Counting gear assembly of processing box and processing box

Abstract

A counting gear assembly of a processing box and a processing box, wherein the counting gear assembly includes: a counting gear, an identification portion that rotates synchronously with the counting gear; a guide support member provided on the counting gear, the guide support member being movable between a position where its tail extends beyond the inner end face of the counting gear and a position where its tail is at least flush with the inner end face of the counting gear; a reset spring provided between the guide support member and the counting gear; and a support member limiting portion provided on the counting gear, the support member limiting portion causing the guide support member to be positioned at a position where its tail protrudes beyond the inner end face of the counting gear. The present invention provides a guide support member on the counting gear, and the guide support member, in cooperation with a movable guide portion and a limit release portion on the end wall of the processing box housing, can realize the outward push or retraction of the counting gear, so that after the processing box is dropped into the machine and the identification portion is completed, the identification portion will no longer contact the detection mechanism during the subsequent rotation of the counting gear, thereby detecting whether the processing box is brand new.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a process cartridge used in an image forming apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Image forming devices such as laser printers and copiers typically have an image processing unit and a developing unit. The developing unit uses a developer, such as toner, to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the image processing unit, thereby forming a visible image on a medium such as paper. The developing unit includes a process cartridge, a removable cartridge that is installed in the main body of the image forming device. As a single unit, the process cartridge comprises a housing, a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a cavity for holding the developer.

[0003] To facilitate determining the remaining amount of developer in the process cartridge, some process cartridges are equipped with a counting gear that cooperates with a detection mechanism on the image forming device to detect the remaining amount of developer in the process cartridge. The detection mechanism on some image forming devices also determines whether the process cartridge is brand new when it is installed. Therefore, the process cartridge needs to be equipped with an identification structure that cooperates with the detection mechanism of the image forming device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a counting gear assembly that can identify whether a processing box is a brand new processing box and a processing box having the counting gear.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The counting gear assembly of the processing box includes: a counting gear arranged on the end wall of the processing box shell, the counting gear is provided with an identification part that cooperates with the detection mechanism of the image forming device, and the identification part rotates synchronously with the technical gear; a guide support member arranged on the counting gear, the guide support member can move along a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear between a position where the tail of the guide support member extends out of the inner end face of the counting gear and a position where the tail of the guide support member is at least flush with the inner end face of the counting gear; a reset spring arranged between the guide support member and the counting gear, the reset spring keeps the guide support member away from the end wall of the processing box shell; a support member limiting part arranged on the counting gear, the support member limiting part and the guide support member can be detachably matched, and the support member limiting part makes the guide support member in a position where its tail protrudes out of the inner end face of the counting gear.

[0007] Furthermore, the identification portion is provided on the outer end surface of the gear body and protrudes from the outer end surface of the counting gear in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the counting gear.

[0008] Furthermore, the identification portion is an arc-shaped sheet, and the identification portion is arranged at the outer peripheral edge of the outer end surface of the counting gear and extends along the circumference of the counting gear.

[0009] Furthermore, the counting gear is a full-tooth gear.

[0010] Furthermore, the tail and head of the guide support member extend out of the inner end face and outer end face of the counting gear respectively; the guide support member can move between a position where its tail passes through the inner end face of the counting gear and its tail is flush with the inner end face of the counting gear, or a position where its tail passes through the inner end face of the counting gear and its tail retreats into the inner end face of the counting gear.

[0011] Furthermore, the support member limiting portion is an elastically deformable rib arranged parallel to the axial direction of the counting gear, and a protrusion is provided on the rib, and the protrusion is locked with the head of the guide support member.

[0012] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the present invention provides a reciprocating guide support on the counting gear. When the counting gear rotates to a certain position, the guide support can push the counting gear outward by cooperating with the movable guide part on the processing box, so that the identification part on the counting gear can contact the detection mechanism on the image forming device to trigger the identification signal, and after the identification signal is triggered, the counting gear can be retracted and reset, so that the identification part can only cooperate with the detection mechanism once, and the identification signal can no longer be triggered during the subsequent rotation of the counting gear, thereby realizing the first drop-down installation detection of the processing box.

