Image forming apparatus and method for controlling the image forming apparatus

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of waste toner containers, information different from an actual state of a print job is likely to be notified to a user.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus has: a plurality of light sources; light source control means that controls turn-on and turn-off of the plurality of light sources; first detection means that detects the state of the amount of accumulation of waste toner to the total capacity of a first waste toner container; and second detection means that detects the state of the amount of accumulation of waste toner to the total capacity of a second waste toner container. The light source control means turns on one light source of the plurality of light sources based on results of detection performed by the first detection means and the second detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a method for controlling the image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In a copying machine that prints using toner, a toner image is formed on a photoconductor, and then the toner is transferred to paper, which is a printing medium. After the transfer, the toner that has not been transferred to the paper adheres to the photoconductor as waste toner. Such waste toner is removed by a brush or blade provided in a cleaning device and transported to a waste toner collection container. When the waste toner collection container becomes full, printing cannot be continued in order to prevent the waste toner from overflowing from the container. In such a case, the user needs to replace the waste toner container, and printing cannot be performed during the container replacement work, resulting in a decrease in productivity. In order to prevent a decrease in productivity when the waste toner container is replaced, in Patent Document 1, multiple waste toner containers are provided in the copying machine body, and when one container becomes full, the waste toner discharge destination is switched to another container, so that printing can be continued even during the container replacement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-117675 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when multiple waste toner containers are provided and the discharge destination is switched, it becomes difficult to appropriately display the status of a print job. Some recent copiers notify the user of the current status of a print job by the illumination status of a light provided in the main body of the copier when a print job is being executed. Examples of the status of a print job include a print job being executed, a print job being interrupted, and a print job stop notice.

[0005] In a configuration with multiple waste toner containers, if the status display of the print job is controlled by referring to the status of only one container, there are cases where the print job status cannot be displayed appropriately. As one example, if the waste toner container referring to the storage status becomes full, the discharge of waste toner into that waste toner container cannot continue, so the light displays a status of the print job being interrupted.

[0006] However, if the other waste toner containers are not near full, it is possible to continue printing for a long time by switching the discharge destination, but the user is notified that the print job is stopped. As a result, the user is notified of information that is different from the actual status of the print job.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a control method and program for an image forming apparatus that can appropriately display the print job status even in a configuration having multiple waste toner containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is an image forming apparatus having at least a first waste toner container and a second waste toner container, comprising: a plurality of light sources; a light source control means for controlling the on / off of each of the plurality of light sources; and a first detection means for detecting a state of an accumulated amount of waste toner relative to a total capacity of the first waste toner container in a plurality of stages. and a second detection means for detecting the state of the accumulated amount of waste toner relative to the total capacity of the second waste toner container in multiple stages, and the light source control means controls the output of one of the multiple light sources based on a combination of multiple detection results of the first detection means and the second detection means. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of waste toner containers, it is possible to prevent information different from the actual status of a print job from being notified to a user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Overall diagram of the printing system hardware configuration [Diagram 2] Block diagram showing the system configuration of the printing system [Diagram 3] Schematic diagram of PATLITE (registered trademark) installed in an image forming device [Figure 4]A diagram showing the status of two waste toner containers and the lighting patterns of the warning lights [Diagram 5] Flowchart of light source control of a patrol light of an image forming apparatus when a print job is executed [Figure 6] Diagram of two waste toner containers DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in each embodiment are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In this embodiment, an image processing device will be used as an example of an information processing device, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0012] Example 1 1 is an overall diagram of the hardware configuration of an image processing system according to this embodiment. The image processing system includes an image forming apparatus 101 and an external controller 102. The image forming apparatus 101 and the external controller 102 are communicatively connected via an internal LAN 105 and a video cable 106. The external controller 102 is communicatively connected to a client PC 103 via an external LAN 104, and a print instruction is sent from the client PC 103 to the external controller 102.

