JP6540625B2 - Image formation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.

  The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 detects the temperature and humidity in the toner container. Also, based on the temperature and humidity, the toner aggregation state in the toner container is estimated.

JP 2008-298843 A

  However, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 may not be able to effectively utilize information on the toner aggregation state. For example, if the toner in the developing unit runs short while a job for forming an image on a sheet is being executed, it is necessary to supply the toner from the toner container to the developing unit. However, when the toner in the toner container is aggregated, the toner can not be supplied from the toner container to the developing unit. Therefore, when the toner in the toner container is aggregated, there is a possibility that the job for forming the image on the sheet can not be executed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming system capable of effectively utilizing information on the toner aggregation state.

  An image forming system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an assigning device and a plurality of image forming devices. The allocation apparatus and the plurality of image forming apparatuses communicate via a network. The allocation device includes an aggregation determination unit, a reception unit, and an allocation unit. The aggregation determination unit determines, for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, whether toner is aggregated. The receiving unit receives a job for forming an image on a recording medium. The allocation unit allocates the job to any one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the determination result of the aggregation determination unit.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus included in a plurality of image forming apparatuses that communicate with an assignment device via a network. The image forming apparatus includes an aggregation determination unit and a notification unit. The aggregation determination unit determines whether the toner is aggregated. The notification unit notifies the assignment device of the determination result of the aggregation determination unit. The allocation device allocates a job for forming an image on a recording medium to any one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the determination result of the aggregation determination unit.

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus to which a toner container is attached. The image forming apparatus includes an aggregation determination unit and a notification unit. The aggregation determination unit determines whether toner is aggregated based on the number of days elapsed from the mounting of the toner container and the ambient temperature of the toner container. The notification unit notifies the user of information based on the determination result of the aggregation determination unit.

  According to the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the information on the toner aggregation state.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view showing configurations of a control unit of the assignment device according to the first embodiment and a control unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a printing rate of a print job executed by the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing conditions under which the allocation device according to the first embodiment determines toner aggregation. (A) (b) It is a graph which the allocation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment uses in order to determine aggregation of a toner. It is a flowchart which shows the aggregation determination process of the allocation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the job allocation process of the allocation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of a control unit of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the alerting | reporting area | region of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st alerting | reporting process of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the average printing rate display screen which the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment displays. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd alerting | reporting process of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 13). In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

First Embodiment
An image forming system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 100 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A, an image forming apparatus 1B, an image forming apparatus 1C, and an allocation apparatus 2.

  The image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C form an image on the sheet P, respectively. The sheet P corresponds to an example of “recording medium”.

  The assignment device 2 is configured by, for example, a personal computer. Furthermore, the assignment device 2 communicates with the image forming devices 1A to 1C via the network NW. The network NW includes a LAN (Local Area Network) and a WAN (Wide Area Network).

  The assignment device 2 includes a control unit 21. The control unit 21 includes a processor 21A and a storage unit 21B, and controls the operation of the assignment device 2. The processor 21A includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 21B may include, for example, a semiconductor memory, and may include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage unit 21B stores a control program.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2, the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1A to the image forming apparatus 1C. The configurations of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C are substantially the same. Therefore, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1A will be described, and the description of the configurations of the image forming apparatus 1B and the image forming apparatus 1C will be omitted.

  The image forming apparatus 1A is a color copying machine. The image forming apparatus 1A forms an image on a sheet P. The image forming apparatus 1A includes a housing 10, an operation display unit 11, a sheet feeding unit 12, a conveyance unit L, a toner supply unit 13, an image forming unit 14, a fixing unit 17, a discharging unit 18, and a control unit 16.

  The operation display unit 11 notifies the user of various information as well as accepting an operation from the user. The operation display unit 11 includes a display unit 111. The display unit 111 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various information.

  The sheet feeding unit 12 supplies the sheet P to the conveyance unit L. The conveyance unit L conveys the sheet P to the discharge unit 18 via the transfer unit 15 and the fixing unit 17.

  The toner supply unit 13 supplies toner to the image forming unit 14. The toner supply unit 13 includes four toner containers 131y, a toner container 131c, a toner container 131m, and a toner container 131k. The toner container 131y contains yellow toner. The toner container 131 c contains cyan toner. The toner container 131m contains magenta toner. The toner container 131k contains black toner. The toner container 131y to the toner container 131k may be collectively referred to as the toner container 131.

  The image forming unit 14 forms an image on the sheet P. Specifically, the image forming unit 14 includes an image forming unit 14y, an image forming unit 14c, an image forming unit 14m, an image forming unit 14k, and a transfer unit 15. Toner of yellow color is supplied to the image forming unit 14y from the toner container 131y. The cyan toner is supplied from the toner container 131 c to the image forming unit 14 c. Toner of magenta color is supplied from the toner container 131m to the image forming unit 14m. Black toner is supplied from the toner container 131k to the image forming unit 14k. Each of the image forming unit 14y to the image forming unit 14k forms a toner image with toner.

  The image forming unit 14y, the image forming unit 14c, the image forming unit 14m, and the image forming unit 14k each include a toner remaining amount sensor 141y, a toner remaining amount sensor 141c, a toner remaining amount sensor 141m, and a toner remaining amount sensor 141k. . The toner remaining amount sensor 141y detects the remaining amount Qy of toner stored in the toner container 131y (hereinafter referred to as "toner remaining amount Qy"). The toner remaining amount sensor 141 c detects the remaining amount Qc of toner stored in the toner container 131 c (hereinafter referred to as “toner remaining amount Qc”). The toner remaining amount sensor 141m detects the remaining amount Qm of toner stored in the toner container 131m (hereinafter referred to as "toner remaining amount Qm"). The toner remaining amount sensor 141k detects the remaining amount Qk of toner stored in the toner container 131k (hereinafter referred to as "toner remaining amount Qk"). The remaining toner amount Qy to the remaining toner amount Qk may be collectively referred to as the remaining toner amount Q.

  In the first embodiment, the toner remaining amount sensor 141y to the toner remaining amount sensor 141k are disposed in the toner container 131y to the toner container 131k, respectively. The toner remaining amount sensor 141y to the toner remaining amount sensor 141k optically detect the toner remaining amount Qy to the toner remaining amount Qk, respectively. For example, the toner remaining amount sensor 141y may detect the toner remaining amount Qy based on the load of a motor (not shown) for stirring the toner in the toner container 131y. The same applies to the toner remaining amount sensor 141 c to the toner remaining amount sensor 141 k. For example, instead of the toner remaining amount sensor 141y, the control unit 16 may calculate the toner consumption based on the number of printing dots, and detect the toner remaining amount Qy from the toner consumption. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 16 may detect the toner remaining amount Qy based on the integrated value of the rotation time (or the number of rotations) of the toner supply motor. These techniques can also be applied to detection of the toner remaining amount Qc to the toner remaining amount Qk.

