JP2007328305A - Image forming apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus where the presence of a toner sealing member in a cartridge mounted on the apparatus can be detected with high precision, and to provide a method for controlling the same. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is provided with: a developer storage part for storing a developer; a developer carrier for carrying and conveying the developer to an image carrier; a sealing member for preventing the scattering of the developer stored in the developer storage part to the developer carrier; a motor for driving the image carrier and the developer carrier; and a cartridge attachable/detachable to the image forming apparatus. Next, the rotational amount of the motor is detected. Based on the detected result, the presence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image using an electrophotographic image process and a control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image process, it has been adopted that process means such as an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a developing unit acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge. ing. In particular, a process cartridge system is employed in which this cartridge is removable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, light corresponding to image information emitted from a light source such as a laser, LED, or lamp is irradiated onto a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as “photosensitive drum”). As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum. Then, the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing unit integrated in the process cartridge. Further, the developed image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording medium. Thereby, an image is formed on the recording medium.

  The process cartridge type image forming apparatus described above includes an in-line type color electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a plurality of process cartridges 410B, 410C, 410M, and 410Y are arranged in a line as shown in FIG. A sectional view of a process cartridge 410 that can be attached to and detached from such an image forming apparatus is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, a developer container 411 (hereinafter referred to as “toner container”) that stores a developer (hereinafter referred to as “toner”) is used as a developer container 412 that holds a developer carrier, a developer regulating member, and the like. It is joined to. Further, an opening serving as a toner supply unit to the developing container 412 of the toner container 411 is sealed with a developer sealing member (hereinafter referred to as “toner seal”) such as the toner seal 101, for example. With this configuration, the toner does not flow into the developing container 412 until the actual use is started, and the toner is prevented from being scattered until the process cartridge 410 reaches the user, for example, during transportation. It has been proposed to do.

  The toner seal 101 needs to be removed when the process cartridge 410 is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus to form an image. The toner seal 101 is pulled out by the user immediately before being inserted into the image forming apparatus, and the toner is supplied to the developing roller 402 for printing only by the action of pulling out the toner seal 101.

Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a method for detecting the presence or absence of a toner seal. In this Patent Document 1, a container for storing a developer, an insulating seal for sealing the container, an antenna member disposed so as to be orthogonal to the developer carrier and the developer carrier, and between the antenna member and the developer carrier. It has a detection circuit which detects the electrostatic capacity of. Then, using this antenna member as an electrode member and detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance generated between the antenna member and the developer carrier as a voltage value, a method for detecting the presence or absence of a toner seal in combination with the remaining amount of toner is detected. Proposed.
JP 2003-208002 A

  However, in the conventional example, there is a possibility that the detected voltage value fluctuates due to the influence of variation factors such as variations in the mounting of parts such as antenna members mounted in the process cartridge and environmental variation tolerance. For example, the voltage value to be detected in a state where the toner seal is not pulled out is detected as a voltage value in a state where the toner seal is pulled out due to fluctuation factors such as component mounting variations and environmental variation tolerances. There is a possibility.

  That is, it is difficult to accurately detect the presence / absence of the cartridge / the presence / absence of the toner seal / the remaining amount of toner. Therefore, in particular, when the user forgets to pull the toner seal and inserts the developing device or the process cartridge including the developing device into the image forming apparatus, it may be erroneously detected that the user forgot to pull the toner seal.

  In such a case, the driving starts with the toner seal, and the toner is not supplied to the developing sleeve, so that it is printed as white paper or the drum surface of the process cartridge is scratched by the toner seal. Furthermore, in the worst case, the process cartridge may be destroyed.