[0013] A printer driver having a function of converting print data into a print description language that can be processed by the external controller 102 is installed in the client PC 103. A user who performs printing can issue a print instruction from various applications via the printer driver. The printer driver transmits print data to the external controller 102 based on the print instruction from the user. When the external controller 102 receives a print instruction from the client PC 103, it performs data analysis and rasterization processing, and inputs the print data to the image forming apparatus 101 to issue a print instruction.

[0014] Next, the image forming device 101 will be described. Devices with multiple different functions are connected to the image forming device 101, and it is configured to be capable of complex printing processes such as bookbinding. The printing device 107 forms an image using toner on paper conveyed from a paper feed unit located at the bottom of the printing device 107. The configuration and operating principle of this printing device 107 are as follows. A light beam such as a laser beam modulated according to image data is reflected by a rotating polygon mirror such as a polygon mirror and irradiated onto a photosensitive drum as scanning light.

[0015] The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum by this laser light is developed with toner, and the toner image is transferred to a paper attached to the transfer drum. After the toner image is transferred, any toner remaining on the photosensitive drum is scraped off by a cleaning blade and transported to a waste toner container. This series of image formation processes is carried out sequentially for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners, forming a full-color image on the paper. The paper on which the full-color image has been formed on the transfer drum is transported to a fixing device. The fixing device includes rollers, belts, etc., and has a heat source such as a halogen heater built into the rollers. It uses heat and pressure to melt the toner on the paper onto which the toner image has been transferred, and fix it to the paper.

[0016] Further, waste toner container insertion port 109 is an insertion port for inserting a waste toner container into a waste toner container storage unit provided in printing device 107. Printing device 107 is equipped with two waste toner containers as shown in Fig. 6, and when the waste toner container becomes full, the user can replace the waste toner container by opening and closing this storage port.

[0017] 6 shows a state in which waste toner containers 280 and 281 are stored in waste toner storage units 609 and 610. Waste toner container connectors 601 and 602 are mechanisms that connect the waste toner containers to the printing device 107, and are connected to a toner cleaning mechanism of the printing device 107. Waste toner is transported by waste toner control unit 231 through waste toner container connectors 601 and 602, and is stored in waste toner containers 280 and 281.

[0018] Near-full detection sensors 603 and 604 for detecting a near-full state and full detection sensors 605 and 606 for detecting a full state are connected to the waste toner containers 280 and 281.

[0019] Note that "near full" refers to a state in which waste toner has accumulated to a certain capacity that is less than the full capacity of the waste toner container (e.g., 3 / 4 or more of the container). "Full" refers to a state in which waste toner has accumulated to a capacity that should be treated as full.

[0020] Further, waste toner container detection sensors 607 and 608 detect whether or not a waste toner container is inserted in the waste toner storage unit.

[0021] The inserter 108 is used to insert an insertion sheet. A sheet can be inserted from the inserter 108 at any position into a group of sheets printed by the printing device 107 and transported.

[0022] The large-capacity stacker 110 is capable of stacking a large volume of sheets. The finisher 111 is used to perform finishing processes on the transported sheets. The finisher 111 is capable of performing finishing processes such as stapling, punching, and saddle-stitching, and discharges the sheets to a paper discharge tray.

[0023] 1 is configured such that the external controller 102 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101, but this embodiment is not limited to a configuration in which the external controller 102 is connected. In other words, a configuration in which the image forming apparatus 101 is connected to an external LAN 104 and print data that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 101 is transmitted from a client PC 103 may also be used.

[0024] In this case, data analysis and rasterization are performed in the image forming apparatus 101, and printing is executed. The PATLIGHT 112 displays the status of the print job being executed. The color of the light changes depending on the status of consumables and devices related to the job execution, such as the remaining amount of paper and toner, and the waste toner storage status of the waste toner container, to notify the user of the current print job status. The relationship between the detailed lighting pattern and the print job status will be described later.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the image forming apparatus 101, the external controller 102, and the client PC 103. As shown in FIG.

