Image forming method, image forming device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses an image forming method, an image forming device and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of image forming. The method is executed in the image forming device, the image forming device comprises a first imaging assembly and a second imaging assembly, and the method comprises the following steps: determining stop time of the imaging assembly executing the imaging operation within unit time when one of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly does not execute the imaging operation; determining first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging assembly; and controlling the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to execute stirring operation according to the first stirring time. The first stirring time is combined with the actual use condition of the imaging assembly, so that the first stirring time is more close to the theoretical practice of full stirring of the imaging assembly, overlong stirring time caused by improper stirring time of the imaging assembly can be effectively reduced, the corresponding waiting time of a user is long, and the user experience is improved. And unnecessary time consumption is avoided, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of image forming technology, and in particular to an image forming method, an image forming device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the imaging components need to be fully stirred before the image forming device is turned on or performs an imaging operation. The purpose of doing so is to make the agglomerated carbon powder more uniform and fully charged, thereby ensuring a good image effect for the imaging operation. However, when calculating the stirring time of the imaging components, most people do not pay much attention to or utilize the actual usage of each imaging component. The stirring time calculated in this way is likely to be inappropriate, resulting in an excessively long stirring time, causing users to wait unnecessarily, and affecting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an image forming method, an image forming device, and a storage medium, which are used to solve the problem that the stirring time is easily not appropriate, resulting in too long stirring time, causing unnecessary waiting time for users, and affecting the user experience.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming method, which is executed on an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus including a first imaging component and a second imaging component, the method comprising: If one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, a stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined; determining a first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component; The first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0005] The image forming method of the present invention determines the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation after determining that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed the imaging operation within a unit time, and determines the first stirring time based on the stop time, and then controls the stirring operation of the first imaging component and the second imaging component based on the first stirring time. Since the first stirring time is combined with the actual use of the imaging component, the first stirring time is more in line with the theoretical practice of sufficient stirring of the imaging component, which can effectively reduce the stirring time that is too long due to inappropriate stirring time of the imaging component, the corresponding user's waiting time is long, causing unnecessary time consumption, and other problems, which is conducive to improving user experience.

[0006] In some embodiments, if one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, determining the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation includes: Obtaining a stop time of the first imaging component and a stop time of the second imaging component, and determining a first time difference according to the two stop times; If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component.

[0007] In some embodiments, determining the first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component includes: The first stirring time is determined according to a minimum value of a stop time of the first imaging assembly and a stop time of the second imaging assembly.

[0008] In some embodiments, determining the first stirring time according to the minimum of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: If the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, determining the first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time; and / or If the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0009] In some embodiments, obtaining the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: determining whether the number of pages on which the first imaging assembly has performed an imaging operation has changed, and if so, determining a stop time of the first imaging assembly based on a time when the first imaging assembly last performed the imaging operation; If the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component does not change, determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; and / or determining whether the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, and if so, determining a stop time of the second imaging component based on a time when the second imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation does not change, the stop time of the second imaging component is determined based on the accumulated stop time of the second imaging component.

[0010] In some embodiments, comprising: When the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component are acquired, and a first time difference is determined according to the two stop times.

[0011] In some embodiments, determining the first stirring time according to the minimum of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: calculating a second stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controlling stirring operations of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; Calculating a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, determining a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time and storing the difference, and clearing the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly; When receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, the first stirring time is determined according to the second time difference.

[0012] In some embodiments, upon receiving an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on an imaging component corresponding to a maximum of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, determining the first stirring time based on the second time difference includes: When an instruction is received to perform the imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, the fourth stirring time is confirmed again based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first stirring time is confirmed based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

[0013] In some embodiments, comprising: If the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, the fifth stirring time is confirmed according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

[0014] In some embodiments, comprising: If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, confirm whether the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time; If the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; If the time for performing the first stirring operation is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a first imaging assembly; a second imaging assembly; A control unit is configured to determine that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, determine a stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation, and determine a first stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component, thereby controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform a stirring operation based on the first stirring time.

[0016] In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to determine that one of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, and determine a stop time of the imaging assembly that has performed the imaging operation, including: The control unit acquires the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and determines a first time difference according to the two stop times; If the control unit determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control unit determines the first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component, including: The control unit determines the first stirring time according to a minimum value of a stop time of the first imaging assembly and a stop time of the second imaging assembly.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control unit determines the first stirring time according to a minimum value of a stop time of the first imaging component and a stop time of the second imaging component, including: If the control unit determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, then determining the first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time; and / or If the control unit determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0019] In some embodiments, the control unit obtains the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit determines whether the number of pages on which the first imaging component performs an imaging operation has changed, and if the number of pages on which the first imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, determines a stop time of the first imaging component based on a time when the first imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the control unit determines that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed, determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; and / or If the control unit determines whether the number of pages on which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, then if so, determining a stop time of the second imaging component based on a time when the second imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the control unit determines that the number of pages of the image forming operation performed by the second image forming assembly has not changed, the control unit determines a stop time of the second image forming assembly based on a cumulative stop time of the second image forming assembly.

[0020] In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to obtain a stop time of the first imaging component and a stop time of the second imaging component when the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, and determine a first time difference based on the two stop times.

[0021] In some embodiments, the control unit determines the first stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit calculates a second stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controls the stirring operation of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; The control unit calculates a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, determines a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time, stores the second time difference, and clears the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly; The control unit determines the first stirring time according to the second time difference when receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation.

