Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10649391-B2
Application number	US-201916542387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2019
Priority date	Sep 4, 2018
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a rotary member, a web, a moving unit, a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined position, and a control portion. The control portion informs, in a case where an actual moving amount per one winding operation is a first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a first number of sheets. The control portion informs, in a case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is a second moving amount which is greater than the first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a second number of sheets which is less than the first number of sheets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a rotary member;
a web in contact with the rotary member to remove toner on the rotary member;
a moving unit replaceably supporting the web and configured to wind up the web to move a contact position of the web with the rotary member, the moving unit winding up the web every time when toner images are formed on a unit number of recording materials, if the toner images are formed on the recording materials each having a predetermined size;
a detecting unit configured to detect that the web has been wound up to a predetermined position; and
a control portion configured to inform a replacement of the web,
wherein the control portion informs, in a case where an actual moving amount per one winding operation is a first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a first number of sheets, the actual moving amount per one winding operation being defined as an average wind-up amount per unit number of sheets by which the moving unit has wound up the web to the predetermined position, and
wherein the control portion informs, in a case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is a second moving amount which is greater than the first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a second number of sheets which is less than the first number of sheets.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion obtains the actual moving amount per one winding operation based on a number of times by which the web has been wound from a starting end to the predetermined position of the web and a length of the web from the starting end to the predetermined position of the web.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control portion prohibits, in the case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is the first moving amount, toner images from being formed on the recording materials, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the replacement of the web is informed reaches a third number of sheets, and
the control portion prohibits, in the case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is the second moving amount, toner images from being formed on the recording materials, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the replacement of the web is informed reaches a fourth number of sheets which is less than the third number of sheets.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detecting unit is configured to detect that the web has been wound up to an upstream position upstream of the predetermined position in a moving direction of the web, and
the control portion prohibits toner images from being formed on recording materials in a case where the detecting unit detects that the web has been wound up to the upstream position.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion informs, in a case where a first replacement of the web has been carried out, a replacement of the web after the first replacement based on the actual moving amount per one winding operation obtained before the first replacement.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display portion indicating an usage of the web, wherein the control portion indicates a first usage obtained by a number of times by which the web has been wound up by the moving unit and a unit wind-up amount of the web per one winding operation set in advance until the predetermined position is detected, and indicates a second usage obtained by a number of times by which the web has been wound up and the actual moving amount per one winding operation after the predetermined position is detected, in indicating the usage of the web on the display portion.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein if the first usage has become greater than a third usage corresponding to a length from a starting end to the predetermined position of the web before the predetermined position is detected, the control portion indicates the third usage on the display portion until the predetermined position is detected.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion informs a replacement of the web in the case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is not within a wind-up range of the web per one winding operation set in advance.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion prohibits toner images from being formed on recording materials, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a predetermined total number of sheets.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the web is provided with a notch at the predetermined position of the web, and
the detecting unit is configured to detect the notch.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a fixing member configured to heat and fix the toner image formed on the recording material,
wherein the rotary member is a collecting member configured to collect the toner adhering to the fixing member by being driven by the fixing member.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary member is a fixing member that heats and fixes the toner image formed on the recording material.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary member is an image bearing member configured to rotate while bearing the toner image to be transferred onto the recording material.

14. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a rotary member;
a web in contact with the rotary member to remove toner on the rotary member;
a display portion indicating a usage of the web;
a moving unit replaceably supporting the web and configured to wind up the web to move a contact position of the web with the rotary member, the moving unit winding up the web every time when toner images are formed on a unit number of recording materials, if the toner images are formed on the recording materials each having the recording materials of a predetermined size;
a detecting unit configured to detect that the web has been wound up to a predetermined position; and
a control portion configured to indicate a usage of the web in the display portion,
wherein the control portion indicates a first usage obtained by a number of times by which the web is wound by driving the moving unit and a unit wind-up amount of the web per one winding operation set in advance, until the predetermined position is detected, and
wherein the control portion indicates a second usage obtained by a number of times by which the web has been wound and an actual moving amount per one winding operation after the predetermined position is detected, the actual moving amount per one winding operation being defined as an average wind-up amount per unit number of sheets by which the moving unit has wound up the web to the predetermined position.

15. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a rotary member;
a web in contact with the rotary member to remove toner on the rotary member;
a moving unit replaceably supporting the web and configured to wind up the web to move a contact position of the

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tamaki Masayuki
• Takada Shigeaki
• Matsuura Daigo
• Chiyoda Yasuharu
• Tsujibayashi Masahiro
• Koyama Kengo

Classifications

• G03G15/553

  Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job · CPC title

• G03G15/2025 Primary

  with special means for lubricating and/or cleaning the fixing unit, e.g. applying offset preventing fluid · CPC title

• G03G15/1605

  using at least one intermediate support (G03G15/1625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G2221/0005

  Cleaning of residual toner · CPC title

• G03G15/5016

  User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console · CPC title