[0026] First, the configuration of the printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 is composed of a communication I / F 217, a LAN I / F 218, a video I / F 220, a HDD 221, a CPU 222, a memory 223, an operation unit 224, and a display 225. The printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 further includes a document exposure unit 226, a laser exposure unit 227, an image creation unit 228, a fixing unit 229, and a paper feed unit 230. Each of the components is connected via a system bus 288.

[0027] The communication I / F 217 is connected to the inserter 108, the patrol light 112, the large-capacity stacker 110, and the finisher 111 via a communication cable 254, and performs communication for controlling each of the devices.

[0028] The LAN I / F 218 is connected to the external controller 102 via the internal LAN 105, and performs communication of print data and the like.

[0029] The video I / F 220 is connected to the external controller 102 via the video cable 106, and performs communication of image data and the like.

[0030] The HDD 221 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The CPU 222 comprehensively controls image processing and printing based on the programs and the like stored in the HDD 221. The memory 223 stores programs and image data required when the CPU 222 performs various processes, and operates as a work area. The operation unit 224 accepts various setting inputs and operation instructions from the user.

[0031] The display 225 displays setting information of the image processing device, the processing status of a print job, etc. The original exposure unit 226 performs processing to read an original when using the copy function or the scan function. The original data is read by taking an image with a CCD camera while shining an exposure lamp on the paper placed by the user. The laser exposure unit 227 is a device that performs primary charging and laser exposure to irradiate the photosensitive drum with laser light in order to transfer a toner image. In the laser exposure unit 227, primary charging is first performed to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum to a uniform negative potential.

[0032] Next, the laser driver irradiates the photosensitive drum with a laser beam, adjusting the reflection angle with a polygon mirror. This neutralizes the negative charge in the irradiated area, forming an electrostatic latent image. The image forming unit 228 is a device for transferring toner onto paper, and is composed of a developing unit, a transfer unit, a toner supply unit, etc., and transfers the toner on the photosensitive drum onto paper.

[0033] In the developing unit, negatively charged toner from a developing cylinder is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum to make it visible. In the transfer unit, a primary transfer is performed by applying a positive potential to the primary transfer roller to transfer the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum to the transfer belt, and a secondary transfer is performed by applying a positive potential to the secondary transfer outer roller to transfer the toner on the transfer belt to paper. The fixing unit 229 is a device for melting and fixing the toner on the paper to the paper using heat and pressure, and is composed of a heater, a fixing belt, a pressure belt, etc. The paper feed unit 230 is a device for feeding paper, and the paper feeding and transport operations are controlled by rollers and various sensors.

[0034] The waste toner control unit 231 controls the cleaning mechanism after the toner is transferred to the paper and the transport mechanism to the waste toner container. The waste toner control unit 231 also obtains the storage state of each waste toner container detected by the waste toner container detection sensors 607 and 608, and notifies the light source control unit 240 of the PATLITE 112. Specifically, if the waste toner container detection sensors 607 and 608 shown in FIG. 6 do not detect the insertion of a waste toner container, the waste toner control unit 231 notifies the light source control unit 240 of the PATLITE 112 that there is no waste toner container. The detection of the waste toner storage state here and the management of the waste toner storage state in the memory 223 are performed for each waste toner container. The light source control unit 240 also stores the waste toner storage state notified from the printing device 107 in the memory 239.

[0035] Furthermore, the waste toner control unit 231 obtains the storage state of each waste toner container detected by the near-full detection sensors 603, 604 and the full detection sensors 605, 606, and notifies the light source control unit 240 of the PATLITE 112. Specifically, when the surface of the accumulated waste toner exceeds the first threshold indicated by the dashed line, the near-full detection sensors 603, 604 detect that the waste toner is near full. Then, the waste toner control unit 231 notifies the light source control unit 240 of the PATLITE 112 that the waste toner is near full. Note that at this time, it is assumed that the full detection sensors 605, 606 have not detected any waste toner.

