Connection structure of split powder bin

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connection structure for a split powder silo, comprising a toner silo integrally connected to a toner cartridge body, the toner silo having a powder inlet; a first cover movably connected to the toner silo to open and close the powder inlet; a powder silo box movably matched to the toner silo, the powder silo box having a powder outlet matching the powder inlet; a second cover movably connected to the powder silo box to open and close the powder outlet; a powder outlet movably arranged in the powder silo box corresponding to the position of the powder outlet, the powder outlet having a first opening matching the powder outlet; and a transmission mechanism transmission-connected between the second cover and the powder outlet, the transmission mechanism being capable of driving the first opening of the powder outlet to move toward the position of the powder outlet as the second cover is opened. The connection structure for the split powder silo allows the powder silo box to be arranged independently of the toner silo, making it convenient for users to fill powder themselves or reduce the cost of replacing the powder silo, and preventing toner from spilling during assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of laser printers, and in particular to a connection structure of a split powder bin. Background Art

[0002] The toner cartridge mechanisms used in existing laser printers are mainly divided into integrated toner cartridge structures and split toner cartridge structures. The integrated toner cartridge structure integrates both the imaging unit and the developing unit into the toner cartridge. After the user has used up the toner in the toner cartridge, the user needs to replace the toner cartridge as a whole or refill it by themselves. Since there are many internal components in the toner cartridge, the replacement cost is high. If the user refills the toner cartridge by themselves, it is easy for the toner to jam or leak during printing due to improper operation, thereby affecting the printing effect or contaminating the printed image. The existing split toner cartridge structure usually separates the powder hopper and the developing roller into one component. When the toner in the powder hopper is used up, the powder hopper and the developing roller need to be replaced at the same time, which has a high replacement cost. In addition, the powder hopper and the developing roller structure are usually arranged inside the printer casing. When replacing the powder hopper, it is necessary to open the cover at the corresponding position on the printer, which is inconvenient to operate. The printer cover needs to be opened before the powder hopper can be taken out. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a connection structure of a split powder hopper that is set up independently of the toner hopper in response to the above-mentioned existing technology, so as to facilitate users to fill powder by themselves or reduce the cost of replacing the powder hopper, and to avoid toner spilling during the assembly process.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is: a connection structure of a split powder bin, characterized in that it includes:

[0005] A toner hopper is integrally connected to the toner cartridge body and has a toner inlet.

[0006] A first cover body is movably connected to the toner bin to open and close the toner inlet;

[0007] The powder bin box is relatively movable and matches the toner bin, and the powder bin box is provided with a powder outlet that matches the powder inlet;

[0008] a second cover body movably connected to the powder bin box to open and close the powder outlet;

[0009] A powder outlet member is movably arranged in the powder bin box corresponding to the position of the powder outlet, and a first opening matching the powder outlet is formed on the powder outlet member;

[0010] The transmission mechanism is transmission-connected between the second cover and the powder outlet. The transmission mechanism can drive the first opening of the powder outlet to move toward the powder outlet as the second cover is opened.

[0011] In order to ensure the sealing of the powder silo box and prevent toner from falling out of the powder silo box from the installation space of the powder outlet, the powder silo box is provided with an installation cavity that matches the movement of the powder outlet, and a sealing gasket is embedded between the powder outlet and the cavity arm of the installation cavity, and a second opening is provided on the sealing gasket at a position corresponding to the first opening on the powder outlet.

[0012] In order to reduce the impact on toner output, the powder outlet member is rotatably connected in the powder bin box.

[0013] Preferably, the second cover is rotatably connected to the powder bin box via an elastic member, and the second cover has a tendency to close the powder outlet under the action of the elastic member.

[0014] The structure is simple, and the transmission mechanism is a transmission gear set that is transmission-connected between the second cover body and the powder outlet.