  The transfer unit 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 154. The image forming unit 14 y to the image forming unit 14 k transfer the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 154, respectively. A plurality of toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 154 to form an image on the intermediate transfer belt 154. The transfer unit 15 transfers the image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 154 to the sheet P. As a result, an image is formed on the sheet P. The fixing unit 17 heats and presses the sheet P, and fixes the image formed on the sheet P to the sheet P. The discharge unit 18 discharges the sheet P to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The control unit 16 includes a processor 16A and a storage unit 16B, and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The processor 16A includes, for example, a CPU. The storage unit 16B may include, for example, a semiconductor memory, and may include an HDD. The storage unit 16B stores a control program.

  Next, configurations of the control unit 21 of the assignment device 2 and the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 21 and the control unit 16. The configurations of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C are substantially the same. Therefore, the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1A will be described, and the description of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1B and the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1C will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 21 includes a receiving unit 211, a printing ratio calculation unit 212, a printing ratio determination unit 213, an aggregation determination unit 214, and an allocation unit 215. Specifically, the processor 21A of the control unit 21 reads out and executes the control program from the storage unit 21B, and receives the reception unit 211, the printing ratio calculation unit 212, the printing ratio determination unit 213, the aggregation determination unit 214, and the allocation unit 215. Act as.

  The control unit 16 includes an information acquisition unit 161 and a print execution unit 162. Specifically, the processor 16A of the control unit 16 reads out and executes the control program from the storage unit 16B, and functions as an information acquisition unit 161 and a print execution unit 162.

  The storage unit 16B illustrated in FIG. 2 stores the elapsed days PD from when the toner container 131 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1A, and the ambient temperature TP of the toner container 131. Specifically, a temperature sensor (not shown) is disposed in the image forming apparatus 1A. The temperature sensor detects an ambient temperature TP of the toner container 131. The control unit 16 writes the ambient temperature TP detected by the temperature sensor in the storage unit 16B. As a result, the storage unit 16B stores the ambient temperature TP.

  The information acquisition unit 161 acquires the toner remaining amount Q from the toner remaining amount sensor 141. Further, the information acquisition unit 161 acquires the elapsed days PD and the ambient temperature TP from the storage unit 16B.

  The print execution unit 162 executes a job for forming an image on the sheet P (hereinafter, may be described as “print job”) in accordance with an instruction from the assignment unit 215 of the control unit 21.

  The receiving unit 211 receives a print job based on an instruction from the user. Specifically, the reception unit 211 receives a print job based on an operation on the operation display unit 11 by the user.

  The print ratio calculation unit 212 calculates the print ratio DE of the print job. The printing ratio DE is the ratio (S1 / S2) of the integrated area S1 of the image formed on the sheet P to the area S2 of the sheet P.

  The print ratio determination unit 213 determines whether the print ratio DE is equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES. The threshold printing ratio DES corresponds to the “first threshold”.

  The aggregation determination unit 214 acquires the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, and the toner remaining amount Q from the information acquisition unit 161 of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. Further, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether the toner in the toner container 131 is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, and the toner remaining amount Q.

  The allocating unit 215 allocates a print job to any one of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C.

  Specifically, when the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner of the image forming device 1α is aggregated among the image forming devices 1A to 1C, the allocating unit 215 sends a print job to the image forming device 1β. Assign The image forming apparatus 1α indicates an image forming apparatus in which the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner is aggregated. The image forming apparatus 1β is an image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus 1α among the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the allocating unit 215 allocates a print job to the image forming apparatus 1 β. The toner is not aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1β. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 β, the toner is not aggregated and the toner is not supplied, so that the image forming apparatus 1 β can reliably execute the print job. Therefore, the information on the toner aggregation state can be used effectively.

  On the other hand, toner is aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1α. When the toner is coagulated, a motor (not shown) for driving a rotating body (not shown) detects an overcurrent and stops. The rotating body is driven to rotate by a motor, and supplies toner from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14. Therefore, when the motor is stopped due to an overcurrent, toner can not be supplied from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14.

  Next, the printing ratio DE will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print ratio DE of print jobs executed by the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. As shown in FIG. 4, the printing rate DE includes a printing rate DEy for yellow, a printing rate DEc for cyan, a printing rate DEm for magenta, and a printing rate DEk for black. The printing ratio DEy is a ratio (S1y / S2) of the integrated area S1y of the yellow image formed on the sheet P to the area S2 of the sheet P. The printing ratio DEc is a ratio (S1c / S2) of the integrated area S1c of the cyan image formed on the sheet P to the area S2 of the sheet P. The printing ratio DEm is a ratio (S1m / S2) of the integrated area S1m of the magenta image formed on the sheet P to the area S2 of the sheet P. The printing ratio DEk is a ratio (S1k / S2) of the integrated area S1k of the black color image formed on the sheet P to the area S2 of the sheet P.

  Specifically, the printing ratio calculation unit 212 calculates the printing ratio DEy, the printing ratio DEc, the printing ratio DEm, and the printing ratio DEk.

  Further, specifically, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines whether the printing rate DEy is equal to or less than the threshold printing rate DES. Similarly, the printing ratio determination unit 213 determines whether the printing ratio DEc is less than or equal to the threshold printing ratio DES, determines whether or not the printing ratio DEm is less than or equal to the threshold printing ratio DES, and the printing ratio DEk is It is determined whether it is less than the threshold printing rate DES. The threshold printing ratio DES is, for example, 4%.

  Furthermore, the allocation unit 215 allocates a print job to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C according to the determination result of the aggregation determination unit 214 and the determination result of the printing rate determination unit 213. Specifically, even if the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner of the image forming apparatus 1 α is aggregated, the coverage ratio determination unit 213 determines that the coverage ratio DE is equal to or less than the threshold coverage ratio DES. In this case, the allocating unit 215 allocates a print job to the image forming apparatus 1α. In the first embodiment, when the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, the print ratio DEm, and the print ratio DEk are less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES, the print ratio determination unit 213 determines that the print ratio DE is less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES. Determine that there is.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the print data A of the first print job, the print ratio DEy is 20%, the print ratio DEc is 10%, the print ratio DEm is 10%, and the print ratio DEk is 10 %. Therefore, the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, the print ratio DEm, and the print ratio DEk of the print data A are not less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES. Therefore, the printing ratio determination unit 213 determines that the printing ratio DE of the print data A is not less than or equal to the threshold printing ratio DES.

  In the print data B of the second print job, the print ratio DEy is 0%, the print ratio DEc is 0%, the print ratio DEm is 0%, and the print ratio DEk is 5%. Therefore, the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, and the print ratio DEm of the print data B are equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES, and the print ratio DEk is not equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES. Therefore, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines that the printing rate DE of the print data B is not less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES.

