Image formation device and toner information management program

Abstract

To properly manage toner information about a toner container of toner to be filled, in an image formation device having a dual container system for supplying toner from a plurality of toner containers storing the same color of toner.SOLUTION: An image formation device 10 includes: an image formation unit 12; a container filling unit 18; a control unit 59 for causing the container filling unit 18 to supply toner into an image formation unit 12 in one of a dual mode and a single mode; a storage unit 57; an RFID reader 54; and a communication unit 56. The control unit 59 selectively execute processing of storing toner information stored in an RFID tag of a toner container from which no toner is supplied in a single mode, into the storage unit 57 or into a storage on a network, according to the storage capacity in the storage unit 57, when the dual mode is switched to the single mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a toner information management program.

Background Art

[0002] An image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of an image carrier, applies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier, develops the electrostatic latent image into an image made of toner, and transfers this image from the image carrier to a recording sheet, and includes a toner container that stores toner supplied to the image forming unit.

[0003] In addition, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes each first toner container that stores a plurality of colors of toner respectively, and each second toner container that stores the same plurality of colors of toner respectively, and supplies toner of each color from each first toner container or each second toner container.

[0004] In addition, in the image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the toner cartridge includes a tag having a storage medium that stores unique identification information and life information. The apparatus main body includes a reading means for reading information from the tag of the toner cartridge, a storage means having a table in which records having an identification information field, a life information field at the time of installation, and a current life information field are sequentially added, and on the condition that the identification information etc. is read by the reading means, the identification information etc. is recorded in the identification information field etc. to generate one record, and an additional recording means for adding this record to the table, and a rewriting means for rewriting the current life information in the latest record and the life information of the tag. Regarding toner cartridge management, in particular, it is possible to manage the degree to which a predetermined toner cartridge has been used in a predetermined image processing apparatus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] Here, as described in Patent Document 1, in a configuration including each first toner container that stores each color toner and each second toner container that stores the same color toner, it is possible to appropriately select whether to supply each color toner from each first toner container or to supply each color toner from each second toner container. However, when the second toner container is replaced with the first toner container or the like, it becomes difficult to manage the toner container and its toner information. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, information is read from the tag of the toner cartridge and added to a table to manage the toner cartridge, but it does not assume the replacement of the second toner container with the first toner container as described above, so it is not possible to manage such replacement.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable appropriate management of toner information regarding a toner container to be loaded in an image forming apparatus including a dual container system that supplies toner from a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image made of toner on a recording sheet, a container loading unit loaded with a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner to be supplied to the image forming unit, and supplies toner from each toner container, a control unit that causes the container loading unit to supply toner toward the image forming unit in either a dual mode in which toner is supplied by the plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner or a single mode in which toner is supplied from any one of the plurality of toner containers, a storage unit, a toner information reading unit that performs data communication with each storage medium provided in each toner container and reads toner information stored in each of the storage media, and a communication unit that performs data communication with a storage on a network, and the control unit selectively executes, when switching from the dual mode to the single mode, storing the toner information stored in the storage medium of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode in the storage unit according to the storage capacity of the storage unit or storing it in the storage on the network through the communication unit.

[0009] A toner information management program according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a processor included in an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image composed of toner on a recording sheet, a container loading unit that is loaded with a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner and supplies toner from each toner container, a storage unit, a toner information reading unit that performs data communication with each storage medium provided in each toner container and reads toner information stored in each of the storage media, and a communication unit that performs data communication with a storage on a network. The program operates as a control unit that causes the container loading unit to supply toner toward the image forming unit in either a dual mode in which toner is supplied by the plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner or a single mode in which toner is supplied from any one of the plurality of toner containers. When the control unit switches from the dual mode to the single mode, the control unit selectively executes whether to store the toner information stored in the storage medium of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode in the storage unit according to the storage capacity of the storage unit or to store it in the storage on the network through the communication unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus including a dual container system that supplies toner from a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner, toner information regarding the loaded toner containers can be appropriately managed according to the storage capacity of the storage unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and a toner information management program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is an MFP (multifunction peripheral) having a plurality of functions such as a copying function and a printer function. This image forming apparatus 10 includes an image reading unit 11 and an image forming unit 12.

[0013] The image reading unit 11 has an image sensor (CCD sensor or CIS) that optically reads the image of the document, and image data indicating the image of the document is generated from the output of this image sensor.

[0014] The image forming unit 12 forms the image indicated by the above image data on a recording paper, and includes an image forming unit 3M for magenta, an image forming unit 3C for cyan, an image forming unit 3Y for yellow, and an image forming unit 3Bk for black. In any of the image forming units 3M, 3C, 3Y, and 3Bk, the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is uniformly charged, the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is exposed by the exposure unit 2 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4, the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is developed into an image made of toner by the developing device 7, and the image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 5. Thereby, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 5. This color image is secondarily transferred to the recording paper P conveyed through the conveyance path 8 from the paper feeding unit 14 in the nip area NP between the intermediate transfer belt 5 and the secondary transfer roller 6.

[0015] After that, the recording paper P is heated and pressurized by the fixing device 15, the toner image on the recording paper P is fixed by thermocompression bonding, and further the recording paper P is discharged to the discharge tray 17 through the discharge roller 16.

[0016] Also, above each of the image forming units 3M, 3C, 3Y, and 3Bk, a container loading part 18 as a container loading part for supplying magenta toner, cyan toner, yellow toner, and black toner to the developing devices 7 of the respective image forming units 3M, 3C, 3Y, and 3Bk is provided.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the container loading part 18 as seen from the front (front side) of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the inside of the container loading part 18.

