Abstract:
An encoded device for a toner cartridge provides a plate having preprogrammed indicia positioned at locations defined in relation to a clock face. The preprogrammed indicia includes a start indicia positioned at about a 6:00 o'clock position and at least one measurement indicia located between about 200 degrees and about 230 degrees from the 6:00 o'clock position.
Abstract:
One aspect of the invention is the invention is directed to a toner cartridge including a sump for carrying a supply of toner. An agitator is rotatably mounted in the sump, and the agitator has a first end and a second end. An encoded wheel is coupled to the first end of the agitator. The encoder wheel is structured and adapted to include a first preselected cartridge characteristic indicia having a first extent, a stop indicia having a second extent larger than the first extent and a start indicia having a third extent larger than the second extent. Each indicia may be in the form of a slot. Preferably, the start indicia is positioned between about a 5:00 o'clock position and a 6:00 O'clock postition. The stop indicia is positioned at about a 9:00 o'clock position. At least one preselected cartridge characteristic indicia is positioned between the start indicia and the stop indicia. At least one measurement indicia is located between about 200 degrees and about 230 degrees in a clockwise direction from the 6:00 o'clock position.
Abstract:
A developing apparatus includes a developing container for storing a developing agent, a developing agent carrier which is disposed at the opening of the developing container, and carries the developing agent, a detection member which is disposed in the developing container and moves at a predetermined cycle, and a judging means for judging the residual amount of developing agent on the basis of changes in voltage induced at the detection member in the cycle.
Abstract:
A volume detector for detecting the volume of powdery material in a container includes a roller having a fin and rotatably provided in the container for generating a periodic wavy motion of the powdery material so as to cause at least a portion of the powdery material to rise above and fall below a predetermined level. A level sensor is provided at the predetermined level in the container for producing high and low level signals, respectively, when at least a portion of the powdery material rises above and falls below the predetermined level. The signal produced from the level sensor is applied to a duty cycle detector for detecting the duty cycle of high level signal, thereby the duty cycle representing the volume of the powdery material.
Abstract:
An apparatus for detecting the level or quantity of a particulate material contained in a vessel by means of an agitating and/or delivering member while agitating the particulate material which needs to be agitated from time to time. The agitating member is arranged in the vessel for rotation about a horizontal axis, the center of gravity of the agitating member deviating from said horizontal axis. A driving and a driven disks disposed in spaced juxtaposed relationship constitute drive means for driving the agitating member. Arranged between the driving and driven disks is coupling means which, while permitting the disks to rotate relative to each other through a predetermined angle, connects the two disks to each other when the disks reach an end of said angle. Thus, when the agitating member is drawing, during its movement, near the upper surface of the particulate material in the vessel, it is disconnected from the drive source due to its eccentricity while the two disks are moving through said angle, and further moves by its own weight till it reaches the upper surface of the particulate material where it temporarily remains stationary. The angular position reached by the driven disk at this time indicates the level or the gravity of the particulate material in the vessel. Detection of the level of particulate material can be readily achieved by observing the angular relationship of the two disks at the time when the agitating member becomes stationary.
Abstract:
A developing device of an image forming apparatus includes a casing, two-component developer accommodated in the casing, and a stirring screw for conveying and stirring the developer in the casing by rotation in a predetermined direction. The image forming apparatus includes a toner concentration sensor that outputs a value indicative of the toner concentration of the developer in the casing. The image forming apparatus determines whether or not the developer in the casing has become uniform, based on the amount of change per unit time of the output value of the toner concentration sensor, acquired after the stirring of the developer in the casing by the stirring screw is started. It is possible to appropriately measure the reference value of the toner concentration.
Abstract:
A developer including developer particles. Each developer particle includes a binder resin, a brilliant pigment whose principal component is aluminum, a yellow pigment, a magenta pigment, a reddish-orange fluorescent dye, and a yellow fluorescent dye. When an average particle diameter of the brilliant pigments included in the developer particles is expressed as D (μm), a number proportion of the developer particles having particle diameters in a range from 4 μm to 1.2×D μm in the whole developer particles is less than or equal to 4%.
Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming station configured to form a toner image and a recording material; a fixing portion configured to fix the toner image formed by the image forming station on the recording material; a selector configured to select a correction level for correcting crease of an envelope, by an operator; and a controller configured to control a fixing condition in response to the correction level selected on the selector.
Abstract:
A powder amount detector includes a vibration plate secured to a powder container to contain powder and positioned at a predetermined position in a stationary state, a shaft to rotate inside the powder container, a contact member attached to the shaft, a vibration detector to detect vibration of the vibration plate, and a detection result processor to determine an amount of the powder in the powder container according to a detection result generated by the vibration detector. The contact member is to flip the vibration plate to cause the vibration plate to repeat elastic deformation and reversion to vibrate. The contact member is to exit an area opposed to the vibration plate after the contact member flips the vibration plate by the time the vibration plate returns to the predetermined position.
Abstract:
A powder supply device that includes a powder reservoir including a rotator having a rotation shaft, to store powder supplied from a powder container; and a powder amount detector. The powder amount detector includes a detected member disposed in the powder reservoir, a contact member attached to the rotation shaft, to contact the detected member to vibrate or move the detected member, a detector to detect vibration or a displacement of the detected member, and a detection result processor to detect the amount of the powder in the powder reservoir based on detection by the detector. The powder supply device further includes a controller to supply the powder from the powder container to the powder reservoir based on detection by the powder amount detector. The controller rotates the rotator in discharging the powder from the powder reservoir and supplying the powder from the powder container to the powder reservoir.