  In the print data C of the third print job, the printing ratio DEy is 2%, the printing ratio DEc is 2%, the printing ratio DEm is 2%, and the printing ratio DEk is 2%. Therefore, the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, the print ratio DEm, and the print ratio DEk of the print data C are equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES. Therefore, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines that the printing rate DE of the print data C is equal to or less than the threshold printing rate DES.

  As a result, it is determined that the print ratio DE of the third print job is less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES, and the print ratios DE of the first print job and the second print job are not less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES. Therefore, when the receiving unit 211 receives the first to third print jobs and the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner of the image forming apparatus 1 α is aggregated, the allocation unit 215 Perform the following processing. That is, the assigning unit 215 assigns the third print job to the image forming apparatus 1α, and assigns the first print job and the second print job to the image forming apparatus 1β.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner of the image forming apparatus 1 α is aggregated, the allocation unit 215 performs the following processing. That is, when the print ratio determination unit 213 determines that the print ratio DE of the third print job is equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES, the allocation unit 215 allocates the third print job to the image forming apparatus 1α.

  Since the print ratio DE of the third print job is equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES, there is a low possibility that toner will be supplied from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14 when the third print job is executed. Thus, the image forming unit 14 can form an image using the toner in the image forming unit 14. Therefore, even when the toner in the toner container 131 is aggregated, the image forming apparatus 1α is highly likely to execute the third print job. As a result, the allocating unit 215 can allocate the print job to the image forming apparatus 1α. Therefore, when the allocating unit 215 allocates a print job to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C, the degree of freedom in selecting an image forming apparatus to execute the print job can be enhanced.

  Next, conditions for determining toner aggregation will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing conditions for determining toner aggregation. The control unit 21 (the aggregation determination unit 214) of the allocation device 2 determines the aggregation of the toner based on the conditions shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the toner remaining amount Q includes the toner remaining amount Qy, the toner remaining amount Qc, the toner remaining amount Qm, and the toner remaining amount Qk. The information acquisition unit 161 acquires the toner remaining amount Qy from the toner remaining amount sensor 141y. Similarly, the information acquiring unit 161 acquires the toner remaining amount Qc, the toner remaining amount Qm, and the toner remaining amount Qk from the toner remaining amount sensor 141c, the toner remaining amount sensor 141m, and the toner remaining amount sensor 141k, respectively.

  The elapsed days PD include the elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk. The elapsed days PDy indicate the number of days elapsed since the toner container 131y is mounted on the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. Similarly, the elapsed days PDc, elapsed days PDm, and elapsed days PDk are the elapsed days since the toner container 131c, the toner container 131m, and the toner container 131k are respectively mounted on the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. Indicates The elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk may be collectively referred to as the elapsed days PD.

  The storage unit 16B stores elapsed days PDy, elapsed days PDc, elapsed days PDm, and elapsed days PDk. For example, the control unit 16 detects that the toner container 131y is attached to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C, calculates the elapsed days PDy from the attached date and time, and writes the elapsed days PDy in the storage unit 16B. Similarly, the control unit 16 sets the elapsed days PDc, elapsed days PDm, and elapsed days PDk from the date and time when the toner container 131c, the toner container 131m, and the toner container 131k are attached to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. , And calculate and write in the storage unit 16B.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the toner remaining amount Qy, toner remaining amount Qc, toner remaining amount Qm and toner remaining amount Qk of the image forming apparatus 1A are 75%, 70%, 70% and 35%, respectively. . The elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk are 30 days. The ambient temperature TP is 30.degree.

  The toner remaining amount Qy, the toner remaining amount Qc, the toner remaining amount Qm, and the toner remaining amount Qk of the image forming apparatus 1B are 5%, 55%, 50% and 40%, respectively. The elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk are two days. The ambient temperature TP is 25 ° C.

  The toner remaining amount Qy, the toner remaining amount Qc, the toner remaining amount Qm, and the toner remaining amount Qk of the image forming apparatus 1C are 90%, 80%, 90% and 40%, respectively. Further, the elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk are 60 days. The ambient temperature TP is 35.degree.

  Although FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment in which the elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk are the same number of days, the present invention is not limited thereto. The form in which the elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk are different from each other may be used. In this embodiment, since the elapsed days PDy to PDk reflect the actual state, the aggregation determination unit 214 can more accurately determine whether the toner is aggregated.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6, a method of determining toner aggregation will be described. FIGS. 6A and 6B are graphs used by the control unit 21 (the aggregation determination unit 214) of the allocation device 2 to determine the aggregation of the toner. FIG. 6A shows a graph G1 when the toner remaining amount Q is large (for example, 90%). FIG. 6B shows a graph G2 when the toner remaining amount Q is small (for example, 40%). 6 (a) and 6 (b), the horizontal axis shows the ambient temperature TP, and the vertical axis shows the elapsed days PD. The horizontal axis indicates the ambient temperature TP, and the vertical axis indicates the elapsed days PD.

  The graph G1 and the graph G2 are lines showing the boundary as to whether or not the toner is aggregated. The graph G1 and the graph G2 may be generically referred to as a "decision curve G". An area RT on the positive direction side of the vertical axis of the determination curve G is an area in which the toner is aggregated. The region RT may be described as "toner aggregation region RT". Specifically, the toner aggregation area RT on the positive direction side of the vertical axis of the graph G1 is an area in which the toner is aggregated. Similarly, the toner aggregation region RT on the positive direction side of the vertical axis of the graph G2 is a region in which the toner is aggregated.

  Further, the graph G2 is located on the positive direction side of the vertical axis as compared to the graph G1. This indicates that the toner is less likely to be aggregated when the toner remaining amount Q is small than when the toner remaining amount Q is large. Further, the graph G1 and the graph G2 are downward sloping curves. This indicates that the toner aggregates in a short period of time as the ambient temperature TP is higher.

  The determination point P11, the determination point P21, and the determination point P31 are plotted in FIG. 6 (a), and the determination point P12, the determination point P22, and the determination point P32 are plotted in FIG. 6 (b). The determination point P11 and the determination point P12 correspond to the ambient temperature TP and the elapsed day PD of the image forming apparatus 1A shown in FIG. The determination point P21 and the determination point P22 correspond to the ambient temperature TP and the elapsed day PD of the image forming apparatus 1B shown in FIG. The determination point P31 and the determination point P32 correspond to the ambient temperature TP and the elapsed day PD of the image forming apparatus 1C shown in FIG.

  The determination point P31 and the determination point P32 are respectively included in the toner aggregation region RT. Therefore, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner is aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1C. On the other hand, the determination point P11 and the determination point P12 are not included in the toner aggregation region RT, respectively. Further, the determination point P21 and the determination point P22 are not included in the toner aggregation region RT, respectively. Therefore, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner is not aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1A and the image forming apparatus 1B.

