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US-12619182-B2 - Image forming apparatus including clutch to switch transmission of driving force

US12619182B2US 12619182 B2US12619182 B2US 12619182B2US-12619182-B2

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a main housing having a supply section opening, the main housing including: a first conveying roller which conveys a sheet; and a supply section cover which opens and closes the supply section opening and which is movable between a cover opened position at which the supply section cover is opened and a cover closed position at which the supply section cover is closed; a process unit including: a process housing to accommodate toner; a developing roller; and an agitating member which agitates the toner in the process housing; a toner cartridge which is attached to and detached from the process unit through the supply section opening and which supplies the toner to the process unit, the toner cartridge having at least a part being exposed outside the main housing in a state of the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit; and a controller.

Inventors

  • Mikio Inuzuka

Assignees

  • BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240927
Priority Date
20220401

Claims (13)

  1. 1 . An image forming apparatus, comprising: a main housing having a supply section opening, the main housing including: a first conveying roller configured to convey a sheet; and a supply section cover configured to open and close the supply section opening and configured to be movable between a cover opened position at which the supply section cover is opened and a cover closed position at which the supply section cover is closed; a process unit including: a process housing configured to accommodate toner and having a toner receiving port; a developing roller; and an agitating member configured to agitate the toner in the process housing; a toner cartridge configured to be attached to and detached from the process unit through the supply section opening and configured to supply the toner to the process unit, the toner cartridge having at least a part being exposed outside the main housing in a state of the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit; and a controller, wherein the main housing further comprises: a first motor configured to drive the first conveying roller and the agitating member; a clutch configured to be switched between a transmission state where driving force of the first motor is transmitted to the first conveying roller and a non-transmission state where the driving force of the first motor is not transmitted to the first conveying roller; and a first detecting section configured to detect the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit, and the controller is configured to execute: a first switching process of switching the clutch from the transmission state to the non-transmission state in a case of the supply section cover being positioned in the cover opened position; and a first motor driving process of driving the first motor after the first switching process, wherein in a case where the first detecting section detects the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit with the supply section cover being positioned in the cover opened position, the controller is configured to execute the first switching process, and wherein in a case where the first detecting section does not detect the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit after the first switching process, the controller is configured to execute a second switching process of switching the clutch from the non-transmission state to the transmission state.
  2. 2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main housing further comprises a sheet accommodating section configured to accommodate the sheet, and the first conveying roller includes a feeding roller configured to convey the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating section.
  3. 3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the process unit comprises a process coupling configured to receive the driving force of the first motor and configured to be rotated, the developing roller is configured to be rotated along with rotation of the process coupling, and the agitating member is configured to be rotated along with the rotation of the process coupling.
  4. 4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first detecting section is a main body electrical contact to be electrically connected to the controller, the process unit further comprises: a first process electrical contact configured to contact the first detecting section; and a second process electrical contact electrically connected to the first process electrical contact, the toner cartridge further comprises a toner memory having a toner electrical contact, the toner electrical contact being configured to contact the second process electrical contact in the state of the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit, the first detecting section is electrically connectable to the toner memory via the first process electrical contact, the second process electrical contact, and the toner electrical contact, and in a case where the controller is electrically connected to the toner memory, the controller is configured to determine that the toner cartridge has been attached to the process unit.
  5. 5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the toner memory is configured to store an amount of the toner accommodated in the toner cartridge.
  6. 6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main housing further comprises a second detecting section configured to detect opening and closing of the supply section cover, and the controller is configured to execute: a stopping process of stopping driving of the first motor in a case where the controller determines that the supply section cover is in the cover opened position based on the second detecting section; the first switching process, in a case where the first detecting section detects the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit after the stopping process; and the first motor driving process of driving the first motor after the first switching process.
  7. 7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second detecting section is an optical sensor.
