Image forming apparatus using visualizing agent

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a copy function, a printer function, and a facsimile function, when the absence of the toner is detected, a copy or a data print from a computer is inhibited but a recording of an image which was facsimile received is permitted. Thus, a situation such that the facsimile reception cannot be performed due to the absence of the toner at night or the like is prevented.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image by using a visualizing agent such as toner, ink, or the like. Related Background Art Recently, an image forming apparatus having functions of a copy, a facsimile, and a printer in one device has been proposed. In such a kind of image forming apparatus, an image corresponding to an image signal of a facsimile which is transmitted from a remote location through a telephone line or images corresponding to a plurality of kinds of image signals which are sent from an image reading device, a computer, and the like arranged around the image forming apparatus are formed onto a transfer material by a visualizing agent such as toner, ink, or the like. In such an image forming apparatus for forming the images corresponding to the image signals from a plurality of kinds of devices onto the transfer material by the visualizing agent such as toner, ink, or the like, in case of using an electrophotography system as visualizing means, an electrostatic latent image formed on the uniformly charged surface of the image holding member by a laser scanner, an LED array, or the like for emitting a light in response to the image signal is developed to a toner image by a developing device, the toner image is transferred and fixed onto a transfer material, and is outputted as a visualized image. Each time the image formation is executed, the toner in the developing device is consumed and reduced. When a remain amount of the toner in the developing device is equal to 0, even if the image formation is executed, only a blank paper is outputted and no visualized image is derived. To avoid such a situation, in the conventional image forming apparatus, means for detecting the remain amount of the toner in the developing device is provided and when it is detected that the toner remain amount in the developing device decreased to a predetermined amount, a message to promote the supply of the toner is displayed and the execution of the image formation is inhibited, (see for example US 5.099.293). In case of using such an image forming apparatus as a copying apparatus or a printer of a computer, even if the message to promote the supply of the toner is displayed, the operator who is present at a near location can immediately supply the toner. However, in case of using such an image forming apparatus as a facsimile apparatus, if the toner lacks in the middle of the reception of the images at night when there is no person, the toner is not supplied, so that the subsequent reception is not accepted. Even in a device having a memory to print the received images, so long as a memory capacity lacks, the reception is not similarly accepted as well. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an image forming apparatus and its control method which can eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above. Another object of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and its control method, in which a state such that a facsimile reception in a situation such that a visualizing agent cannot be supplied is not accepted is prevented as much as possible. Still another object of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and its control method, in which a detection level of no visualizing agent is changed in accordance with the kind of input source of image information, thereby preventing as much as possible that the image formation cannot be performed in a situation such that there is no person. The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a main section regarding the visualization; Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a developing device 13 in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus having functions of a facsimile, a printer, and a copying apparatus. Reference numeral 1 denotes an image forming apparatus having the following component elements 2 to 8. A reception signal of a facsimile from a telephone line 10 is decoded into an image signal of a bit map form by a decoding device 8. After that, the decoded signal passes through an interface 3 and is visualized by a visualizing device 4. An image signal from a computer 9 passes through the interface 3 and is visualized by the visualizing device 4. In case of copying, an image signal from a reader 2 for photoelectrically converting and reading an original image passes through the interface 3 and is visualized by the visualizing device 4. The reader 2, interface 3, visualizing device 4, and a display unit 5 are controlled by a CPU 6 by mutually communicating. The CPU 6 includes memory means having an area in which control procedures as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, which will be explained hereinlater, have been stored and a work area of the CPU 6. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cross section of a main section of the visualizing device 4 in the image forming apparatus 1. By scanning a laser beam 12 for emitting a light in response to the inputted image signal, an electrostatic latent image is formed onto the surface of an image holding member 20 charged uniformly by a primary charging device 11. The electrostatic latent image is developed to a toner image by a developing device 13. The toner image is transferred to a transfer material 15 by a transfer device 14. After that the toner image on the transfer material 15 is fixed onto the transfer material 15 by a fixing device (not shown). In the embodiment, a uniform charged potential on the surface of the image holding member 20 is set to -700V, a latent image potential corresponding to a blank portion of the image is set to -700V, and a latent image potential corresponding to a black portion of the image is set to -250V. The developing device 13 is a device for developing the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image holding member 20 to the toner image by allowing a developing agent holding member 16 to which a developing bias voltage including a DC component was applied to face the image holding member 20. As a developing system of the developing device 13, an inversion developing system using a toner of a minus polarity is used. A value of the DC component of the developing bias voltage which is supplied from a developing bias power supply 17 to the developing agent holding member (developing sleeve) 16 changes in accordance with a control signal which is sent from the CPU 6. A toner remain amount detecting device 18 to detect a remain amount of the toner is provided in the developing device 13. The toner remain amount detecting device 18 is constructed by a piezoelectric element or the like and informs the CPU 6 of a judgment result about whether the toner amount in the developing device 13 has decreased to a predetermined amount or not. In the embodiment, a first predetermined amount and a second predetermined amount are provided as reference values for the remain amount of the toner which is detected by the toner remain amount detecting means 18, in which there is a relation of (the first predetermined amount) > (the second predetermined amount). When the toner remain amount detecting means detects that the remain amount of the toner has reduced to the first predetermined amount, the image formation of only the reception signal of the facsimile is executed. When the toner remain amount detecting means detects that the toner remain amount has reduced to the second predetermined amount, the input of all of the image signals is inhibited. Thus, it is possible to prevent that the visualized image of the facsimile reception signal is outputted as a blank paper. Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the developing device 13. A first toner remain amount detecting device 21 can detect that the remain amount of the toner has been reduced to the first predetermined amount. A second toner remain amount detecting device 22 can detect that the toner remain amount has been reduced to the second predetermined amount. The first and second toner remain detecting devices 21 and 22 can be constructed by piezoelectric devices or the like. A difference between the first and second predetermined amounts is set to a value such that about 500 standard originals can be visualized. According to the embodiment the image formation based on the reception signal of the facsimile which is executed after the toner remain amount in the developing device was reduced to the predetermined amount is executed by decreasing a toner amount to be consumed by changing the developing bias voltage. Thus, there is an effect such that a larger amount of facsimile reception signals can be visualized until the toner is perfectly eliminated. In the above example of the operation, the means for reducing the toner amount to be consumed when the image formation is executed is not limited to only the change in developing bias voltage. For example, a light amount of the laser beam 12, the uniform charging potential of the image holding member 20, or the like can be also changed. Even if the image is reduced and outputted, the consumption amount of the toner can be reduced. In case of using an ink jet system as a visualizing device, it is sufficient to reduce an emission amount of the ink by changing an electric power which is supplied to a nozzle for emitting the ink. The construction in which the image formation of only the facsimile reception signal is executed even if the toner remain amount in the developing device 13 decreased to the predetermined amount has been described in the above embodiments. However, the kind of image signal which permits the execution of the image formation even if the toner remain amount in the developing device 13 decreased to the predetermined amount is not limited to the facsimile reception signal, In the case where the computer 9 in the first embodiment is arranged at a remote location in a manner similar to the facsimile, the image formation of the image signal from the computer 9 is also executed after the signal of the toner remain detection signal was turned on. If the kind of device for executing the image formation even if the remain amount decreased to the predetermined amount can be preset by an operating unit (not shown) or the like of the image forming apparatus 1, the effect of the invention can be further enhanced. The visualizing device of the invention is not limited to the electrophotographic system which uses the toner but even in case of the ink jet system using the ink or the like, a similar effect can be obtained. In each of the above embodiments, in a device having a memory for substitution reception as in case of a paper absent state or the like, even if the toner is completely eliminated due to the visualization of the facsimile reception image after the toner remain amount detection signal was turned on, the memory substitution reception can be continued until a vacant capacity of the memory is eliminated.