[0022] In some embodiments, upon receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, the control unit determines the first stirring time according to the second time difference, including: When the control unit receives an instruction to perform the imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, it again confirms the fourth stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and confirms the first stirring time based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

[0023] In some embodiments, if the control unit determines that the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, the fifth stirring time is confirmed based on the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

[0024] In some embodiments, if the control unit determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, confirm whether the first stirring time is greater than a preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit determines that the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the control unit controls the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to perform the stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit determines that the first stirring time is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the control unit controls the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor. The computer program is executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the image forming method according to the first aspect.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable a processor to implement the image forming method according to the first aspect when executed.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the image forming method, image forming device, and storage medium of the present invention determine the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation after determining that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed the imaging operation within a unit time, and determine the first stirring time according to the stop time, and then control the stirring operation of the first imaging component and the second imaging component according to the first stirring time. Since the first stirring time is combined with the actual use of the imaging component, the first stirring time is more in line with the theoretical practice of sufficient stirring of the imaging component, which can effectively reduce the stirring time that is too long due to inappropriate stirring time of the imaging component, the corresponding user's waiting time is long, causing unnecessary time consumption, and other problems, which is conducive to improving user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A first cross-sectional view of a toner supply unit, a toner cartridge unit, and a developer cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A second cross-sectional view of a toner supply unit, a toner cartridge unit, and a developer cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a developing cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A structural diagram of a toner supply unit transmission box and a toner supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a transmission box of a toner supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a toner supply unit according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8This is a structural diagram from a first perspective of a powder lowering screw and a powder lowering screw gear according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the powder lowering screw and the powder lowering screw gear from a second perspective according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 is a flow chart of an image forming method according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 A flowchart of confirming the stop time of an imaging component that has performed an imaging operation according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a flow chart for determining the first stirring time according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 A flowchart of confirming a first time difference when an image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 14 A flow chart of determining a first time difference according to whether the number of pages imaged by a first imaging component has changed according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 15 A flow chart of determining a first time difference according to whether the number of pages imaged by the second imaging component has changed according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 16 Another flow chart for determining the first stirring time according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 17 Another flow chart for determining the first stirring time according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 18 This is a flow chart of performing stirring when the first time difference is no greater than the unit time according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 19 A flowchart of confirming whether the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time when the first time difference is greater than the unit time according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 20 is another flow chart of an image forming method according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 21 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] The embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming device, including but not limited to a printer, a copier, a fax machine, a scanner, and a multifunction device integrating printing, copying, faxing, scanning, etc., which is used to print images or text on an imaging medium. Figure 1As shown, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit A and a paper feeding section B provided below the image forming unit A. The paper feeding section B includes a paper feeding cassette 22 containing a print medium S, so that the print medium S in the paper feeding cassette 22 is supplied to the image forming unit A. The image forming unit A transfers and fixes a developer image formed using toner of each color, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), onto the print medium S supplied by the paper feeding section B.

[0031] The image forming unit A includes an intermediate transfer belt 25 arranged substantially horizontally. The intermediate transfer belt 25 is wound around a pair of transfer belt driving rollers 23 and 24 and is driven by a motor (not shown) to move in a direction indicated by an arrow X.

[0032] Image forming unit A includes imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, positioned below intermediate transfer belt 25. These units are arranged along the direction of the intermediate transfer belt 25's rotation and form developer images using toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Imaging units 10Y, 10M, and 10C form a first imaging assembly, part of the color channel (hereinafter referred to as the YMC channel). Imaging unit 10K forms a second imaging assembly, part of the black-and-white channel (hereinafter referred to as the K channel).

[0033] The image forming unit A includes toner cartridge units 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K which are detachably mounted above the intermediate transfer belt 25 and are located above the imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, respectively, with the intermediate transfer belt 25 sandwiched therebetween. The toner cartridge units 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K contain toner of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The toner contained in the toner cartridge units 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K is supplied to the imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K through toner supply assemblies 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K.

[0034] The imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K respectively include photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, which are opposite to the intermediate transfer belt 25 below the intermediate transfer belt 25 and can rotate. Photosensitive layers are provided on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, and can rotate in the directions indicated by arrows Z respectively.

[0035] The imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K respectively include cleaning parts 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K for sweeping off residual toner on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, and charging rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K for uniformly carrying a specified electric potential to the photosensitive layers of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K.

[0036] The laser scanning unit 28 below the image forming unit A irradiates the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K charged by the charging rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K with laser beams LY, LM, LC, and LK.

[0037] The imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K respectively include detachable developing boxes 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K. The developing boxes 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K respectively use two-component developers of Y, M, C, and K colors of toner and a magnetic carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K.

[0038] The image forming unit A includes primary transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K above the imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. Since the primary transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K are applied with a transfer bias voltage, an electric field is formed between the primary transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K and the corresponding photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. The respective developer images formed on the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are affected by the electric fields formed respectively between the primary transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K and the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, and are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 25 for the primary time.

[0039] The image forming unit A includes a secondary transfer roller 26, to which a transfer bias voltage is applied. By applying the transfer bias voltage, an electric field is formed between the secondary transfer roller 26 and the intermediate transfer belt 25. When the print medium S is transported from the paper feed box 22 along the print medium transport path 21 to between the secondary transfer roller 26 and the intermediate transfer belt 25, the developer image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 25 is affected by the electric field formed between the secondary transfer roller 26 and the intermediate transfer belt 25, and is transferred secondarily to the print medium S.

[0040] Image forming unit A includes a fixing device 30, which consists of a heating element 31 and a pressure roller 32 that work together. The heating element 31 can be composed of a heating roller and a halogen lamp, or a heating ceramic sheet and a fixing film. A heating lamp 33 is located at the core of the heating element 31 to heat the heating roller 31. Alternatively, the heating ceramic sheet can also be used for heating. The unfixed developer image on the print medium S is fixed by the heat and pressure applied while passing through the fixing nip formed by the heating element 31 and the pressure roller 32. After the developer image is fixed, the print medium S is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 23 via the paper discharge roller 24.

[0041] The image forming unit A also includes a control unit 41 that controls the imaging units 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K, the fixing device 30, the paper feeding unit B, etc., and an MFP (multi-function printer) control unit 42 that processes image data input from an operation panel, image data input from an external terminal device, etc. via a network such as a LAN, etc.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the image forming unit A further includes a toner supply unit transmission box 19A, 19B, the toner supply unit transmission box 19A, 19B and the toner supply components 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K, the powder cartridge units 17Y, 17M, 17C, 17K together constitute the toner supply unit 19, the toner supply unit transmission box 19A is used to drive the toner supply components 19Y, 19M and the powder cartridge units 17Y, 17M, the toner supply unit transmission box 19B is used to drive the toner supply components 19C, 19K and the powder cartridge units 17C, 17K, and the toner supply components 19Y, 19M and 17C are driven by the toner supply components 19Y, 19M and the powder cartridge units 17Y, 17M. 19M, 19C, and 19K have one and only one rotation direction when being driven. The powder cartridge units 17Y and 17M will supply the toner stored in them to the toner supply components 19Y and 19M when being driven. The powder cartridge units 17C and 17K will supply the toner stored in them to the toner supply components 19C and 19K when being driven. The toner supply components 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K will supply the toner supplied in the powder cartridge units 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K to the developing boxes 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K when being driven.