[0015] In order to facilitate the automatic movement of the second cover during assembly of the powder bin box, thereby completing the automatic docking of the powder outlet and the powder inlet, the second cover has an acting portion protruding from the matching surface of the powder bin box and capable of being pushed by the toner bin during assembly of the powder bin box.

[0016] In order to automatically open the powder inlet of the toner bin when the powder bin box is assembled, making it more convenient to use, the first cover body can be slidably set on the toner bin along the disassembly direction of the powder bin box, and the powder bin box is provided with a pushing member that can push the first cover body when the powder bin box is installed.

[0017] The structure is simple, and it can push the first cover body while achieving a sealing effect on the second cover body. The pushing member is a sealing sheet arranged on the matching surface of the powder bin box corresponding to the powder outlet, and the sealing sheet has a third opening at a position corresponding to the powder outlet.

[0018] In order to effectively provide guidance for the moving direction of the first cover, the toner hopper is provided with slide grooves on both sides of the powder inlet along the disassembly direction of the powder hopper box, and the first cover can be slidably limited in the slide grooves.

[0019] In order to facilitate accurate assembly of the powder bin box, a guide groove is provided on the matching surface of the toner bin along the disassembly direction of the powder bin box, and a protrusion that can match the guide groove is convexly provided on the matching surface of the powder bin box.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: the connection structure of the split powder hopper in the present invention is independent of the toner cartridge body and is additionally provided with a powder hopper box for conveying toner to the toner hopper. When in use, it only needs to be docked with the toner hopper of the toner cartridge body to obtain the toner required for the operation of the toner cartridge body. The powder hopper box has low requirements for powder filling, which is convenient for users to fill powder independently. Even if the powder hopper box is directly replaced, the cost is low. In addition, through the coordinated action of the first cover body, the second cover body, the powder outlet and the transmission mechanism, it can be ensured that the powder hopper box and the toner hopper of the toner cartridge body are connected only after docking. This avoids the situation of toner spilling or toner contamination during assembly, and can ensure printing quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the installation of the connection structure of the split powder bin in the printer housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the connection structure of the split powder bin in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 3D exploded view of .

[0024] Figure 4 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connection structure of the split powder bin in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the connection structure of the split powder silo in this embodiment includes a toner silo 1, a first cover 2, a powder silo box 3, a second cover 4, a powder outlet 5, and a transmission mechanism 6.

[0027] The toner hopper 1 is integrally connected to the toner cartridge body 10. The toner cartridge body 10 is a conventional toner cartridge assembly comprising a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a transfer roller, a charging roller, and other components. The toner hopper 1 is connected to the developing roller, and the toner in the toner hopper 1 is evenly distributed on the developing roller by a scraper. The toner hopper 1 is provided with a powder inlet 11, through which the toner in the powder hopper box 3 can enter the toner hopper 1.

[0028] The first cover 2 is movably connected to the toner hopper 1 to open and close the toner inlet 11. During use, when the toner hopper box 3 is not assembled, the first cover 2 covers the toner inlet 11 to prevent external impurities from contaminating the toner hopper 1, thereby ensuring the quality of the toner in the toner hopper 1 and, in turn, ensuring printing results.

[0029] In this embodiment, the powder hopper box 3 is relatively movable and matingly docked above the toner hopper 1. The lower surface of the powder hopper box 3 and the upper surface of the toner hopper 1 constitute the mating surfaces of the powder hopper box 3 and the toner hopper 1, respectively. The powder hopper box 3 can be installed and removed from the printer housing independently of the toner cartridge body 10, and can be docked or detached from the toner hopper 1. The powder inlet 11 of the toner hopper 1 is located on the mating surface of the toner hopper 1, that is, on its upper surface, allowing some toner to fall into the toner hopper 1 by its own weight.

