| 摘要 |
The present invention provides a toner cartridge which comprises: a hopper for storing toner therein; a stirring means comprising a first paddle connected to a driving source and adapted to rotate in the hopper, and a second paddle connected to the first paddle by means of an elastic member, the stirring means being adapted to stir the toner in the hopper by the first paddle and the second paddle; and a detection means comprising an encoder having a first slit and a second slit formed thereon for transmitting light therethrough, the second slit having a width different from that of the first slit, an encoder gear connected to the second paddle for driving the encoder, and a sensor 590 mounted at a sensor reference position for outputting a first signal corresponding to the first slit and a second signal corresponding to the second slit, whereby the sensor detects a time delay of the second signal with respect to the first signal to measure the residual amount of the toner. The present invention also provides an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including the toner cartridge.
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