[0043] like Figure 3 and Figure 7-Figure 9As shown, the powder cartridge unit 17Y has a stirring frame 17Y1, and the toner supply unit transmission box 19A stirs the toner stored in the powder cartridge unit 17Y by driving the stirring frame 17Y1 to rotate, and supplies the stirred toner to the toner supply assembly 19Y. The toner supply assembly 19Y includes a housing 19Y1, a powder lowering screw (i.e., a toner supply screw) 19Y2, a powder lowering screw gear 19Y3, and a connecting pipe 19Y4. The powder lowering screw 19Y2 is rotatably mounted in the housing 19Y1, the powder lowering screw gear 19Y3 is mounted at the end of the powder lowering screw 19Y2, and the connecting pipe 19Y4 connects the housing 19Y1 and the developing cartridge 14Y; the toner supply unit transmission box 19 A drives the powder lower screw 19Y2 to rotate through the powder lower screw gear 19Y3 of the toner supply assembly 19Y to supply the toner supplied by the powder cartridge unit 17Y to the developer box 14Y. The structures of the other powder cartridge units 17M, 17C, and 17K are consistent with those of the powder cartridge unit 17Y. The other toner supply assemblies 19M, 19C, and 19K are consistent with the toner supply assembly 19Y. The process of the powder cartridge units 17M, 17C, and 17K supplying toner to the developer boxes 14M, 14C, and 14K through the toner supply assemblies 19M, 19C, and 19K can refer to the process of the powder cartridge unit 17Y supplying toner to the developer box 14Y through the toner supply assembly 19Y, so it will not be repeated here.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the structures of the developing cartridges 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K are the same. The specific structure of the developing cartridge 14Y will now be described. The structures of the other developing cartridges 14M, 14C, and 14K can refer to the developing cartridge 14Y. The developing cartridge 14Y is provided with a magnetic roller (not shown), a concentration detection sensor 14Y1, a powder feeding screw 14Y2, a powder mixing screw 14Y3, and a developer 14Y4 (a mixture of carbon powder and carrier); the powder mixing screw 14Y3 is used to stir the developer 14Y4 in the developing cartridge 14Y and supply the stirred developer 14Y4 to the powder feeding screw 14Y2 so that the powder feeding screw 14Y2 can mix the developer 14Y4 with the developer. 14Y4 is supplied to a developing sleeve (not shown) which is arranged on the outer circumference of the magnetic roller and can rotate around it. The concentration detection sensor 14Y1 is used to detect the ratio relationship of the developer 14Y4 in the developing box 14Y (that is, the ratio relationship of the toner and the carrier) and output a first signal, wherein the output voltage corresponding to the first signal is inversely proportional to the toner concentration, that is, the larger the output voltage value, the lower the toner concentration, and conversely, the smaller the output voltage value, the higher the toner concentration; correspondingly, the concentration detection sensors of the developing boxes 14M, 14C, and 14K will also detect the ratio relationship of the developers in the developing boxes 14M, 14C, and 14K and output the first signal.

[0045] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the toner supply unit transmission box 19A includes a first powder supply motor (not shown in the figure), which is used to supply toner of a first color during forward rotation (i.e., rotation in the positive direction, the same below), and toner of a second color during reverse rotation (i.e., rotation in the reverse direction, the same below); wherein, the color of the first color toner can be yellow (Y), and the corresponding color of the second color toner is magenta (M). Of course, in addition to yellow (Y), the color of the first color toner can also be replaced with magenta (M), and correspondingly, the color of the second color toner is replaced with yellow (Y); the toner supply unit transmission box 19B includes a second powder supply motor (not shown in the figure), which is used to supply toner of a third color during forward rotation, and toner of a fourth color during reverse rotation; wherein, the color of the third color toner can be cyan (C), and the corresponding color of the fourth color toner is black (K). Of course, in addition to cyan (C), the color of the third color toner can also be replaced with black (K), and correspondingly, the color of the fourth color toner is replaced with cyan (C). The structures of the toner supply unit transmission boxes 19A and 19B are consistent. The specific structure of the toner supply unit transmission box 19A is now described. The structure of the toner supply unit transmission box 19B can refer to the toner supply unit transmission box 19A. For example, the toner supply unit transmission box 19A includes a first powder supply motor (not shown), a first powder supply motor gear 19A1, a first one-way clutch 19A2, a first driven gear 19A3, a first powder lowering screw (first toner supply screw) drive gear 19A4, a first stirring frame drive gear 19A5, and a second driven gear The first one-way clutch 19A2 is engaged with the first powder supply motor gear 19A1, and the first one-way clutch 19A2 is driven by the first powder supply motor gear 19A1 and is only allowed to move in the positive direction (such as Figure 6), the first driven gear 19A3 is engaged with the first one-way clutch 19A2 and is driven by the first one-way clutch 19A2, the first driven gear 19A3 is engaged with the first powder lowering screw driving gear 19A4 and drives the first powder lowering screw driving gear 19A4 to rotate, the first powder lowering screw driving gear 19A4 is transmission-connected to the powder lowering screw gear 19Y3 to drive the powder lowering screw 19Y2 to rotate, the first driven gear 19A3 is engaged with the first stirring frame driving gear 19A5 and drives the first stirring frame driving gear 19A5 to rotate, the first stirring frame driving gear 19A5 is mounted on the stirring frame 17Y1 and drives the stirring frame 17Y1, the second driven gear 19A6 is engaged with the first powder supply motor gear 19A1 and is driven by the first powder supply motor gear 19A1, the second one-way clutch 19A7 is engaged with the second driven gear 19A6, the second one-way clutch 19A7 is driven by the second driven gear 19A6 and is only allowed to move in the positive direction (as shown in FIG. Figure 6 ), the third driven gear 19A8 is engaged with the second one-way clutch 19A7 and is driven by the second one-way clutch 19A7, the third driven gear 19A8 is engaged with the second powder lowering screw driving gear 19A9 and drives the second powder lowering screw driving gear 19A9 to rotate, the second powder lowering screw driving gear 19A9 is connected to the powder lowering screw gear of the carbon powder supply assembly 19M to drive the powder lowering screw to rotate, the third driven gear 19A8 is engaged with the second stirring frame driving gear 19A10 and drives the second stirring frame driving gear 19A10 to rotate, and the second stirring frame driving gear 19A10 is installed on the stirring frame of the powder barrel unit 17M and drives the stirring frame.

