Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Consumable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2003-01-07
Ngo, Hoang (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Consumable
C399S064000, C399S111000, C399S119000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer remaining amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
In the present specification, the process cartridge integrates charging means, developing means or cleaning means with an electrophotographic photosensitive member into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable on an image forming apparatus main body. Also, the process cartridge integrates at least one of the charging means, the developing means and the cleaning means with the electrophotographic photosensitive member into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus main body. Further, the process cartridge integrates at least the developing means with the electrophotographic photosensitive member into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus main body.
Also, the developing device includes the developing means and a developer containing portion and develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member with a developer to visualize the image.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, there has been applied a process-cartridge system, that is, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means that acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated together into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus main body. According to the process cartridge system, since the maintenance of the apparatus can be conducted by a user per se instead of an attendant, the operability can be remarkably improved. For that reason, the process-cartridge system has been widely employed in the image forming apparatus.
In the above electrophotographic image forming apparatus, when the remaining amount of a developer (toner) contained in the developer containing portion of the developing means provided in the process cartridge is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, a user is notified of no toner and urged to exchange the process cartridge.
A conventional toner remaining amount detecting method of the light transmission type will be described with reference to FIG.
14
.
FIG. 14
is an explanatory diagram showing the toner remaining amount detecting structure of a developing device provided in a process cartridge.
In
FIG. 14
, reference numeral
104
denotes a developing device with a developer container
116
that contains toner T therein. An agitating member
112
is disposed within the developer container
116
. The toner T is carried to a supply roller
111
with the rotation the agitating member
112
. A lower light transmission window
114
a
and an upper light transmission window
114
b
for transmission of a light are fitted onto the developer container
116
. The lower light transmission window
114
a
is disposed just below the rotating center of the agitating member
112
, and the upper light transmission window
114
b
is disposed on a rear wall
116
a
. The lower light transmission window
114
a
and the upper light transmission window
114
b
form an optical path that transmits a detection light for detecting the remaining amount of developer. The agitating member
112
comes in contact with the lower light transmission window
114
a
and the upper light transmission window
114
b
every time the agitating member
112
rotates so as to wipe off the toner T stuck onto the inner sides of the respective light transmission windows
114
a
and
114
b.
Light transmission is performed in such a manner that detection light L is emitted from a light emitting portion
115
a
fitted on the image forming apparatus main body (not shown), and the detection light L is transmitted by the lower light transmission window
114
a
and then transmitted by the upper light transmission window
114
b.
Thereafter, the detection light L is received by a light receiving portion
115
b
fitted onto the image forming apparatus main body.
The toner T within the developer container
116
is increasingly consumed in proportion to the image forming operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, thereby coming to a state where the toner T remains only in a region portion of the supply roller
111
and the rotation region of the agitating member
112
. When the toner T is further consumed such that the amount of toner T in the rotation region of the agitating member
112
is so reduced as to be substantially empty, the light is transmitted from the lower light transmission window
114
a
toward the upper light transmission window
114
b
, resulting in a state where the remaining amount of toner T is detectable.
In that state, how long the detection light L is received by the light receiving portion
115
b
during one revolution of the agitating member
112
is monitored. In this case, because the amount of toner T in the rotation region of the agitating member
112
within the developer container
116
is reduced, a period of time during which the detection light L is received by the light receiving portion
115
b
increases. Then, when the light receiving portion
116
b
detects the detection light L for a specific light receiving period of time (a set light receiving period of time for detecting no toner), the user is notified of the fact that the toner becomes almost empty in the developer container
116
.
In the above developing device, when the amount of toner in the rotation region of the agitating member within the developer container is so reduced as to be nearly empty, the lower light transmission window and the upper light transmission window start to transmit the detection light for detecting the remaining amount of toner. This is because the detection light transmitted through the lower light transmission window disposed below the rotating center of the agitating member is prevented from being blocked with the toner since the amount of toner in the rotation region of the agitating member is so reduced as to be nearly empty. Accordingly, at the time when the user is informed of no toner, the toner hardly exists within the developer container.
The invention further develops the aforementioned conventional art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The prevent invention has been made to further improve the above related art, and therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which are capable of successively detecting the remaining amount of developer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer remaining amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which are capable of detecting the remaining amount of developer from a stage where the developer remains in the developer containing portion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which are capable of successively detecting the remaining amount of developer by using a variation in light amount.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which are capable of successively detecting the remaining amount of developer on the basis of a period of time during which a light is blocked with the developer carried by a developer carrying member.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a developer remaining amount detecting method, a developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which are capable of successively detecting the remaining amount
Miura Koji
Miyamoto Jun
Suzuki Tatsuya
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ngo Hoang
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