[0018] The container loading section 18 is provided inside the main body 20 of the image forming apparatus 10. The container loading section 18 includes, for example, eight hexagonal cylindrical housings 21, a set of toner conveyance units 24A and 24B provided for each container of each color, and an access cover 25. Toner containers are detachably attached to each of the cylindrical housings 21. The container loading section 18 is configured to accommodate two toner containers 22M, 22C, 22Y, and 22Bk of each color (a total of eight containers). The set of toner conveyance units 24A and 24B are provided for two toner containers 22M, two toner containers 22C, two toner containers 22Y, and two toner containers 22Bk, respectively.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the container loading section 18 is provided with a total of eight hexagonal cylindrical housings 21 stacked in two upper and lower stages as viewed from the front. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, four cylindrical toner containers 22M, 22C, 22Y, and 22Bk are horizontally inserted and attached to the four upper cylindrical housings 21, and four cylindrical toner containers 22M, 22C, 22Y, and 22Bk are horizontally inserted and attached to the four lower cylindrical housings 21.

[0020] The upper toner container 22M and the lower toner container 22M are adjacent to each other in the vertical and diagonal directions in FIG. 2, store magenta toner, and supply the magenta toner to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3M through each toner conveyance unit 24A, 24B. Further, the upper toner container 22C and the lower toner container 22C are adjacent to each other in the vertical and diagonal directions in FIG. 2, store cyan toner, and supply the cyan toner to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3C through each toner conveyance unit 24A, 24B. Furthermore, the upper toner container 22Y and the lower toner container 22Y are adjacent to each other in the vertical and diagonal directions in FIG. 2, store yellow toner, and supply the yellow toner to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3Y through each toner conveyance unit 24A, 24B. Also, the upper toner container 22Bk and the lower toner container 22Bk are adjacent to each other in the vertical and diagonal directions in FIG. 2, store black toner, and supply the black toner to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3B through each toner conveyance unit 24A, 24B.

[0021] The access cover 25 has one lower side of the access cover 25 supported by a support shaft 26 so as to be openable and closable, and is rotated forward of the image forming apparatus 10 and tilted to be in an open state. Each toner container is replaced in a state where the access cover 25 is opened. That is, the access cover 25 performs an opening and closing operation of opening or shielding the inside of the container loading portion 18 when replacing each toner container loaded in the container loading portion 18.

[0022] Each toner container 22M, 22C, 22Y, 22Bk has a hollow cylindrical container 31 and a support portion 41. Toner is stored inside the hollow cylindrical container 31. The cylindrical container 31 has its rear end side open and its front end side closed, and is loaded into the cylindrical housing 21. Also, each toner container 22M, 22C, 22Y, 22Bk is provided with a gear 32 that rotates with the cylindrical container 31 on the outer periphery of one end (the rear end side during loading) of the cylindrical container 31, and a knob 33 is provided on the end face of the other end (the front end side during loading) of the cylindrical container 31.

[0023] A spiral groove 34 is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical container 31. This spiral groove 34 forms a spiral protrusion that protrudes inside the cylindrical container 31. Inside the cylindrical housing 21, the cylindrical container 31 is rotatably supported about a rotation axis Pv extending in the length direction of the cylindrical container 31. The gear 32 on the rear end side of the cylindrical container 31 is meshed with a drive gear (not shown) provided on the main body 20, and the gear 32 is rotated by the rotational driving force of these drive gears, and the cylindrical container 31 is also rotated. As the cylindrical container 31 rotates, the toner inside the cylindrical container 31 is conveyed to the rear end side by the spiral protrusion protruding inside the cylindrical container 31.

[0024] The support portion 41 has a case 42, a fitting lid body 43, and a shutter 44. The case 42 and the fitting lid body 43 are connected to the toner conveyance unit 24A or 24B in a state where the toner container is inserted into and attached to the cylindrical housing 21.

[0025] The fitting lid body 43 has a cylindrical portion 43A that is rotatably fitted to the opening on the rear end side of the cylindrical container 31, and a toner discharge port 43C provided below the cylindrical portion 43A, and the rear end side of the cylindrical portion 43A is blocked. The outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 43A is rotatably and closely fitted to the inner periphery of the opening on the rear end side of the cylindrical container 31, and even when the cylindrical container 31 rotates, the cylindrical portion 43A does not rotate, and the structure is such that toner does not leak from between the cylindrical container 31 and the cylindrical portion 43A.

[0026] The shutter 44 is provided at the toner discharge port 43C of the fitting lid body 43. The shutter 44 is moved when the toner container is inserted into and attached to the cylindrical housing 21 to open the toner discharge port 43C, and is moved in the reverse direction when the toner container is pulled out from the cylindrical housing 21 to close the toner discharge port 43C.

[0027] As described above, as the cylindrical container 31 rotates and the toner inside the cylindrical container 31 is conveyed to the rear end side by the spiral protrusion protruding inside the cylindrical container 31, the toner is guided to the inside of the cylindrical portion 43A of the fitting lid body 43 and discharged downward through the toner discharge port 43C of the fitting lid body 43.