[0046] When the first powder feeding motor rotates forward, the first powder feeding motor gear 19A1 rotates forward, the first one-way clutch 19A2 does not rotate, and the gears meshing with it subsequently do not rotate; at this time, the second driven gear 19A6 rotates reversely, the second one-way clutch 19A7 rotates forward, the third driven gear 19A8 rotates reversely, and drives the second powder lowering screw driving gear 19A9 to rotate forward and the second stirring frame driving gear 19A10 to rotate forward; when the second powder lowering screw driving gear 19A9 rotates forward, the powder lowering screw gear 19Y3 rotates reversely, and the powder lowering screw 19Y2 follows the reverse rotation, and the toner supply assembly 19Y performs the toner supply movement. When the first powder supply motor rotates in the reverse direction, the first powder supply motor gear 19A1 rotates in the reverse direction, the second one-way clutch 19A7 does not rotate, and the gears subsequently meshing with it do not rotate; at this time, the first one-way clutch 19A2 rotates forward, the first driven gear 19A3 rotates in the reverse direction, and drives the first powder lowering screw drive gear 19A4 to rotate forward and the first stirring frame drive gear 19A5 to rotate forward; when the first powder lowering screw drive gear 19A4 rotates forward, the powder lowering screw gear of the toner supply assembly 19M rotates in the reverse direction, and the powder lowering screw of the toner supply assembly 19M rotates in the reverse direction, and the toner supply assembly 19M performs the toner supply action. Correspondingly, when the second powder supply motor rotates in the forward direction, the toner supply assembly 19C performs the toner supply action, and when the second powder supply motor rotates in the reverse direction, the toner supply assembly 19K performs the toner supply action.

[0047] The first powder supply motor is drivingly connected to the corresponding first toner supply screw and second toner supply screw. The first toner supply screw and the second toner supply screw are used to supply the toner in the powder barrel to the imaging unit. When the first powder supply motor rotates in the positive direction, the first toner supply screw is driven to transport the toner in one powder barrel to one imaging unit (for example, the imaging unit 10Y corresponding to the Y color). When the first powder supply motor rotates in the reverse direction, the second toner supply screw is driven to transport the toner in the other powder barrel to the other imaging unit (the imaging unit 10M corresponding to the M color).

[0048] The second powder supply motor is transmission-connected to the corresponding third toner supply screw (not shown) and fourth toner supply screw (not shown). The third toner supply screw and the fourth toner supply screw are used to supply the toner in the powder barrel to the imaging unit. When the second powder supply motor rotates in the positive direction, the third toner supply screw is driven to deliver the toner in one of the powder barrels to one of the imaging units (for example, the imaging unit 10C corresponding to the C color). When the second powder supply motor rotates in the reverse direction, the fourth toner supply screw is driven to deliver the toner in the other powder barrel to the other imaging unit (the imaging unit 10K corresponding to the K color).

[0049] The principle of the second powder supply motor is similar to that of the first powder supply motor, and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] The first imaging assembly is driven and controlled by the first main motor, that is, the imaging units 10Y, 10M, and 10C are all driven and controlled by the first main motor. The driving process is described below using the developing cartridge 14Y. Figure 4 As shown, the powder mixing screw 14Y3 is transmission-connected to the first main motor (not shown), and the powder mixing screw 14Y3 is used to stir the developer in the developing box 14Y, wherein, when the first main motor rotates along a preset direction, the powder mixing screw 14Y3 is driven to stir the developer in the developing box 14Y; similarly, the second imaging component is driven and controlled by the second main motor, that is, the imaging unit 10K is transmission-controlled by the second main motor, and its working principle is consistent with the above, which will not be repeated here.

[0051] An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming method, which is performed as follows Figures 1-9 The image forming apparatus shown, such as Figure 10 As shown, the method includes: S100: If one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, a stop time of the imaging component that has performed an imaging operation is determined; In this embodiment, the control unit 41 determines whether only a single imaging component is used for imaging operation within a unit time, such as only performing black and white operations within a unit time, in which the imaging operation is performed only by the second imaging component.

[0052] In this embodiment, the control unit 41 can determine the imaging components that have performed imaging operations within a unit time by, for example, input from an external input port (e.g., user input on a panel) or self-determination by the image forming device. When the imaging component input from the external input port conflicts with the imaging component self-determined by the image forming device, the self-determination by the image forming device takes precedence. The self-determination by the image forming device can be determined by, for example, obtaining the imaging component's inactivity time or usage frequency from the control unit 41, with the inactivity time being preferred.

[0053] It should be noted that the processing process performed by the control unit 41 can also be performed by the control unit 42. At the same time, the processing process performed by the control unit 41 can also be performed by the control unit 42. There is no limitation here. The following description will take the control unit 41 as an example.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 11 As shown, step S100: if one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, determining the stop time of the imaging component that has performed an imaging operation includes: S110: Acquire a stop time of the first imaging component and a stop time of the second imaging component, and determine a first time difference according to the two stop times; In this embodiment, there are three situations in which the first imaging component enters the stop state. The first situation is that the first imaging component enters the stop state after completing the imaging operation (i.e., color imaging); the second situation is that the image forming device will simultaneously perform the preheating operation of the first imaging component and the second imaging component during the preheating operation. After the image forming device completes the preheating operation, the first imaging component and the second imaging component will enter the stop state accordingly; the third situation is that the image forming device performs stirring of the first imaging component. After the first imaging component completes the stirring for the corresponding stirring time, the first imaging component will enter the stop state. Therefore, the stop time of the first imaging component can be obtained based on the last imaging operation performed based on the first imaging component, or the last preheating operation of the first imaging component, or the last stirring time of the first imaging component. Specifically, for the first case, the control unit 41 stores the time when the first imaging component enters the stop state after completing the imaging operation in a memory (not shown) and refreshes it. When the stop time of the first imaging component is needed, the control unit 41 calls the stored time from the memory, and subtracts the called stored time from the current time to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component; for the second case, the control unit 41 stores the time when the image forming device enters the stop state after performing the warm-up operation of the first imaging component in a memory (not shown) and refreshes it. When the stop time of the first imaging component is needed, the control unit 41 calls the stored time from the memory, and subtracts the called stored time from the current time to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component; for the third case, the control unit 41 The time when the imaging component enters the stop state after completing the corresponding stirring time is stored in the memory (not shown) and refreshed. When the stop time of the first imaging component is needed, the control unit 41 calls the stored time from the memory, and subtracts the called stored time from the current time to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component. Alternatively, the control unit 41 adds the time when the first imaging component starts stirring each time and the time required for the first imaging component to stir (that is, the time when the first imaging component starts stirring plus the time required for stirring is equal to the time when the first imaging component enters the stop state after stirring is completed) and stores it in the memory (not shown) and refreshes it. When the stop time of the first imaging component is needed, the control unit 41 calls the stored time from the memory, and subtracts the called stored time from the current time to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component.