The graph G1 and the graph G2 are given, for example, by the following equations (1) and (2).
PD = 15700 × EXP (−0.18 × TP) (1)
PD = 23550 x EXP (-0.18 x TP) (2)
When the variable of the toner remaining amount Q is expressed in the above-mentioned equations (1) and (2), it is expressed by the following equation (3).
PD = F1 (Q) × EXP (−0.18 × TP) (3)
Here, the function F1 (Q) is a function of the toner remaining amount Q, and the smaller the toner remaining amount Q, the larger the value. For example, as shown in the above equation (1), F1 (90) = 15700 when the toner remaining amount Q is 90%, and when the toner remaining amount Q is 40% as shown in the above equation (2) , F1 (40) = 23550.

  Therefore, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether toner is aggregated using the determination curve G as follows. That is, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines the determination curve G based on the toner remaining amount Q. Then, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether the toner is aggregated according to whether the determination point PT is included in the toner aggregation region RT. The determination point PN corresponds to the ambient temperature TP and the elapsed days PD of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, and the remaining toner amount Q. judge. The longer the elapsed days PD, the easier the toner is to be aggregated. Also, as the ambient temperature TP is higher, toner is aggregated in a short time. Furthermore, as the amount of remaining toner Q increases, toner aggregates in a short period of time. Therefore, it can be accurately determined whether the toner is aggregated.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner is aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1C, and the toner is aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1A and the image forming apparatus 1B. It judges that it is not. On the other hand, as described with reference to FIG. 4, when the receiving unit 211 of the allocating device 2 receives the first to third print jobs, the allocating unit 215 executes the print job as follows. Assign That is, the assigning unit 215 assigns the third print job to the image forming apparatus 1α, and assigns the first print job and the second print job to the image forming apparatus 1β. For example, the assigning unit 215 assigns the third print job to the image forming apparatus 1C, assigns the first print job to the image forming apparatus 1A, and assigns the second print job to the image forming apparatus 1B.

  In FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, and the toner remaining amount Q, but the present invention It is not limited. For example, the aggregation determination unit 214 may determine whether the toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD and the ambient temperature TP. In this form, the process of the aggregation determination unit 214 can be simplified.

  Next, the “aggregation determination process” will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7. The “aggregation determination process” is a process in which the control unit 21 (the aggregation determination unit 214) determines whether the toner is aggregated. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing “aggregation determination processing” of the control unit 21 of the assignment device 2. Note that, in FIG. 7, the case where it is determined whether or not the yellow toner contained in the toner container 131y is aggregated will be described, and the description of the toners of other colors will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, in step S101, the aggregation determination unit 214 acquires the remaining toner amount Qy from the information acquisition unit 161 of the control unit 16.
Next, in step S103, the aggregation determination unit 214 acquires the number of times of toner replenishment NSy from the information acquisition unit 161 of the control unit 16.

  The storage unit 16B stores the number of times of toner replenishment NSy from the toner container 131y to the image forming unit 14y. Similarly, the storage unit 16B includes the toner replenishment number NSc from the toner container 131c to the image forming unit 14c, the toner replenishment number NSm from the toner container 131m to the image forming unit 14m, and the toner from the toner container 131k to the image forming unit 14k. The number of replenishments NSk is stored. The toner replenishment frequency NSy, the toner replenishment frequency NSc, the toner replenishment frequency NSm, and the toner replenishment frequency NSk may be collectively referred to as the toner replenishment frequency NS. Further, the control unit 16 counts the number of toner replenishments NS, and writes the number of toner replenishments NS in the storage unit 16B.

The number of times of toner replenishment NSy is the number of times of toner replenishment from the toner container 131y to the image forming unit 14y. Specifically, the number of times of toner replenishment NSy is the number of times toner is replenished from the toner container 131y to the image forming unit 14y within a predetermined period ending at the execution time point of the “flocculation determination process”. The predetermined period is, for example, 10 days. At the time of toner replenishment, a replenishment device that supplies toner from the toner container 131y to the image forming unit 14y is driven. Vibration is applied to the toner container 131y at the start of driving of the replenishment device and at the time of driving stop. Therefore, as the number of times of toner replenishment NSy is larger, the toner is less likely to be aggregated. If this is reflected in the said (3) Formula, it will be represented by the following (4) Formula.
PD = F1 (Q) × F2 (NS) × EXP (−0.18 × TP) (4)
Here, when the number of times of toner replenishment NS is zero, F2 (NS) becomes "1". Further, the function F2 (NS) is a function of the toner replenishment frequency NS, and the value increases as the toner replenishment frequency NS increases. Therefore, the determination curve G is positioned on the positive direction side of the vertical axis as the number of times of toner replenishment NS increases.

Next, in step S105, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines a determination curve G.
Next, in step S107, the aggregation determination unit 214 acquires the elapsed days PDy.
Then, in step S109, the aggregation determination unit 214 acquires the ambient temperature TP.

Next, in step S111, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether or not the determination point PTy is included in the toner aggregation region RT.
As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the determination point PTy indicates the coordinates (the ambient temperature TP, in the “decision plane” in which the horizontal axis indicates the ambient temperature TP and the vertical axis indicates the elapsed days PD. It is a point corresponding to elapsed days PDy).
If it is determined that determination point PTy is not included in toner aggregation region RT (NO in step S111), the process proceeds to step S115. If it is determined that determination point PTy is included in toner aggregation region RT (YES in step S111), the process proceeds to step S113.

Then, in step S113, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines that the toner in the toner container 131y is aggregated, and the process ends.
If NO in step S111, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines in step S115 that the toner in the toner container 131y is not aggregated, and the process ends.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines whether the toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, the toner remaining amount Q, and the number of times of toner replenishment NS. It is determined whether or not. Further, as the number of times of toner replenishment NS is large, the toner is less likely to be aggregated. Therefore, it can be more accurately determined whether the toner is aggregated.

  In FIG. 7, the aggregation determination unit 214 determines the determination curve G in accordance with the toner replenishment number NS, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the assignment device 2 may include a counter that counts the elapsed days PD, and may count down the counter by a predetermined value each time toner replenishment is performed. In this form, the process of determining the determination curve G can be simplified.

  Next, the “job assignment process” will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8. The “job allocation process” is a process in which the allocation unit 215 allocates a print job to any one of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing “job allocation processing” of the allocation device 2.

As shown in FIG. 8, first, in step S201, it is determined whether the reception unit 211 receives a print job.
When the reception unit 211 determines that the print job is not received (NO in step S201), the process is in a standby state. If the receiving unit 211 determines that the print job has been received (YES in step S201), the process proceeds to step S203.
Then, in step S203, the printing ratio calculation unit 212 calculates the printing ratio DEy, the printing ratio DEc, the printing ratio DEm, and the printing ratio DEk of the print job.