[0028] Each toner conveyance unit 24A, 24B fixed to the image forming apparatus 10 side includes respective receiving portions 45, respective vertical conveyance pipes 46, respective horizontal conveyance pipes 47, and a common merging conveyance pipe 48. The receiving portion 45 of the toner conveyance unit 24A is engaged with the toner discharge port 43C of the fitting lid body 43 of the upper toner container. Further, the receiving portion 45 of the toner conveyance unit 24B is engaged with the toner discharge port 43C of the fitting lid body 43 of the lower toner container.

[0029] In any of the toner conveyance units 24A, 24B, the toner discharged from the toner discharge port 43C of the fitting lid body 43 of the toner container is received through the receiving portion 45 and guided to the horizontal conveyance pipe 47 through the vertical conveyance pipe 46. In the vertical conveyance pipe 46, the toner is conveyed by natural fall. Also, in the horizontal conveyance pipe 47, a screw provided inside the horizontal conveyance pipe 47 is rotationally driven, and the toner is conveyed in the horizontal direction by this screw.

[0030] In a set of toner conveyance units 24A, 24B that receive the same color toner from the toner discharge ports 43C of the upper and lower toner containers adjacent to each other in the vertical and diagonal directions in FIG. 2, the respective horizontal conveyance pipes 47 are connected to the upper end of the merging conveyance pipe 48, and the toner is guided from the respective horizontal conveyance pipes 47 to the merging conveyance pipe 48 and merged, and the toner is supplied to the developing device 7 through the merging conveyance pipe 48.

[0031] As a result, the magenta toner stored in the upper and lower toner containers 22M is supplied to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3M through the respective toner conveyance units 24A and 24B. Also, the cyan toner stored in the upper and lower toner containers 22C is supplied to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3C through the respective toner conveyance units 24A and 24B. Further, the yellow toner stored in the upper and lower toner containers 22Y is supplied to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3Y through the respective toner conveyance units 24A and 24B. Additionally, the black toner stored in the upper and lower toner containers 22Bk is supplied to the developing device 7 of the image forming unit 3Bk through the respective toner conveyance units 24A and 24B.

[0032] Also, in either of the toner conveyance units 24A and 24B for each color, a toner sensor 49 (FIG. 4) is provided in the vertical conveyance pipe 46. The toner sensor 49 is, for example, a magnetic permeability sensor and detects the toner inside the vertical conveyance pipe 46. When the toner inside the vertical conveyance pipe 46 is not detected by the toner sensor 49 provided in the vertical conveyance pipe 46 of the toner conveyance unit 24A that receives toner from the upper toner container, it indicates that the upper toner container is in an empty state. Similarly, when the toner inside the vertical conveyance pipe 46 is not detected by the toner sensor 49 provided in the vertical conveyance pipe 46 of the toner conveyance unit 24B that receives toner from the lower toner container, it indicates that the lower toner container is in an empty state.

[0033] Note that a more detailed configuration of the container loading portion 18 is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-22444, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-56802, etc., previously filed by the applicant of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an image reading unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a container loading unit 18, each toner sensor 49, a display unit 51, an operation unit 52, a touch panel 53, each RFID reader 54, each container sensor 55, a communication unit 56, a storage unit 57, and a control unit 58. These components are capable of transmitting and receiving data or signals to and from each other through a bus.

[0035] The display unit 51 is composed of a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (OLED: Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display, etc.

[0036] The operation unit 52 includes physical keys such as numeric keys, an enter key, a start key, etc. The operation unit 52 receives input of various instructions according to operations of the above keys. The touch panel 53 is a part of the operation unit 52.

[0037] The touch panel 53 is arranged on the screen of the display unit 51. The touch panel 53 is a touch panel such as a so-called resistive film method or a capacitance method, and detects contact (touch) of a user's finger or the like with the touch panel 53 together with the contact position, and outputs a detection signal indicating the coordinates of the contact position to a control unit 59 (described later) of the control unit 58.

[0038] Each RFID (radio frequency identification) reader 54 is provided on each cylindrical housing 21. The RFID reader 54 reads and rewrites toner information TD from an RFID tag (not shown) of each toner container inserted into each cylindrical housing 21. Each toner container is provided with an RFID tag having a storage medium, and toner information TD of the toner container is stored in the storage medium of this RFID tag (hereinafter simply referred to as the RFID tag).

[0039] Each container sensor 55 is provided for each of the respective cylindrical housings 21 for each color. The container sensor 55 detects the presence or absence of a toner container inserted into the cylindrical housing 21, and is, for example, a limit switch that turns on and off according to the insertion and removal of the toner container.

[0040] The communication unit 56 is a communication interface and transmits and receives data to and from an external terminal device through a network (such as an intranet).

[0041] The storage unit 57 is a large-capacity storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores various application programs and various data.

[0042] The control unit 58 is composed of a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 58 functions as a control unit 59 when the toner information management program stored in the above ROM or storage unit 57 is executed by the above processor. However, the control unit 59 may be composed of a logic circuit regardless of the operation based on the above toner information management program.

[0043] The control unit 59 comprehensively controls the image forming apparatus 10. The control unit 58 is connected to the image reading unit 11, the image forming unit 12, the display unit 51, the container loading unit 18, each toner sensor 49, the operation unit 52, the touch panel 53, each RFID reader 54, each container sensor 55, the communication unit 56, the storage unit 57, and the like. The control unit 59 controls the operations of these components and transmits and receives signals or data to and from these components. The RFID reader 54 is an example of the toner information reading unit in the claims.