[0036] Similarly, when the surface of the accumulated waste toner exceeds the second threshold (a threshold with a larger amount of waste toner than the first threshold) indicated by the dashed line, the full toner detection sensors 605 and 606 detect the waste toner full state. Then, the waste toner control unit 231 notifies the light source control unit 240 of the PATLITE 112 that the waste toner is full. At this time, it is assumed that the near full detection sensors 603 and 604 have detected the waste toner.

[0037] Furthermore, if the container into which the waste toner is discharged becomes full during printing, the waste toner control unit 231 determines whether it is possible to discharge the toner to the other waste toner container, and if so, switches the discharge destination to that other waste toner container.

[0038] Next, the configuration of the inserter 108 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The inserter 108 of the image forming apparatus 101 is composed of a communication I / F 232, a CPU 233, a memory 234, and a paper feed control unit 235, and each of the components is connected via a system bus 236. The communication I / F 232 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 254, and communication required for control is performed. The CPU 233 performs various controls required for paper feed according to a control program stored in the memory 234.

[0039] The memory 234 is a storage device that stores a control program. The paper feed control unit 235 controls the paper feed unit of the inserter and the feeding and transport of paper transported from the printing device 107 while controlling the rollers and sensors based on instructions from the CPU 233.

[0040] Next, the configuration of the PATLITE 112 will be described. The PATLITE 112 is composed of a communication I / F 237, a CPU 238, a memory 239, and a light source control unit 240, and each of the components is connected via a system bus 243. The communication I / F 237 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 254, and communication required for control is performed.

[0041] The CPU 238 performs various controls necessary for controlling the patrol light 112 according to a control program stored in the memory 239. The memory 239 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The light source control unit 240 controls turning on and off the light source unit of a specified color based on an instruction from the CPU 238.

[0042] When light source unit 301, light source unit 302, and light source unit 303 receive an instruction to turn on from light source control unit 240, they transition from an off state to a light emitting state. Also, when an instruction to turn off is received, they transition from a light emitting state to an off state. Note that in this embodiment, light source unit 301 is described as a green LED, light source unit 302 is an orange LED, and light source unit 303 is a red LED, but they may be different colors or may be different light emitting media. Also, three light source units are used as an example here, but multiple light sources may be used.

[0043] The CPU 238 refers to the status of various devices and consumables of the printing device 107, including the status of waste toner storage obtained from the waste toner control unit 231 via the communication cable 254, and instructs the light source control unit 240 to turn on each light source unit of the patrol light 112.

[0044] Next, the configuration of the large-capacity stacker 110 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The large-capacity stacker 110 of the image forming apparatus 101 is composed of a communication I / F 244, a CPU 245, a memory 246, and a paper discharge control unit 247, and each of the components is connected via a system bus 248. The communication I / F 244 is connected to the printing apparatus 107 via a communication cable 254, and communication required for control is performed. The CPU 245 performs various controls required for paper discharge according to a control program stored in the memory 246. The memory 239 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The paper discharge control unit 247 controls the transport of the transported paper to a stack tray, an escape tray, or a subsequent finisher 111 based on an instruction from the CPU 245.

[0045] Next, the configuration of the finisher 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The finisher 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 is composed of a communication I / F 249, a CPU 250, a memory 251, a paper discharge control unit 252, and a finishing processing unit 253, and each of the components is connected via a system bus 289. The communication I / F 249 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 254, and communication required for control is performed. The CPU 250 performs various controls required for finishing and paper discharge according to a control program stored in the memory 251. The memory 251 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The paper discharge control unit 252 controls paper transport and paper discharge based on an instruction from the CPU 250. The finishing processing unit 253 controls finishing processes such as stapling, punching, and saddle stitching based on an instruction from the CPU 250.

