Counting component and developing cartridge having the same

Abstract

The invention relates to a counting component and a developing box having the counting component, wherein the counting component comprises a counting component used for combining with and disengaging from an external counted component, the counting component comprises a rotating component and a toggle component separated from each other, the rotating component is used for receiving a driving force from the outside and rotating, and the toggle component is driven to rotate by the rotating component, the counting component also comprises a retaining component in contact with the rotating component and the toggle component, and the rotating component applies a discontinuous force to the toggle component through the retaining component; during the counting process, when a force is applied to the toggle component, the toggle component is retained by the retaining component in a static position continuously pressing the counted component; when no force is applied to the toggle component, the toggle component rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating component under the reaction force of the counted component, and since the retaining component is provided in the counting component, the toggle component can stably press the counted component, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the counting component and reducing the risk of counting failure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic photographic imaging, and in particular to a developing box detachably installed in an imaging device and a counting component located in the developing box. Background Art

[0002] The developing cartridge is a consumable necessary for the working process of the imaging device. In order to enable the imaging device to promptly remind the end user of the remaining life of the developing cartridge, a counting component is provided in the existing developing cartridge, and a counted part for combining with the counting component is provided in the imaging device. The imaging device determines the life of the developing cartridge based on the duration and number of times the counting component combines with the counted part and the interval between two adjacent combinations.

[0003] In order to improve the overall assembly convenience of the counting assembly and the developing box, there is a structure in which the counting parts in the counting assembly are decomposed into a rotating part and a toggle part that are combined with each other, wherein a plurality of protrusions are provided on the rotating part. When the rotating part is driven to rotate, the rotating part drives the toggle part to move and makes the toggle part combine with the counted part. In actual use, the existing counting assembly is not accurate enough, resulting in counting failure. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides an improved counting assembly and a developing box having the counting assembly. Specifically, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] The counting assembly comprises a counting piece used for combining with and disengaging from an external counted piece, wherein the counting piece comprises a rotating piece and a toggle piece which are separated from each other, wherein the rotating piece is used for receiving a driving force from the outside and rotating, and the toggle piece is driven to rotate by the rotating piece, and the counting assembly further comprises a retaining piece which contacts the rotating piece and the toggle piece, and the rotating piece applies a discontinuous force to the toggle piece through the retaining piece; during the counting process, when a force is applied to the toggle piece, the toggle piece is held by the retaining piece in a stationary position which continuously presses the counted piece; when no force is applied to the toggle piece, the toggle piece rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating piece under the action of a reaction force of the counted piece.

[0006] In the process that the rotating member applies the force to the toggle member through the retaining member, as the rotating member rotates, the force applied by the rotating member to the toggle member gradually increases.

[0007] As an embodiment of the retaining member, the retaining member includes a plurality of mutually spaced protrusions arranged on the rotating member and a bump arranged on the toggle member. During the rotation of the rotating member, when the bump contacts the protrusion, the rotating member transmits a force to the toggle member, and when the bump does not contact the protrusion, the rotating member does not transmit a force to the toggle member.

[0008] As one of the embodiments, the rotating member and the toggle member are eccentrically arranged.

[0009] Preferably, the convex block contacts the outer surface of the protrusion, and the contact point between the two is located within the circumference of the rotating member.

[0010] As another embodiment, the rotating member is arranged concentrically with the toggle member.

[0011] According to this, a design that can be realized is that, along the rotation direction of the rotating member, each protrusion gradually approaches the rotation center of the rotating member.

[0012] Alternatively, the contact surface of the convex block with the protrusion is arranged such that, along the rotation direction when the rotating member drives the toggle member to rotate, the upstream edge of the surface is farther away from the rotation axis of the toggle member than the downstream edge.

[0013] Alternatively, the surface where the bump contacts the protrusion and at least one of the outer surfaces of each protrusion are configured to be elastic, and when the rotating member rotates, the rotating member and the toggle member are kept in a stationary position pressing the counted member through static friction; for example, along the rotation direction of the rotating member, the static friction between the downstream of each protrusion and the bump is smaller than the static friction between the upstream of each protrusion and the inner surface of the bump, or along the rotation direction when the rotating member drives the toggle member to rotate, the static friction between the upstream edge of the surface where the bump contacts the protrusion and each protrusion is smaller than the static friction between the downstream edge of the surface and each protrusion.