Next, in step S205, the printing ratio determination unit 213 determines whether the printing ratio DEy is less than or equal to the threshold printing ratio DES.
If the printing rate determination unit 213 determines that the printing rate DEy is not less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES (NO in step S205), the process proceeds to step S215. If the print ratio determination unit 213 determines that the print ratio DEy is equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES (YES in step S205), the process proceeds to step S207.

Then, in step S207, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines whether the printing rate DEc is less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES.
If the print ratio determination unit 213 determines that the print ratio DEc is not less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES (NO in step S207), the process proceeds to step S215. If printing ratio determination unit 213 determines that printing ratio DEc is equal to or lower than threshold printing ratio DES (YES in step S207), the process proceeds to step S209.

Then, in step S209, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines whether the printing rate DEm is less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES.
If the printing rate determination unit 213 determines that the printing rate DEm is not less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES (NO in step S209), the process proceeds to step S215. If the printing ratio determination unit 213 determines that the printing ratio DEm is equal to or less than the threshold printing ratio DES (YES in step S209), the process proceeds to step S211.

Then, in step S211, the printing rate determination unit 213 determines whether the printing rate DEk is less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES.
If the printing rate determination unit 213 determines that the printing rate DEk is not less than or equal to the threshold printing rate DES (NO in step S211), the process proceeds to step S215. If printing ratio determination unit 213 determines that printing ratio DEk is equal to or lower than threshold printing ratio DES (YES in step S211), the process proceeds to step S213.

Then, in step S213, the allocating unit 215 allocates the print job to the image forming apparatus 1α, and the process ends.
On the other hand, in step S215, the allocating unit 215 allocates the print job to the image forming apparatus 1β, and the process ends.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8, based on the determination result of the aggregation determination unit 214 and the determination result of the printing rate determination unit 213, the allocation unit 215 determines the image forming apparatus 1α or the image forming apparatus. Assign a print job to 1β. Specifically, when the print ratio determination unit 213 determines that the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, the print ratio DEm, and the print ratio DEk are equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES, the allocation unit 215 images the print job Allocated to the forming device 1α.

  If the print ratio DEy, print ratio DEc, print ratio DEm, and print ratio DEk of the print job are less than or equal to the threshold print ratio DES, there is a possibility that toner replenishment from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14 may not occur. high. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the image forming unit 14 can execute the print job using the toner in the image forming unit 14. Therefore, even if the toner in the toner container 131 is aggregated, the image forming apparatus 1α is highly likely to execute the print job. On the other hand, when at least one of the printing ratio DEy, the printing ratio DEc, the printing ratio DEm, and the printing ratio DEk is larger than the threshold printing ratio DES, toner replenishment from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14 occurs. Probability is high. In addition, when the toner is aggregated, the toner can not be replenished. Therefore, when the print job is assigned to the image forming apparatus 1α, the print job can not be executed. Therefore, by assigning a print job to image forming apparatus 1β, the print job can be reliably executed. Therefore, print jobs can be properly allocated to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C.

  In the first embodiment, the print job is allocated to the image forming apparatus 1α when the allocation unit 215 determines that the print ratio DEy, the print ratio DEc, the print ratio DEm, and the print ratio DEk are equal to or less than the threshold print ratio DES. The invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the allocation unit 215 allocates a print job to the image forming apparatus 1α when at least one of the printing ratio DEy, the printing ratio DEc, the printing ratio DEm, and the printing ratio DEk is equal to or less than the threshold printing ratio DES. Good. However, the color of the toner aggregated in the image forming apparatus 1α matches the color indicated by the printing rate determined to be equal to or less than the threshold printing rate DES. In this embodiment, the possibility of assigning a print job to the image forming apparatus 1α can be enhanced. Therefore, the print job can be properly allocated to the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, although the allocation device 2 receives a print job based on an instruction from the user, the present invention is not limited thereto. The assignment device 2 may function as a printer server device. In this embodiment, a print job is received from a terminal device such as another personal computer connected via the network NW. In addition, the assignment device 2 can appropriately assign the print jobs received from the plurality of terminal devices to the image forming devices 1A to 1C.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the allocation device 2 includes the aggregation determination unit 214, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Each of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C may determine whether the toner is aggregated. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus 1A to the image forming apparatus 1C notify the allocating device 2 whether toner is aggregated or not. The assignment device 2 can appropriately assign the print job to the image forming devices 1A to 1C based on the notification from the image forming devices 1A to 1C.

Second Embodiment
Next, an image forming apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. The image forming apparatus 1 is different from the image forming apparatus 1A to the image forming apparatus 1C according to the first embodiment in the function of the control unit 16. The configuration other than the function of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 is substantially the same as the image forming apparatus 1A to the image forming apparatus 1C according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment is different from the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C in that the image forming apparatus 1 does not communicate with the allocating apparatus 2. The configuration of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 16.

  Specifically, while the control unit 16 of each of the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C includes the information acquisition unit 161 and the print execution unit 162, the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. As shown in 9, it differs in the point provided with the following function.

  That is, the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes the aggregation determination unit 163, the first period determination unit 164, the temperature determination unit 165, the notification unit 166, the detection unit 167, and the second period determination unit 168. Specifically, the processor 16A of the control unit 16 reads out and executes the control program from the storage unit 16B, and executes the aggregation determination unit 163, the first period determination unit 164, the temperature determination unit 165, the notification unit 166, the detection unit 167, And the second period determination unit 168.

  The aggregation determination unit 163 determines whether the toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD from the mounting of the toner container 131 and the ambient temperature TP of the toner container 131. In addition, aggregation determination unit 163 calculates period RD based on elapsed days PD and ambient temperature TP. A period RD indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated. The period RD corresponds to the “flocculation estimation period”. The elapsed days PD include the elapsed days PDy, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk. The elapsed days PDy indicate the number of days elapsed since the toner container 131 y was attached to the image forming apparatus 1. Similarly, the elapsed days PDc, the elapsed days PDm, and the elapsed days PDk indicate the elapsed days since the toner container 131c, the toner container 131m, and the toner container 131k are mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

  The period RD includes a period RDy, a period RDc, a period RDm, and a period RDk. A period RDy indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner stored in the toner container 131y is aggregated. A period RDc indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner stored in the toner container 131c is aggregated. A period RDm indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner stored in the toner container 131m is aggregated. A period RDk indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner stored in the toner container 131k is aggregated. The period RDy to the period RDk may be collectively referred to as a period RD.