[0044] The control unit 59 serves as a processing unit that executes various processes necessary for image formation by the image forming apparatus 10. Further, the control unit 59 receives an operation instruction input by the user based on a detection signal output from the touch panel 53 or an operation of a physical key of the operation unit 52. For example, the control unit 59 receives a touch operation on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like displayed on the screen of the display unit 51 through the touch panel 53. Furthermore, the control unit 59 has a function of controlling the display operation of the display unit 51 and a function of controlling the communication operation of the communication unit 56.

[0045] Also, the control unit 59 reads information from the RFID tag of each toner container inserted into each cylindrical housing 21 through each RFID reader 54. The RFID reader 54 further writes information to the RFID tag of each toner container inserted into each cylindrical housing 21.

[0046] Also, the control unit 59 determines the presence or absence of each toner container inserted into each cylindrical housing 21 based on the detection output of each container sensor 55.

[0047] Also, the control unit 59 drives and controls a drive mechanism 61 including motors that rotationally drive respective drive gears meshed with the gears 32 of each toner container in the container loading unit 18 to rotate each toner container. Further, the control unit 59 drives and controls motors (provided in the drive mechanism 61) that rotationally drive screws inside the horizontal transport pipes 47 of each toner transport unit 24A, 24B in the container loading unit 18 to transport toner by each screw and supply the toner of each toner container to each developing device 7. At this time, the control unit 59 supplies the toner of either the upper or lower toner container to the developing device 7 for each set of upper and lower toner containers that contain the same color toner.

[0048] Further, the control unit 59 determines the remaining amounts of toner stored in the upper and lower toner containers based on the detection outputs of the respective toner sensors 49 provided in the vertical transfer pipes 46 of the respective toner transfer units 24A and 24B in the container loading unit 18.

[0049] In the image forming apparatus 10 having such a configuration, for example, when a user sets the document M in the image reading unit 11 and operates the start key of the operation unit 52 to input an image forming instruction, the control unit 59 causes the image reading unit 11 to read the image of the document M in accordance with the image forming instruction, and causes the image forming unit 12 to form the image of the document M on the recording paper.

[0050] Also, in the present embodiment, the container loading unit 18 supplies toner in a dual mode in which both the upper and lower toner containers containing the same color toner are used, and a single mode in which only the upper or lower toner container is used. The container loading unit 18 operates corresponding to the dual mode or the single mode under the control of the control unit 59. For example, the user touches the GUI displayed on the display unit 51 and inputs an execution instruction for either the dual mode or the single mode to the operation unit 52. The control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in the dual mode or the single mode indicated by the input execution instruction. That is, the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 by switching between the dual mode and the single mode according to an instruction from the user.

[0051] Then, when the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in dual mode, for each set of upper and lower toner containers that contain toner of the same color as shown in FIG. 2, it causes toner from either the upper or lower toner container to be supplied to the developing device 7. Then, based on the detection output of the toner sensor 49 provided in the vertical conveyance pipe 46 of the toner conveyance unit of the toner container from which toner is being supplied, the control unit 59 determines whether there is toner remaining in that toner container. When it determines that the toner in one toner container has run out, it causes toner to be supplied to the developing device 7 from the other toner container of the upper and lower toner containers. As a result, even if one toner container becomes empty, the supply of toner to the developing device 7 continues without interruption. Therefore, in dual mode, while toner is being supplied from the other toner container, the empty toner container can be replaced, and image formation by the image forming unit 12 is not interrupted.

[0052] Also, when the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in single mode, for each set of upper and lower toner containers that contain toner of the same color as shown in FIG. 2, it causes toner to be supplied from only the toner container group of either one of the stages, for example, according to an instruction input to the operation unit 52. The control unit 59 determines whether there is toner remaining in the toner container based on the detection output of the toner sensor 49 provided in the vertical conveyance pipe 46 of the toner conveyance unit of the toner container serving as the toner supply source. When the control unit 59 determines that the toner in the toner container has run out, it interrupts or stops image formation by the image forming unit 12 until the toner container with no toner remaining is replaced. When the toner container is replaced and it is determined by the toner sensor 49 that there is toner in the toner container, it resumes image formation by the image forming unit 12.

[0053] As described above, an RFID tag is provided on the toner container, and toner information TD of the toner container is stored in this RFID tag.

[0054] When the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in dual mode, for each upper cylindrical housing 21 and each lower cylindrical housing 21 provided for the same color separately, the RFID reader 54 of the cylindrical housing 21 reads toner information TD from the RFID tag of the toner container, and this toner information TD is timely stored in the storage unit 57. Therefore, in the case of dual mode, for all of the upper toner containers and the lower toner containers, the reading and storage of the toner information TD of the RFID tag are performed.

[0055] In the container loading unit 18, each upper cylindrical housing 21 serves as a housing for single mode in which a toner container that supplies toner in single mode is loaded. When the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in single mode, for each upper cylindrical housing 21 which is a housing for single mode separately, the RFID reader 54 of the cylindrical housing 21 reads toner information TD from the RFID tag of the toner container, and this toner information TD is timely stored in the storage unit 57. Therefore, in the case of single mode, for each upper toner container, the reading and rewriting of the toner information TD of the RFID tag are performed, but for each lower toner container, the reading and rewriting of the toner information TD of the RFID tag are not performed. That is, here, it is assumed that each upper cylindrical housing 21 is set as a housing for single mode.

[0056] On the other hand, in single mode, only the upper toner containers which are housings for single mode are used. For this reason, each toner container is stored in each lower cylindrical housing 21, and when the upper toner container becomes empty, this empty toner container is removed, and the lower toner container containing the toner of the same color as this empty toner container can be moved to the upper part and used. Of course, it is also possible to remove the empty upper toner container and load another new or used toner container containing the toner of the same color as this toner container instead of the empty toner container.