[0014] As another embodiment of the retaining member, the retaining member includes a plurality of protrusions disposed on the rotating member and spaced apart from each other, and an elastic member located between the rotating member and the toggle member, wherein the elastic member contacts the protrusions and the toggle member.

[0015] Preferably, along the rotation direction of the rotating member, each protrusion has a starting point and an end point, and the distance from the center of the dial member to the starting point of each protrusion is smaller than the distance from the center to the end point of each protrusion.

[0016] Along the rotation direction of the rotating member, each protrusion has a starting surface located at the most downstream and a terminating surface located at the most upstream, and the starting surface of each protrusion is arranged so that the end point close to the rotation center of the rotating member is located downstream of the end point away from the rotation center of the rotating member.

[0017] The present invention also provides a developing box comprising the counting assembly as described above.

[0018] As described above, the counting assembly of the present invention utilizes a retaining member in contact with the toggle member and the rotating member to keep the toggle member in a static position where it can continuously press the counted member, thereby improving the accuracy of the counting assembly and reducing the risk of counting failure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1A and Figure 1B It is a three-dimensional view of the developing box involved in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional view of the developing box involved in the present invention observed from the counting end.

[0021] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a counting member in a developing box according to a first embodiment of the present invention is separated from a developing box housing.

[0022] Figure 4A It is a three-dimensional diagram of a rotating member in a counting member according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4B It is a top view of the rotating part in the counting part involved in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a toggle member in a counting member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6A It is a three-dimensional diagram of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when it is in an initial state.

[0026] Figure 6B It is a simplified plan view of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when it is in an initial state.

[0027] Figure 7A 3D is a three-dimensional diagram of the counting member according to the first embodiment of the present invention after experiencing the first holding time period.

[0028] Figure 7B 4 is a simplified plan view of the counting element according to the first embodiment of the present invention after experiencing a first holding period of time.

[0029] Figure 8A It is a schematic diagram of the state in which the toggle member in the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention rotates along with the second protrusion.

[0030] Figure 8B It is a simplified plan view of the toggle member in the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when rotating along with the second protrusion.

[0031] Figure 9A It is a schematic diagram of a state in which the toggle member in the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention is about to be held by the second protrusion.

[0032] Figure 9B It is a simplified plan view of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when the toggle member is about to be held by the second protrusion.

[0033] Figure 10A It is a schematic diagram of a state in which the toggle member in the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention is about to be separated from the second protrusion.

[0034] Figure 10BIt is a simplified plan view of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the toggle member is about to be separated from the second protrusion.

[0035] Figure 11 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a counting member in a developer box according to a third embodiment of the present invention is separated from a developer box housing.

[0036] Figure 12 It is a top view of the rotating part in the counting part involved in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 13 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the toggle member involved in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] [Overall structure of the developer cartridge]

[0041] Figure 1A and Figure 1B is a three-dimensional diagram of a developing box according to the present invention; Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional view of the developing box involved in the present invention observed from the counting end.

[0042] The developing box 1 includes a shell 2, a developing member 31 rotatably mounted in the shell 2, and a power receiving member 4 and a toggle member 5 located at the longitudinal end of the shell, and the side where the toggle member 5 is located is the counting end; when the developing box 1 is detachably mounted along the mounting direction S to an imaging device provided with a counted member 9, the power receiving member 4 receives the driving force from the imaging device and transmits the driving force to the developing member 31 and the toggle member 5, so that the developing member 31 can rotate around the rotation axis L1.

[0043] The toggle member 5 is used to toggle the counted member 9 so that the imaging device can identify the developer box 1 and determine the service life of the developer box 1 based on the duration and number of times the toggle member 5 presses the counted member 9 and the interval between each two presses. When the toggle member 5 no longer applies pressing force to the counted member 9, the counted member 9 rebounds and resets.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present invention, the toggle member 5 and the power receiving member 4 are respectively located at two longitudinal ends of the housing 2, that is, they are arranged on different sides, so that the toggle member 5 can receive the driving force of the power receiving member 4. Figure 2 As shown, the side where the toggle member 5 is located is the counting end, and the developing box 1 also includes a gear group 7 and a rotating member 8 arranged on the same side as the toggle member 5, wherein the gear group 7 receives the driving force of the power receiving member 4, and the rotating member 8 is respectively combined with the toggle member 5 and the gear group 7, so that the driving force of the power receiving member 4 is transmitted to the toggle member 5 through the gear group 7 and the rotating member 8.

