the secondary transfer counter roller 143 are provided on one side of the intermediate transfer belt 144 in the longitudinal direction. The other side of the intermediate transfer belt 144 in the longer direction is provided with a transfer cleaner 147. The transfer cleaner 147 removes residual toner of the intermediate transfer belt 144. The toner removed by the transfer cleaner 147 is collected as waste toner in a waste toner box.

The process unit 141 is provided with toner cartridges 145 filled with respective types of toners.

The replenishment motor 146 is driven to rotate a rotary stirring member (not shown) in the toner cartridge 145. Due to the rotation of the rotary stirring member, the toner in the toner cartridge 145 moves and falls to the developing device 1404 via the duct. By this operation, the toner in the toner cartridge 145 is supplied to the developing device 1404.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the waste toner cartridge 40. The waste toner cartridge 40 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus 1. The waste toner cartridge 40 is a specific example of a waste toner recovery container. The waste toner cartridge 40 includes a stirring blade 401, a detector 402, an accommodating portion 403, and a plurality of waste toner introduction ports 404.

The waste toner cartridge 40 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, and the gear connected to the stirring blade 401 is coupled to the blade motor 30. The stirring blade 401 is rotated by the driving of the blade motor 30. The stirring blade 401 rotates, and the waste toner in the waste toner cartridge 40 is transferred toward the detection unit 402, and the height thereof is substantially flattened.

The detection portion 402 detects the waste toner reaching a predetermined height. For example, the amount of waste toner in the waste toner box 40 increases as waste toner moves from the waste toner inlet 404 into the waste toner box 40. With this increase, the amount of waste toner near the detection portion 402 also increases. As the waste toner near the detection portion 402 accumulates, its height also becomes higher. When the height of the waste toner exceeds a predetermined threshold, the waste toner is detected by the detecting portion 402. The detection section 402 outputs the detection result of the waste toner to the control section 21.

The storage portion 403 is a space inside the waste toner cartridge 40 formed by the wall surface and the bottom surface of the waste toner cartridge. The storage portion 403 stores therein waste toner.

The waste toner inlet 404 is an opening for introducing waste toner generated in the image forming apparatus 1 into the accommodating portion 403 in the waste toner cartridge 40. For example, a waste toner inlet 404 is provided for each cleaner of the image forming portion 14. Specifically, the waste toner introduction port 404 may be provided separately for the transfer cleaner 147 and the photoconductor cleaner 1405 of each photoconductor. In the specific example of fig. 4, the waste toner generated by the transfer cleaner 147 moves from the waste toner inlet 404-B into the waste toner cartridge 40. The waste toner generated by the yellow photoreceptor cleaner 1405-Y is moved from the waste toner inlet 404-Y into the waste toner box 40. The waste toner introduction ports 404-M, 404-C, and 404-K are also the same.

Next, the control of the vane motor 30 by the control unit 21 during image formation in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. The control section 21 counts the amount of toner (replenishment amount) replenished from each toner cartridge 145 to the developing device 1404 for each type of toner. In the present embodiment, the drive time of the replenishment motor 146 is counted as a value indicating the replenishment amount. As the value indicating the replenishment amount, the number of rotations of the replenishment motor 146 may be counted, or another value may be used. Hereinafter, a value counted as a value indicating the replenishment amount is referred to as a "count value".

After obtaining the count value, the control section 21 obtains a coefficient corresponding to the type of toner for which the count value is obtained. The count value corresponding to the toner type may be stored in the storage section 20 in advance. The control section 21 corrects the obtained count value with a coefficient corresponding to the toner type. The higher the value of the coefficient, the higher the correction value. After that, the control unit 21 updates the integrated count value with the corrected count value. For example, the control unit 21 may update the integrated count value before updating by adding the corrected count value to the integrated count value before updating. The cumulative count value is a value commonly used regardless of the toner type.

The coefficient of each type of toner is set based on a predetermined reference with respect to the toner. For example, the coefficient may be set according to the position of the waste toner introduction port 404. Specifically, the lower the height of the position of the waste-toner introduction port 404, the higher the coefficient may be set. This is because the lower the height of the position of the waste toner introduction port 404 is, the more likely it is that the pile of waste toner reaches the height of the waste toner introduction port 404 with a smaller amount of waste toner. By setting such a coefficient, the stirring blade 401 is rotated in accordance with the toner having a lower height of the waste toner introduction port 404 to flatten the pile of waste toner, and it is possible to effectively prevent the pile of waste toner from reaching the waste toner introduction port 404 and inhibiting the introduction of waste toner.

