Remaining toner quantity detector, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge comprising:

• a photoconductor;
• a charger to charge a surface of the photoconductor;
• a developing device configured to adhere toner onto an electrostatic latent image formed by exposing partially the photoconductor charged by the charger, thereby forming a toner image;
• a toner bottle having a formed projection provided rotatably so as to feed toner to the developing device;
• a detector configured to detect the projection of the toner bottle which is rotated;
• a counter configured to count the number of rotations of the toner bottle by the detector and integrate the count;
• and
• a discriminator configured to discriminate a toner quantity in the toner bottle on the basis of the integrated value by the counter.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a photoconductor;
• a charger to charge a surface of the photoconductor;
• an exposure device configured to form an electrostatic latent image by exposing the surface of the photoconductor charged by the charger;
• a developing device configured to adhere toner onto the electrostatic latent image, thereby forming a toner image;
• a toner bottle having a formed projection provided rotatably so as to feed toner to the developing device;
• a detector to detect the projection of the rotary toner bottle;
• a counter configured to count the number of rotations of the toner bottle by the detector and integrate the count;
• and
• a discriminator configured to discriminate a toner quantity in the toner bottle on the basis of the integrated value by the counter.

A remaining toner quantity detecting method, comprising:

• rotating a toner bottle containing a toner and having a projection formed on the toner bottle;
• detecting the projection of the toner bottle while the toner bottle is rotating;
• counting the number of rotations of the toner bottle by detecting the projection and integrating the count to obtain an integrated value;
• and
• discriminating a toner quantity in the toner bottle on the basis of the integrated value.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a toner bottle having a projection, in which on an inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle, a spiral projecting portion is formed, and when the toner bottle rotates, by a movement of the spiral projecting portion, the toner in the toner bottle is conveyed from one side to the other side, and an opening is formed so that when the toner is conveyed from one side to the other side, the toner is discharged externally;
• a rotation structure configured to rotate the toner bottle in the first direction and in the opposite second direction;
• a detector to detect the projection;
• and
• a controller configured to control the rotation structure,
• wherein the controller rotates the toner bottle in the first direction via the rotation structure, detects the projection of the toner bottle and counts the number of rotations, discriminates a toner quantity in the toner bottle on the basis of the count, rotates the toner bottle in the second direction via the rotation structure, and discriminates the classification of the toner bottle on the basis of the time interval of detection of the projection by the detector.

A toner bottle supported by a rotation structure of an image forming apparatus and detected for a rotation by a detector comprising:

• a spiral projecting portion formed on an inner peripheral surface so as to convey stored toner from one side to the other side by rotation;
• an opening formed so as to discharge externally the toner when the toner is conveyed from one side to the other side;
• and
• a single projection provided in the neighborhood of the opening and is detected by the detector,
• wherein by detecting the single projection by the detector, a classification of the toner bottle and a toner quantity in the toner bottle are detected.