Patent ID: 6397018
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A developing device, comprising:a developer container which is mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, contains a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and includes a developer bearing member for carrying the developer to said electrophotographic photosensitive member; and a plurality of developer remaining amount detecting means for successively detecting a remaining amount of developer within said developer container, wherein regions detected by said plurality of developer remaining amount detecting means are overlapped with each other, and detected values by said plurality of developer remaining amount detecting means are weighted, respectively, and wherein an overlapped period is sectioned into a plurality of stages, and weighing is gradually shifted from a detected value of previous developer remaining amount detecting means to a detected value of succeeding developer remaining amount detecting means in each of the stages, and said apparatus main body detects the detected value to detect the remaining amount of developer.