[0045] The rotating member 8 is used to control the pressing duration, the number of times, and the interval duration between every two presses of the toggling member 5 against the member to be counted 9. Therefore, the rotating member 8 and the toggling member 5 can be collectively referred to as the counting member K. The gear set 7 includes a first gear 71 that receives the driving force, a conversion gear 72, and a driving gear 73. Among them, the first gear 71 receives the driving force of the power receiving member 4, and the rotation axis of the first gear 71 is parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the developing member 31. The rotation axis L2 of the conversion gear 72 and the rotation axis L3 of the driving gear 73 are both perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, and the driving gear 73 and the rotating member 8 are coaxial. That is to say, the rotating member 8 is directly driven by the driving gear 73 to rotate around the rotation axis L3.

[0046] [Counting member]

[0047] Figure 3 is a state diagram after the counting member in the developing cartridge according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is separated from the developing cartridge housing; Figure 4A is a three-dimensional view of the rotating member in the counting member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4B is a top view of the rotating member in the counting member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view of the toggling member in the counting member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0048] As Figure 3 shown, the counting member K is mounted to the housing 2 through the mounting plate 21, so that the rotating member 8 rotates around the rotation axis L3, and the toggling member 5 rotates around the rotation axis L4. In this embodiment, the rotation axis L3 and the rotation axis L4 are not collinear. Preferably, they are parallel to each other. That is to say, the rotation axis L4 is also perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, and the rotating member 8 and the toggling member 5 are eccentrically arranged. As Figure 6B shown, the rotation center C of the rotating member 8 does not coincide with the rotation center D of the toggling member 5.

[0049] As Figure 4A and Figure 4B shown, the rotating member 8 includes a rotating body 80 and a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions provided on the rotating body 80. According to the different service lives of the developing cartridge 1, the number of the protrusions and the spacing between adjacent protrusions are different, but the working processes are the same. In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where three protrusions are provided on the rotating body 80 is taken as an example for illustration.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the first protrusion 82, the second protrusion 81, and the third protrusion 84 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 80. A first interval 83 is formed between the first protrusion 82 and the second protrusion 81, and a second interval 85 is formed between the second protrusion 81 and the third protrusion 84. The first protrusion 82 has a first outer surface 821, and the second protrusion 81 has a second outer surface 813. The first outer surface 821 and the second outer surface 813 are respectively located on the radially outer sides of their respective protrusions.

[0051] Taking the first protrusion 82 and the second protrusion 81 as an example, as Figure 4B shown, along the rotation direction r, the projection of the first protrusion 82 in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 80 has a starting point E and an ending point F, and the projection of the second protrusion 81 in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 80 has a starting point A and an ending point G. At the same time, along the rotation direction r, each protrusion also has a starting surface located at the most downstream and a terminating surface located at the most upstream. For example, the second protrusion 81 has a starting surface 811 and a terminating surface 812. Further, the starting surface of each protrusion is set as an inclined surface. The inclined surface means that when the protrusion is projected on the rotating body 80 (in the same plane perpendicular to the rotation axis L3) along the rotation axis L3, along the rotation direction r, the end point closer to the rotation center C is located downstream of the end point farther from the rotation center C. As shown in the figure, the projection of the starting surface 811 of the second protrusion on the rotating body 80 has an end point A and an end point B. The connection line AB of the end points A and B is an oblique line, that is, along the rotation direction r, the end point B closer to the rotation center C is located downstream of the end point A farther from the rotation center C. The setting of the inclined surface enables the toggling member 5 to disengage from the starting surface of the protrusion more smoothly and enter the position in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion.

[0052] The toggling member 5 includes a rotatable base 51, a toggling plate 52 protruding outward from the base 51, and a convex block 53. When the toggling member 5 is driven to rotate by the rotating member 8, both the toggling plate 52 and the convex block 53 move as the base 51 rotates. The toggling plate 52 is combined with the counted member 9, and the convex block 53 is controlled by the rotating member 8 to make the toggling member 5 stationary or moving. Specifically, the inner surface 531 of the convex block 53 is controlled by the rotating member 8. When the rotating member 8 controls the convex block 53 to keep the toggling member 5 stationary, the toggling plate 52 keeps pressing the counted member 9. When the rotating member 8 controls the convex block 53 to make the toggling member 5 move, the toggling plate 52 no longer presses the counted member 9, but is forced to move along the direction opposite to the rotation direction r by the reaction force of the counted member 9.