[0057] And being able to grasp the movement or replacement of each such toner container improves convenience. However, in single mode, since the toner information TD of the RFID tag of each toner container loaded in the lower housing, which is not the single-mode housing, is not read or rewritten, it is difficult to grasp their movement or replacement.

[0058] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when switching from dual mode to single mode, the control unit 59 causes the RFID reader 54 to read the toner information stored in the RFID tags of each toner container that does not supply toner in single mode, that is, for each lower toner container, and stores the read toner information in the storage unit 57. In the storage unit 57, for each lower toner container, information including information indicating the number of movements and replacements of the toner container is stored as the toner information TD.

[0059] Also, when switching from dual mode to single mode, the control unit 59 causes the RFID reader 54 to read the toner information stored in the RFID tags of each toner container that does not supply toner in single mode, and selectively executes (i) storing the read toner information in the storage unit 57 or (ii) storing it in a storage existing on the network through the communication unit 56, according to the storage capacity of the storage unit 57. Also in this case, in the storage unit 57 or the above storage, for each lower toner container that does not supply toner in single mode, information including information indicating the number of movements and replacements of the toner container is stored as the toner information TD.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows an example of toner information for each toner container loaded in the lower housing that does not supply toner in single mode and is stored in the storage unit 57 or in storage on the network. The control unit 59 stores the toner information for the past toner containers loaded in the lower housing separately for each lower housing of each color in the storage unit 57 or the above storage. The control unit 59 stores the toner information TD of each toner container mounted on each lower cylindrical housing 21 of each color in the storage unit 57 or the above storage after assigning a log number N to the toner information TD for each toner container.

[0061] For each lower cylindrical housing 21 of each color, the control unit 59, for example, assigns log number 1 to the toner information TD of the first mounted toner container, assigns log number 2 to the toner information TD of the second mounted toner container, and similarly thereafter, assigns log number N to the toner information TD of the nth mounted toner container and stores it.

[0062] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the history information RD1 of the toner container 22M containing magenta toner consists of the toner information TD of a plurality of past toner containers 22M mounted on the lower cylindrical housing 21. Also, the history information RD2 to RD4 of each toner container 22C, 22Y, 22B containing cyan, yellow, and black toner consists of the toner information TD of the toner containers mounted on the other three lower cylindrical housings 21. That is, an example is shown where the lower cylindrical housings 21 for cyan, yellow, and black have not yet had more than one toner container loaded.

[0063] The toner information TD is composed of a life counter LC of the toner container, the color of the toner contained in the toner container, a color and position CP indicating the position of the cylindrical housing 21 to which the toner container is attached, a serial number SN of the toner container, a date and time DM indicating the loading date and time of the toner container, a usage status UD indicating the movement of the toner container and the like and the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner container, and the number of replacements KD of the toner container. The toner information read from the RFID tag of the toner container by the RFID reader 54 is the life counter LC, the serial number SN, the toner color information, etc. The control unit 59 adds, as information other than these, the position indicating the position of the cylindrical housing 21 to which the toner container is attached, the date and time DM indicating the loading date and time of the toner container, the usage status UD indicating the movement of the toner container and the like and the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner container, and the number of replacements KD to the toner information, and stores it in the storage unit 57 or the storage.

[0064] The life counter LC is a count value obtained by counting the total number of operations and the total operation time of the toner container. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the life counter LC is a count value obtained by counting the total number of operations and the total operation time of the toner container. FIG. 5 shows, as the count value of the life counter LC, the counted total operation time and the counted total number of operations in parentheses. The count value indicated by the life counter LC is written by the RFID reader 54 under the control of the control unit 59 into the area where the toner information TD of the RFID tag of each toner container is written each time the count value is updated. The control unit 59 updates the remaining amount of toner in the toner container and the life counter LC at any time.

[0065] When the control unit 59 determines the presence of the toner container attached to the cylindrical housing 21 based on the detection output of the container sensor 55, it writes the position of the cylindrical housing 21 to which the toner container is attached to the color and position CP and updates the color and position CP.

[0066] The serial number SN is a unique identification number pre-assigned to the toner container.

[0067] Based on the detection output of the container sensor 55 and the timekeeping by a timer built into the control unit 58, when the control unit 59 determines the presence of the toner container mounted on the cylindrical housing 21, it generates a date and time DM indicating the mounting date and time of the toner container and updates the date and time DM.

[0068] Based on the detection output of the toner sensor 49 provided in the cylindrical housing 21 on which the toner container is mounted, the control unit 59 determines the remaining amount of toner in the toner container, writes the remaining amount of toner into the usage status UD, and updates the usage status UD. The update of the usage status UD based on the remaining amount of toner is performed at any time.

[0069] Also, when the control unit 59 determines the presence of the toner container inserted into each cylindrical housing 21 based on the detection output of the container sensor 55, it updates the replacement count KD of the toner container. That is, the replacement count KD is the number of times the toner container has been inserted and removed from the housing and used.

[0070] In the present embodiment, as described above, when the control unit 59 switches from the dual mode to the single mode, it stores the toner information of the toner containers loaded in the lower housings in the storage unit 57 or in a storage on the network.

[0071] Next, a process of updating the toner information of the toner container when switched from the dual mode to the single mode will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of updating the toner information of the toner container when switched from the dual mode to the single mode.