  The first period determination unit 164 determines whether the period RD is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS. Specifically, the first period determination unit 164 determines whether or not each of the period RDy, the period RDc, the period RDm, and the period RDk is equal to or less than the threshold period RDS. The threshold period RDS corresponds to the “second threshold”. The threshold period RDS is, for example, 30 days.

  Temperature determination unit 165 determines whether ambient temperature TP is equal to or higher than threshold temperature TPS. The threshold temperature TPS corresponds to the “third threshold”. The threshold temperature TPS is, for example, 35 ° C.

  The notification unit 166 notifies the user of the information based on the determination result of the aggregation determination unit 163. Specifically, when the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated, the notification unit 166 notifies the user of information that the toner is aggregated. Further, the notification unit 166 notifies the user of information based on the determination results of the first period determination unit 164 and the temperature determination unit 165.

  The detection unit 167 detects that the toner has aggregated. Specifically, the detection unit 167 detects that the toner has aggregated based on the load of a motor (not shown) that rotates a stirring member (not shown). The stirring member stirs the toner contained in the toner container 131. The detection unit 167 may detect that the toner has aggregated based on the number of rotations of the stirring member. The detection unit 167 also detects that the yellow toner in the toner container 131y has aggregated. Similarly, the detection unit 167 detects that the cyan toner in the toner container 131c, the magenta toner in the toner container 131m, and the black toner in the toner container 131k are aggregated.

  In the second period determination unit 168, when the detection unit 167 detects that the toner is aggregated, the period RD of the toner other than the aggregated color among the toners of a plurality of colors is from the period RD of the aggregated toner Determine if it is short.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 9, the aggregation determination unit 163 determines whether toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD and the ambient temperature TP. When the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated, the notification unit 166 notifies the user of information indicating that the toner is aggregated. Thus, the user can know that the toner is aggregated. Therefore, for example, the toner container 131 containing the aggregated toner can be shaken to eliminate the aggregation of the toner.

  In the second embodiment, the aggregation determination unit 163 determines whether the toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD and the ambient temperature TP, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the aggregation determination unit 163 may determine in the same manner as the aggregation determination unit 214 of the assignment device 2 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. That is, the aggregation determination unit 163 may determine whether the toner is aggregated based on the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, the toner remaining amount Q, and the number of toner replenishments NS. In this embodiment, since it can be judged reflecting the influence of the toner remaining amount Q on the aggregation and the influence of the toner replenishment frequency NS on the aggregation, it is more accurately determined whether the toner is aggregated or not. it can.

  Next, the notification area of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The “notification area” indicates an area in the “determination plane” for determining the content to be notified by the notification unit 166. FIG. 10 is a graph G3 showing the “notified area” of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment.

  The graph G3 is an example of a “determination curve” indicating the boundary of whether or not toner is aggregated. An area on the positive direction side of the vertical axis of the graph G3 is an area (toner aggregation area) RT1 in which the toner is aggregated. The graph G4 is a graph in which the graph G3 is shifted in the negative direction of the vertical axis by the threshold period RDS. However, when the graph G3 is shifted in the negative direction of the vertical axis by the threshold period RDS, the portion of the graph G3 located on the negative direction side of the vertical axis arranges the graph G3 on the horizontal axis. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, in the graph G4, a point at which the ambient temperature TP is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature TPS is disposed on the horizontal axis. The threshold temperature TPS is, for example, 35 ° C. Therefore, a region between the graph G4 and the graph G3 is a region in which the period PR until toner aggregation is equal to or less than the threshold period RDS (hereinafter, may be described as “aggregateable region”). The threshold period RDS is, for example, 30 days.

  A line segment LT shown in FIG. 10 indicates a threshold temperature TPS. Specifically, the line segment LT is a part of a straight line parallel to the vertical axis indicating that the ambient temperature TP is the threshold temperature TPS, the lower end is located on the graph G4, and the upper end is on the graph G3. To position. The aggregatable region is divided into two regions by the line segment LT. Of the aggregation possible areas, a point on the line segment LT and an area in the positive direction of the horizontal axis with respect to the line segment LT are taken as a first aggregation possible area RT2, and an area in the negative direction of the horizontal axis with respect to the line segment LT. It is defined as a second aggregatable region RT3.

  The relationship between the first period determination unit 164 and the temperature determination unit 165 (see FIG. 9), the first aggregatable area RT2, and the second aggregatable area RT3 will be described below. The first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS, and the temperature determination unit 165 determines that the ambient temperature TP is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature TPS. The determination point PT in the “determination plane” is included in the first aggregatable region RT2. The coordinates of the determination point PT are (ambient temperature TP, elapsed days PD). In addition, if the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS and the temperature determination unit 165 determines that the ambient temperature TP is not greater than the threshold temperature TPS, the period RD and the ambient temperature TP The determination point PT in the corresponding "determination plane" is included in the second aggregatable region RT3.

  When the determination point PT is included in the toner aggregation region RT1, the notification unit 166 notifies that the toner container 131 is to be shaken. For example, when the user presses the copy button on the operation display unit 11, the notification unit 166 “can not copy because the toner is solidified. Please shake the toner container when copying. And “.” Is displayed on the display unit 111. The copy button is a button pressed by the user when copying is performed. When the determination point PT is included in the toner aggregation region RT1, the control unit 16 prohibits the operation of forming an image until the user shakes the toner container.

  When the toner is aggregated, the toner can not be supplied from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14. On the other hand, when the toner in the image forming unit 14 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the control unit 16 outputs an instruction to supply the toner from the toner container 131 to the image forming unit 14. Then, the control unit 16 determines whether toner is supplied after a predetermined time. When it is determined that the toner is not supplied, the control unit 16 stops the operation of forming an image.

  When the determination point PT is included in the toner aggregation region RT1, the notification unit 166 notifies that the toner container 131 is shaken, and the control unit 16 prohibits the operation of forming an image. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the situation where the operation of forming an image is stopped due to the aggregation of toner while the image forming apparatus 1 is performing the operation of forming an image.

  After the notification unit 166 reports that the toner container 131 (for example, the toner container 131y) is shaken, the toner container 131y is not removed, and the other toner container 131 (for example, the toner container 131c) is removed and then mounted. In the case, the notification unit 166 performs the following processing. That is, the notification unit 166 notifies that the user removed the wrong toner container 131c. The notification unit 166 displays, for example, a message “The toner container 131c has been removed. Please remove and shake the toner container 131y” on the display unit 111.

  When the determination point PT is included in the first aggregatable area RT2 or the second aggregatable area RT3, the notification unit 166 notifies information indicating that the toner may be aggregated. Specifically, the notification unit 166 reports, for example, "The toner may be solidified in the environment of use. When it is solidified, it is necessary to shake the container."