[0053] [Counting process of the counting member]

[0054] Figure 6A is a perspective view of the counting member according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the initial state; Figure 6B is a simplified plan view of the counting member according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the initial state.

[0055] During the counting process of the counting member K, the protrusion 53 is combined with the protrusion. When the protrusion 53 is combined with the outer surface of the protrusion, the protrusion 53 (the toggle member 5) remains stationary. In order to more clearly describe the movement process of the rotating member 8 and the toggle member 5, the solid circle R1 with the center C represents the rotation trajectory of the outer surface of the rotating member 8, and the dotted circle R2 with the center D represents the movement trajectory of the inner surface 531 of the protrusion 53. The center C and the center D are eccentric, and the eccentricity is arranged so that during the counting process of the counting member K, the inner surface 531 contacts the outer surface of the rotating member 8, or the inner surface 531 is located on the inner side of the outer surface of the rotating member 8, that is, the inner surface 531 is located within the circumference of the rotating member 8. When the solid circle R1 and the dotted circle R2 have the same radius, the two circles have an intersection.

[0056] Further, such as Figure 6B As shown, when the inner surface 531 and the protrusion are projected onto the rotating body 80, for the sake of simplicity, the first protrusion 82 (the first protrusion outer surface 821) is simplified to an arc formed by the starting point E and the end point F, the second protrusion 81 (the second protrusion outer surface 813) is simplified to an arc formed by the starting point A and the end point G, and the starting surface 811 is simplified to a straight line AB formed by the starting point A and the end point B closer to the center C than the starting point A.

[0057] like Figure 6A As shown, before the counting member K starts counting, or in other words, when the developing cartridge 1 is just installed in the imaging device, the inner surface 531 of the protrusion 53 contacts the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion 82, and the toggle plate 52 presses the counted member 9, so that the imaging device knows that the developing cartridge 1 is installed. Figure 6B It can be seen that the contact point H between the protrusion 53 (the toggle member 5 / inner surface 531) and the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion coincides with the starting point E of the first protrusion 82. Therefore, the protrusion 53 is kept stationary by the first protrusion 82 through the inner surface 531, and the toggle plate 52 remains in a state of pressing the counted member 9.

[0058] When the power receiving member 4 receives the driving force and drives the rotating member 8 to rotate around the rotation axis L3 in the direction indicated by r, the inner surface 531 is in continuous contact with the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion, and the first protrusion 82 applies a holding force to the inner surface 531 of the toggle member 5 to force the toggle member 5 to remain in a stationary position. Although the counted member 9 applies a force opposite to the rotation direction r to the toggle member 5, the movement trend of the toggle member 5 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r is blocked by the first protrusion 82. Therefore, the toggle member 5 remains stationary as a whole and continuously presses the counted member 9, and the contact point H between the two gradually approaches the end point F of the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion. Figure 6BAs shown, the distance DF from the center D of the toggle member 5 to the point F is greater than the distance E from the center D to the point E. As the rotating member 8 rotates, the holding force applied by the first protrusion 82 to the toggle member 5 gradually increases, so that the toggle member 5 can be stably maintained in a stationary position pressing the counted member 9; when the rotating member 8 rotates until the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion is out of contact with the inner surface 531, that is, the contact point H is out of contact with the end point F, the first protrusion 82 no longer prevents the toggle member 5 from moving in a direction opposite to the rotation direction r, and the protrusion 53 moves around the rotation axis L4 in the first interval 83 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction r.

[0059] Figure 7A is a three-dimensional diagram of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention after experiencing a first holding time period; Figure 7B is a simplified plan view of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention after experiencing a first holding time period; Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of a state in which a toggle member in a counting member according to a first embodiment of the present invention rotates along with a second protrusion; Figure 8B It is a simplified plan view of the toggle member in the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when rotating along with the second protrusion; Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of a state in which a toggle member in a counting member according to the first embodiment of the present invention is about to be held by a second protrusion; Figure 9B It is a simplified plan view of the counting member involved in the first embodiment of the present invention when the toggle member is about to be held by the second protrusion.

