Image forming unit and image forming apparatus

摘要

An image forming unit includes an image forming part forming an image, and a developer containing part containing a developer, removably installed to the image forming part, and supplying the developer to the image forming part. The image forming part includes a first memory part storing first usage information indicating usage information of the image forming part and second usage information indicating usage information of the developer in the image forming part.

主权项

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming part forming an image on a medium; a developer containing part containing a developer, removably installed to the image forming part, and supplying the developer to the image forming part; a first memory part included in the image forming part and storing first usage information and second usage information, the first usage information regarding a use amount of the image forming part and the second usage information regarding a developer history; a second memory part included in the developer containing part and storing third usage information regarding a developer history, a controller reading and storing the first and second usage information from and to the first memory part, reading and storing the third usage information from and to the second memory part, and controlling image formation by the image forming part, and a remaining developer amount detection part detecting a remaining amount of the developer, which exists in the developer containing part, wherein(0) the controller determines if the use amount of the image forming part is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value based on the first usage information (S102),(1) when Yes, the controller determines if the developer history indicates low based on the third usage information stored in the second memory part (S110),(2) when No, the controller determines if the developer history indicates low based on the second usage information stored in the first memory part (S103), further
(2a) when Yes, the controller stops the image formation (S104), (2b) when No, the controller executes the image formation (S107, S108), and activates the remaining developer amount detection part to detect if the remaining amount of the developer in the developer containing part (S105) is low,
(2b-i) when Yes, the controller rewrites the developer histories in the first and second memory parts to indicate that the remaining amount of the developer is low (S106),(2b-ii) when No, the controller does not rewrite the first or second memory part to indicate that the remaining amount of the developer is low.