Residual recording material amount detector for laser printer

• US 5,635,972 A
• Filed: 09/09/1993
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nagai, Reiko, Maruyama, Akira, Niki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, LYNNE D
• Application Number:
  US08/119,401
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 347/133, 347/139, 347/140, 347/158, 355/206
• US Class Current: 347/158
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0849 Detection or control means for the developer concentration
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0856 Detection or control means for the developer level
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement

Abstract

A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer of the present invention is provided with a continuous dot number detecting device for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source, a toner consumption data storage device for storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots, and an integrated toner consumption storage device implemented by a nonvolatile memory for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions at the time of forming a series of dots calculated by the continuous dot number detecting device and the toner consumption data storage device. According to the residual recording material amount detector for the laser printer of the present invention, the toner consumption can be detected correctly irrespective of the kind of data to be printed.

Claims

1. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous dots printed and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving the continuous dot number, storing a toner consumption per number of said continuous dots, the toner consumption for a particular dot varying as a function of the value of the continuous dot number, and producing a value corresponding to a amount of toner consumed per dot consumed by generation of a series of dots; and

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to said continuous dot number detecting means and toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions at a time of forming said series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means.

2. The residual recording material amount detector of claim 1, further comprising a multiplying means for receiving said continuous dot number and said value and producing a product of said toner consumption per dot and said number of said continuous dots.

3. The residual recording material amount of claim 2, further comprising adding means for receiving said product and producing a sum of data stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means and data obtained from said multiplying means, wherein said sum obtained by said adding means is stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means again.

4. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous dots to be printed and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving the continuous dot number, storing a toner consumption per number of said continuous dots, and producing a value corresponding to the amount of toner consumed per dot consumed by the generation of a series of dots;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to said continuous dot number detecting means and toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions at the time of forming said series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means; and

said toner consumption data storage means further stores said toner consumption per number of continuous dots by dividing said number of continuous dots into at least two levels, and then said toner consumption data storage means stores toner consumption in accordance with said respective levels.

5. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous dots to be printed and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving the continuous dot number, storing a toner consumption per number of said continuous dots, and producing a value corresponding to the amount of toner consumed per dot consumed by the generation of a series of dots;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to said continuous dot number detecting means and toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions at the time of forming said series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means;

a multiplying means for receiving said continuous dot number and said value and producing a product of said toner consumption per dot and said number of said continuous dots;

adding means for receiving said product and producing a sum of data stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means and data obtained from said multiplying means, wherein said sum obtained by said adding means is stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means again; and

a coefficient setting means for setting a variable rate of the toner consumption affected by a density of an image to be formed and outputting a coefficient, wherein said multiplying means also receives said coefficient and produces a product of said toner consumption per dot and said number of said continuous dots using said coefficient produced by said coefficient setting means.

6. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving said continuous dot number and storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots, the toner consumption for a particular dot varying as a function of a value of the continuous dot number, and outputting a toner consumption value;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to the continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions for forming a series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means;

a printed sheet detecting means for counting a number of printed sheets and outputting a signal when a value calculated from said number of printed sheets reaches a preset value; and

an alarm signal generating means for receiving said signal and said integrated value and generating an alarm signal in accordance with said signal output from said printed sheet detecting means and said integrated value stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means.

7. The residual recording material amount detector of claim 6, wherein said printed sheet detecting means comprises a counter for counting said number of printed sheets.

8. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving said continuous dot number and storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots and outputting a toner consumption value;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to the continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions for forming a series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means;

a printed sheet detecting means for counting a number of printed sheets, and for outputting a signal when a value calculated from said number of printed sheets reaches a preset value, said printed sheet detecting means comprises an invalid toner amount calculating device for multiplying a predetermined ratio by a product of said number of printed sheets and an operation time of a developing unit to print a single sheet of said laser printer;

an alarm signal generating means for receiving said signal and said integrated value and generating an alarm signal in accordance with said signal output from said printed sheet detecting means and said integrated value stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means; and

said printed sheet detecting means including a counter for counting said number of printed sheets.

9. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving said continuous dot number and storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots, toner consumption for a particular dot being a function of the continuous dot number, and outputting a toner consumption value;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to the continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions for forming a series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means;

a printed sheet detecting means for counting a number of printed sheets and outputting a signal when a value calculated from said number of printed sheets reaches a preset value;

an alarm signal generating means for receiving said signal and said integrated value and generating an alarm signal in accordance with said signal output from said printed sheet detecting means and said integrated value stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means; and

said alarm signal generating means includes a first comparison device for comparing said signal from said printed sheet detecting means with a present alarm reference and a second comparison device for comparing said integrated value from said integrated toner consumption storage means with a preset alarm reference, and said alarm signal generating means generates said alarm signal by logically summing signals from said first and second comparison device.

10. A residual recording material amount detector for a laser printer comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous video signals for modulating a laser light source and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for receiving said continuous dot number and storing a toner consumption per number of continuous dots, toner consumption for a particular dot being a function of the continuous dot number, and outputting a toner consumption value;

an integrated toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to the continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means for storing an integrated value of toner consumptions for forming a series of dots calculated by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means;

a printed sheet detecting means for counting a number of printed sheets and outputting a signal when a value calculated from said number of printed sheets reaches a preset value; and

an alarm signal generating means for receiving said signal and said integrated value and generating an alarm signal in accordance with said signal output from said printed sheet detecting means and said integrated value stored in said integrated toner consumption storage means;

said alarm signal generating means generating said alarm signal in response to a value obtained by adding said signal output from said printed sheet detecting means to said integrated value stored in said integrated toner consumption storage;

means.

11. A residual recording material mount detector for a laser printing comprising:

a continuous dot number detecting means for counting a number of continuous dots to be printed and producing a continuous dot number;

a toner consumption data storage means for storing a toner consumption per number of said continuous dots, receiving the continuous dot number, and producing a value corresponding to an amount of toner consumed per dot consumed by generation of dots, the toner consumption for a particular dot varying as a function of the value of the continuous dot number; and

a toner consumption storage means operatively coupled to said continuous dot number detecting means and toner consumption storage means for sequentially subtracting a value of toner consumptions at a time of forming said series of dots, calculated as a function of said continuous dot number and said value by said continuous dot number detecting means and said toner consumption data storage means, from a preset total amount of toner supplied to a toner cartridge.

12. A method for detecting a residual amount of a recording material for a laser printer comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a number of continuous dots by counting a number of laser turn on signals while dots to be printed are generated continuously;

(b) reading out an amount of a toner consumption per dot consumed by generation of a series of dots, the toner consumption for a particular dot varying as a function of the value of the continuous dot number;

(c) calculating a product of said toner consumption per dot and said number of continuous dots;

(d) integrating said toner consumption by repeating said steps (a), (b) and (c) every time dots are printed;

(e) instructing replacement of a toner cartridge when said integrated toner consumption has reached a preset reference value; and

(f) resetting a value of said integrated toner consumption when said toner cartridge is replaced.