Drum assembly, developer cartridge and process cartridge

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drum assembly, a developing cartridge, and a processing cartridge comprising the developing cartridge and the drum assembly, wherein the developing cartridge is detachably mounted in the drum assembly, the developing cartridge comprising a developing housing and a plurality of guide ribs formed on the lower surface of the developing housing, the drum assembly comprising a drum assembly main body and an imaging portion connected to each other, a guide sheet being provided in at least one of the drum assembly and the developing cartridge, and when the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum assembly, the guide sheet is arranged adjacent to the guide ribs or adjacent to the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body, thereby smoothly guiding paper passing through the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body to the guide ribs and finally smoothly entering the imaging portion, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the drum assembly and the processing cartridge containing the drum assembly according to the present invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of electronic photographic imaging, and in particular to a processing box detachably installed in an electronic photographic imaging device, wherein the processing box comprises a developing box and a drum assembly detachably combined. Background Art

[0002] A printer is a common electronic photographic imaging device, in which a processing cartridge is installed in the printer in a detachable manner. In order to reduce the usage cost for end users, some printer design manufacturers have designed the processing cartridge to be a structure consisting of a developer cartridge and a drum assembly. The developer cartridge contains the toner required for development and is equipped with a developer for supplying the toner to the outside. The drum assembly is equipped with a photosensitive member for forming an electrostatic latent image. When the developer cartridge is installed to the drum assembly, the developer contacts the photosensitive member and supplies toner to the photosensitive member, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image.

[0003] Generally, the life of the photosensitive element is much longer than that of the developing cartridge. When the toner is consumed, the end user only needs to replace the developing cartridge, and the drum assembly can continue to be used. Therefore, the end user's cost of use is reduced.

[0004] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of an existing process cartridge. Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a conventional developer cartridge. As shown, the process cartridge 100 includes a developer cartridge 20 and a drum assembly 10, which are coupled together. The developer cartridge 20 is detachably mounted within the drum assembly 10 and can be installed forwardly along the drum assembly 10 into the printer. During printer operation, imaging media (paper) passes from below the process cartridge 100 through the developer cartridge 20 and into the drum assembly 10, where it faces the photosensitive member in the drum assembly 10 and transfers the electrostatic latent image developed on the photosensitive member to the printer.

[0005] To ensure that the paper can smoothly enter the imaging part 13 (such as the drum assembly 10) after passing through the developing box 20, Figure 3 As shown in Figure 2 As shown, the developer box 20 includes a developer housing 21 and a plurality of guide ribs 23 formed on the lower surface 22 of the developer housing 21. Before the paper reaches the guide ribs 23, it needs to be guided under the drum assembly 10. A paper pressing roller that can move in the up and down directions is provided under the existing drum assembly 10. When the paper passes under the drum assembly 10, the paper pressing roller guides the paper to prevent the paper from falling and jamming when it reaches the guide ribs 23 from the bottom of the drum assembly 10.

[0006] Although the above-mentioned pressing roller solves the problem of paper jam, the assembly process of the pressing roller is complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to consider a structure that can prevent the occurrence of paper jam without installing the pressing roller. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a drum assembly without a platen roller, so as to simplify the assembly process of the drum assembly. At the same time, when the drum assembly does not have a platen roller, at least one of the drum assembly and the developing cartridge is redesigned, thereby ultimately reducing the assembly process of the processing cartridge. The present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A drum assembly is used to detachably accommodate a developer cartridge, the developer cartridge comprising a developer housing and a plurality of guide ribs formed on the lower surface of the developer housing, the drum assembly comprising a drum assembly main body and an imaging portion connected to each other, an exposure opening being formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging portion, the drum assembly further comprising a guide sheet extending from the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body toward the exposure opening, when the developer cartridge is installed to the drum assembly, the guide ribs are exposed to the outside through the exposure opening, and the guide sheet is arranged adjacent to at least one guide rib.

[0009] The guide plate includes a first part connected to the drum assembly body, a second part connected to the first part, and a third part connected to the second part. The first part and the second part are gradually inclined upward, and the third part is gradually inclined downward.