For example, the coefficient may also be set according to whether the type of toner is a toner used in superimposition with other types of toners in the intermediate transfer belt 144. Specifically, in the case where the above-described type of toner is a toner used in superimposition with other types of toners in the intermediate transfer belt 144, a higher coefficient may be set than a toner that is not used in superimposition. As a specific example of the toner used in superimposition with other types of toners, there is a plurality of toners (C, M, Y) used in color printing. As a specific example of the toner that is not used in superposition, there is toner (K) used in monochrome printing. In the case of being used in superposition with other types of toners, reverse transfer is likely to occur. Once the reverse transfer occurs, other types of toner are also introduced as waste toner from the waste toner introduction port 404 thereof, and the amount of waste toner introduced from the waste toner introduction port 404 thereof increases. Therefore, there is a possibility that the pile of the waste toner reaches the height of the waste toner introduction port 404 with a smaller replenishment amount. By setting such a coefficient, the stirring blade 401 is rotated in accordance with the toner used in superimposition with other types of toners to flatten the pile of waste toner, and it is possible to effectively prevent the pile of waste toner from reaching the waste toner introduction port 404 and hindering the introduction of waste toner. On the other hand, by setting the coefficient of the toner that is not used in superimposition to be relatively low, it is possible to prevent the waste toner from being positively sent to the detection portion 402 and detected early.

For example, in the case where the type of toner is a toner used in superimposition with another type of toner in the intermediate transfer belt 144, further, a higher coefficient may be set as the position in the intermediate transfer belt 144 is located more downstream. This is because the reverse transfer is more likely to occur as the toner is located more downstream, and the amount of waste toner resulting from the reverse transfer is also increased.

For example, the coefficient may be set according to whether or not the photosensitive drum 1401 abuts against the intermediate transfer belt 144 during standby. Specifically, in the case of toner with which the photosensitive drum 1401 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 144 during standby (hereinafter referred to as "contact toner"), a lower coefficient may be set than in the case of toner with which the photosensitive drum 1401 is not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 144 during standby (hereinafter referred to as "separation toner"). In the case of the contact toner, the position between the photosensitive drum 1401 and the intermediate transfer belt 144 does not change during the period from the standby time to the image formation. Therefore, it is difficult to generate waste toner. On the other hand, in the case of the separated toner, the photosensitive drum 1401 and the intermediate transfer belt 144 come into contact with each other during a period from the standby time to the image formation, and therefore, a positional change occurs. At such contact timing, waste toner may be generated. Therefore, there is a possibility that the amount of waste toner generated by separating toner becomes larger than that of abutting toner. Based on such a matter, a higher coefficient is set for the separated toner, so that the waste toner can be more appropriately leveled out.

Based on the above, for example, the following coefficients can be set for the configurations shown in fig. 3 and 4. Note that, for example, in each type of toner, correction is performed once when counting up to 50.

Coefficient of K: 1.0 times of

Coefficient of C: 1.8 times of

Coefficient of M: 1.6 times of

Coefficient of Y: 1.5 times of

For example, in the case where the cumulative count value is obtained as 50+50+50+ 200 counts, 50 × 1.0+50 × 1.8+50 × 1.6+50 × 1.5 counts 295 counts are obtained as the cumulative count value in the present embodiment. Therefore, when such color printing is performed, the stirring blade 401 rotates at an earlier timing. On the other hand, in the case of performing monochrome printing, in the state where the integrated count value is obtained as 50 counts up to now, the integrated count value is obtained as 50 counts in the present embodiment. As described above, if the coefficient of K is 1.0 times, the cumulative count value of the previous and present embodiments does not change when monochrome printing is performed. However, in the case of performing monochrome printing, it is possible to prevent the stirring blade 401 from unnecessarily rotating prematurely.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. In developing device 1404, when a predetermined reference indicating that the toner amount is small is satisfied, control unit 21 drives replenishment motor 146 corresponding to the type of toner satisfying the reference. The toner is replenished to developing device 1404 having a reduced toner amount by driving replenishment motor 146. The control unit 21 obtains a count value (ACT101) according to the driving of the replenishment motor 146. Further, the control section 21 acquires a coefficient corresponding to the replenished toner (ACT 102). The control section 21 corrects the count value using the acquired coefficient (ACT 103). The control unit 21 updates the integrated count value using the corrected count value (ACT 104). The control section 21 determines whether or not the updated integrated count value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (agitation threshold value) (ACT 105). When the updated cumulative count value is lower than the agitation threshold value (ACT105 — no), the process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, when the updated cumulative count value is equal to or greater than the predetermined agitation threshold value (ACT105 — yes), the control unit rotates the agitation blade 401 by driving the blade motor 30 (ACT 106).

With this configuration, the waste toner can be efficiently collected in the waste toner collecting container (waste toner cartridge 40). Specifically, a coefficient is set for each type of toner, and the count value is corrected with the coefficient, thereby obtaining a count value corresponding to the type of toner. Therefore, the rotation of the stirring blade 401 can be controlled according to the accumulation characteristics of the waste toner corresponding to the toner type.

In the above example, the correction is performed once when the count reaches 50 for each type of toner, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the replenishment motor 146 is counted based on its on time (e.g., every 12 ms), and the replenishment motor 146 is turned off and stops counting. The count value obtained at this time may be multiplied by a coefficient to perform correction.

While several embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof. For example, the coefficient may be set and changed by an administrator of the image forming apparatus 1 or a person who performs maintenance.