[0060] like Figure 7A As shown, the starting surface 811 of the second protrusion 81 contacts the convex block 53. At this time, the toggle member 5 stops moving in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r, and is driven by the rotating member 8 to rotate in the direction shown by r. Figure 7B As shown, the contact point H between the protrusion 53 (the toggle member 5) and the starting surface 811 is located on the starting surface 811; Figure 8A and Figure 8B As shown, as the rotating member 8 rotates, the contact point H gradually moves away from the center C on the starting surface 811, that is, gradually approaches the starting point A of the second protrusion 81, or the protrusion 53 gradually loses contact with the starting surface 811; Figure 9A As shown in FIG. 1 , when the contact point H reaches the starting point A of the second protrusion 81, the inner surface 531 of the projection begins to contact the outer surface 813 of the second protrusion. At this time, the toggle plate 52 presses the counted piece 9 again, and under the reaction force of the counted piece 9, the toggle piece 5 has a tendency to move in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r, as shown in FIG. Figure 9BAs shown, the contact point H is located at the intersection of the solid circle R1 and the dashed circle R2. The second protrusion 81 prevents the toggling member 5 from moving in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r. Therefore, the toggling member 5 remains stationary during the process of contacting the outer surface 813 of the second protrusion, and the distance DG from the center D of the toggling member 5 to the point G is greater than the distance DA from the center D to the point A. As the rotating member 8 rotates, the holding force exerted on the toggling member 5 by the second protrusion 81 gradually increases. In this way, the toggling member 5 can be stably held in the stationary position where it presses the counted member 9 until the convex block 53 disengages from the second protrusion 81.

[0061] Figure 10A FIG. is a schematic view of the state where the toggling member in the counting member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is about to disengage from the second protrusion; Figure 10B FIG. is a simplified plan view of the state where the toggling member in the counting member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is about to disengage from the second protrusion.

[0062] As Figure 10A shown, when the contact point H reaches the end point G of the outer surface 813 of the second protrusion, the convex block 53 is about to disengage from the second protrusion 81. Once the two disengage, the convex block 53 will enter the second interval 85. Under the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggling member 5 moves in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r until the convex block 53 contacts the third protrusion 84. As the rotating member 8 continues to rotate, the convex block 53 repeats the above movement process again until the counting member K completes the counting.

[0063] As described above, the toggling member 5 contacts or separates from multiple protrusions of the rotating member 8 through the convex block 53, so that the toggling member 5 (toggling plate 52) is controlled by the rotating member 8 to remain stationary or move. That is to say, the developing cartridge 1 may further include a holding member for controlling the toggling member 5 (toggling plate 52) to remain stationary. The holding member and the counting member K together form a counting assembly, and the holding member contacts the toggling member 5 and the rotating member 8 in the counting member, so that the rotating member 8 holds the toggling member 5 in the stationary position where it can continuously press the counted member 9 through the holding member. Specifically, the holding member is used to hold the toggling member 5 (toggling plate 52) in a stationary state according to the duration, number of times, and interval between two adjacent presses required for the counted member 9 to be pressed. When the counted member 9 does not need to be pressed, under the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggling member 5 (toggling plate 52) disengages from the counted member 9. During the process of the toggling member 5 contacting one of the protrusions on the rotating member 8, as the rotating member 8 rotates, the holding force exerted on the toggling member 5 by the rotating member 8 (protrusion) gradually increases. Thus, the toggling member 5 can be ensured to be stably held in the stationary position where it presses the counted member 9, and the held state of the toggling member 5 is maintained until the toggling member 5 disengages from the protrusion.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present invention, the holding member is disposed in the counting member K and includes a convex block 53 disposed on the toggling member 5 and a plurality of protrusions disposed on the rotating member 8. The center D of the circle along which the convex block 53 moves in a circular motion is not concentric with the center C of the circle along which the plurality of protrusions move in a circular motion. The position where the convex block 53 contacts the plurality of protrusions is on the circumference of the circle along which the plurality of protrusions move in a circular motion or within the circumferential range. The above description is given by taking the solid-line circle R1 and the dashed-line circle R2 having the same radius as an example. However, the radii of the solid-line circle R1 and the dashed-line circle R2 may also be different, as long as the solid-line circle R1 and the dashed-line circle R2 are arranged non-concentrically, and the position where the convex block 53 contacts the plurality of protrusions is on the circumference of the circle along which the plurality of protrusions move in a circular motion or within the circumferential range, the above-mentioned function of the holding member can still be achieved.

[0065] Embodiment 2

[0066] The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment lies in the different structure of the holding member, and the same parts will not be described again.