  8. 8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein in a case where the second detecting section detects the supply section cover being in the cover opened position during forming an image on the sheet, the controller is configured to discharge the sheet on which the image is being formed and then execute the stopping process.
  9. 9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the main housing further comprises: a second conveying roller configured to convey the sheet; and a second motor configured to drive the second conveying roller, and the controller is configured to stop driving of the second motor in the stopping process.
  10. 10 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a fixing section, wherein the second motor is configured to transmit driving force to the fixing section.
  11. 11 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the second conveying roller includes a discharging roller configured to discharge the sheet, on which an image has been formed, outside the main housing.
  12. 12 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first conveying roller includes a discharging roller configured to discharge the sheet, on which an image has been formed, outside the main housing.
  13. 13 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the clutch is an electromagnetic clutch.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2023/012457 filed Mar. 28, 2023, which claims priority from Japanese patent Application No. 2022-061737 filed Apr. 1, 2022. The entire contents of both applications is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an image forming apparatus including: a process unit; a main housing to which the process unit can be attached; and a toner cartridge which can be attached to the process unit while the process unit is attached to the main housing is known. The process unit has: a developing roller; a developing container accommodating toner; an agitating member for agitating the toner in the housing; and a supply part where the toner cartridge is attached and the toner is supplied from the toner cartridge. The main housing has an opening to expose the supply part of the process unit in a state where the process unit is attached to the main housing. The main housing also has: a cover which can be moved between an open position for opening the opening and a closed position for closing the opening; and conveying rollers for conveying sheets. With the cover of the main housing in the open position, a user can attach the toner cartridge to the supply part of the process unit and supply the process unit with the toner from the toner cartridge. In a state where the cover of the main housing is in the open position, rotation of the conveying rollers is stopped. SUMMARY In the conventionally known image forming apparatus, one motor can be used to rotate the conveying rollers and the agitating member. In this case, when the rotation of the conveying rollers is stopped with the cover of the main housing being in the open position, the rotation of the agitating member is also stopped. However, if the rotation of the agitating member is stopped, the toner supplied from the toner cartridge to the process unit may accumulate near the supply part of the process unit when the user attaches the toner cartridge to the process unit to supply the process unit with the toner. Therefore, an object of this disclosure is to provide a configuration in which a conveying roller and an agitating member are rotated by a single motor, and in which the agitating member can be rotated while the conveying roller is stopped with the cover of the main housing being in an open position. To achieve this objective, an image forming apparatus of this disclosure includes: a main housing having a supply section opening, the main housing including: a first conveying roller configured to convey a sheet; and a supply section cover configured to open and close the supply section opening and configured to be movable between a cover opened position at which the supply section cover is opened and a cover closed position at which the supply section cover is closed; a process unit including: a process housing configured to accommodate toner and having a toner receiving port; a developing roller; and an agitating member configured to agitate the toner in the process housing; a toner cartridge configured to be attached to and detached from the process unit through the supply section opening and configured to supply the toner to the process unit, the toner cartridge having at least a part being exposed outside the main housing in a state of the toner cartridge being attached to the process unit; and a controller. The main housing further includes: a first motor configured to drive the first conveying roller and the agitating member; and a clutch configured to be switched between a transmission state where driving force of the first motor is transmitted to the first conveying roller and a non-transmission state where the driving force of the first motor is not transmitted to the first conveying roller. The controller is configured to execute: a first switching process of switching the clutch from the transmission state to the non-transmission state in a case of the supply section cover being positioned in the cover opened position; and a first motor driving process of driving the first motor after the first switching process. According to the image forming apparatus of this disclosure, in a case where the supply section cover is in the cover opened position, the agitating member can be rotated with the rotation of the first conveying roller being stopped. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, in a configuration where a single motor drives the agitator member and the conveying roller that conveys sheets, the agitator member can be rotated while the conveying roller is stopped with the cover being in the open position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a monochrome printer as an example of an image forming apparatus. FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are perspective views of the monochrome printer with a process unit attached to a main housing, FIG. 2A depicts a state where a supply section cover is closed,