[0046] Next, the configuration of the external controller 102 will be described. The external controller 102 is composed of a CPU 208, a memory 209, a HDD 210, a keyboard 211, a display 212, a LAN I / F 213, a LAN I / F 214, and a video I / F 215, and is connected through a system bus 216. The CPU 208 comprehensively executes processes such as receiving print data from the client PC 103, RIP processing, and sending print data to the image forming apparatus 101 based on the programs and data stored in the HDD 210. The memory 209 stores programs and data required for the CPU 208 to perform various processes, and operates as a work area. The HDD 221 stores programs and data required for operations such as printing processing. The keyboard 211 is a device for inputting operation instructions for the external controller 102. The display 212 displays information such as an application executed by the external controller 102 by video signals of still images and moving images. The LAN I / F 213 is connected to the client PC 103 via the external LAN 104, and communication such as print instructions is performed. The LAN I / F 214 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via the internal LAN 105, and performs communication such as print instructions. The video I / F 215 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via a video cable 106, and performs communication such as print data.

[0047] Next, the configuration of the client PC 103 will be described. The client PC 103 is composed of a CPU 201, a memory 202, a HDD 203, a keyboard 204, a display 205, and a LAN I / F 206, which are connected via a system bus 207. The CPU 201 creates print data and executes print instructions based on a document processing program or the like stored in the HDD 203. The CPU 201 also comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus. The memory 202 stores programs and data required for the CPU 201 to perform various processes, and operates as a work area. The HDD 203 stores programs and data required for operations such as print processing. The keyboard 204 is a device for inputting operation instructions for the client PC 103. The display 205 displays information such as an application executed by the client PC 103 by video signals of still images and moving images. The LAN I / F 206 is connected to the external LAN 104, and communication such as print instructions is performed.

[0048] In the above description, the external controller 102 and the image forming apparatus 101 are connected by the internal LAN 1905 and the video cable 106, but any other configuration is acceptable as long as data necessary for printing can be transmitted and received, and for example, a connection configuration using only a video cable is also acceptable. Also, the memory 202, memory 209, memory 223, memory 234, memory 239, memory 251, and memory 252 may each be a storage device for holding data and programs. For example, they may be replaced by volatile RAM, non-volatile ROM, built-in HDD, external HDD, USB memory, or the like.

[0049] 3 is a schematic diagram of a patrol light 112 provided in the image forming apparatus 101. The patrol light 112 lights up a light source of a predetermined color among the light source units 301 to 303 to notify the user of the status of a print job currently being executed.

[0050] The CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 controls the lighting state of the light sources 301 to 303 based on the state of the waste toner collection container notified from the printing device 107 during execution of a print job. If no cause for stopping the print job occurs, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 notifies that "the print job is being executed normally" by lighting the light source 301 (green).

[0051] If a factor occurs that will make it impossible to continue the print job in the near future, the CPU 238 of the patlite 112 notifies the user of a "print job interruption notice" by turning on the light source unit 302 (orange) and notifies the user of a notice to stop the print job. Note that the notice content may be anything as long as it can alert the user by turning on the light source unit 303 (orange). For example, it may be a notice of an "error" or a "request to prepare a new waste toner container."

[0052] Furthermore, if a factor occurs that makes it immediately impossible to continue the print job, the CPU 238 of the patlite 112 notifies, for example, "print job interrupted" by turning on the light source unit 303 (red). Note that the content of the notification may be anything as long as it is possible to alert the user by turning on the light source unit 303 (red). For example, it may be a notification of "error" or "request to replace waste toner container".

[0053] 4 is a diagram showing the states of the two waste toner containers installed in the printing device 107 and the lighting patterns of the Patlight 112. For ease of explanation, the respective waste toner containers are referred to as waste toner container A and waste toner container B, and the waste toner discharge destination at the time of judging the lighting pattern is referred to as waste toner container A. The relationship between the lighting color of the Patlight 112 and the print job status is as described above. Furthermore, the image forming device 101 can detect the following four states as the state of the accumulated amount of waste toner relative to the total capacity of the waste toner container. The four states are defined below.