[0013] The present invention also provides a processing box, including a shell and an end cover arranged at the end of the shell, and a driving gear and / or a transmission gear and a counting gear are arranged on the end wall of the shell. The counting gear rotates synchronously with the driving gear and / or the transmission gear, and the counting gear is the aforementioned counting gear assembly.

[0014] Furthermore, a counting gear moving guide portion corresponding to the position of the counting gear is provided on the end wall of the shell, and the counting gear moving guide portion protrudes from the end wall of the shell and contacts the inner end surface of the counting gear or the guide support. The counting gear moving guide portion includes at least a first guide section and a second guide section connected in sequence front to back, and the height of the first guide section increases from front to back, and the height of the highest point of the first guide section is the same as the height of the second guide section; a through groove for the identification portion to extend is provided on the end cover, and a limit release portion that can contact the support member limit portion is provided on the inner side surface of the end cover, and the limit release portion is used to enable the support member limit portion to release the limit on the guide support member.

[0015] Furthermore, the projection of the counting gear moving guide portion on the end wall of the shell is arc-shaped.

[0016] Furthermore, the limit releasing portion protrudes from the inner side surface of the end cover. During the rotation of the counting gear, the limit releasing portion can squeeze the support member limit portion to release the limit on the guide support member.

[0017] Furthermore, the counting gear is meshed with the stirring frame gear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the counting gear end of the process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the inner structure of the end cover of the counting gear end according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3a This is a state diagram of the counting gear when the processing box is dropped into the machine for installation;

[0022] Figure 3b This is a state diagram of the counting gear, detection mechanism, and counting gear moving guide when the process cartridge is dropped into the machine for installation;

[0023] Figure 3c This is a state diagram of the identification part and detection mechanism of the counting gear when the process cartridge is dropped into the machine for installation;

[0024] Figure 4a This is a state diagram of the guide support member and the counting gear moving guide portion when the counting gear moves outward during the rotation process;

[0025] Figure 4b A state diagram of the guide support and the moving guide portion of the counting gear when the identification portion of the counting gear is in contact with the detection mechanism;

[0026] Figure 4c This is a state diagram when the identification part and detection mechanism of the counting gear are in contact;

[0027] Figure 5a This is a state diagram when the counting gear rotates to the point where the limiting portion of the support member contacts the limiting release protrusion on the end cover;

[0028] Figure 5bA state diagram showing another angle when the counting gear rotates to the point where the limiting portion of the support member contacts the limiting release protrusion on the end cover;

[0029] Figure 5c This is a state diagram of the counting gear when the identification part leaves the detection mechanism;

[0030] Figure 6a This is a state diagram of the support member after the limiting portion is released;

[0031] Figure 6b This is a state diagram of another angle after the support member's limiting part is released.

[0032] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for ease of explanation, the drawings showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general scale. Moreover, the schematic diagrams are only examples and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not in exact proportions. They are only used for the purpose of conveniently and clearly assisting in explaining the embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG3 , the processing cartridge of this embodiment includes a housing 1, in which a photosensitive drum (not shown), a developing roller (not shown), and a powder hopper for accommodating a developer are disposed. An end cap 2 is disposed on the outside of the end of the housing 1. A stirring frame gear 3 and a counting gear 4 are disposed on one end wall of the housing 1. The stirring frame gear 3 rotates synchronously with the stirring frame (not shown). The counting gear 4 of this embodiment is engaged with the stirring frame gear 3 and thus rotates synchronously with the stirring frame gear 3. In other embodiments, the counting gear may also rotate synchronously with the stirring frame gear through the transmission of other transmission gears, or the counting gear may rotate in meshing engagement with other transmission gears on the processing cartridge or the driving gear (photosensitive drum gear) of the processing cartridge.

