Image forming apparatus, method for controlling image forming apparatus, and toner cartridge
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYosuke Imamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to one embodiment, a developing device forms a toner image on a photoconductive image carrier with toner supplied from a toner cartridge. A toner supply motor supplies the toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device based on the toner concentration. A processor detects an empty toner based on a toner supply rate, a print rate of the image data, and toner characteristics that are characteristics of the toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device, the toner supply rate being calculated based on a pixel count value that is an integrated value of pixel values of the image data and a toner supply motor count value that is an integrated value of drive times of the toner supply motor.
Claims19
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a photoconductive image carrier;
- an exposure device configured to expose the photoconductive image carrier based on image data;
- a developing device configured to form a toner image on the photoconductive image carrier by toner supplied from a toner cartridge;
- a toner supply motor configured to supply the toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device;
- and
- a processor configured to
- determine a threshold based on
- a print rate of the image data, and
- toner characteristics of the toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device, and
- detect an empty toner based on
- a pixel count value derived from an integrated value of pixel values of the image data,
- a toner supply motor count value derived from an integrated value of drive times of the toner supply motor, and
- the threshold.
A method for an image forming apparatus including a photoconductive image carrier, an exposure device that exposes the photoconductive image carrier based on image data, a developing device that forms a toner image on the photoconductive image carrier by toner supplied from a toner cartridge, a toner supply motor that supplies the toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device, and a processor, the method comprising:
- determining a threshold based on
- a print rate of the image data, and
- toner characteristics of the toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device;
- and
- detecting an empty toner based on
- a pixel count value derived from an integrated value of pixel values of the image data,
- a toner supply motor count value derived from an integrated value of drive times of the toner supply motor, and
- the threshold.
A toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a toner storage container configured to hold toner;
- a toner delivery mechanism configured to deliver the toner in the toner storage container to a developing device;
- and
- a non-transitory memory configured to store a control table showing a correlation between a toner supply rate threshold to be compared with a print rate of the image data, toner characteristics of the toner, a pixel count value of the image data, and a toner supply motor count value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.