[0067] The holding member involved in this embodiment is an elastic member disposed between the toggling member 5 and the rotating member 8 and a plurality of protrusions disposed on the rotating member 8. The elastic member is, for example, a compression spring. Before the counting member K starts counting, or rather, when the developing cartridge 1 is just installed in the imaging device, the compression spring is located between the toggling member 5 and the top surface 822 of the first protrusion 82 (as Figure 4A shown), and the compression spring is compressed. Therefore, the toggling member 5 can be held stationary by the compression spring and press the counted member 9.

[0068] As the rotating member 8 rotates, one end of the compression spring in contact with the top surface 822 of the first protrusion slides on the top surface 822. During this process, the compression spring continuously remains in a compressed state. When the rotating member 8 rotates until the compression spring disengages from the top surface 822 of the second protrusion, the compression spring enters the first interval 83 and elongates. At the same time, the toggling member 5 is no longer held and no longer presses the counted member 9. Under the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggling member 5 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction r. Next, the compression spring is compressed by the second protrusion 81 again to repeat the above movement.

[0069] It can be seen that the compression spring in this embodiment does not require the center of the circle along which it moves in a circular motion to be non-concentric with the center of the circle along which the plurality of protrusions move in a circular motion, but only needs to ensure that the compression spring can be combined with the protrusions. Preferably, the position where the compression spring contacts the protrusions is not necessarily the top surface of the protrusion. For example, the compression spring may also contact the outer surface of the protrusion, or a groove for accommodating the compression spring may be provided on the top surface or the outer surface of the protrusion, so that the movement trajectory of the compression spring is more stable.

[0070] Embodiment 3

[0071] Figure 111 is a diagram showing a state in which a counting member in a developing cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention is separated from a developing cartridge housing; Figure 12 1 is a top view of a rotating member in a counting member according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The same components as those in the above embodiments are numbered the same.

[0072] Compared with the first embodiment, the rotating member 8 and the toggle member 5 in this embodiment are coaxially arranged, that is, the rotation axis L3 of the rotating member 8 is coaxial with the rotation axis L4 of the toggle member 5. Similarly, the rotating member 8 includes a rotating body 80 and a plurality of mutually spaced protrusions arranged on the rotating body 80, such as Figure 12 As shown, along the rotation direction r of the rotating member 8, the end point of each protrusion is farther away from the rotation center C than the starting point.

[0073] In this embodiment, three protrusions (the first protrusion 82, the second protrusion 81 and the third protrusion 84) are still taken as an example on the rotating body 80. For example, the starting point E of the first protrusion 82 is closer to the rotation center C than the end point F, and the starting point A of the second protrusion 81 is closer to the rotation center C than the end point G. That is to say, along the rotation direction r, each protrusion gradually approaches the rotation center C.

[0074] When the developer box 1 is installed to the imaging device, the protrusion 53 (inner surface 531) is located at the starting point E of the first protrusion 82. As the rotating member 8 rotates, the outer surface 821 of the first protrusion 82 gradually moves away from the rotation center C. Therefore, the holding force applied by the rotating member 8 to the toggle member 5 also gradually increases. When the protrusion 53 (inner surface) is located at the point (end point F) of the first protrusion 82 farthest from the rotation center C, the holding force on the toggle member 5 is the largest. During this process, the toggle member 5 is always kept in a stationary position pressing the counted member 9 by the holding force applied by the rotating member 8 until the protrusion 53 breaks contact with the first protrusion 82 and enters the first gap 83. Under the action of the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggle member 5 moves in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r and reaches a position in contact with the second protrusion 81.

[0075] Preferably, in order to prevent the starting point of each protrusion from failing to contact the inner surface 531 of the protrusion, one solution is to arrange each protrusion farther away from the rotation center C along the radial direction of the rotating body 80 .

[0076] In this embodiment, the protrusion 53 and the multiple protrusions can be considered as retaining members, and the rotating member 8 applies a retaining force to the toggle member 5 through the retaining members. In the process of the toggle member 5 contacting a protrusion, as the rotating member 8 rotates, the retaining force applied by the rotating member 8 to the toggle member 5 gradually increases. Therefore, the toggle member 5 can be stably maintained in a static position pressing the counted member 9 until the protrusion 53 breaks contact with the protrusion.