[0072] When, during the operation of the container loading unit 18 in dual mode, a user inputs an instruction to switch to single mode to the operation unit 52, the control unit 59 switches the operation of the container loading unit 18 from dual mode to single mode according to the switching instruction (S101).

[0073] When the control unit 59 switches to the operation in single mode, it determines whether a toner container is mounted on each of the lower cylindrical housings 21 based on the detection output of the container sensor 55 of each of the lower cylindrical housings 21 (S102). Here, when the control unit 59 determines that no toner container is loaded in any of the lower cylindrical housings 21 (S102 "No"), the process ends.

[0074] On the other hand, when the control unit 59 determines that at least one of the lower cylindrical housings 21 has a toner container mounted thereon (S102 "Yes"), it causes the RFID reader 54 to read the toner information TD from the RFID tag of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 (S103).

[0075] The control unit 59 determines whether the storage unit 57 of the image forming apparatus 10 is a mass storage device having a storage capacity equal to or greater than a preset storage capacity (S104). For example, the control unit 59 determines whether the image forming apparatus 10 has a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) as the storage unit 57 and having a storage capacity of 100 GB or more as a threshold value. Note that the determination in S104 is not limited to determining whether it is the mass storage device. For example, the control unit 59 can use other determination criteria such as determining whether the storage unit 57 has a remaining storage capacity consisting of a predetermined value instead of determining whether it is the mass storage device.

[0076] When the control unit 59 determines that the storage unit 57 is a large-capacity storage device (S104 "Yes"), it writes the toner information of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S103 to the toner information TD of the toner container already stored in the storage unit 57 and stores it (S105). At this time, when the control unit 59 can determine that the toner information TD of the toner container has already been stored in the storage unit 57, it may not perform the writing and may maintain the already stored toner information TD. That is, when the control unit 59 is "Yes" in S104, in S105, it sets the storage location for storing the toner information TD of the toner container in the storage unit 57. Then, the control unit 59 stores the replacement count KD among the toner information TD of the toner container in the storage unit 57 and stores it (S108).

[0077] On the other hand, when the control unit 59 determines that the storage unit 57 is not a large-capacity storage device (S104 "No"), it determines whether there is a storage on the network where data can be stored through communication by the communication unit 56 from the image forming apparatus 10 (S106). When the control unit 59 determines that the storage exists (S106 "Yes"), it writes the toner information of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S103 to the toner information TD of the toner container already stored in the storage unit 57, and transmits the toner information TD after the writing from the communication unit 56 to the above storage and stores it in the above storage (S107). At this time, when the control unit 59 can determine that the toner information TD of the toner container has already been stored in the storage unit 57, it may not perform the writing and may store the already stored toner information TD in the above storage. That is, when the control unit 59 is "No" in S104, in S107, it sets the storage location for storing the toner information TD of the toner container in the above storage.

[0078] In S107, further, the control unit 59 erases the toner information TD of the toner container that has already been stored in the storage unit 57. However, the control unit 59 leaves the replacement count KD in the toner information TD of the toner container stored in the storage unit 57 for storage (S108). After this, the process ends.

[0079] Also, when the control unit 59 determines that the storage on the network does not exist (S106 "No"), it erases the toner information TD of the toner container that has already been stored in the storage unit 57, and causes the display unit 51 to display a message indicating that the toner information TD of the toner container that does not supply toner in single mode is not stored in either the storage unit 57 or the above storage (S109). In this case, the control unit 59 also erases the replacement count KD in the toner information TD of the toner container from the storage unit 57. After this, the process ends. That is, in the above, information on toner containers that are not used after entering single mode is stored in the storage unit 57 if there is room in the storage capacity of the storage unit 57, and is stored in the above storage if it is assumed that there is no room in the storage capacity of the storage unit 57.

[0080] For example, when it is determined that toner containers are attached to all of the lower cylindrical housings 21, for each of the lower cylindrical housings 21, toner information TD is read from the RFID tag of each lower toner container by the RFID reader 54 of the cylindrical housing 21, and is added to the history information stored in the storage unit 57 or the storage on the network. Thereby, the history information RD1 to RD4 of each toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is updated.

[0081] Next, a process for updating the toner information TD for the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 that supplies toner in single mode will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for updating the toner information TD for the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 that supplies toner in single mode.

[0082] When the control unit 59 operates the container loading unit 18 in single mode, the RFID reader 54 of the cylindrical housing 21 reads toner information TD from the RFID tags of the toner containers loaded in each of the upper cylindrical housings 21 that supply toner in single mode, updates the toner information TD for each toner container in a timely manner, and stores the toner information TD of each toner container in the storage unit 57 (S201).

[0083] Then, based on the detection output of the container sensor 55 of each of the upper cylindrical housings 21, the control unit 59 determines whether a toner container has been removed from each of the upper cylindrical housings 21 (S202). If a toner container has not been removed from each of the upper cylindrical housings 21 (S202 "No"), the process of S201 is repeated.

[0084] Also, when the control unit 59 determines that a toner container has been removed from any of the upper cylindrical housings 21 (S202 "Yes"), it waits for a toner container to be attached to the upper cylindrical housing 21 based on the detection output of the container sensor 55 of the upper cylindrical housing 21 from which the toner container has been removed (S203 "No"). Then, when the control unit 59 determines that a toner container has been attached to the upper cylindrical housing 21 (S203 "Yes"), the RFID reader 54 of the upper cylindrical housing 21 reads toner information TD from the RFID tag of the attached toner container (S204).