[0054] The detection result "less than near full" means that waste toner can be stored and the container is not close to being full (less than half full). Specifically, in waste toner container 280, near full detection sensor 603 and full detection sensor 605 are not detecting any waste toner. In waste toner container 281, near full detection sensor 604 and full detection sensor 606 are not detecting any waste toner.

[0055] The detection result "near full" is a state in which waste toner can be stored, but the amount is less than the full amount by a specified amount. Specifically, in waste toner container 280, near full detection sensor 603 detects waste toner, but full detection sensor 605 does not detect waste toner. In waste toner container 280, near full detection sensor 604 detects waste toner, but full detection sensor 606 does not detect waste toner.

[0056] The detection result "full" is a state where the waste toner is full (waste toner has accumulated to the amount of the total capacity that should be treated as full). Specifically, in waste toner container 280, this is a state where near-full detection sensor 603 and full detection sensor 605 detect waste toner. In waste toner container 281, this is a state where near-full detection sensor 604 and full detection sensor 606 detect waste toner.

[0057] The detection result "no bottle" indicates a state in which a waste toner container is not disposed or is disposed incorrectly. Specifically, in waste toner container 280, waste toner container detection sensor 607 does not detect waste toner container 280. Also, in waste toner container 281, waste toner container detection sensor 608 does not detect waste toner container 281. Although not shown here as a detection result, the detection result "bottle present" indicates a state in which a waste toner container is disposed or is disposed correctly. Specifically, in waste toner container 280, waste toner container detection sensor 607 detects waste toner container 280. Also, in waste toner container 281, waste toner container detection sensor 608 detects waste toner container 281.

[0058] 4, the lighting color is green, in other words, the user is notified that "print job is being executed normally" when either waste toner container A or B is less than near full. Even if the current discharge destination container is full or near full, if the other container is less than near full, the printing device 107 can switch the discharge destination of the waste toner, allowing long-term printing. Therefore, in the above cases, the user is not notified that the print job will be stopped.

[0059] In the lighting pattern in Fig. 4, the light turns red, informing the user that the print job has been interrupted, when there is no container to which the waste toner container currently being discharged is full. Specifically, as in cases No. 11 and 12, when the spare waste toner container B is full, or when the current waste toner container A is full and no container is inserted, the waste toner cannot be transported. Therefore, the user is notified that the print job has been interrupted.

[0060] In the lighting pattern of FIG. 4, the lighting color is orange, i.e., the user is notified of a "print job interruption notice" in the following two cases. The two cases are when waste toner container A is near full while waste toner container B is near full or more or there is no bottle, and when waste toner container A is full while waste toner container B is near full. Specific cases of the former are No. 6 to 8. In these cases, it is difficult to discharge waste toner to the current discharge destination for a long period of time, and the discharge destination cannot be switched to a spare container, or even if it is switched, it is difficult to discharge waste toner for a long period of time. Also, a specific case of the latter is No. 10, where the current discharge destination bottle is full, and it is difficult to discharge waste toner for a long period of time if the discharge destination is switched.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing how the image forming apparatus 101 controls the illumination of the warning lights based on the states of the two waste toner containers when executing a print job.

[0062] The processing in FIG. 5 is executed by the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 and the CPU 222 of the printing device 107 .

[0063] In S501, the printing device 107 receives a print job from the external controller 102. Next, in S502 and S503, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 acquires the waste toner storage status of waste toner container A, which is the current waste toner discharge destination, and spare waste toner container B from the printing device 107 via the communication cable 254.

[0064] Next, in S504, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 determines whether either of the waste toner containers A and B is less than near full. If either of the waste toner containers is less than near full, the process proceeds to S505, where the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 instructs the light source control unit 240 to turn on the light source unit 301 (green). If either of the waste toner containers is less than near full, a "print job is being executed normally" is notified to the user, since long-term printing is possible using the current waste toner container to which the waste toner is discharged or a spare waste toner container.