[0055] The principle of the stop time of the second imaging component is similar to that of the first imaging component, and will not be described in detail here.

[0056] After obtaining the stop time of the first imaging component (denoted as T_YMC_STOP) and the stop time of the second imaging component (denoted as T_K_STOP), the control unit 41 subtracts the stop time of the second imaging component from the stop time of the first imaging component to obtain a first time difference (i.e., T_TMC_STOP - T_K_STOP). Generally, when a user issues a color job instruction, since the stirring operation is performed before the image forming device officially executes the job, and since the job content at this time is not yet completely clear, both the first imaging component and the second imaging component need to perform the stirring operation; and when the user issues a black and white job instruction, since the job type is a clear black and white job, only the second imaging component needs to perform the stirring operation and the first imaging component does not need to work. Therefore, when the user uses the image forming device for black and white imaging operations for a long time, the stop time of the second imaging component will be less than the stop time of the first imaging component.

[0057] S120: If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component.

[0058] In this embodiment, the unit time (denoted as T) is pre-stored in the memory. After the control unit 41 calculates the first time difference, the control unit 41 calls the unit time from the memory and determines whether the first time difference is greater than the unit time (that is, determines whether T_TMC_STOP - T_K_STOP>T). When the control unit 41 determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component (that is, the minimum value of T_YMC_STOP and T_K_STOP).

[0059] S200: determining a first stirring time according to a stop time of the imaging component; In this embodiment, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly (ie, the minimum value of T_YMC_STOP and T_K_STOP obtained in step S120 ).

[0060] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 12 As shown, the first stirring time is determined according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component in step S200, including: S210A: If the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, a first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0061] In this embodiment, the control unit 41 determines whether the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and whether the first time difference is greater than the unit time. When the judgment result is that the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component. The control unit 41 drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the first stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation. The second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation.

[0062] S210B: If the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, a first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0063] In this embodiment, the control unit 41 determines whether the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and whether the first time difference is greater than the unit time. When the judgment result is that the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the stop time of the first imaging component. The control unit 41 drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the first stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation. The second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation.

[0064] In this embodiment, since the stop time of the first imaging component in step S210A is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component and the stop time of the first imaging component in step S210B is less than the stop time of the second imaging component will not exist at the same time, step S210A and step S210B do not have a logical order, and the above two steps will be executed one by one during the execution process, that is, step S210A and step S210B will not be executed at the same time.

[0065] S300: Controlling the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0066] In this embodiment, the control unit 41 drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the first stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation. The second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 13 As shown, the method further includes: S101: When the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, a stop time of a first imaging component and a stop time of a second imaging component are obtained, and a first time difference is determined according to the two stop times.

[0068] In this embodiment, when the image forming device is turned on or awakened from sleep mode, the control unit 41 jumps to step S110 and executes step S110 and its subsequent steps, thereby reducing the waiting time for preheating and stirring each time the device is turned on / awakened due to the user's long-term black and white printing, thereby improving the user experience.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 14 As shown, the step S110 of obtaining the stop time of the first imaging component includes: S111A: Determine whether the number of pages imaged by the first imaging component has changed. If the number of pages imaged by the first imaging component has changed, determine a stop time of the first imaging component based on the time when the first imaging component last performed an imaging operation. In this embodiment, after each imaging job of the image forming device is completed, the control unit 41 will store the current total number of color job pages and the total number of black and white job pages in the memory, and the control unit 41 determines whether the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has changed. For example, the control unit 41 checks whether the total number of color job pages stored in the memory has been refreshed. If it has been refreshed, it is determined that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has changed, which means that the imaging component has recently performed an imaging operation. Because the image forming device requires the imaging component to be fully stirred before performing the imaging operation, when the number of pages changes, it is necessary to clear the first stirring time calculated previously and enter a new calculation cycle. Therefore, the control unit 41 determines the stop time of the first imaging component based on the time when the first imaging component last performed the imaging operation.

[0070] S111B: If the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed, determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; In this embodiment, the control unit 41 confirms that the total number of pages of the color job stored in the memory has not been refreshed, and then determines that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed. The control unit 41 determines the stop time of the first imaging component based on the cumulative stop time of the first imaging component.

[0071] In this embodiment, since there are only two results for determining whether the number of pages for the first imaging component to perform the imaging operation has changed, one is that the number of pages for the first imaging component to perform the imaging operation has changed, and the other is that the number of pages for the first imaging component to perform the imaging operation has not changed, step S111A and step S111B do not have a logical order, and the above two steps will be executed one by one during the execution process, that is, step S111A and step S111B will not be executed at the same time.

[0072] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 15 As shown, obtaining the stop time of the second imaging component in step S110 includes: S112A: Determine whether the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs an imaging operation has changed, and if so, determine a stop time of the second imaging component based on the time when the second imaging component last performed an imaging operation; In this embodiment, after each imaging job of the image forming device is completed, the control unit 41 will store the current total number of color job pages and the total number of black and white job pages in the memory, and the control unit 41 determines whether the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the second imaging component has changed. For example, the control unit 41 checks whether the total number of black and white job pages stored in the memory has been refreshed. If it has been refreshed, it is determined that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the second imaging component has changed. If the number of pages has changed, it means that the imaging component has recently performed an imaging operation. Before performing the imaging operation, the imaging component must be fully stirred. Therefore, if there is a change in the number of pages, it is necessary to clear the first stirring time calculated before and enter the calculation cycle. Therefore, the control unit 41 determines the stop time of the second imaging component based on the time when the second imaging component last performed an imaging operation.

[0073] S112B: If the number of pages of the image forming operation performed by the second image forming assembly has not changed, the stop time of the second image forming assembly is determined based on the accumulated stop time of the second image forming assembly.