[0085] Then, the control unit 59 judges whether the toner information TD about the previous container sensors 55 that were loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 of the same color as the upper cylindrical housing 21 is stored as history information in the memory unit 57 and the above-mentioned storage on the network (S205). When the control unit 59 judges that the toner information TD about the previous container sensors 55 that were loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is stored as history information in the memory unit 57 or the above-mentioned storage ("Yes" in S205), the control unit 59 judges whether the serial number SN included in the toner information TD in the stored history information matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 (S208).

[0086] When the control unit 59 determines that the serial number SN included in the toner information TD among the stored history information matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 ("Yes" in S208), it adds movement information indicating that the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 (the toner container loaded in the single mode housing) has been moved from a lower cylindrical housing 21 of the same color (a housing other than the single mode housing) and loaded into the upper cylindrical housing 21 (the single mode housing), and then stores the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21, which was read by the RFID reader 54 of the upper cylindrical housing 21 in S204, in the memory unit 57 (S209).

[0087] For example, the control unit 59 adds the code "R", which indicates that the toner container has been moved from the lower cylindrical housing 21 to be loaded into the upper cylindrical housing 21, as the movement information to the usage status UD included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded into the upper cylindrical housing 21, and stores the toner information TD in the storage unit 57 (S209). After this, the process ends.

[0088] Further, when the control unit 59 determines that there is no toner information TD including the serial number SN included in the toner information TD among the stored history information that matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 ( "No" in S208), it determines whether the toner information TD including the serial number SN that matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 has been stored in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner containers of previous generations loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 (S210). Here, it is assumed that the control unit 59 has stored the toner information TD of the toner containers of previous generations loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 in the storage unit 57. Also, in the case of "No" in S205, the process of S210 is also performed.

[0089] Here, when the control unit 59 determines that the toner information TD including the serial number SN that matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 has been stored in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner containers of previous generations loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 ( "Yes" in S210), since it indicates that the toner container loaded so far has been loaded again in the upper cylindrical housing 21, the process ends as it is.

[0090] Further, when the control unit 59 determines that the toner information TD including the serial number SN that matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 has not been stored in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner containers of previous generations loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 ( "No" in S210), it determines whether the life counter included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 read in S204 is the initial value (S211).

[0091] When the control unit 59 determines that the life counter is at its initial value (S211 "Yes"), since the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 is new, it adds the code "A" indicating that the toner container is new as new information to the usage status UD of the toner information TD read in S204, and stores the toner information TD in the storage unit 57 (S212). After that, the process ends.

[0092] Also, when the control unit 59 determines that the above life counter is not at its initial value (S211 "No"), since the loaded toner container is a used product, it adds the code "B" indicating that the toner container is a used product as used information to the usage status UD of the toner information TD read in S204, and stores the toner information TD in the storage unit 57 (S213). After that, the process ends.

[0093] In addition, when the control unit 59 determines that the toner container loaded in the upper cylindrical housing 21 is not an authentic product based on the information included in the toner information TD read in S204, it may add the code "C" indicating that the toner container is not an authentic product as non-authentic product information to the usage status UD of the toner information TD read in S204, and store the toner information TD in the storage unit 57.

[0094] Next, the update process of the toner information when switching from the single mode to the dual mode will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the update process of the toner information when switching from the single mode to the dual mode.

[0095] The user instructs to switch to the dual mode when the single mode is set by touching the GUI displayed on the display unit 51. When the control unit 59 switches from the single mode to the dual mode and operates the container loading unit 18 (S301), the control unit 59 determines whether a toner container is attached to each of the lower cylindrical housings 21 based on the detection output of the container sensor 55 of each of the lower cylindrical housings 21 on the side to which toner was not supplied in the single mode (S303). When the control unit 59 determines that a toner container is not loaded in any of the lower cylindrical housings 21 (S303 "No"), it causes the display unit 51 to display a message indicating that a toner container is not attached to each of the lower cylindrical housings 21 (S304). After this, the process ends.

[0096] In addition, if the control unit 59 determines that a toner container is loaded in any of the lower cylindrical housings 21 (S303 "Yes"), it causes the RFID reader 54 of the lower cylindrical housing 21 in which the toner container is loaded to read the toner information TD from the RFID tag of the toner container (S305).

[0097] Next, the control unit 59 judges whether the toner information TD for the successive container sensors 55 loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is stored as history information in the memory unit 57 or is stored in the above-mentioned storage on the network (S306). When the control unit 59 judges that the toner information TD for the successive container sensors 55 loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is stored as history information in the above-mentioned storage ("Yes" in S306), the control unit 59 judges whether the replacement counts KD for the successive container sensors 55 loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 remaining in the memory unit 57 are the same as the replacement count KD included in the toner information TD for the container sensor 55 stored in the above-mentioned storage (S307).

[0098] When the control unit 59 determines that there is no such same one (i.e., "No" in S307), it adds the code "X" indicating that the toner container cannot be determined as additional determination information to the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S305, and then stores the toner information in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner container (S315).

[0099] On the other hand, when the control unit 59 determines in S307 that there is such a same one (i.e., "Yes" in S307), it determines whether the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S305 matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD about the container sensor 55 stored in the storage and having the same replacement count KD (S311).