  For the same reason, there may be a case where it is determined that there is no cartridge even though the process cartridge is mounted, or conversely, it is determined that there is no process cartridge. . Thus, there is a possibility that the user is notified of an incorrect state. Further, in the conventional example, it is necessary to add an antenna member and a detection circuit to the process cartridge, which increases costs.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of accurately detecting the presence or absence of a toner seal member of a cartridge mounted on the apparatus, and a control method thereof. And

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
An image forming apparatus for forming an image using an electrophotographic image process,
A developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer, a developer bearing member for carrying and conveying the developer on the image bearing member, and a sealing member for sealing the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion; A cartridge that has a motor for driving the image carrier and the developer carrier, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus,
Detecting means for detecting the amount of rotation of the motor;
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus based on the detection result of the detecting means.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for controlling an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer, a developer bearing member for carrying and conveying the developer on the image bearing member, and a sealing member for sealing the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion; A method of controlling an image forming apparatus for forming an image, comprising:
A detection step of detecting a rotation amount of a motor for driving the image carrier and the developer carrier;
And a detection step of detecting the presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus based on the detection result of the detection step.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can accurately detect the presence or absence of a toner seal member of a cartridge mounted on the apparatus, and a control method thereof.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
First, the configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, as an example, the configuration of a color laser printer (hereinafter referred to as “laser printer”) will be described as an example.

  In FIG. 1, four colors B (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are used as recording agents used for color image formation. Various components corresponding to each of these colors are represented by combinations of reference numbers and corresponding colors (B, C, M, Y). Use the notation.

  The laser printer 401 has a deck 402 for storing the recording paper 32. Further, the laser printer 401 is provided with a deck paper presence / absence sensor 403 that detects the presence or absence of the recording paper 32 in the deck 402 and a pickup roller 404 that feeds the recording paper 32 from the deck 402. Further, the laser printer 401 is paired with a deck paper feeding roller 405 and a deck paper feeding roller 405 for conveying the recording paper 32 fed out by the pickup roller 404, and a retard roller for preventing double feeding of the recording paper 32. 406 is provided.

  A registration roller pair 407 that synchronously conveys the recording paper 32 and a pre-registration sensor 408 that detects the conveyance state of the recording paper 32 to the registration roller pair 407 are disposed downstream of the deck paper feed roller 405.

  Further, an electrostatic attraction conveyance transfer belt (hereinafter referred to as “ETB” (Electrostatic Transport Belt), a belt that adsorbs and conveys paper using electrostatic attraction force) 409 is disposed downstream of the registration roller pair 407. Has been. On the ETB 409, an image forming unit comprising process cartridges 410Y, 410M, 410C, 410B for four colors (yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, black B) to be described later and scanner units 420Y, 420M, 420C, 420B is configured. Has been. The images formed by the image forming unit are sequentially superimposed by the transfer rollers 430Y, 430M, 430C, and 430B, whereby a color image is formed and transferred and conveyed onto the recording paper 32.

  Further downstream, a pair of a fixing roller 433 and a pressure roller 434 provided with a heater 432 for heating are disposed in order to thermally fix the toner image transferred onto the recording paper 32. Further, a fixing discharge roller pair 435 for conveying the recording paper 32 from the fixing roller 433 and a fixing discharge sensor 436 for detecting the conveyance state from the fixing unit (such as the fixing roller 433) are provided.

  Each color scanner unit 420 includes a laser unit 421 that emits laser light modulated based on each image signal transmitted from a video controller 440 described later. Further, each color scanner unit 420 includes a polygon mirror 422, a scanner motor 423, and an imaging lens group 424 for scanning the photosensitive drum 305 with laser light from the laser unit 421.

  Each color process cartridge 410 includes a photosensitive drum 305, a charging roller 303, a developing roller 302, and a toner storage container 411 necessary for a known electrophotographic process, and is detachable from the laser printer 401. Has been.

  Further, when receiving image data sent from an external device (host computer) 441 such as a personal computer, the video controller 440 expands the image data into bitmap data and generates an image signal for image formation.

  The DC controller 201 functions as a control unit of the laser printer 401, and includes an MPU (microcomputer) 207, various input / output control circuits (not shown), and the like. The MPU 207 includes a RAM 207a, a ROM 207b, a timer 207c, a digital input / output port 207d, and a D / A port 207e.