[0077] As a variation, along the radial direction of the rotating member, each protrusion may further protrude beyond the rotating body 80, and along the rotation direction r of the rotating member, the protrusion amount of each protrusion becomes smaller and smaller, or in other words, the starting point of each protrusion is closer to the rotation center C of the rotating member than the end point.

[0078] As another variation, the elastic member in the second embodiment can also be applied to the present embodiment. For example, the elastic member can be mounted on the protrusion 53 so that the protrusion 53 contacts the outer surface of the protrusion. At this time, the elastic member and the plurality of protrusions can be considered as retaining members. Since the protrusion has the structure as described above, during the contact between the elastic member and a protrusion, as the rotating member 8 rotates, the retaining force applied by the rotating member 8 to the toggle member 5 gradually increases. Therefore, the toggle member 5 can be stably maintained in a stationary position pressing the counted member 9 until the elastic member is out of contact with the protrusion.

[0079] Embodiment 4

[0080] Figure 13 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of a toggle member according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The same components as those in the above embodiments are numbered the same.

[0081] In this embodiment, the rotating member 8 and the toggle member 5 are still arranged in a coaxial manner, and the protrusion 53 and the protrusion of the rotating member 8 can be considered as a retaining member. The protrusion of the rotating member 8 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the protrusion 53 of the toggle member 5 is different. Figure 13 As shown, along the rotation direction r, the inner surface 531 of the protrusion is configured to be non-parallel to the rotation axis L4 of the toggle member 5. Specifically, the inner surface 531 can be configured as an inclined surface or an arc surface. No matter what shape the inner surface 531 is configured to, along the rotation direction r, the upstream edge 531a of the inner surface 531 is farther away from the rotation axis L4 than the downstream edge 531b.

[0082] When the rotating member 8 starts to rotate, the protrusion will first be opposite to the upstream edge 531a of the inner surface. As the rotating member 8 continues to rotate, the protrusion gradually begins to contact the downstream edge 531b of the inner surface. Therefore, the rotating member 8 applies a gradually increasing retaining force to the toggle member 5 through the retaining member, and the toggle member 5 can be stably maintained in a static position pressing the counted member 9. When the protrusion 53 is out of contact with the protrusion, under the action of the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggle member 5 moves in a direction opposite to the rotation direction r.

[0083] As another variation, the elastic member in the second embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment. For example, an elastic member that can contact the bump 53 can be installed on each protrusion. At this time, the elastic member and the bump 53 can be regarded as retaining members. Since the bump 53 has the structure described above, during the process of the bump 53 contacting the elastic member of a protrusion, as the rotating member 8 rotates, the retaining force applied by the rotating member 8 to the toggling member 5 gradually increases. Therefore, the toggling member 5 can be stably held at the stationary position of pressing the member to be counted 9 until the bump 53 disengages from the elastic member of the protrusion.

[0084] Embodiment Five

[0085] This embodiment relates to a structure that combines the rotating member 8 in the above-mentioned Embodiment Three and the toggling member 5 in Embodiment Four. Among them, the bump 53 and the protrusion of the rotating member 8 can be regarded as retaining members.

[0086] Combine Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, for the first protrusion 82, when the rotating member 8 starts to rotate, the first protrusion 82 may not contact the inner surface 531 of the protrusion, but along the rotation direction r, the first protrusion 82 gradually moves away from the rotation center C, and the inner surface 531 of the protrusion gradually approaches the rotation axis L4. The rotation center C is located on the rotation axis L4. As the rotating member 8 rotates, the first protrusion 82 gradually starts to contact the inner surface 531 of the protrusion. Through the retaining member, the rotating member 8 applies a gradually increasing retaining force to the toggling member 5. Finally, the toggling member 5 is stably held at the stationary position of pressing the member to be counted 9. When the bump 53 disengages from the protrusion, under the reaction force of the member to be counted 9, the toggling member 5 moves in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r.

[0087] Embodiment Six

[0088] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the toggling member 5 is held at the stationary position of pressing the member to be counted 9 by changing the structure of at least one of the protrusion of the rotating member 8 and the inner surface 531 of the toggling member 5. However, it is also feasible to change the material of at least one of the protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the toggling member 5.