[0010] The guide rib includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface connected in sequence, at least the second guide surface is an inclined surface, and along the front-back direction, the rear end of the second guide surface is closer to the developing housing than the front end.

[0011] The free end point of the third portion is P3, and when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, P3 is located within the range of the second guide surface.

[0012] The present invention also provides a processing box, comprising a developing box and the drum assembly as described above, wherein the developing box is detachably mounted in the drum assembly.

[0013] The present invention also provides a developing box, which can be removably installed in a drum assembly. The developing box includes a developing shell and a plurality of guide ribs formed on the lower surface of the developing shell. The drum assembly includes a drum assembly main body and an imaging part that are connected to each other. An exposure port is also formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging part. The developing box also includes a guide plate formed on the guide ribs. When the developing box is installed to the drum assembly, the guide ribs are exposed through the exposure port, and the guide plate is arranged adjacent to the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body.

[0014] Preferably, the guide piece is formed as a rear end portion of the guide rib.

[0015] The guide rib includes a third guide surface and a fourth guide surface which are connected to each other, and an angle formed between the third guide surface and the fourth guide surface is not less than 90 degrees.

[0016] The present invention also provides a processing box, comprising a drum assembly and the developing box as described above, wherein the developing box is detachably mounted in the drum assembly.

[0017] The present invention also provides another processing box, including a developing box and a drum assembly that are combined with each other, the developing box including a developing shell and a plurality of guide ribs formed on the lower surface of the developing shell, the drum assembly including a drum assembly main body and an imaging part that are connected to each other, and an exposure port is also formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging part, the developing box also includes a guide plate arranged on the guide ribs, and the drum assembly also includes a guide plate extending from the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body to the exposure port, when the developing box is installed to the drum assembly, the guide ribs are exposed to the outside through the exposure port, and the guide plate on the drum assembly is arranged adjacent to the guide ribs in the left and right directions.

[0018] As described above, the drum assembly of the present invention no longer has a paper pressing roller, but a guide sheet is provided in at least one of the drum assembly and the developing cartridge. When the developing cartridge is mounted on the drum assembly, the guide sheet is arranged adjacent to the guide rib or adjacent to the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body, thereby smoothly guiding the paper passing through the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body to the guide rib and finally smoothly entering the imaging portion. Therefore, the assembly process of the drum assembly and the processing cartridge containing the drum assembly of the present invention is simplified. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of an existing process cartridge.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of an existing developing box.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the drum assembly involved in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4A and Figure 4B It is a three-dimensional diagram of the drum assembly and the developing box after being assembled according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4C yes Figure 4B A magnified schematic diagram of the local R1 in the middle.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the processing box involved in the first embodiment of the present invention cut along the front-to-back direction.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a developing box involved in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the assembled developing box and drum assembly involved in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view of the processing box involved in the second embodiment of the present invention cut along the front-to-back direction.

[0028] Figure 9It is a three-dimensional diagram of a processing box involved in the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] For simplicity, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in the background art. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A process cartridge 100 according to the present invention is detachably mounted in a printer (electrophotographic imaging device) and includes a detachably coupled developing cartridge 20 and a drum assembly 10. The developing cartridge 20 includes a developing housing 21 and a plurality of guide ribs 23 formed on a lower surface 22 of the developing housing 21.

[0030] [Example 1]

[0031] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a drum assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a perspective view of the drum assembly and the developing cartridge assembled according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4C yes Figure 4B A magnified schematic diagram of the local R1 in the middle.

[0032] The drum assembly 10 includes a drum assembly body 11 and an imaging portion 13 connected to each other. An exposure port 12 is formed between the drum assembly body 11 and the imaging portion 13. The photosensitive member 15 is rotatably mounted in the imaging portion 13 (eg, Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the developing cartridge 20 is mounted on the drum assembly 10 , the guide ribs 23 are exposed to the outside through the exposing opening 12 .