[0065] If in S504 the waste toner storage state of neither waste toner container is less than near full, proceed to S506. S506 to S508 are for determining whether the PATLITE is lit in red. In S506, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 determines whether both waste toner containers A and B are full. In S507, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 determines whether no waste toner container is inserted into the waste toner container insertion port 109. In S508, the CPU 238 of the PATLITE 112 determines whether either waste toner container is full and the other waste toner container is not inserted.

[0066] If any of the determinations in S506 to S508 above is TRUE, the process proceeds to S510, where the CPU 238 of the patlite 112 instructs the light source control unit 240 to turn on the light source unit 303 (red). If the determinations in S504 to S508 above are TRUE, the process notifies the user that "print job interrupted" since no more waste toner can be transported. If the patlite 112 is turned on in red, the process returns to S502, where the waste toner storage status of the waste toner containers A and B is obtained again, and the light source control unit 240 continues to turn on the light source unit 303 in red until the cause of the red light is removed.

[0067] If all of the determinations in S504 to S508 are FALSE, the CPU 238 of the patlite 112 instructs the light source control unit 240 to turn on the light source unit 302 (orange). Here, the light is turned on in orange to inform the user that it may become difficult to discharge the waste toner in the near future and printing may not be able to continue, and a "print job interruption notice" is notified to the user.

[0068] If the pat light 112 is lit green or orange, the process proceeds to S511. In S511, the CPU 222 of the printing device 107 determines whether the waste toner container A, which is the current discharge destination of the waste toner, is full of waste toner or whether the waste toner container A is not inserted in the waste toner container insertion port 109. In other words, it determines whether the waste toner can be transported to the current discharge destination. If the determination in S511 is TRUE, the waste toner cannot be transported to the current discharge destination, so in S512 the CPU 222 of the printing device 107 instructs the waste toner control unit 231 to switch the discharge destination to waste toner container B. If the determination in S511 is FALSE, that is, if it is determined that the waste toner can be transported to the current discharge destination, the discharge destination is not switched and the process proceeds to S513.

[0069] In S513, the image forming apparatus 101 performs printing processing of the current page. In S514, the CPU 222 of the printing apparatus 107 judges whether printing of all pages has been completed. If printing of all pages has not been completed, the process returns to S502, and the state of the two waste toner containers is again referred to in order to judge the color to be turned on by the patlite 112. If printing of all pages has been completed in S514, the process of the print job is deemed to be completed, and in S515, the CPU 238 of the patlite 112 instructs the light source control unit 240 to turn off the light source among the light source units 301 to 303 that has been turned on. Note that, although the configuration in which the light is turned off in S515 in any case has been shown here, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in S515, if the turned on light source is the light source unit 303 (red), the light may be kept on. Furthermore, even if the turned on light source is the light source unit 302 (orange), the light may be kept on.

[0070] Here, the time of executing a print job is taken as an example, but the process may be performed at any timing after the image forming apparatus 101 is powered on. For example, the process may be started when the image forming apparatus 101 is powered on and the startup of the image forming apparatus 101 is completed. In that case, S501 is before S513 and after S511 (NO) or S512. Also, if the process is started when the image forming apparatus 101 is powered on and the startup of the image forming apparatus 101 is completed, the turning off of the patrol light in S515 may be when the image forming apparatus 101 is powered off. In that case, S501, S513, and S514 are unnecessary, and there is a step after S512 as to whether the power has been turned off or not, and the flow ends if the power has been turned off, and returns to S502 if the power has not been turned off.

[0071] (Other embodiments) Although various examples and embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions within this specification.