[0030] The movable structure of the first cover 2 can be any of the conventional mechanisms for opening and closing the powder inlet 11, such as a flip-top structure. In this embodiment, the first cover 2 utilizes a sliding connection structure, allowing it to be slidably mounted on the toner hopper 1 along the direction of assembly and disassembly of the powder hopper box 3. Specifically, the toner hopper 1 is provided with chute 12 on either side of the powder inlet 11, along the direction of assembly and disassembly of the powder hopper box 3. The first cover 2 can be slidably positioned within the chute 12. This prevents the first cover 2 from being lost and also provides guidance for opening and closing the first cover 2.

[0031] The interior of the powder bin box 3 has a cavity for accommodating toner. The powder bin box 3 is composed of an upper box body and a lower box body that match each other. In addition, in order to facilitate the replenishment of toner, a special powder replenishment port can be provided on the powder bin box 3 for replenishing toner. A powder outlet 31 that can match the powder inlet 11 is provided on the matching surface of the powder bin box 3. When the powder bin box 3 is assembled on the toner bin 1, the powder outlet 31 on the powder bin box 3 is sealed relative to the powder inlet 11 on the toner bin 1, thereby realizing the connection between the powder bin box 3 and the toner bin 1. In order to facilitate the smooth output of the toner in the powder bin box 3 from the powder outlet 31, a conveying mechanism for conveying toner can also be provided in the powder bin box 3. The conveying mechanism can adopt various conveying components in the existing technology that can realize the movement of powder materials.

[0032] The second cover 4 is movably connected to the powder bin box 3 and can open and close the powder outlet 31. Depending on specific needs, the second cover 4 can be connected in a rotating manner or a sliding manner. In this embodiment, the second cover 4 is connected to the powder bin box 3 in a rotating manner. Specifically, the second cover 4 is connected to the powder bin box 3 by a rotating elastic member 41, and the second cover 4 has a tendency to close the powder outlet 31 under the action of the elastic member 41. In order to further increase the sealing performance of the powder outlet 31 when the second cover 4 covers the powder outlet 31, a sealing sheet is provided on the matching surface of the powder bin box 3 at a position corresponding to the powder outlet 31, and a third opening 81 is provided on the sealing sheet at a position corresponding to the powder outlet 31. The sealing sheet is positioned lower than the matching surface of the powder bin box 3 and is used as a pusher 8 to push the first cover 2 to slide when the powder bin box 3 is installed. This can simplify the docking operation of the powder outlet 31 and the powder inlet 11 during the assembly process of the powder bin box 3. As needed, a spring that can press the first cover 2 to close the powder inlet 11 can be installed on the toner hopper 1 to facilitate the first cover 2 to automatically reset and cover the powder inlet 11 when the powder hopper box 3 is removed.

[0033] The second cover 4 has an acting portion 42 that protrudes from the matching surface of the powder silo box 3 and can be pushed by the toner silo 1 when the powder silo box 3 is assembled. In this way, when the powder silo box 3 is assembled on the toner silo 1, the second cover 4 will open along with the assembly of the powder silo box 3, which correspondingly simplifies the docking operation between the powder outlet 31 and the powder inlet 11 during the assembly process of the powder silo box 3.

[0034] In addition, in order to prevent the toner in the powder bin box 3 from falling out due to the rapid opening of the second cover 4 when the powder bin box 3 is assembled, a powder outlet 5 is movably provided in the powder bin box 3 at a position corresponding to the powder outlet 31. The powder outlet 5 is provided with a first opening 51 that matches the powder outlet 31. The transmission mechanism 6 is provided outside the powder bin box 3 and is transmission-connected between the second cover 4 and the powder outlet 5. That is, both the second cover 4 and the powder outlet 5 have a connecting component located outside the powder bin box for connecting to the transmission mechanism 6. In this embodiment, the connecting component on the second cover 4 and the powder outlet 5 is a connecting column provided at the end of the second cover 4 and the powder outlet 5. During the process of the powder bin box 3 being assembled and the second cover 4 being driven to move, the first opening 51 of the powder outlet 5 can be driven to move toward the position of the powder outlet 31 by the transmission action of the transmission mechanism 6.