[0033] Further references Figure 2 The guide rib 23 includes a first guide surface 23a and a second guide surface 23b connected in sequence, at least the second guide surface 23b is an inclined surface, and its inclination direction is that along the front and rear direction of the developer box 20, the rear end of the second guide surface 23b is closer to the developer shell 21 than the front end; at the same time, the guide rib 23 also includes a concave surface 23c connected to the second guide surface 23b, and the concave surface 23c is concave from the back to the front, which reduces the material used for the guide rib 23 and improves the comfort when the developer box 20 is grasped.

[0034] Back to Figure 3 Combined with Figure 4A and Figure 4B The drum assembly 10 also includes a guide piece 14 extending from the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly body 11 to the exposure opening 12. When the developer cartridge 20 is installed to the drum assembly 10, the guide piece 14 is arranged adjacent to at least one guide rib 23. When the printer is working, after the paper passes through the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly body, it reaches the guide rib 23 under the guidance of the guide piece 14, preventing the paper from falling between the drum assembly 10 and the developer cartridge 20.

[0035] like Figure 4C As shown, the guide plate 14 includes a first portion 14a connected to the drum assembly body 11, a second portion 14b connected to the first portion 14a, and a third portion 14c connected to the second portion 14b, wherein the first portion 14a plays a role in supporting the guide plate 14 and can also be called a supporting portion, the second portion 14b can also be called a transition portion, and the third portion 14c can also be called a guide portion.

[0036] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the processing box involved in the first embodiment of the present invention cut along the front-to-back direction.

[0037] Along the front-back direction, the first portion 14a and the second portion 14b are gradually inclined upward to more accurately guide the paper to the position where the guide rib 23 is located, and the third portion 14c is set to be gradually inclined downward. Figure 5 As shown in the partial image R2, the first guide surface 23a and the second guide surface 23b intersect at point P1, the second guide surface 23b and the concave surface 23c intersect at point P2, the third portion 14c and the second portion 14b intersect at point P4, and the free end point of the third portion 14c is P3. In the front-to-back direction, P1 is located in front of P2, and P3 is located in front of P4. In the up-down direction, P1 is located below P2, P3 is located below P4, and P3 is also located below P2. That is, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, P3 is located within the range of the second guide surface 23b. Therefore, after first passing through the guidance of the first portion 14a and the second portion 14b, the paper has reached a position closer to the top of the drum assembly. At this time, the paper is less likely to move away from the drum assembly 10. Then, the paper passes through the guidance of the third portion 14c to reach the second guide surface 23b, and then reaches the first guide surface 23a, and finally smoothly enters the imaging unit 13.

[0038] As described above, when the guide piece 14 is provided in the drum assembly 10, the platen roller will no longer need to be provided, and the guide piece 14 can be formed integrally with the drum assembly main body 11, which is preferred; the guide piece 14 can also be formed separately from the drum assembly main body 11, and then the guide piece 14 is connected to the drum assembly main body 11 by a snap connection, a keyway connection, or a magnetic connection. It can be understood that even if the guide piece 14 is connected to the drum assembly main body 11 by one of the above methods, its assembly process is simpler than the existing process of installing the platen roller.

[0039] Furthermore, the guide pieces 14 can be arranged in a plurality at intervals along the left-right direction. This method is beneficial for drum assembly manufacturers to mass-produce drum assemblies 10 by injection molding, and can also reduce the amount of material used for the guide pieces 14. Furthermore, according to the function of the guide pieces 14, when the guide pieces 14 are arranged in a plurality, only the guide pieces 14 located at the ends of the left and right sides along the left-right direction can also achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0040] [Example 2]

[0041] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a developing cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the assembled developing cartridge and drum assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view of the processing box involved in the second embodiment of the present invention cut along the front-to-back direction.

[0042] In this embodiment, the drum assembly 10 is not modified after the paper pressing roller is removed. Instead, the purpose of the present invention is achieved by improving the structure of the existing developing box 20.

