Image forming apparatus and toner cartridge
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorSho Koike
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Abstract
The image forming apparatus includes a developing device, a toner container, a first mechanism, a toner sensor, and a controller. The developing device adheres toner to an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor to form a toner image. The toner container supplies toner to the developing device. The first mechanism causes a toner interface to undulate in the toner container. The toner sensor detects a capacitance between a first electrode and a second electrode arranged apart from the first electrode. The controller determines a remaining amount of toner in the toner container based on detection information from the toner sensor.
Claims13
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a developer configured to adhere toner to an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor to form a toner image;
- a toner container configured to supply toner to the developer, a toner interface being provided as a boundary between toner filled in the toner container and space in the toner container, the toner interface configured to undulate in the toner container;
- a toner sensor configured to detect a capacitance between a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart below from the first electrode;
- a controller configured to determine a remaining amount of toner in the toner container based on detection information from the toner sensor;
- and
- a first toner supply configured to supply toner from a toner cartridge to the toner container,
- the controller being configured to control the operation of the first toner supply based on the determination of the remaining amount of toner in the toner container,
- the toner container comprises a second toner supply configured to supply toner to the developer, and
- the controller is configured to determine the remaining amount of toner in the toner container based on detection information from the toner sensor when the toner is filled in the toner container to a position of the toner interface higher than the first electrode and then the second toner supply operates by a predetermined amount or more.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a developer configured to adhere toner to an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor to form a toner image;
- a first toner supply configured to supply toner from a toner cartridge to the developer;
- a mechanism configured to cause a toner interface to undulate in the toner cartridge, the toner interface being a boundary between toner filled in the toner cartridge and space in the toner cartridge;
- a toner sensor configured to detect a capacitance between a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart below the first electrode;
- and
- a controller configured to determine a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge based on detection information from the toner sensor, wherein
- the controller is configured to control the operation of the first toner supply based on the determination of the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge,
- a second toner supply configured to supply toner to the developer, and
- the controller is configured to determine the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge based on detection information from the toner sensor when the toner is filled in the toner cartridge to a position of the toner interface higher than the first electrode and then the second toner supply operates by a predetermined amount or more.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.