  Further, the high-voltage power supply unit 202 uses a charging high-voltage power supply (not shown) corresponding to each color process cartridge 410, a development high-voltage power supply (not shown), and a high-voltage transformer capable of outputting a high voltage corresponding to each color transfer roller 430. And a transfer high-voltage power source.

  The display device 450 displays a setting screen for performing status display (print processing status and warning display) of the image forming apparatus and various settings.

  The operation unit 451 includes keys and buttons for performing various settings, and can perform various settings via various operation screens displayed by switching the display contents of the display device 450. For example, a threshold value related to toner seal presence / absence detection, which will be described later, can also be performed via the operation unit 451. This threshold value can also be set via a user interface provided by a driver program for controlling the image forming apparatus mounted on the host computer 441, for example.

  Next, the configuration of the process cartridge 410 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As described above, the process cartridge 410 is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus (laser printer 401).

  The toner seal 101 is a sealing member that seals the toner container 411 and the developing container 412 that is a supply unit of the toner to the developing roller 302 so that the toner is not scattered during transportation or the like. Only when the toner seal 101 is pulled out of the process cartridge 410, toner is supplied to the developing roller 302 and printing is possible.

  Reference numeral 413 denotes a toner stirring blade provided in the toner container 411 for supplying the toner to the developing container 412 while stirring the toner. The toner stirring blade 413 is also driven by a driving motor described later.

  Reference numeral 306 denotes a cartridge memory. Information on whether or not the process cartridge 410 is new is recorded in the cartridge memory 306, and the information is read by the detection unit of the laser printer 401 to determine whether or not the process cartridge 410 is new. It should be noted that the process cartridge 410 once inserted into the laser printer 401 can be determined to be used once even if the process cartridge is reinserted to rewrite the information in the cartridge memory 206.

  Further, the laser printer 401 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with one driving motor (drum motor) 310 for each process cartridge 410, and each driving motor 310 can be independently driven. The driving motor is a motor for driving the developing roller 302 (developer carrier), the photosensitive drum 305 (image carrier), the charging roller 303, and the like.

  In the first exemplary embodiment, the presence or absence of the toner seal 101 is detected by monitoring an FG signal output from an FG (Frequency Generation) pattern formed on the motor substrate in order to detect the rotation speed of the driving motor 310. Perform detection.

  The drive motor 310 of the process cartridge 410 used in the first embodiment has an FG pattern formed on the motor substrate, and an FG signal, for example, 45 pulses are output when the drive motor 310 rotates once. . That is, since the number of FG pulses output in a certain time corresponds to the motor rotation amount, the motor rotation amount can be detected by monitoring this FG signal.

  In the first exemplary embodiment, the toner seal presence / absence detection is performed by monitoring the FG signal for a predetermined time from the start of the driving motor 310.

  FIG. 3 shows the difference in the motor rotation amount for a predetermined time from the start of the motor depending on the presence or absence of the toner seal.

  FIG. 3A shows the output waveform of the FG signal when there is no toner seal, and FIG. 3B shows the output waveform of the FG signal when there is a toner seal.

  If the process cartridge in a state where the user has forgotten to pull the toner seal is inserted into the image forming apparatus, the load on the motor shaft becomes larger than when the toner seal is pulled out normally. That is, when the toner seal is not pulled out, the toner is sealed in the toner container 411, and the load when the toner stirring blade rotates is larger than when the toner seal is removed. . 4A shows a state where the toner seal is not pulled out, and FIG. 4B shows a state where the toner seal is pulled out. Here, in the case of FIG. 4B, since the toner is supplied to the developing container 412, the amount of toner in the toner container 411 is reduced, so that the rotational load of the toner stirring blade is lightened.