[0074] In this embodiment, the control unit 41 checks the total number of black and white job pages stored in the memory. If it has not been refreshed, it determines that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the second imaging component has not changed. The control unit 41 determines the stop time of the second imaging component based on the cumulative stop time of the second imaging component.

[0075] In this embodiment, since there are only two results for determining whether the number of pages for the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation has changed, one is that the number of pages for the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation has changed, and the other is that the number of pages for the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation has not changed, step S112A and step S112B do not have a logical order, and the above two steps will be executed one by one during the execution process, that is, step S112A and step S112B will not be executed at the same time.

[0076] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 16 As shown, the first stirring time is determined according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component in step S200, including: S220: calculating a second stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controlling the stirring operation of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; In this embodiment, the control unit 41 calculates the second stirring time (denoted as T_K) based on the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component. The control unit 41 drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the second stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation, and the second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation.

[0077] S230: Calculating a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, determining a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time, and storing the difference, and clearing the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly; In this embodiment, the control unit 41 calculates the third stirring time (denoted as T_YMC) based on the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, determines the second time difference (i.e., T_YMC_FREE, T_YMC_FREE = T_YMC - T_K) based on the third stirring time and the second stirring time, and stores it in the memory, and clears the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component in the memory.

[0078] S240: upon receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, determining a first stirring time according to the second time difference.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the control unit 41 receives an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, it calls the second time difference from the memory and determines the first stirring time based on the second time difference.

[0080] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 17 As shown, step S240: upon receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, determining a first stirring time according to the second time difference, includes: S241: When an instruction is received to perform an imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, the fourth stirring time is again confirmed based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first stirring time is confirmed based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

[0081] In this embodiment, upon receiving an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on the maximum of the stop times of the first and second imaging components, the control unit 41 again determines a fourth stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum of the stop times of the first and second imaging components, and confirms the first stirring time based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time. Since the image forming apparatus does not immediately perform the stirring operation after determining the second time difference, but instead determines a time for the imaging component corresponding to the longest stop time of the two imaging components to perform the stirring operation based on the second time difference and stores the time in memory, then performs the stirring operation when receiving a request for the imaging component to perform the imaging operation, the image forming apparatus receives an instruction to perform the imaging operation based on a new time difference from the time when the second time difference was calculated. Therefore, the image forming apparatus determines the fourth stirring time based on this time difference, adds the fourth stirring time to the stirring time calculated based on the second time difference to obtain a new first stirring time, and then performs the stirring operation for the first and second imaging components, thereby ensuring that both imaging components are fully stirred.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 18 As shown, the method further includes: S400: If the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, a fifth stirring time is determined according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

[0083] In this embodiment, if the control unit 41 determines that the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, the control unit 41 believes that the first imaging component and the second imaging component have both performed imaging operations within the unit time. At this time, the time required for the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation is shorter, so the control unit 41 confirms the fifth stirring time based on the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component. The control unit 41 drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the fifth stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform the stirring operation, and the second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform the stirring operation.

[0084] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 19 As shown, the method further includes: S500: If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, confirm whether the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time; Typically, image forming devices are provided with an upper limit on stirring time. This upper limit represents the theoretical time within which the imaging component can achieve full stirring. This prevents situations where a particular imaging component is not used for an extended period and then needs to be stirred for an extended period of time when it is needed. This situation results in the imaging component being fully stirred but still requiring further stirring due to the calculated stirring time being too long, thus consuming the service life of the imaging component. In this embodiment, the upper limit on stirring time, i.e., the preset maximum stirring time, is pre-stored in memory. When the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the control unit 41 retrieves the preset maximum stirring time from the memory and determines whether the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time (i.e., compares the first stirring time with the preset maximum stirring time).

[0085] S600A: If the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform a stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; In this embodiment, when the control unit 41 determines that the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, it drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the preset maximum stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screws of the developing boxes 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation, and the second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform a stirring operation, thereby avoiding the situation where a certain imaging component has not been used for a long time and a long stirring operation needs to be performed when the imaging component is needed, resulting in the imaging component being fully stirred but the stirring operation needs to continue because the calculated stirring time is too long, thereby consuming the service life of the imaging component.

[0086] S600B: If the time for performing the first stirring operation is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

[0087] In this embodiment, when the control unit 41 determines that the time for performing the first stirring operation is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, it drives the first main motor and the second main motor to rotate according to the first stirring time. The first main motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14Y, 14M, and 14C in the first imaging component to rotate and perform the stirring operation, and the second motor drives the powder mixing screw of the developing box 14K in the second imaging component to rotate and perform the stirring operation.

[0088] In this embodiment, since there are only two ways to determine whether the time for executing the first stirring operation is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, one is that the time for executing the first stirring operation is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, and the other is that the time for executing the first stirring operation is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, step S600A and step S600B do not have a logical order, and the above two steps will be executed one by one during the execution process, that is, step S600A and step S600B will not be executed at the same time.

[0089] In an optional embodiment, as Figure 20 As shown, the method includes: A10: When the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, the stirring operation is performed, and the process proceeds to step A11; A11: The control unit 41 stores the total number of pages of the current color job and the total number of pages of the black-and-white job in the memory, and then proceeds to step A12; A12: The image forming apparatus is turned on or awakened from sleep mode the next time, and the process proceeds to step A13. A13: The control unit 41 determines whether the first time difference is greater than the unit time (T_YMC_STOP>T_K_STOP+T) and whether the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component (the total number of pages of the color job) has changed. If the above two determination conditions are not met at the same time, the process proceeds to step A14. If the above two determination conditions are met at the same time, that is, the first time difference is greater than the unit time and the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed, the process proceeds to step A15. A14: The image forming device prints normally. A15: The control unit 41 determines the second stirring time (T_K) according to the stop time (T_K_STOP) of the second imaging component and determines the third stirring time (T_YMC) according to the stop time (T_YMC_STOP) of the first imaging component, and then proceeds to step A16; A16: The control unit 41 controls the stirring time of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to be the second stirring time (T_K), and subtracts the second stirring time (T_YMC) from the third stirring time (T_YMC) to obtain a second time difference (T_YMC_FREE = T_YMC - T_K), and then proceeds to step A17; A17: The control unit 41 determines whether the print job is a color imaging job or a black-and-white imaging job. If it is a black-and-white imaging job, the process proceeds to step A18; if it is a color imaging job, the process proceeds to step A19. A18: The image forming device performs normal printing, i.e., the normal printing process is directly carried out to complete the printing job. The first imaging component is synchronously stirred according to the stop time of the second imaging component, so as to maintain the normal state and activity of the developing component. A19: The control unit 41 obtains the stop time (T_YMC_STOP) of the first imaging component again and updates the third stirring time (T_YMC), and then proceeds to step A20; A20: The control unit 41 determines the fourth stirring time (T_YMC=T_YMC+T_YMC_FREE) according to the updated third stirring time (T_YMC) and the second time difference (T_YMC_FREE), and then proceeds to step A21; A21: The control unit 41 controls the first imaging assembly to complete the stirring operation for a fourth stirring time (T_YMC) to ensure that the imaging assembly and toner are in a normal state. The control unit 41 then switches the image forming apparatus to a print sequence to perform color printing, and then proceeds to step A22. A22: The control unit 41 sets the second time difference to zero (T_YMC_FREE=0).

