| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect whether or not a toner container is exchanged to a new one by automatically confirming whether or not toner is housed in the toner container in accordance with the open/close of the housing space of the toner container. SOLUTION: A toner replenishing device arranged in an adjacent relation to a developing device is provided with the toner container 1, a toner hopper 2, and a toner detecting sensor. Whether or not the toner container is exchanged to the one housing toner is detected. That is, a case where operation for 'the detachment/attachment of the toner container' is performed when the toner container can be exchanged because the toner container is empty or the toner does not exist inside the hopper; a main motor, electrification, a developing bias, and a developing CL are successively made to become on-state, and operation for confirming whether or not the toner container is exchanged to the one housing the toner is started. For example, it is confirmed that the toner is consecutively supplied inside the toner hopper from the toner container twice, that is, when count for 'toner existing' is performed twice by the existence/non- existence of toner end output, the toner detecting sensor decides that the toner container is 'exchanged'. |
