US 10,895,838 B2Granted

Image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsHidenori Matsumoto, Yousuke Hata, Masahiro Shinotsuka, Tatsuya Suzuki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a mounting unit to which a developer container is mounted, a controller to control a motor to rotate the mounted container, and a sensor to detect a predetermined portion in which the mounted container is rotated. The controller determines whether the container is mounted based on the detection result of the sensor, wherein the controller controls the motor based on the detection result so that a rotation speed of the mounted container is equal to a predetermined rotation speed. After a door is opened, in a case where, while communication between a communication unit and a memory is maintained, a detection result of the sensor is changed from a first detection result in which the predetermined portion is detected to a second detection result in which the predetermined portion is not detected, the controller determines the mounted container has been manually rotated.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image forming unit configured to form an image by using a developer;
a mounting unit to which a container is to be mounted, wherein the container contains a developer;
a motor;
a controller configured to control the motor to rotate the container mounted to the mounting unit, wherein the developer is replenished by rotating the container mounted to the mounting unit;
a sensor configured to detect a predetermined portion of the container, wherein the predetermined portion is arranged in a rotation direction of the container;
and
a communication unit configured to communicate with a memory of the container mounted to the mounting unit,
wherein the controller is configured to control rotation of the container mounted to the mounting unit based on a detection result of the sensor;
and
wherein the controller is configured to determine the container was manually rotated without removing the container from the mounting unit based on the detection result of the sensor and a state of communication between the communication unit and the memory.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/452,729Filed 26 Jun 2019
Priority: JP 2018-1262412 Jul 2018
Published: US 2020/0004188 A12 Jan 2020
Granted: 19 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G03G 15/5016
Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode…:…
G03G 15/556
Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job: for…
G03G 21/1633
Means to access the interior of the apparatus: using doors or covers
G03G 21/1676
Means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus: for the developer unit