[0090] For example, if the stop time of the first imaging component is 4 hours (T_YMC_STOP), the confirmed stirring time is 50 seconds (i.e., the third stirring time T_YMC); when the image forming device is turned on, it stirs for 20 seconds (the second stirring time T_K), and the time required for stirring (i.e., the second time difference T_YMC_FREE= T_YMC - T_K) is 30 seconds left. When the image forming device receives the color instruction, 2 hours have passed since the last stirring (the refreshed T_YMC_STOP). At this time, it is determined that 20 seconds of stirring is required (the refreshed third stirring time T_YMC). Therefore, before executing color printing, it is necessary to stir for 30+20, which is equal to 50 seconds (the refreshed third stirring time plus the second time difference is the fourth stirring time, i.e., T_YMC=T_YMC+T_YMC_FREE) before printing can be performed. There is an upper limit for the stirring time, such as 120 seconds. That is, when the fourth stirring time is greater than 120 seconds, the stirring time is 120 seconds. When the fourth stirring time is not greater than 120 seconds, the stirring time takes the actual value.

[0091] The image forming method of the present embodiment determines the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation after determining that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed the imaging operation within a unit time, determines the first stirring time according to the stop time, and then controls the stirring operation of the first imaging component and the second imaging component according to the first stirring time. Since the first stirring time is combined with the actual use of the imaging component, the first stirring time is more in line with the theoretical practice of sufficient stirring of the imaging component, which can effectively reduce the stirring time that is too long due to inappropriate stirring time of the imaging component, the corresponding user's waiting time is long, causing unnecessary time consumption, and other problems, which is conducive to improving user experience.

[0092] An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, such as Figures 1-9 As shown, including: The first imaging assembly is driven and controlled by the first main motor, that is, the imaging units 10Y, 10M, and 10C are all driven and controlled by the first main motor. The driving process has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here; The second imaging assembly is driven and controlled by the second main motor, that is, the imaging unit 10K is driven and controlled by the second main motor. The driving process has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here; The control unit 41 is used to determine that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, determine the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation, and determine the first stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component, and then control the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation based on the first stirring time.

[0093] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 is configured to determine that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, and determine a stop time of the imaging component that has performed an imaging operation, including: The control unit 41 obtains the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and determines a first time difference according to the two stop times; If the control unit 41 determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component is determined as the stop time of the imaging component that performed the imaging operation.

[0094] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component, including: The control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly.

[0095] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: If the control unit 41 determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, then determining a first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time; and / or If the control unit 41 determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

[0096] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 obtains the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit 41 determines whether the number of pages that the first imaging component performs an imaging operation on has changed, and if so, determines a stop time of the first imaging component based on the time when the first imaging component last performed an imaging operation; If the control unit 41 determines that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed, then determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; and / or The control unit 41 determines whether the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs an imaging operation has changed, and if so, determines a stop time of the second imaging component based on a time when the second imaging component last performed an imaging operation; If the control unit 41 determines that the number of sheets of the image forming operation performed by the second image forming unit has not changed, the control unit 41 determines the stop time of the second image forming unit based on the accumulated stop time of the second image forming unit.

[0097] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 is configured to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component when the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, and determine a first time difference based on the two stop times.

[0098] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit 41 calculates a second stirring time according to a minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controls the stirring operation of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; The control unit 41 calculates a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, determines a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time, stores the difference, and clears the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component; When receiving an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on an imaging component corresponding to a maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, the control unit 41 determines the first stirring time according to the second time difference.

[0099] In an optional embodiment, when the control unit 41 receives an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, determining the first stirring time according to the second time difference includes: When the control unit 41 receives an instruction to perform an imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, it again confirms the fourth stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and confirms the first stirring time based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

[0100] In an optional embodiment, if the control unit 41 determines that the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, the fifth stirring time is confirmed based on the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

[0101] In an optional embodiment, if the control unit 41 determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, it further confirms whether the first stirring time is greater than a preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit 41 determines that the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit 41 determines that the time for performing the stirring operation is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

[0102] It should be noted that the specific processing procedures of the first imaging component, the second imaging component and the control unit 41 in the image forming apparatus have been described in detail in the image forming method, so they will not be repeated here.

[0103] An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, such as Figure 21 As shown, Figure 21 The image forming apparatus shown is merely an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0104] like Figure 21 As shown, the image forming apparatus is represented as a general-purpose computing device. Components of the image forming apparatus may include, but are not limited to: one or more processors 910, memory 930, and a communication bus 940 connecting different system components (including memory 930 and processor 910).

[0105] Communication bus 940 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. Examples of these architectures include, but are not limited to, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) bus, the Enhanced ISA bus, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnection (PCI) bus.

[0106] The image forming apparatus typically includes a variety of computer system readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by the image forming apparatus, including volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

[0107] The memory 930 may include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The image forming apparatus may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. Figure 21Not shown, a disk drive for reading and writing to a removable non-volatile disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive for reading and writing to a removable non-volatile optical disk (e.g., a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (hereinafter referred to as: CD-ROM), a Digital Video Disc Read Only Memory (hereinafter referred to as: DVD-ROM), or other optical media) may be provided. In these cases, each drive can be connected to the communication bus 940 via one or more data medium interfaces. The memory 930 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of various embodiments of the present invention.

[0108] A program / utility having a set (at least one) of program modules may be stored in memory 930. Such program modules include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which, or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a network environment. The program modules generally implement the functions and / or methods of the embodiments described herein.