  Therefore, when the drive motor 310 is driven without forgetting to draw the toner seal, the load is reduced as described above compared with the case where the drive motor 310 is normally pulled out, so the motor rotation amount is reduced and output. The number of FG signal pulses decreases.

  The number of pulses of the output FG signal is counted by a one-chip microcomputer (for example, DC controller 201), and compared with a threshold value set in advance in a storage device (for example, ROM 207b).

  When the count number of the output FG signal is larger than the threshold value stored in the storage device, it is determined that the toner seal is normally removed, and when it is less, it is determined that the toner seal is not pulled out. Toner presence / absence detection is performed. If it is determined that there is a toner seal, a warning message is displayed on the display device 450 of the image forming apparatus to notify the user that the toner seal has been forgotten. Further, this notification may be output as a status signal to the host computer 441 and displayed on a user interface provided by a driver program for controlling the image forming apparatus mounted on the host computer 441. good.

  A specific operation flow of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described together in the second embodiment.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the presence or absence of the toner seal can be performed with the existing configuration without increasing the cost. In other words, since no additional members or parts are required, it is possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of the toner seal without being affected by variations in mounting of the members and environmental fluctuations. Further, by attaching a magnetic sensor, an encoder, etc. to the drive motor, it is possible to detect the presence / absence of toner seal with high accuracy, and it is possible to apply to various motors.

<Embodiment 2>
In Embodiment 1, since it is necessary to drive the drive motor 310 for a predetermined time, when the user forgets to pull the toner seal and inserts the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus to drive the drive motor 310, the photosensitive drum There is a possibility of damaging the surface.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, when detecting the presence or absence of the toner seal, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, for example, the driving motor 310 is rotated forward and reverse for 0.5 seconds and stopped for 5 seconds 5 times, The drive motor 310 is rotated in small increments. Then, toner seal presence / absence detection is performed based on the detection result of the motor rotation amount in each sequence. Here, the motor rotation time, stop time, and number of repetitions can be freely set, for example, via the display device 450 and the operation unit 451.

  This operation is realized when the DC controller 201 of the image forming apparatus executes a toner seal presence / absence detection program stored in the ROM 207b. This operation is normally executed when the image forming apparatus is turned on, when the replacement of the process cartridge is detected, particularly when the process cartridge is mounted, but is not limited thereto. If necessary, it may be executed periodically after the power is turned on. Alternatively, whether or not the cartridge is new can be determined by referring to the contents of the cartridge memory 306. Therefore, the operation of FIG. 5 may be executed only when it is determined that the cartridge is new. .

  In the case where process cartridges corresponding to a plurality of types of recording agents are configured as shown in FIG. 1, when a new process cartridge corresponding to each recording agent is mounted, the corresponding process is performed. The operation of FIG. 5 may be executed for the cartridge. Alternatively, when it is detected that at least one new process cartridge is mounted, the operation of FIG. 5 may be executed simultaneously on at least one of a plurality of process cartridges including the process cartridge.

  Details of the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 5 will be described below.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  When the image forming apparatus is activated in step S401, in step S101, the DC controller 201 rotates the driving motor 310 of each color process cartridge 410 forward and backward for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds). In step S102, the DC controller 201 detects the number of output pulses of the FG signal. In step S103, the DC controller 201 stores the detection result in the RAM 207a.

  In step S104, the DC controller 201 stops the driving motor 310 for 5 seconds. In step S105, the DC controller 201 determines whether or not five sets of steps S101 to S104 have been completed. If five sets have not been completed (NO in step S105), the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if 5 sets have been completed (YES in step S105), the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, the DC controller 201 calculates an average value of detection results for five sets stored in the RAM 207a. In step S107, the DC controller 201 compares the calculated value (average value) with the threshold value stored in the ROM 207207b, and determines whether the calculated value is equal to or less than the threshold value.

  If the calculated value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value (YES in step S107), the process proceeds to step S108, where the DC controller 201 stops the operation of the driving motor 310 and displays a warning message (message for forgetting toner) on the display device 450. Do. On the other hand, when the calculated value is larger than the threshold value (NO in step S107), the DC controller 201 starts a printing operation.

