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US 7,742,708 B2Granted
Image forming device and cartridge in which an amount of developer is detectable
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYuki Fukusada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming device includes a device body, a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate material which includes one of consumable material and waste material, a sensor configured to emit and receive sensing light and give a detection value corresponding to an amount of the material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the sensing light received thereby, a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection value given by the sensor whether the cartridge is a new one.
Claims14
An image forming device, comprising:
- a device body;
- a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate waste material;
- a sensor configured to emit and receive sensing light across the cartridge and provide a detection value corresponding to an amount of the waste material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the received sensing light;
- a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor regardless of the amount of the waste material in the cartridge;
- and
- a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection value provided by the sensor whether the cartridge is new regardless of the amount of the waste material in the cartridge.
3 more elements
An image forming device, comprising:
- a device body;
- a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate waste material;
- a plurality of sensors configured to emit and receive sensing light across the cartridge and provide detection values corresponding to an amount of the waste material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the received sensing light;
- a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the plurality of sensors;
- and
- a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection values provided by the plurality of sensors whether the cartridge is new, wherein the judging unit acquires the detection value provided by each of the plurality of sensors as one of two values,
- wherein the received light changing member changes intensity of the sensing light received by each of the plurality of sensors such that a detection value provided by part of the plurality of sensors is different from a detection value provided by other of the plurality of sensors,
- wherein the received light changing member changes the intensity of the sensing light received by each of the plurality of sensors such that the detection values to be provided by the part of the plurality of sensors and the other of the plurality of sensors are reversed so as to be different from each other, and
- wherein the judging unit judges that the cartridge is new in a case where the detection values provided by the part of the plurality of sensors and the other of the plurality of sensors are reversed so as to be different from each other.
6 more elements
An image forming device, comprising:
- a device body;
- a cartridge detachably attached to the device body so as to accommodate waste material;
- a sensor configured to emit and receive sensing light across the cartridge and provide a detection value corresponding to an amount of the waste material in the cartridge which amount is detected based upon an intensity of the received sensing light;
- a received light changing member configured to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor;
- and
- a judging unit configured to judge based upon a change of the detection value provided by the sensor whether the cartridge is new,
- wherein the received light changing member is belt-shaped with a pattern formed in a longitudinal direction thereof to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and movable in the longitudinal direction.
4 more elements
A cartridge configured to be detachably attached to an image forming device, comprising:
- a chamber configured to accommodate waste material, wherein the chamber comprises a transparent portion configured such that sensing light for detecting an amount of the waste material in the chamber, which is emitted by a light emitter of the image forming device, is transmitted through the transparent portion to a light receiver of the image forming device;
- and
- a received light changing member configured to be non-recursively moved from an initial state to a final state so as to change an intensity of the sensing light received by the light receiver by cutting across an optical path of the sensing light transmitted through the transparent portion in a non-recursive movement thereof from the initial state to the final state,
- wherein the received light changing member is belt-shaped with a pattern formed in a longitudinal direction thereof to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and movable in the longitudinal direction.
1 more element
A cartridge configured to be detachably attached to an image forming device, comprising:
- a chamber configured to accommodate material;
- and
- a received light changing member configured to be non-recursively moved from an initial state to a final state so as to change an intensity of the sensing light and to allow an amount of the material in the chamber to be detected in a non-recursive movement thereof from the initial state to the final state,
- wherein the received light changing member is belt-shaped with a pattern formed in a longitudinal direction thereof to change the intensity of the sensing light received by the sensor, and movable in the longitudinal direction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.