  In addition, when the determination point PT is included in the first aggregatable area RT2, the notification unit 166 notifies the user of the first information M1. Furthermore, when the determination point PT is included in the second aggregatable area RT3, the notification unit 166 notifies the user of the second information M2 different from the first information.

  The first information M1 indicates that the toner aggregates in a short period of time because the ambient temperature TP is high. Specifically, the first information M1 is, for example, the information that "the temperature is high (more than 35 ° C.), the toner may be solidified. Please lower the environmental temperature to 30 ° C. or less." is there. The second information M2 indicates that the toner is aggregated because a long time has elapsed since the toner container 131 was attached. Specifically, the second information M2 is, for example, information that "if the toner is not used for a long time, the toner may be solidified."

  Next, the “first notification process” of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11. The “first notification process” is a process of notifying the first information M1 or the second information M2. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the “first notification process” of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, for the sake of convenience, yellow toner will be described.

As shown in FIG. 11, first, in step S301, the aggregation determination unit 163 acquires the number of days PDy elapsed since the toner container 131y is mounted.
Next, in step S303, the aggregation determination unit 163 acquires the ambient temperature TP of the toner container 131y.
Then, in step S305, the aggregation determination unit 163 determines whether the toner is aggregated.
If the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is not aggregated (NO in step S305), the process proceeds to step S309. If the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated (YES in step S305), the process proceeds to step S307.
Then, in step S307, the notification unit 166 notifies the user that the toner is aggregated, and the process ends.

In the case of NO at step S305, aggregation determination unit 163 calculates period RDy at step S309. A period RDy indicates a period until the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner contained in the toner container 131y is aggregated.
Next, in step S311, the first period determination unit 164 determines whether the period RDy is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS.
If the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RDy is not less than or equal to the threshold period RDS (NO in step S311), the process ends.
If the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RDy is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS (YES in step S311), the process proceeds to step S313.
Then, in step S313, the temperature determination unit 165 determines whether the ambient temperature TP is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature TPS.

If temperature determination unit 165 determines that ambient temperature TP is not higher than threshold temperature TPS (NO in step S313), the process proceeds to step S317.
If temperature determination unit 165 determines that ambient temperature TP is equal to or higher than threshold temperature TPS (YES in step S313), the process proceeds to step S315.
Then, in step S315, the notification unit 166 notifies the first information M1, and the process ends.
If NO in step S313, the notification unit 166 notifies the second information M2 in step S317, and the process ends.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, when the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is equal to or less than the threshold period RDS, the notification unit 166 may cause toner aggregation. Report the information to the effect. Therefore, the user can avoid toner aggregation by shaking the toner container 131, for example. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved.

  In addition, when the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is less than or equal to the threshold period RDS and the temperature determination unit 165 determines that the ambient temperature TP is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature TPS, the notification unit 166 1) Inform the information M1. For example, the first information M1 indicates that the toner is aggregated in a short period of time because the ambient temperature TP is high. Therefore, the user can lower the ambient temperature TP by, for example, lowering the set temperature of the air conditioner in the room in which the image forming apparatus 1 is disposed, thereby avoiding toner aggregation. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

  Furthermore, when the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period PR is less than or equal to the threshold period PRS and the temperature determination unit 165 determines that the ambient temperature TP is not greater than or equal to the threshold temperature TPS, the notification unit 166 2) Broadcast information M2. For example, the second information M2 indicates that the toner is aggregated because a long time has elapsed since the toner container 131 was attached. Therefore, by shaking the toner container 131, toner aggregation can be avoided. As a result, the convenience of the user can be improved.

  Next, the average printing rate display screen 300 displayed by the notification unit 166 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 12. FIG. 12 is a view showing an average print ratio display screen 300 displayed by the control unit 16 (notification unit 166) of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. The average printing rate display screen 300 is displayed on the display unit 111 of the image forming apparatus 1 by the notification unit 166 when the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is equal to or less than the threshold period RDS.

  As shown in FIG. 12, on the average printing rate display screen 300, a color display unit 301, an average printing rate display unit 302, and a remarks display unit 303 are displayed. The color display unit 301 displays the name of the toner color. “Y” indicates yellow, “C” indicates cyan, “M” indicates magenta, and “K” indicates black. The average printing rate display unit 302 displays the average printing rate DEA of each color. The average printing rate DEA indicates the average value of printing rates in print jobs executed within a predetermined period. The predetermined period is, for example, 10 days. The average printing rate DEA includes an average printing rate DEAy of yellow toner, an average printing rate DEAc of cyan toner, an average printing rate DEAm of magenta toner, and an average printing rate DEAk of black toner.

  In FIG. 12, the average printing rate DEAy is 2%, the average printing rate DEAc is 2%, the average printing rate DEAm is 0%, and the average printing rate DEAk is 4%. Therefore, the magenta toner is not consumed within the predetermined period. Therefore, the magenta toner is not supplied from the toner container 131m to the image forming unit 14m within a predetermined period. Therefore, in the field corresponding to the magenta color of the remarks display portion 303, a message of "not supplied for a long time" is displayed.

Further, the notification unit 166 may further notify the following message.
"If you continue printing only in a specific color, the toner contained in the unused color container may become solid. By shaking the container regularly, you can eliminate the toner from solidifying. Magenta The toner contained in the magenta container may have become solid, as it has not been used. "
By announcing such a message, the user can understand the necessity of shaking the toner container 131.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 9 and 12, when the first period determination unit 164 determines that the period RD is equal to or less than the threshold period RDS, the notification unit 166 notifies the average printing rate DEA. When the average printing rate DEA is low, toner may be aggregated. In particular, when the average printing rate DEA is zero, the toner is highly likely to be aggregated. Therefore, the user can avoid toner aggregation by shaking the toner container 131 containing the toner having a low average printing rate DEA. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

  Next, the “second notification process” of the control unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 13. The “second notification process” is a process of notifying that the toner container 131 is to be shaken. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the “second notification process” of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, first, in step S401, the detection unit 167 determines whether toner aggregation has been detected.
If it is not detected that the toner has aggregated (NO in step S401), the process is in a standby state. If it is detected that toner has aggregated (YES in step S401), the process proceeds to step S403.
Then, in step S403, the notification unit 166 notifies the user that the toner container 131 having the toner aggregated is to be shaken.

Next, in step S405, the second period determination unit 168 calculates a period RD1. A period RD1 indicates a period from time point TA to time point TB. The time point TA is a time point when the detection unit 167 detects that the toner is aggregated. The time point TB is a time point at which the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated with respect to the toner of the color in which the aggregation is detected.
For example, when the color of toner in which aggregation is detected is yellow, time point TA is a point in time when it is detected that the yellow toner has aggregated. The time point TB is a time point at which the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the yellow toner is aggregated.
Next, in step S407, the second period determination unit 168 calculates a period RD2. A period RD2 indicates a period from time point TA to time point TC. The time point TC is a time point at which the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the toner is aggregated with respect to the toner having a color different from the color of the toner in which the aggregation is detected.
For example, when the color of toner in which aggregation is detected is yellow, time point TA is a point in time when it is detected that the yellow toner has aggregated. The time point TC is a time point at which the aggregation determination unit 163 determines that the cyan, magenta, or black toner is aggregated.