[0072] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 222 CPU 238 CPU 240 Light source control unit 280 Waste toner container 281 Waste toner container 301 Light source section 302 Light source section 303 Light source section

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus having at least a first waste toner container and a second waste toner container, A plurality of light sources; a light source control means for controlling turning on and off each of the plurality of light sources; a first detection means for detecting a state of an accumulated amount of waste toner relative to a total capacity of the first waste toner container in a plurality of stages; a second detection means for detecting a state of an accumulated amount of waste toner relative to a total capacity of the second waste toner container in a plurality of stages; having The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the light source control means controls the output of one of the plurality of light sources based on a combination of detection results including a plurality of detection results at different stages by each of the first detection means and the second detection means.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection means and the second detection means are capable of detecting a first state in which the amount of accumulated waste toner in the waste toner container is approaching full relative to the total capacity of the waste toner container, and a second state in which the amount of accumulated waste toner in the waste toner container is full relative to the total capacity of the waste toner container.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the nearly full state is a state in which the amount of accumulated waste toner is less than the total capacity of the waste toner container by a predetermined amount.

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the first detection means detects that the first waste toner container is in the first state and when the second detection means detects that the second waste toner container is in the second state, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color that calls attention among the plurality of light sources.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the first detection means detects that the first waste toner container is in the first state and when the second detection means detects that the amount of accumulated waste toner in the second waste toner container is in the second state, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color indicating a warning among the plurality of light sources.

6. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the first detection means detects that the first waste toner container is in the second state and when the second detection means detects that the amount of accumulated waste toner in the second waste toner container is in the second state, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color indicating a warning among the plurality of light sources.

7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that when the first state and the second state are not detected by at least one of the first detection means or the second detection means, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color indicating normality among the plurality of light sources.

8. the first detection means is capable of detecting whether the first waste toner container is disposed; the second detection means is capable of detecting whether the second waste toner container is disposed, 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the first detection means detects that the first waste toner container is in the first state and when the second detection means detects that the second waste toner container is not placed, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color that calls attention among the plurality of light sources.

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the first detection means detects that the first waste toner container is in the second state and when the second detection means detects that the second waste toner container is not placed, the light source control means turns on a light source of a color indicating a warning among the plurality of light sources.

10. the first waste toner container has a first sensor that detects that the waste toner has accumulated to a first capacity of the total capacity, and a second sensor that detects that the waste toner has accumulated to a second capacity of the total capacity that is larger than the first capacity, 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second waste toner container has a third sensor that detects that the waste toner has accumulated to a first capacity of the total capacity, and a fourth sensor that detects that the waste toner has accumulated to the second capacity of the total capacity, the second capacity being larger than the first capacity.

11. the first state detected by the first detection means is a state in which the first sensor and the second sensor detect waste toner, and the second state is a state in which the first sensor detects waste toner and the second sensor does not detect waste toner, 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first state detected by the second detection means is a state in which the third sensor and the fourth sensor detect waste toner, and the second state is a state in which the third sensor detects waste toner and the fourth sensor does not detect waste toner.

12. The printing job is further provided with a receiving unit for receiving a printing job.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source control unit turns on one of the plurality of light sources based on the reception unit receiving a print job.

13. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the light source control unit turns off the one light source that has been turned on when the accepting unit completes execution of the print job.

14. the light source control means, when the one light source that is turned on is in a color indicating normality, turns off the one light source based on the fact that the reception means completes execution of the print job; 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the one light source that is lit is a color indicating a warning or a color indicating a caution, the reception means keeps the one light source lit even after execution of the print job is completed.

15. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus having a first waste toner container and a second waste toner container, a plurality of light sources, and a light source control means for controlling turning on and off each of the plurality of light sources, comprising: a first detection step of detecting a state of an accumulated amount of waste toner relative to a total capacity of the first waste toner container in a plurality of stages; a second detection step of detecting a state of an accumulated amount of waste toner relative to a total capacity of the second waste toner container in a plurality of stages; a step in which the light source control means controls the output of one of the plurality of light sources based on a combination of detection results including a plurality of detection results at different stages in each of the first detection step and the second detection step.

16. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 16.

Images