| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To provide a device which securely detects an amount of recovered toner of a cleaner by frictionally joining a follower wheel, which is fitted to a paddle wheel whose rotation resistance varies with an amount of recovered toner in the storage chamber of a housing, to a driving wheel, and providing a photosensor which outputs a signal in response to the detection of relative idling between them. CONSTITUTION:When the storage chamber 38 of the housing 35 is almost full of recovering toner, the paddle wheel 40 comes into contact with the recovered toner; the rotation resistance of the paddle wheel 4 is increased, and its transmission torque becomes high; consequently, a coil spring 43 is slightly bent, and the driving wheel 42 comes to idling at a few degrees to the follower wheel 41. As a result, the first slit 451 of the driving wheel 42 and the first slit 441 of the follower wheel 41 coincide, and light of a light emitting unit passes through the first slits 441 and 451. While the wheels make one rotation, the photosensor 50 is turned off only one time, and consequently outputs, as a first warning, a signal indicating that the storage chamber 38 is almost full of the recovering toner. |