Next, in step S409, the second period determination unit 168 determines whether the length of the period RD2 is less than or equal to the length of the period RD1.
If the second period determination unit 168 determines that the length of the period RD2 is not equal to or less than the length of the period RD1 (NO in step S409), the process proceeds to step S413.
If the second period determination unit 168 determines that the length of the period RD2 is equal to or less than the length of the period RD1 (YES in step S409), the process proceeds to step S411.
Then, in step S411, the notification unit 166 notifies the user that the toner container 131 containing the toner of the color corresponding to the period RD2 is to be shaken.

Next, in step S413, the second period determination unit 168 determines whether or not the period RD2 has been checked for all the colors that are different from the toner color in which the aggregation is detected.
If the second period determination unit 168 determines that the period RD2 is not checked for all the colors that are different from the toner color in which the aggregation is detected (NO in step S413), the process returns to step S407.
If the second period determination unit 168 determines that the period RD2 has been checked for all the colors that are different from the color of toner in which the aggregation is detected (YES in step S413), the process ends.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 9 and 13, when the detection unit 167 detects that toner is aggregated, the second period determination unit 168 performs the following process. That is, the second period determination unit 168 determines whether the length of the period RD2 is equal to or less than the length of the period RD1. Then, when the second period determination unit 168 determines that the length of the period RD2 is equal to or less than the length of the period RD1, the notification unit 166 stores the toner of a color other than the color for which the aggregation is detected. The user is notified that the toner container 131 should be shaken.

  For example, when the detection unit 167 detects that the yellow toner is aggregated, the second period determination unit 168 performs the following process. That is, the second period determination unit 168 detects whether or not there is a period equal to or less than the length of the period RDy among the periods RDc, RDm, and RDk. Then, for example, when it is determined that the length of the period RDc is equal to or less than the length of the period RDy, the user is notified that the toner container 131c containing the cyan toner is to be shaken. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that the toner container 131c of toner having high possibility of being aggregated is shaken. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the toner of another color from being aggregated again after a short period of time since the toner container 131 in which the toner aggregation is detected is shaken. The short period is, for example, 2 to 3 days. As a result, user convenience can be further improved.

  As described with reference to FIG. 13, in the second embodiment, the second period determination unit 168 determines whether or not the length of the period RD2 is equal to or less than the length of the period RD1. It is not limited to this. The notification unit 166 may notify the user that the toner container 131 should be shaken based on the length of the period RD1 and the length of the period RD2. For example, when the length of the period RD2 is equal to or less than a difference obtained by subtracting a predetermined period (for example, 5 days) from the length of the period RD1, the notification unit 166 The user may be notified via the display unit 111 that the user shakes the accommodated toner container 131 ". In this case, after the user shakes the toner container 131, it is possible to suppress that the toner is aggregated and the user shakes the toner container 131 again after a predetermined period of time elapses. As a result, user convenience can be further improved.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, It is possible to implement in a various aspect in the range which does not deviate from the summary (for example, (1)-(2) shown below). In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component, and the thickness, length, number, etc. of each component illustrated are different from the actual for convenience of drawing creation. There is a case. The shapes, dimensions, and the like of the components shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications can be made without departing from the configuration of the present invention.

  (1) As described with reference to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C and the image forming apparatus 1 are color copiers, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C and the image forming apparatus 1 may be monochrome copiers. The image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C and the image forming apparatus 1 may be multifunction machines.

  (2) As described with reference to FIG. 1, the image forming system 100 includes the image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is sufficient that the image forming system 100 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses. For example, two image forming apparatuses may be provided, or four or more image forming apparatuses may be provided.

  The present invention is applicable to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.

200 Image forming system 1A, 1B, 1C Image forming apparatus 131 (131y, 131c, 131m, 131k) Toner container 14 (14y, 14c, 14m, 14k) Image forming unit 141 (141y, 141c, 141m, 141k) Toner remaining amount Sensor 15 transfer unit 154 intermediate transfer belt 16 control unit 161 information acquisition unit 162 print execution unit 2 allocation device 21 control unit 211 reception unit 212 print ratio calculation unit 213 print ratio determination unit 214 aggregation determination unit 215 allocation unit 1 image forming apparatus 131 (131y, 131c, 131m, 131k) Toner container 14 (14y, 14c, 14m, 14k) Image forming unit 141 (141y, 141c, 141m, 141k) Toner remaining amount sensor 15 Transfer portion 154 Intermediate transfer belt 16 control 163 agglutination determination unit 164 first period determination unit 165 temperature determination unit 166 notifying unit 167 detecting unit 168 second period determiner

Claims (6)

An image forming system including an assignment device and a plurality of image forming devices, wherein the assignment device and the plurality of image forming devices communicate via a network.
Each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses includes an image forming unit and a toner container for containing toner,
The image forming unit forms an image on a recording medium using the toner in the image forming unit.
The toner stored in the toner container is supplied to the image forming unit,
The assignment device
An aggregation determination unit that determines whether the toner contained in the toner container is aggregated for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A reception unit that receives a job for forming an image on a recording medium;
A printing rate determination unit that determines whether the printing rate of the job is equal to or less than a first threshold;
Assigning the job to an image forming apparatus determined that the toner is aggregated when the printing rate of the job is equal to or less than the first threshold value;
An image forming system comprising: an allocation unit that allocates the job to an image forming apparatus determined that the toner is not aggregated when the printing rate of the job is not equal to or less than the first threshold .   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the aggregation determination unit determines whether the toner is aggregated based on the number of days elapsed from the installation of the toner container and the temperature around the toner container. .   The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the aggregation determination unit determines whether the toner is aggregated based on a remaining amount of the toner stored in the toner container. The aggregation determination unit determines whether or not the toner is aggregated based on the following equation indicating the relationship between the elapsed days PD, the ambient temperature TP, and the remaining amount Q of toner,
  The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the function F1 (Q) is a function of the toner remaining amount Q, and the value becomes larger as the toner remaining amount Q is smaller.
  PD = F1 (Q) × EXP (−0.18 × TP) The image forming system according to claim 2 , wherein the aggregation determination unit determines whether the toner is aggregated based on the number of replenishments of the toner from the toner container. Each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses forms an image on a recording medium using toner of a plurality of colors;
The aggregation determination unit determines, for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, whether or not the toner contained in the toner container is aggregated for each of the plurality of colors of toner. Item 6. An image forming system according to any one of Items 5 to 5.

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