[0043] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the guide rib 23 no longer has the groove 23c, but instead includes a third guide surface 23d and a fourth guide surface 23e connected to the third guide surface 23d. In this case, the rear end of the guide rib 23 can be considered as the guide piece 14. When the developer cartridge 20 is installed in the drum assembly 10, the guide rib 23 (guide piece 14) is adjacent to the drum assembly body 11. When the printer is in operation, after passing through the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly body, the paper directly reaches the guide rib 23 and does not fall between the drum assembly 10 and the developer cartridge 20.

[0044] like Figure 8 As shown, the third guide surface 23d and the fourth guide surface 23e intersect at point P5. Along the front-to-back direction, the frontmost point of the drum assembly main body 11 is P6. The two meet. Along the up-down direction, point P6 is located below point P5. After passing point P6, the paper directly reaches the third guide surface 23d.

[0045] Furthermore, the third guide surface 23d and the fourth guide surface 23e form an included angle α. In order to allow the paper to smoothly reach the guide rib 23 from the drum assembly main body 11, preferably, the included angle α is not less than 90°. When the included angle α is greater than 90°, the third guide surface 23d is inclined, and along the front-to-back direction, the rear end of the third guide surface 23d is closer to the developing housing 21 than the front end. At this time, the third guide surface 23d and the fourth guide surface 23e will respectively correspond to the first guide surface 23a and the second guide surface 23b in the first embodiment.

[0046] [Example 3]

[0047] Figure 9 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a processing box involved in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] In this embodiment, the drum assembly 10 and the developer box 20 are respectively modified as described above, that is, the guide rib 23 is extended, the guide piece 14 extends from the drum assembly body 11 to the exposure port 12, and the guide piece 14 is divided into a first guide piece 141 and a second guide piece 142 arranged at intervals, and the guide rib 23 enters between the first guide piece 141 and the second guide piece 142. At this time, in the left and right directions, the first guide piece 141 and the second guide piece 142 are both arranged adjacent to the guide rib 23. When the paper reaches the guide piece 14, it also reaches the bottom of the guide rib 23 at the same time. Finally, the paper smoothly enters the imaging unit 13 under the guidance of the guide rib 23.

[0049] [Example 4]

[0050] This embodiment is a variation of the first and second embodiments.

[0051] Compared with the first embodiment, the guide plate 14 extends to reach below the first guide surface 23a, that is, along the front-to-back direction, the guide plate 14 and the guide rib 23 partially overlap. At this time, the guide plate 14 and the guide rib 23 are arranged adjacent to each other, and the paper directly reaches the third guide surface 23d after passing through the guide plate 14.

[0052] Compared with the second embodiment, the guide piece 14 (guide rib 23) extends to the top of the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly main body, that is, along the front-to-back direction, the guide piece 14 and the guide rib 23 partially overlap. At this time, the guide piece 14 is arranged adjacent to the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly main body, and the paper directly reaches the third guide surface 23d after passing through the guide piece 14.

[0053] It should be noted that the above adjacent arrangement not only includes the situation where the two are in close proximity, but also includes the situation where there is a small gap between the two due to assembly error or manufacturing error.

[0054] For example, in the first embodiment, the guide piece 14 and the guide rib 23 are arranged adjacent to each other, and a gap is formed between the guide piece 14 and the guide rib 23 along the front-to-back direction; in the second embodiment, the guide piece 14 (guide rib 23) and the drum assembly body 11 may form a gap not only in the front-to-back direction but also in the up-down direction; in the third embodiment, the guide piece 14 and the guide rib 23 form a gap in the left-right direction. Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, the gap t1 or t2 may be within a range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, so that the paper can smoothly reach the guide rib 23 without falling between the guide piece 14 and the guide rib 23 .

[0055] As described above, the drum assembly of the present invention no longer has a pressure roller, but a guide piece 14 is provided in at least one of the drum assembly 10 and the developer box 20. When the developer box 20 is installed to the drum assembly 10, the guide piece 14 is simultaneously opposite to the guide rib 23 of the developer box 20 and the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly main body, or in other words, the guide piece 14 is arranged adjacent to the guide rib 23 or the guide piece 14 is arranged adjacent to the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly main body, so that the paper passing through the lower side plate 11a of the drum assembly main body is smoothly guided to the guide rib 23 and finally smoothly enters the imaging part 13. Therefore, the assembly process of the drum assembly 10 and the processing box 100 containing the drum assembly 10 of the present invention is simplified.