[0035] The counting gear 4 is centrally provided with a through hole 4a extending axially along its center. This through hole 4a is designed to engage a pin (not shown) to mount the counting gear 4 on the end wall of the housing 1. In this embodiment, the counting gear 4 is a fully toothed gear, meaning that meshing teeth are evenly distributed end-to-end along its circumferential outer edge. An identification portion 4b is provided on the outer end face of the counting gear 4 (the side of the counting gear facing away from the end wall of the housing 1). This identification portion 4b is located at the outer edge of the outer end face of the counting gear 4 and protrudes from the outer end face of the counting gear 4 parallel to the axis of the counting gear 4. In this embodiment, the identification portion 4-2 is an arc-shaped segment extending along the circumference of the counting gear 4, forming a cylindrical structure. The identification portion 4b is designed to engage with a detection mechanism on the image forming device. When the counting gear 4 rotates, the identification portion 4b rotates with the counting gear 4. During rotation, the outer surface of the identification portion 4b can contact the detection mechanism on the image forming device, thereby triggering the detection mechanism to send a detection signal to the image forming device. The identification portion may also be in the form of a convex strip extending in a direction parallel to the axis of the gear body.

[0036] A guide support 5 is provided on the counting gear 4. The guide support 5 is provided in a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear 4 and can move back and forth in a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear 4. For the convenience of description, the end of the guide support 5 close to the end wall of the shell 1 is defined as the tail, and the end away from the end wall of the shell 1 is defined as the head, that is, the guide support 5 can move between a position where its tail passes through the inner end face of the counting gear 4 and a position where its tail is flush with the inner end face of the counting gear 4 (or is located inside the inner end face of the counting gear 4). In other words, one position state of the guide support 5 is that its tail protrudes from the inner end face of the counting gear, and another position state is that the tail is at least flush with the inner end face of the counting gear. This state includes the tail being flush with the inner end face of the counting gear and the tail being retracted into the inner end face of the counting gear. One end (the tail) of the guide support 5 of this embodiment passes through the inner end face of the counting gear 4, and the other end (the head) passes through the outer end face of the counting gear 4. A return spring 6 is disposed between the guide support 5 and the counting gear 4. One end of the return spring 6 abuts against the guide support 5, and the other end abuts against the counting gear 4. The return spring 6 provides a force to the guide support 5 away from the end wall of the housing 1, ensuring that the guide support 5 always tends to move away from the end wall of the housing 1. A support member limiting portion 4c is provided on the counting gear 4. The support member limiting portion 4c is used to limit the guide support 5 so that the guide support 5 maintains its tail protruding from the inner end surface of the counting gear 4. The support member limiting portion 4c of this embodiment is a rib arranged along the axis parallel to the counting gear 4. The rib is provided with a protrusion 4d that can engage with the head of the guide support 5, thereby preventing the guide support 5 from popping outward. The rib is elastically deformable, and when deformed, it releases the limit on the support member limiting portion.

[0037] A counting gear movement guide 1-1 is provided on the end wall of the housing 1. The counting gear movement guide 1-1 protrudes from the end wall of the housing 1. Its projection onto the end wall of the housing 1 can be arcuate or circular. In this embodiment, the projection of the counting gear movement guide 1-1 onto the end wall of the housing 1 is arcuate. The counting gear movement guide 1-1 can contact the inner end surface of the counting gear 4 or the guide support 5, thereby supporting the counting gear 4 during rotation. The counting gear movement guide 1-1 includes at least a first guide segment 1-1a and a second guide segment 1-1b connected in sequence. The first guide segment 1-1a is located before the second guide segment 1-1b. That is, as the guide support 5 rotates with the counting gear 4, it first passes through the first guide segment 1-1a and then the second guide segment 1-1b. The height of the first guide segment 1-1a (the distance between the end surface of the guide segment and the end wall of the housing) increases from front to back, with the highest point of the first guide segment 1-1a being the same as the height of the second guide segment 1-1b. In other embodiments, the counting gear moving guide portion may also be a circular ring structure having a section of notch or groove. When the counting gear is in the initial state, the tail of the guide support thereon is located in the notch (or groove) of the counting gear moving guide portion. After starting to rotate, it moves out of the notch (or groove) along the first guide section, thereby causing the counting gear to move outward.