[0100] When the control unit 59 determines that the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S305 matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD about the container sensor 55 stored in the storage and having the same replacement count KD (i.e., "Yes" in S311), since the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 during the dual mode before the single mode switch continues to be loaded as it is, it acquires the toner information TD about the container sensor 55 stored in the storage from the storage via the communication unit 56, and stores the acquired toner information TD in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 (S316).

[0101] Note that in S306, when the control unit 59 determines that the toner information TD for the previous container sensors 55 loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is stored in the storage unit 57 as history information (i.e., "No" in S306), it does not perform the process of S307. When it determines that the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S305 matches the serial number SN included in the toner information TD for the container sensor 55 stored in the storage unit 57 and having the same replacement count KD (i.e., "Yes" in S311), it causes the storage unit 57 to maintain the toner information TD stored in the storage unit 57 as the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 (S316).

[0102] On the other hand, in S311, when the control unit 59 determines that the serial number SN included in the toner information TD of the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 read in S305 does not match the serial number SN included in the toner information TD for the container sensor 55 stored in the above storage or storage unit 57 (i.e., "No" in S311), since it indicates that the toner container loaded in the lower cylindrical housing 21 is new, (i) it acquires, via the communication unit 56, the toner information TD for the container sensor 55 stored in the above storage from the above storage, adds the symbol "A" indicating that the toner container is new as new information to the acquired toner information TD, and then stores it in the storage unit 57 (S317). Alternatively, the control unit 59 (ii) adds and updates the symbol "A" indicating that the toner container is new as new information to the toner information TD stored in the storage unit 57 (S317).

[0103] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in the image forming apparatus 10 including the dual container system that supplies toner from a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner, the toner information regarding the toner container to be loaded is stored in different storage locations according to the storage capacity of the storage unit 57 as described above. In the image forming apparatus 10 including the dual container system that supplies toner from a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner, the toner information regarding the toner container to be loaded can be appropriately managed without straining the storage capacity of the storage unit 57.

[0104] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the toner information regarding the toner container to be loaded is rewritten or updated according to the state of the toner container and then stored, the state of the toner container to be loaded is timely reflected in the toner information, enhancing the usefulness of the toner information. Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately manage the state of the toner container through the toner information.

[0105] Also, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The configuration and processing of the above embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to such configuration and processing.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0106] 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Image reading unit 12 Image forming unit 18 Container loading unit 21 Cylindrical housing 22M, 22C, 22Y, 22Bk Toner containers 24A, 24B Toner conveyance units 25 Access cover 31 Cylindrical container 41 Support part 49 Toner sensor 51 Display unit 52 Operation unit 53 Touch panel 54 RFID reader 55 Container Sensor 56 Communication Unit 57 Memory Unit 58 Control Unit 59 Control Section

Claims

1. An image forming unit that forms an image consisting of toner on a recording sheet, A container loading unit loaded with a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner supplied to the image forming unit, and supplying toner from each toner container, A control unit that supplies toner from the container loading unit toward the image forming unit in either a dual mode in which toner is supplied by the plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner or a single mode in which toner is supplied from any one of the plurality of toner containers, A storage unit, A toner information reading unit that performs data communication with each storage medium provided in each toner container and reads toner information stored in each storage medium, A communication unit that performs data communication with a storage on a network, When switching from the dual mode to the single mode, the control unit stores the toner information stored in the storage medium of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode in the storage unit according to the storage capacity of the storage unit, or stores it in the storage on the network through the communication unit. An image forming apparatus that selectively executes this.

2. The container loading unit includes each housing loaded with a plurality of toner containers storing the same color toner, and one of the respective housings is a single mode housing loaded with a toner container that supplies toner in the single mode. When operating in the single mode, the control unit determines that the toner information of the toner container loaded in the single mode housing read by the toner information reading unit and the toner information stored in the storage unit or the storage as the toner information of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode are the same toner container. In this case, after adding movement information indicating that the toner container loaded in the single mode housing has been moved from a housing other than the single mode housing and loaded in the single mode housing, the toner information of the toner container loaded in the single mode housing is stored in the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. ​ When the control unit switches from the single mode to the dual mode, if it determines that the toner information of the toner container loaded in the housing other than the single-mode housing read by the toner information reading unit, the toner information stored in the storage unit or the storage as the toner information of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode, is of the same toner container, the control unit either uses the toner information stored in the storage unit as it is as the toner information of the toner container loaded in the housing other than the single-mode housing, or stores the toner information stored in the storage in the storage unit and uses it. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

4. When the control unit determines that it is not of the same toner container, after adding new information indicating that the toner container loaded in the housing other than the single-mode housing is new, the control unit stores the toner information of the toner container loaded in the housing other than the single-mode housing read by the toner information reading unit in the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

5. A processor provided in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus including: an image forming unit that forms an image made of toner on a recording paper; a container loading unit loaded with a plurality of toner containers that store the same color toner and that supplies toner from each toner container; a storage unit; a toner information reading unit that performs data communication with each storage medium provided in each toner container and reads the toner information stored in each storage medium; and a communication unit that performs data communication with a storage on a network. The processor operates as a control unit that causes the container loading unit to supply toner toward the image forming unit in either a dual mode in which toner is supplied by the plurality of toner containers that store the same color toner or a single mode in which toner is supplied from any one of the plurality of toner containers. A toner information management program that further operates such that when the control unit switches from the dual mode to the single mode, it selectively executes whether to store the toner information stored in the storage medium of the toner container that does not supply toner in the single mode in the storage unit according to the storage capacity of the storage unit, or to store it in the storage on the network through the communication unit.

Images