Claims: An image forming apparatus having a copying or printing function and a facsimile receiving function, comprising: first input means (2) for inputting image data for a copy; second input means (8) for inputting image data for a facsimile reception; image forming means (4) for forming an image by a visualizing agent on the basis of the image data from said first input means (2) or the image data from said second input means (8); and detecting means (18) for detecting a remain amount of said visualizing agent, wherein said detecting means (18) has a first reference value for detecting the absence of said visualizing agent in order to inhibit the image formation based on the image data from said first input means (2) and a second reference value which is smaller than said fist reference value and detects the absence of said visualizing agent in order to inhibit the image formation based on the image data from said second input means (8). An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said visualizing agent is a toner. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said visualizing agent is an ink. An apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein when said detecting means (18) detects that the remain amount of said visualizing agent is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount, said image forming means (4) reduces a density at the time of the image formation based on the image data from said second input means (8). An apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein when said detecting means (18) detects that the remain amount of said visualizing agent is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount, said image forming means (4) reduces a magnification at the time of the image formation based on the image data from said second input means (8). A control method of an image forming apparatus having input means (3) for inputting image data from a first information generating source (2) and a second information generating source (8), comprising the steps of: detecting a remaining amount of a visualizing agent to perform an image formation on the basis of the image data from said input means (3); and performing a stop operation to inhibit the image formation based on the image data from said first information generating source (2) when the remaining amount of said visualizing agent detected in said detecting step is equal to or less than a first predetermined amount, and sequentially performing the stop operation to inhibit the image formation based on the image data from said second information generating source (8) when the remaining amount of said visualizing agent is equal to or less than a second predetermined amount less than the first predetermined amount. A method according to claim 6, wherein said first information generating source (2) is an image reading device and said second information generating source (8) is a facsimile receiving device. A method according to claim 6, wherein toner is used as visualizing agent. A method according to claim 6, wherein an ink is used as visualizing agent. A method according to one of the preceding claims 6 to 9, wherein when a detecting means (18) detects that the remain amount of said visualizing agent is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount, an image forming means (4) reduces a density at the time of the image formation based on the image data from said second source (8). A method according to one of the preceding claims 6 to 9, wherein when a detecting means (18) detects that the remain amount of said visualizing agent is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount, an image forming means (4) reduces a magnification at the time of the image formation based on the image data from said second source (8).

Inventors: KUNISHI TSUYOSHI, KUNISHI, TSUYOSHI
Applicants: CANON KK, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1996
Main classification: H04N1
IPC codes: H04N1, G03G15, G03G21