[0038] Reference Figure 2 The end cap 2 is provided with a through slot 2a through which the identification portion 4b on the counting gear 4 extends. The projection of the through slot 2a on the end wall of the housing 1 is arc-shaped. During the rotation of the counting gear 4, the identification portion 4b can move within the through slot 2a. A limit release portion 2b is provided on the inner side surface of the end cap 2. The limit release portion 2b is a raised structure protruding from the inner side surface of the end cap 2. The limit release portion 2b can contact the support member limit portion 4c on the counting gear 4. As the counting gear 4 rotates, the support member limit portion 4c is squeezed, causing the support member limit portion 4c to deform. After the support member limit portion 4c is deformed, the guide support member 5 can be disengaged from the support member limit portion 4c. As a result, the guide support member 5 is activated by the return spring 6 and bounces upward, away from the end wall of the housing 1. The guide support member 5 moves until its tail is flush with the inner end surface of the counting gear 4 or moves inside the counting gear 4.

[0039] The following combination Figures 3a to 6b The following describes the process of detecting whether the processing cartridge is brand new by cooperating with the detection mechanism on the image forming device of the present invention:

[0040] like Figure 3a 、 Figure 3b and Figure 3cAs shown, after the process cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, the counting gear 4 is in the initial position. At this time, the identification portion 4b of the counting gear 4 has not yet extended out of the end cover 2 and is not in contact with the detection mechanism 100 on the image forming apparatus. At the same time, the guide support member 5 has not yet contacted the first guide section 1-1a of the counting gear moving guide portion 1-1.

[0041] After the process cartridge falls into the machine, the stirring frame gear 3 rotates under the drive of the drive head of the image forming device, and drives the counting gear 4 meshed with it to rotate together, and the identification part 4b rotates together with the counting gear 4. During the rotation of the counting gear 4, the identification part 4b approaches the detection mechanism 100; Figure 4a As shown, as the counting gear 4 rotates, the guide support 5 begins to contact the first guide section 1-1a of the counting gear moving guide portion 1-1 and moves along the end surface of the first guide section 1-1a. Since the height of the first guide section 1-1a gradually increases, the guide support 5 pushes the counting gear 4 axially away from the end wall of the housing 1 during the movement process. That is, the counting gear 4 simultaneously moves outward during the rotation process, so that the identification portion 4b on the counting gear 4 gradually extends out of the end cover 2; as shown in FIG. Figure 4b As shown, when the guide support 5 moves to the second guide section 1-1b of the counting gear moving guide portion 1-1 and moves along the second guide section 1-1b, the counting gear 4 no longer moves axially outward during the rotation process; as the counting gear 4 continues to rotate, the detection mechanism 100 begins to contact the outer side surface of the identification portion 4b ( Figure 4c ), when the detection mechanism 100 and the identification portion 4b come into contact with each other, a detection signal is triggered to the image forming mechanism, indicating that the loading of the process cartridge is detected;

[0042] As the counting gear 4 continues to rotate, the identification portion 4b leaves the detection mechanism 100 ( Figure 5c ), complete the identification and detection of the processing cartridge; when the counting gear 4 moves to the support member limiting portion 4c and contacts the limit release portion 2b on the end cover 2, the limit release portion 2b squeezes the support member limiting portion 4c, causing it to deform, so that the guide support member 5 can be disengaged from the limit of the support member limiting portion 4c ( Figure 5a and Figure 5c ), and moves outward (i.e., away from the end cover of the housing 1) under the action of the return spring 6, and is no longer supported on the second guide segment 1-1b; the counting gear 4 continues to rotate and is pressed back to the identification portion 4b under the action of the limit release portion 2b and retreats into the end cover 2. At this time, the inner end surface of the counting gear 4 contacts the second guide segment 1-1b;

[0043] like Figure 6a and Figure 6bAs shown, the counting gear 4 still rotates together with the stirring frame gear 3 after the identification portion 4b leaves the detection mechanism 100, but since the guide support 5 moves to a position where its rear end is at least flush with the inner end surface of the counting gear 4 after being separated from the limit of the support limit portion 4c, the guide support portion 5 no longer pushes the counting gear 4 outward when the counting gear 4 rotates, so that the identification portion 4b on the counting gear 4 can no longer contact the detection mechanism 100 on the image forming device, that is, the falling detection process of the counting gear is one-time, and the identification portion 4b can no longer trigger the detection mechanism to send a detection signal, so that it can be detected whether the processing box is brand new.