[0035] To ensure the tightness of the powder hopper and prevent toner from spilling out of the powder hopper box 3 when the powder discharge member 5 moves, in this embodiment, a mounting cavity 32 is specifically provided within the powder hopper box 3 to accommodate the movement of the powder discharge member 5. A sealing gasket 7 is embedded between the powder discharge member 5 and the cavity arm of the mounting cavity 32. The sealing gasket 7 is provided with a second opening 71 at a position corresponding to the first opening 51 in the powder discharge member 5. In this embodiment, the sealing gasket 7 is tightly wrapped around the powder discharge member 5. During the movement of the powder discharge member 5, the sealing gasket 7 can move with the powder discharge member 5 and ensure the tightness between the powder discharge member 5 and the mounting cavity 32.

[0036] As needed, the powder discharge member 5 can be set in the mounting cavity 32 in a left-right sliding manner, or it can be set in the mounting cavity 32 in a rotating manner. In order to reduce the impact on the toner output, in this embodiment, the powder discharge member 5 is rotatably connected to the mounting cavity 32 at one end of the powder bin box 3. The powder discharge member 5 in this embodiment is generally cylindrical, with a cavity inside the powder discharge member 5 and an opening at one end toward the inner side of the powder bin box 3, and the first opening 51 is provided on the peripheral wall of the powder discharge member 5. Since the powder discharge member 5 is set in a rotating manner, the corresponding transmission mechanism 6 is a transmission gear set that is transmission-connected between the second cover body 4 and the powder discharge member 5. The transmission input gear of the transmission gear set is connected to the connecting column at the end of the second cover body 4, and the transmission output gear of the transmission gear is connected to the connecting column at the end of the powder discharge member 5.

[0037] Furthermore, to ensure accurate docking between the powder outlet 31 and the powder inlet 11, a guide groove 13 is provided on the mating surface of the toner hopper 1 along the direction in which the powder hopper box 3 is removed and placed. A protrusion 33 that mates with the guide groove 13 is also provided on the mating surface of the powder hopper box 3. In this embodiment, the guide groove 13 is formed by providing two spaced-apart protrusions on the mating surface of the toner hopper 1. The guide groove 13 effectively guides the installation of the powder hopper box 3. During installation, the protrusion 33 is aligned with the guide groove 13 and placed within it, and then pushed along the guide groove 13 to ensure that the powder hopper box 3 is accurately installed and docked with the toner hopper 1.

[0038] The connection structure of the split powder silo works as follows. When the powder silo box 3 is not assembled, the first opening 51 on the powder outlet 5 is not docked with the powder outlet 31. At this time, toner will not fall from the powder outlet 31. When the powder silo box 3 is assembled, align the protrusion 33 on the powder silo box 3 with the guide groove 13 on the toner silo 1. At this time, the action part 42 on the second cover 4 will abut against the side wall of the toner silo 1. As the assembly of the powder silo box 3 progresses, the second cover 4 rotates and opens, and then drives the powder outlet 5 to rotate under the action of the transmission mechanism 6. The first opening 51 on the powder outlet 5 gradually approaches the position of the powder outlet 31. At the same time, the sealing plate also happens to abut against the side of the first cover 2, pushing the first cover 2 to move along the slide groove 12, thereby gradually opening the powder inlet 11. When the powder hopper 3 is fully assembled on the toner hopper 1, the first opening 51 of the powder discharge member 5 rotates to a position that overlaps the powder outlet 31, completely opening the powder outlet 31 and allowing the toner in the powder hopper 3 to be discharged. Simultaneously, the first cover 2 is fully opened by the sealing plate, and the powder inlet 11 and the powder outlet 31 are completely aligned and connected. The sealing plate ensures a tight seal around the outer periphery of the powder inlet 11 and the powder outlet 31, preventing toner from falling and contaminating the printer during the toner delivery process. At this point, the printer can begin printing.

