Powder detection device, image forming apparatus, powder detection method, and non-transitory recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016349101-A1
Application number	US-201615158357-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A powder detection device includes a detection mechanism including an oscillation unit and a vibrated member, a vibrating member, and a detection unit. The oscillation unit outputs a signal having a frequency according to a state of a magnetic flux passing a space facing the oscillation unit. The vibrated member affecting the magnetic flux and disposed inside a container to face the oscillation unit via the container is vibrated by the vibrating member in a direction of facing the oscillation unit. The detection unit acquires frequency information of the signal at predetermined periods, determines presence/absence of an error of the detection mechanism based on error information associating a type of the error with a state of the signal, detects vibration of the vibrated member based on a change in the frequency information, and detects a remaining amount of powder in the container based on the detected vibration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A powder detection device comprising:
a detection mechanism including
an oscillation unit to output an oscillation signal having a frequency according to a state of a magnetic flux passing through a space faced by the oscillation unit, and
a vibrated member made of a material affecting the magnetic flux, and disposed inside a container to face the oscillation unit via a housing forming the container;
a vibrating member to vibrate the vibrated member in a direction of facing the oscillation unit; and a detection unit to acquire signal frequency-related information related to the frequency of the oscillation signal of the oscillation unit at predetermined periods, determine presence or absence of an error of the detection mechanism based on error determination information, detect vibration of the vibrated member based on a change in the signal frequency-related information according to the vibration of the vibrated member, and detect a remaining amount of flowable powder in the container based on the detected vibration, the error determination information associating a type of the error of the detection mechanism with a state of the oscillation signal obtained based on the signal frequency-related information.

2 . The powder detection device of claim 1 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a first value that changes with the frequency of the oscillation signal, and
wherein the detection unit acquires the first value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determines the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism based on the acquired first value using the error determination information.

3 . The powder detection device of claim 2 , wherein the detection unit determines the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism based on the error determination information before starting the detection of the remaining amount of the powder in the container based on the detected vibration, and
wherein the vibrating member starts vibrating the vibrated member after it is determined that the detection mechanism is in a normal state in accordance with the first value based on the signal frequency-related information.

4 . The powder detection device of claim 1 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member, and
wherein the detection unit acquires information of the presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determines the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism in accordance with the acquired information of the presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member using the error determination information.

5 . The powder detection device of claim 1 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a second value that changes with a vibration frequency of the vibrated member, and
wherein the detection unit acquires the second value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determines the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism in accordance with the acquired second value using the error determination information.

6 . The powder detection device of claim 5 , wherein the error determination information further associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a combination of the remaining amount of the powder in the container and the second value, and
wherein the detection unit acquires the second value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determines the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism based on the acquired second value and the associated detected remaining amount of the powder in the container.

7 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
the powder detection device of claim 1 , the power detection device being configured to detect a remaining amount of a developer.

8 . A powder detection method comprising:
acquiring, at predetermined periods, signal frequency-related information related to a frequency of an oscillation signal from an oscillation unit, the frequency according to a state of a magnetic flux passing through a space faced by the oscillation unit; determining, based on error determination information, presence or absence of an error of a detection mechanism including the oscillation unit and a vibrated member, the error determination information associating a type of the error of the detection mechanism with a state of the oscillation signal obtained based on the signal frequency-related information; detecting vibration of the vibrated member in a direction of facing the oscillation unit based on a change in the signal frequency-related information according to the vibration of the vibrated member; and detecting a remaining amount of flowable powder in a container based on the detected vibration of the vibrated member.

9 . The powder detection method of claim 8 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a first value that changes with the frequency of the oscillation signal, and
wherein the determining includes: acquiring the first value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determining the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism based on the acquired first value using the error determination information.

10 . The powder detection method of claim 9 , wherein the determining precedes the detecting the remaining amount, and
wherein the detecting the vibration starts after it is determined that the detection mechanism is in a normal state in accordance with the first value based on the signal frequency-related information.

11 . The powder detection method of claim 8 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member, and
wherein the determining includes: acquiring information of the presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determining the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism in accordance with the acquired information of the presence or absence of the vibration of the vibrated member using the error determination information.

12 . The powder detection method of claim 8 , wherein the error determination information associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a second value that changes with a vibration frequency of the vibrated member, and
wherein the determining includes: acquiring the second value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determining the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism in accordance with the acquired second value using the error determination information.

13 . The powder detection method of claim 12 , wherein the error determination information further associates the type of the error of the detection mechanism with a combination of the remaining amount of the powder in the container and the second value, and
wherein the determining includes: acquiring the second value based on the acquired signal frequency-related information, and determining the presence or absence of the error of the detection mechanism based on the acquired second value

Assignees

• Yamamoto Mitsufumi
• Hirota Tetsuro
• Kikuchi Kenji
• Satoh Kazuho
• Nishizaki Shingo
• Tokumaru Ko
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamoto Mitsufumi
• Hirota Tetsuro
• Kikuchi Kenji
• Satoh Kazuho
• Nishizaki Shingo
• Tokumaru Ko

Classifications

• G01F23/28

  by measuring the variations of parameters of electromagnetic or acoustic waves applied directly to the liquid or fluent solid material · CPC title

• G01F25/0061 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G03G15/0831

  Physics · mapped topic

• G03G2215/0132

  vertical medium transport path at the secondary transfer · CPC title

• G03G15/086

  the level being measured by electro-magnetic means · CPC title