[0044] After the processing box is subjected to maintenance operations such as adding powder, the guide support part 5 can be manually pushed inward, and then the support limit part 4c and the guide support part 5 can be re-locked together to restore the limit of the support limit part 4c on the guide support part 5. When the processing box is installed again, the counting gear can once again detect the fall of the processing box and realize reuse.

[0045] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with this profession can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes using the technical contents disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. The counting gear assembly of the processing box is characterized in that: include: A counting gear is provided on the end wall of the process cartridge housing, wherein the center of the counting gear is provided with a through hole extending along the axial direction thereof, and the counting gear is provided with an identification portion cooperating with a detection mechanism of the image forming device, and the identification portion rotates synchronously with the counting gear; A guide support member provided on the counting gear, the guide support member being movable in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the counting gear between a position where the tail of the guide support member extends beyond the inner end surface of the counting gear and a position where the tail of the guide support member is at least flush with the inner end surface of the counting gear; a return spring disposed between the guide support and the counting gear, the return spring causing the guide support to move away from the end wall of the process cartridge housing; A support member limiting portion is provided on the counting gear, the support member limiting portion is detachably matched with the guide support member, the support member limiting portion causes the guide support member to be in a position where its tail protrudes from the inner end surface of the counting gear, the support member limiting portion is an elastically deformable rib provided along the axial direction parallel to the counting gear, and the rib is provided with a protrusion that can be snapped with the head of the guide support member to prevent the guide support member from popping outward; A limit release portion is provided on the end cover of the processing box, and the limit release portion is a protrusion protruding from the inner side surface of the end cover. The limit release portion can contact the support member limit portion and squeeze the support member limit portion to deform as the counting gear rotates, so that the guide support member is disengaged from the support member limit portion, so that the guide support member moves until its tail end is at least flush with the inner end surface of the counting gear.

2. The counting gear assembly of the process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The identification portion is arranged on the outer end surface of the gear body and protrudes from the outer end surface of the counting gear in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the counting gear.

3. The counting gear assembly of the process cartridge according to claim 2, wherein: The identification portion is an arc-shaped sheet, and the identification portion is arranged at the outer peripheral edge of the outer end surface of the counting gear and extends along the circumference of the counting gear.

4. The counting gear assembly of the process cartridge according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: The counting gear is a full-tooth gear.

5. The counting gear assembly of the process cartridge according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: The tail and head of the guide support member extend out of the inner end surface and outer end surface of the counting gear respectively; the guide support member can move between a position where its tail passes through the inner end surface of the counting gear and its tail is flush with the inner end surface of the counting gear, or a position where its tail passes through the inner end surface of the counting gear and its tail retreats into the inner end surface of the counting gear.

6. A process cartridge comprising a housing and an end cap disposed at an end of the housing, wherein a drive gear and / or a transmission gear and a counting gear are disposed on an end wall of the housing, wherein the counting gear rotates synchronously with the drive gear and / or the transmission gear, and wherein: The counting gear is a counting gear assembly of a process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A counting gear moving guide portion corresponding to the position of the counting gear is provided on the end wall of the housing, the counting gear moving guide portion protruding from the end wall of the housing and contacting the inner end surface of the counting gear or the guide support member, the counting gear moving guide portion includes at least a first guide segment and a second guide segment connected in sequence front to back, the height of the first guide segment increases from front to back, and the height of the highest point of the first guide segment is the same as the height of the second guide segment; The end cover is provided with a through slot through which the identification portion can extend.

7. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein: The projection of the counting gear moving guide portion on the end wall of the housing is arc-shaped.

8. The process cartridge according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: A stirring frame gear is provided on one end wall of the shell, and the counting gear is meshed with the stirring frame gear.

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