Claims

1. A drum assembly for detachably accommodating a developing cartridge, the developing cartridge comprising a developing housing and a plurality of guide ribs formed on a lower surface of the developing housing; The drum assembly includes a drum assembly main body and an imaging portion connected to each other, an exposure port is formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging portion, and the photosensitive member is rotatably installed in the imaging portion; It is characterized by: The drum assembly further includes a guide plate extending from the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body toward the exposure opening, the guide plate extending from the side of the exposure opening away from the imaging portion toward the imaging portion. After the paper passes through the lower side plate of the drum main body, it is guided by the guide plate to the guide rib and enters the imaging portion, thereby preventing the paper from falling between the drum assembly and the developing cartridge. When the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum assembly, the guide ribs are exposed to the outside through the exposure opening, and the guide piece is arranged adjacent to at least one of the guide ribs.

2. The drum assembly according to claim 1, wherein The guide plate includes a first part connected to the drum assembly body, a second part connected to the first part, and a third part connected to the second part. The first part and the second part are gradually inclined upward, and the third part is gradually inclined downward.

3. The drum assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The guide rib includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface connected in sequence, at least the second guide surface is an inclined surface, and along the front-back direction, the rear end of the second guide surface is closer to the developing housing than the front end.

4. The drum assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The free end point of the third portion is P3, and when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, P3 is located within the range of the second guide surface.

5. A process cartridge, characterized in that: The invention comprises a developing cartridge and a drum assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the developing cartridge is detachably mounted in the drum assembly.

6. A developing cartridge detachably mounted in the drum assembly, the developing cartridge comprising a developing housing and a plurality of guide ribs formed on a lower surface of the developing housing; the drum assembly comprising a drum assembly main body and an imaging portion connected to each other, an exposure opening formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging portion; and a photosensitive member rotatably mounted in the imaging portion; It is characterized in that The developing cartridge further includes a guide piece formed on the guide rib, the guide piece extending from a side of the exposure opening away from the imaging portion toward a direction closer to the imaging portion. After the paper passes through the lower side plate of the drum main body, it reaches the guide rib under the guidance of the guide piece and enters the imaging portion, thereby preventing the paper from falling between the drum assembly and the developing cartridge. When the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum assembly, the guide rib is exposed through the exposure opening, and the guide piece is arranged adjacent to the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body.

7. The developing cartridge according to claim 6, wherein: The guide piece is formed as a rear end portion of the guide rib.

8. The developing cartridge according to claim 7, wherein: The guide rib includes a third guide surface and a fourth guide surface which are connected to each other, and an angle formed between the third guide surface and the fourth guide surface is not less than 90°.

9. A process cartridge, characterized in that The invention comprises a drum assembly and a developing cartridge according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the developing cartridge is detachably mounted in the drum assembly.

10. A process cartridge comprising a developer cartridge and a drum assembly coupled to each other, the developer cartridge comprising a developer housing and a plurality of guide ribs formed on a lower surface of the developer housing, the drum assembly comprising a drum assembly main body and an imaging portion coupled to each other, an exposure opening formed between the drum assembly main body and the imaging portion, and a photosensitive member rotatably mounted in the imaging portion; It is characterized by: The developing cartridge further includes a guide piece provided on the guide rib, and the drum assembly further includes a guide piece extending from the lower side plate of the drum assembly main body toward the exposure opening, wherein the guide piece extends from the side of the exposure opening away from the imaging portion toward the imaging portion. After the paper passes through the lower side plate of the drum main body, it reaches the guide rib under the guidance of the guide piece and enters the imaging portion, thereby preventing the paper from falling between the drum assembly and the developing cartridge; When the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum assembly, the guide rib is exposed to the outside through the exposure opening, and the guide piece on the drum assembly is arranged adjacent to the guide rib in the left-right direction.

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