[0109] The image forming apparatus may also communicate with one or more external devices, and may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the image forming apparatus, or with any device that enables the image forming apparatus to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a network card, a modem, etc.). Such communication may be performed via the communication interface 920. In addition, the image forming apparatus may also communicate with a network adapter ( Figure 21 The network adapter can communicate with one or more networks (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network, such as the Internet) via the communication bus 940. Figure 21 Not shown, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the image forming apparatus, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, disk arrays (Redundant Arrays of Independent Drives; hereinafter referred to as: RAID) systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0110] The processor 910 executes various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 930 , such as implementing the image forming method provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions enable the computer to execute the image forming method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can adopt any combination of one or more computer-readable media.Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media.Computer-readable storage media can be, for example, a system, device or component of electricity, magnetism, light, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor, or any combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.In this document, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by an instruction execution system, device or device or used in combination with it.

[0113] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0114] The program code embodied on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wire, optical cable, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0115] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, which all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image forming method, executed on an image forming device, wherein the image forming device comprises a first imaging component and a second imaging component, wherein: The method comprises: If one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, a stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined; determining a first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component; The first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly are controlled to perform a stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein The step of determining the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation, wherein one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed the imaging operation within the unit time, comprises: Obtaining a stop time of the first imaging component and a stop time of the second imaging component, and determining a first time difference according to the two stop times; If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component.

3. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein: The step of determining a first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component includes: The first stirring time is determined according to a minimum value of a stop time of the first imaging assembly and a stop time of the second imaging assembly.

4. The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein: The determining the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: If the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, determining the first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time; and / or If the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

5. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein: The acquiring the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: determining whether the number of pages on which the first imaging assembly has performed an imaging operation has changed, and if so, determining a stop time of the first imaging assembly based on a time when the first imaging assembly last performed the imaging operation; If the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component does not change, determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; and / or determining whether the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, and if so, determining a stop time of the second imaging component based on a time when the second imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the number of pages for which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation does not change, the stop time of the second imaging component is determined based on the accumulated stop time of the second imaging component.

6. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein: include: When the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component are acquired, and a first time difference is determined according to the two stop times.

7. The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein: The determining the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component includes: calculating a second stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controlling stirring operations of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; Calculating a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, determining a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time and storing the difference, and clearing the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly; When receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, the first stirring time is determined according to the second time difference.

8. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein: The method of determining the first stirring time according to the second time difference upon receiving an instruction for the imaging component to perform an imaging operation based on the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component comprises: When an instruction is received to perform the imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, the fourth stirring time is confirmed again based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first stirring time is confirmed based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

9. The image forming method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein: include: If the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, the fifth stirring time is confirmed according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

10. The image forming method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein: include: If the first time difference is greater than the unit time, confirm whether the first stirring time is greater than a preset maximum stirring time; If the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, controlling the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to perform the stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; If the first stirring time is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

11. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that: include: a first imaging assembly; a second imaging assembly; A control unit is configured to determine that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, determine a stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation, and determine a first stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component, thereby controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform a stirring operation based on the first stirring time.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein The control unit is configured to determine that one of the first imaging component and the second imaging component has not performed an imaging operation within a unit time, and determine a stop time of the imaging component that has performed the imaging operation, including: The control unit acquires the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and determines a first time difference according to the two stop times; If the control unit determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the stop time of the imaging component that performed the imaging operation is determined according to the minimum value between the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The control unit determines a first stirring time according to the stop time of the imaging component, including: The control unit determines the first stirring time according to a minimum value of a stop time of the first imaging assembly and a stop time of the second imaging assembly.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein The control unit determines the first stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: If the control unit determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is greater than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, then determining the first stirring time according to the stop time of the second imaging component, and controlling the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time; and / or If the control unit determines that the stop time of the first imaging component is less than the stop time of the second imaging component, and the first time difference is greater than the unit time, the first stirring time is determined according to the stop time of the first imaging component, and the first imaging component and the second imaging component are controlled to perform the stirring operation according to the first stirring time.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein The control unit acquires the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit determines whether the number of pages on which the first imaging component performs an imaging operation has changed, and if the number of pages on which the first imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, determines a stop time of the first imaging component based on a time when the first imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the control unit determines that the number of pages of the imaging operation performed by the first imaging component has not changed, determining the stop time of the first imaging component based on the accumulated stop time of the first imaging component; and / or If the control unit determines whether the number of pages on which the second imaging component performs the imaging operation has changed, then if so, determining a stop time of the second imaging component based on a time when the second imaging component last performed the imaging operation; If the control unit determines that the number of pages of the image forming operation performed by the second image forming assembly has not changed, the control unit determines a stop time of the second image forming assembly based on a cumulative stop time of the second image forming assembly.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein The control unit is configured to obtain the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component when the image forming apparatus is powered on or awakened from sleep mode, and determine a first time difference based on the two stop times.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein The control unit determines the first stirring time according to the minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, including: The control unit calculates a second stirring time according to a minimum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, and controls the stirring operation of the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly according to the second stirring time; The control unit calculates a third stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly, determines a second time difference according to the third stirring time and the second stirring time, stores the second time difference, and clears the stop time of the first imaging assembly and the stop time of the second imaging assembly; The control unit determines the first stirring time according to the second time difference when receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein The control unit, upon receiving an instruction for the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component to perform an imaging operation, determines the first stirring time according to the second time difference, including: When the control unit receives an instruction to perform the imaging operation based on the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, it again confirms the fourth stirring time based on the stop time of the imaging component corresponding to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and confirms the first stirring time based on the second time difference and the fourth stirring time.

19. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein: If the control unit determines that the first time difference is not greater than the unit time, it confirms the fifth stirring time according to the maximum value of the stop time of the first imaging component and the stop time of the second imaging component, and controls the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the stirring operation according to the fifth stirring time.

20. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein: If the control unit determines that the first time difference is greater than the unit time, confirming whether the first stirring time is greater than a preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit determines that the first stirring time is greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the control unit controls the first imaging assembly and the second imaging assembly to perform the stirring operation according to the preset maximum stirring time; If the control unit determines that the first stirring time is not greater than the preset maximum stirring time, the control unit controls the first imaging component and the second imaging component to perform the imaging operation according to the first stirring time.

21. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, and the computer program is executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable a processor to implement the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when executed.

Images