IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150063839A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Shuhei
• Granted Patent: US 9,946,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/27
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0856 Detection or control means for the developer level
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement

Abstract

Control is performed so that a current value gradually shifts, corresponding to a sensor value. More specifically, when a predicted value of a remaining toner amount is calculated, processing for correcting a consumed toner amount corresponding to the sensor value is performed for a consumed toner amount.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a containing unit configured to contain a recording material used for printing;

a sensor configured to detect an amount of the recording material remaining in the containing unit;

a printing unit configured to perform printing;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a consumed amount of the recording material consumed in the printing when the printing unit performs the printing;

a correction unit configured to correct the consumed amount of the recording material calculated by the calculation unit;

a prediction unit configured to predict the remaining amount of the recording material remaining in the containing unit based on the consumed amount of the recording material corrected by the correction unit; and

a storage unit configured to store the remaining amount of the recording material predicted by the prediction unit,

wherein the correction unit adds a predetermined amount to the consumed amount of the recording material calculated by the calculation unit to correct the consumed amount of the recording material calculated by the calculation unit when the remaining amount of the recording material stored in the storage unit is larger than the remaining amount of the recording material detected by the sensor.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the correction unit does not add the predetermined amount to the consumed amount of the recording material calculated by the calculation unit when the remaining amount of the recording material stored in the storage unit is not more than the remaining amount of the recording material detected by the sensor.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a display unit configured to display the remaining amount of the recording material stored in the storage unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a notification unit configured to notify an external apparatus of the remaining amount of the recording material stored in the storage unit.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the calculation unit calculates the consumed amount of the recording material consumed in the printing based on a dot count value.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the printing unit performs the printing based on raster data, and

the calculation unit calculates the consumed amount of the recording material consumed in the printing based on the number of pixels in a color other than white included in the raster data.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the recording material is toner, and

the containing unit is a toner cartridge.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the toner cartridge includes the sensor.

9. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus comprising a containing unit configured to contain a recording material used for printing, a sensor configured to detect an amount of the recording material remaining in the containing unit, a printing unit configured to perform printing, and a storage unit, the method comprising:

calculating a consumed amount of the recording material consumed in the printing when the printing unit performs the printing;

correcting the consumed amount of the recording material calculated in the calculating;

predicting the amount of the recording material remaining in the containing unit based on the consumed amount of the recording material corrected in the correcting; and

storing the remaining amount of the recording material predicted in the predicting in the storage unit;

wherein in the correcting, a predetermined amount is added to the consumed amount of the recording material calculated in the calculating when the remaining amount of the recording material stored in the storage unit is larger than the remaining amount of the recording material detected by the sensor.

10. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling the image forming apparatus according to claim 9.