  Note that in the case of the configuration of the first embodiment, the operation of the image forming apparatus performs the processing of step S102 and step S107 to step S109. In this case, the calculated value calculated by the DC controller 201 simply compares the number of output pulses of the detected FG signal with the threshold value in step S107.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, damage to the process cartridge can be avoided. Further, by repeating the rotation / stop sequence a plurality of times and comparing the average value of the results of the motor rotation amount a plurality of times with a threshold value, it is possible to detect the presence / absence of toner seal more accurately.

<Embodiment 3>
In the first and second embodiments, the toner seal presence / absence detection is realized based on the number of rotations of the driving motor. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, in an image forming apparatus provided with a current detection unit that detects a drive current of a process cartridge drive motor, toner seal presence / absence detection may be performed using two types of detection results of motor current and motor rotation amount. good. The current flowing in the process cartridge drive motor varies depending on the load on the motor shaft.

  For example, when the load is heavy (with toner seal), the current value is larger than when the load is light (without toner seal). The change in motor current value due to the presence or absence of toner seal and the change in motor rotation amount may be detected using two types of current detection units.

  Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawing) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly or remotely supplied to a system or apparatus. In addition, this includes a case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, and an optical disk. Further, as a recording medium, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R), etc. is there.

  As another program supply method, a browser on a client computer is used to connect to an Internet home page. Then, the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function can be downloaded from a homepage of the connection destination to a recording medium such as a hard disk. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. Let It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. Further, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by the processing.

  Further, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a configuration diagram of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the process cartridge of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the toner seal presence / absence detection of Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge in a state where the toner seal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not pulled out. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge in a state where the toner seal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is pulled out. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Toner seal 302 Developing roller 303 Charging roller 305 Photosensitive drum 306 Cartridge memory 310 Driving motor 401 Laser printer 410 Process cartridge 411 Developer container 412 Developer container 413 Toner stirring blade

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus for forming an image,
A developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer; a developer bearing member for carrying and conveying the developer on the image bearing member; and a sealing member for sealing the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion. A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus;
A motor for driving the image carrier and the developer carrier;
Detecting means for detecting the amount of rotation of the motor;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a detecting unit configured to detect presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus based on a detection result of the detecting unit. The said detection means detects the rotation amount of the said motor by detecting the pulse number of the FG signal output by the FG pattern formed on the motor board | substrate of the said motor. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a rotation amount of the motor from a magnetic output of a magnetic sensor attached to the motor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects an amount of rotation of the motor from an output signal of an encoder attached to the motor. The detection means includes
Execution means for repeatedly performing forward rotation and reverse rotation of the motor for a predetermined time multiple times;
Storage means for storing a detection result by the detection means at each time of the execution means;
Comparison means for comparing the detection result stored in the storage means with a preset threshold value;
The presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus is detected based on a comparison result of the comparison unit. The image forming apparatus described. The cartridge is configured for a plurality of types of recording agents used for image formation of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection by the detection unit is performed simultaneously with at least one of the cartridges corresponding to the plurality of types of recording agents. A current detecting means for detecting a driving current of the motor;
The detection means detects the presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus based on the detection result of the detection means and the current detection result of the current detection. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. A determination unit for determining whether or not the cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus is new;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the cartridge is determined to be new as a result of the determination by the determination unit, detection by the detection unit is executed. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an output unit configured to output that when the detection unit detects that the sealing member is present in a state where the cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. A developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer, a developer bearing member for carrying and conveying the developer on the image bearing member, and a sealing member for sealing the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion; A method of controlling an image forming apparatus for forming an image, comprising:
A detection step of detecting a rotation amount of a motor for driving the image carrier and the developer carrier;
And a detection step of detecting the presence or absence of the sealing member in a state where the cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus based on a detection result of the detection step. .

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