[0039] The split powder silo connection structure of the present invention is independent of the toner cartridge body 10 and is additionally provided with a powder silo box 3 for conveying toner to the toner silo 1. During use, it only needs to be docked with the toner silo 1 of the toner cartridge body 10 to achieve the toner delivery required for the operation of the toner cartridge body 10. The powder silo box 3 has low requirements for powder filling, which is convenient for users to refill powder independently. Even if the powder silo box 3 is directly replaced, the cost is low. In addition, through the coordinated action of the first cover body 2, the second cover body 4, the powder discharge member 5 and the transmission mechanism 6, it can be ensured that the powder silo box 3 and the toner silo 1 of the toner cartridge body 10 are connected only after docking. This avoids the situation of toner spilling or toner contamination during assembly, and can ensure printing quality.

Claims

1. A connection structure for a split powder silo, characterized by: include A toner bin (1) is integrally connected to the toner cartridge body (10), and a toner inlet (11) is provided on the toner bin (1); A first cover (2) is movably connected to the toner bin (1) and is capable of opening and closing the toner inlet (11); A powder bin box (3) can be relatively independently movable and matched with the toner bin (1), and a powder outlet (31) that can match the powder inlet (11) is provided on the powder bin box (3); A second cover (4) is movably connected to the powder bin box (3) and is capable of opening and closing the powder outlet (31); A powder outlet member (5) is movably arranged in the powder bin box (3) corresponding to the position of the powder outlet (31), and a first opening (51) matching the powder outlet (31) is formed on the powder outlet member (5); A transmission mechanism (6) is transmission-connected between the second cover (4) and the powder outlet (5), and the transmission mechanism (6) can drive the first opening (51) of the powder outlet (5) to move toward the position of the powder outlet (31) as the second cover (4) is opened; A guide groove (13) is provided on the matching surface of the toner bin (1) along the disassembly and assembly direction of the powder bin box (3), and a convex block (33) capable of matching with the guide groove (13) is convexly provided on the matching surface of the powder bin box (3).

2. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder bin box (3) is provided with an installation cavity (32) that matches the movement of the powder outlet member (5), a sealing gasket (7) is embedded between the powder outlet member (5) and the cavity arm of the installation cavity (32), and a second opening (71) is provided on the sealing gasket (7) at a position corresponding to the first opening (51) on the powder outlet member (5).

3. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder outlet member (5) is rotatably connected to the powder bin box (3).

4. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second cover (4) is rotatably connected to the powder bin box (3) via an elastic member (41), and the second cover (4) has a tendency to close the powder outlet (31) under the action of the elastic member (41).

5. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism (6) is a transmission gear set that is transmission-connected between the second cover body (4) and the powder outlet member (5).

6. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The second cover (4) has an action portion (42) protruding from a matching surface of the powder bin box (3) and capable of being pushed by the toner bin (1) when the powder bin box (3) is assembled.

7. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first cover (2) can be slidably arranged on the toner bin (1) along the disassembly direction of the powder bin box (3), and the powder bin box (3) is provided with a pushing member (8) that can push the first cover (2) when the powder bin box (3) is installed.

8. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pushing member (8) is a sealing sheet arranged on the matching surface of the powder bin box (3) corresponding to the powder outlet (31), and the sealing sheet is provided with a third opening (81) at a position corresponding to the powder outlet (31).

9. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to claim 7, characterized in that: The toner bin (1) is provided with sliding grooves (12) on both sides of the powder inlet (11) along the disassembly direction of the powder bin box (3), and the first cover (2) can be slidably limited in the sliding grooves (12).

10. The connection structure of the split powder silo according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A guide groove (13) is provided on the matching surface of the toner bin (1) along the disassembly and assembly direction of the powder bin box (3), and a convex block (33) capable of matching with the guide groove (13) is convexly provided on the matching surface of the powder bin box (3).

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