[0089] Different from the elastic member added in the second embodiment, in this embodiment, when the rotating member 8 and the toggle member 5 are coaxial, at least one of the outer surface of each protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the bump is set to be elastic. When the rotating member 8 rotates, the outer surface of each protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the bump are used to keep the toggle member 5 in a static position pressing the counted member 9. Similarly, the protrusion and the bump 53 can still be considered as retaining members. When the rotating member 8 rotates, a static friction force is generated between the protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the bump. The static friction force acts as a retaining force to keep the toggle member 5 in a static position pressing the counted member 9. In other words, the retaining force of the toggle member 5 pressing the counted member 9 is applied by the rotating member through the retaining member. When the bump 53 is out of contact with the protrusion, under the reaction force of the counted member 9, the toggle member 5 moves in the direction opposite to the rotation direction r.

[0090] Preferably, along the rotation direction r, in the process of the protrusion 53 contacting each protrusion, the holding force applied by the rotating member 8 to the toggle member 5 gradually increases. Specifically, along the rotation direction r, the static friction between the downstream of each protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the protrusion is smaller than the static friction between the upstream of each protrusion and the inner surface 531 of the protrusion, or in other words, along the rotation direction r, the static friction between the upstream edge 531a of the inner surface 531 of the protrusion and each protrusion is smaller than the static friction between the downstream edge 531b of the inner surface 531 of the protrusion and each protrusion, so that the toggle member 5 can be stably maintained in the static position of pressing the counted member 9.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of times the counted member 9 is pressed can be limited by the number of protrusions provided in the rotating member 8, the duration of time the counted member 9 is pressed can be limited by the arc length of the protrusions, and the interval at which the counted member 9 is pressed can be limited by the interval between two adjacent protrusions. Therefore, the counting member K of the present invention can set at least one of the number of protrusions, arc length, and interval between two adjacent protrusions according to the service life of the developing box 1 and the requirements of the imaging device when identifying the developing box 1. As described above, a retaining member located in the counting member K is provided in the developing box 1, and the retaining member is in contact with the rotating member 8 and the toggle member 5 in the counting member. During the counting process of the counting member K, the rotating member 8 applies a gradually increasing retaining force to the toggle member 5 through the retaining member to keep the toggle member 5 in a static position where it can continuously press the counted member 9, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the counting member K and reducing the risk of counting failure.

Claims

1. Counting component, including a counting member for engaging and disengaging with an external object to be counted, the counting member including a rotator and a toggler separated from each other, the rotator being configured to receive a driving force from the outside and rotate, and the toggler being driven by the rotator to rotate. It is characterized in that The counting component further includes a retaining member in contact with the rotator and the toggler, and the rotator applies a discontinuous acting force to the toggler through the retaining member. During the counting process, when the toggler is applied with an acting force, the toggler is held by the retaining member at a stationary position where it continuously presses the object to be counted. When the toggler is not applied with an acting force, the toggler rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotator under the reaction force of the object to be counted.

2. The counting component according to claim 1, characterized in that During the process in which the rotator applies an acting force to the toggler through the retaining member, as the rotator rotates, the acting force applied by the rotator to the toggler gradually increases.

3. The counting component according to claim 2, wherein The retaining member includes a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions provided on the rotator and a bump provided on the toggler. During the rotation of the rotator, when the bump contacts the protrusion, the rotator transfers the acting force to the toggler, and when the bump does not contact the protrusion, the rotator does not transfer the acting force to the toggler.

4. The counting component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotator and the toggler are eccentrically arranged.

5. The counting component according to claim 4, wherein The outer surfaces of the bump and the protrusion are in contact, and the contact point between the two is within the circumferential range of the rotator.

6. The counting component according to claim 2, wherein The retaining member includes a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions provided on the rotator and an elastic member located between the rotator and the toggler, and the elastic member is in contact with the protrusion and the toggler.

7. The counting component according to claim 2, wherein Along the rotation direction of the rotator, each protrusion has a starting point and an ending point, and the distance from the center of the toggler to the starting point of each protrusion is less than the distance from the center of the toggler to the ending point of each protrusion.

8. The counting component according to claim 7, wherein Along the rotation direction of the rotator, each protrusion has a starting surface located at the most downstream and a terminating surface located at the most upstream. The starting surface of each protrusion is configured such that the end point closer to the rotation center of the rotator is downstream of the end point farther from the rotation center of the rotator.

9. Developing cartridge, including a housing and a power receiving member located at a longitudinal end of the housing, characterized in that, The developing cartridge further includes the counting component according to any one of claims 1-8, and the driving force required for the operation of the counting component comes from a power receiving member.

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