Method and apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, stirring toner, and detecting the amount of remaining toner

An apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, comprising:

• a motor for rotating a toner bottle;
• a motor driver for driving said motor;
• a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of said toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal;
• and
• a CPU for controlling said motor driver and discriminating said toner bottle by using the sensor signal,
• wherein said CPU rotates said toner bottle by controlling said motor driver, senses said object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of said toner bottle by using said sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed,
• checks, if said object is sensed, whether said object is formed at a predetermined ratio on the outer surface of said toner bottle, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not formed at the predetermined ratio, and outputs information indicating normality if said object is formed at the predetermined ratio.

A toner bottle adapted to fit an apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, wherein

• said toner bottle type discriminating apparatus comprises:
• a motor for rotating a toner bottle;
• a motor driver for driving said motor;
• a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of said toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal;
• and
• a CPU for controlling said motor driver and discriminating said toner bottle by using the sensor signal, and
• said CPU rotates said toner bottle by controlling said motor driver, senses said object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of said toner bottle by using said sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed,
• checks, if said object is sensed, whether said object is formed at a predetermined ratio on the outer surface of said toner bottle, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not formed at the predetermined ratio, and outputs information indicating normality if said object is formed at the predetermined ratio.

A method of stirring toner and discriminating toner bottle types, comprising the steps of:

• rotating a toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, sensing an object to be sensed assumed to be formed on an outer surface of said toner bottle and, if said object is not sensed, outputting information indicating abnormality;
• and
• rotating said toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction, sensing said object by using said sensor and, if said object is not sensed, outputting information indicating abnormality,
• wherein toner is stirred by rotating said toner bottle through the predetermined angles in the forward and reverse directions.

An apparatus for stirring toner and discriminating toner bottle types, comprising:

• a motor for rotating a toner bottle;
• a motor driver for driving said motor;
• a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of said toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal;
• and
• a CPU for controlling said motor driver and receiving the sensor signal,
• wherein said CPU controls said motor driver to rotate said toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, senses said object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of said toner bottle by using said sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed,
• rotates said toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction, senses said object by using said sensor, and outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed.

A toner bottle adapted to fit an apparatus for stirring toner and discriminating toner bottle types, wherein

• said toner stirring and toner bottle type discriminating apparatus comprises:
• a motor for rotating a toner bottle;
• a motor driver for driving said motor;
• a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of said toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal;
• and
• a CPU for controlling said motor driver and receiving the sensor signal, and
• said CPU controls said motor driver to rotate said toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, senses said object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of said toner bottle by using said sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed,
• rotates said toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction, senses said object by using said sensor, and outputs information indicating abnormality if said object is not sensed.

A method of detecting the amount of remaining toner, comprising the steps of:

• rotating a toner bottle and sensing the rotational speed by using a sensor;
• and
• detecting the amount of remaining toner in said toner bottle on the basis of the sensed rotational speed,
• wherein the step of sensing the rotational speed of said toner bottle comprises:
• rotating said toner bottle, sensing one end portion of an object to be sensed of said toner bottle by using said sensor, and detecting a first time interval from the timing of sensing to the timing at which said sensor senses the other end portion;
• detecting a second time interval from the timing at which said sensor senses the other end portion of said object to the timing at which said sensor senses the one end portion;
• and
• calculating the rotational speed of said toner bottle by using the first and second time intervals.

An apparatus for detecting the amount of remaining toner, comprising:

• a motor for rotating a toner bottle;
• a motor driver for driving said motor;
• a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of said toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal;
• and
• a CPU for controlling said motor driver and detecting the amount of remaining toner by using the sensor signal,
• wherein said CPU controls said motor driver to rotate said toner bottle by said motor and detects the amount of remaining toner in said toner bottle on the basis of the output sensor signal from said sensor.