Developing cartridge

Abstract

The present application relates to a developing cartridge which is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus provided with a detected member, comprising a housing, a rotating member rotatably installed in the housing, and a power receiving member and a detected member respectively located at both longitudinal ends of the housing, wherein the power receiving member is used to receive driving force from the image forming apparatus, the housing comprises a lower housing and an upper housing combined in the up-down direction, the lower housing and the upper housing enclose a cavity containing toner, and the rotating member supplies the toner outside the developing cartridge; the developing cartridge further comprises a transmission rod rotatably installed in the housing, the transmission rod is arranged to extend in the left-right direction in the upper housing, and the transmission rod is used to transmit the driving force of the power receiving member to the detected member, so that the detected member and the detected member are combined with each other, thus, the side where the detected member is located can not necessarily be installed with a power transmission component, the structure of the developing cartridge is simplified, and meanwhile, the toner flow in the developing cartridge is not hindered too much.

Description

[0001] The present application is a divisional application of the application filed in the China Patent Office on December 23, 2019, the title of which is "Developing Box", the application number of which is 201911332810.6. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of electrophotographic imaging, and particularly relates to a developing box which is detachably installed in an electrophotographic imaging device. BACKGROUND

[0003] The developing box is usually installed in the imaging device in a detachable manner, and there are two installation manners at present, one is that the developing box is directly installed in the main body of the imaging device, and the other is that the developing box is first installed in a drum unit and then is installed in the main body of the imaging device together with the drum unit. In order to make the developing box be accurately recognized by the imaging device, the existing developing box is provided with a detection piece for combining with a preset component in the imaging device and a power receiving piece for receiving driving force from a power output piece arranged in the imaging device.

[0004] The detection piece is driven by the driving force received by the power receiving piece. When the detection piece and the power receiving piece are arranged on the same side, the driving force can be transmitted therebetween through a gear. When the detection piece and the power receiving piece are arranged on different sides, in the existing developing box, the driving force is transmitted to one side where the detection piece is installed through a stirring shaft installed in the developing box, and then the driving force is transmitted to the detection piece through a gear. Obviously, in order to drive the detection piece, for the structure that the detection piece and the power receiving piece are located on different sides of the developing box, a set of gears need to be installed on both sides of the developing box. The installation of these gears not only increases the material cost of the developing box, but also increases the assembly cost of the developing box. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a developing box, which simplifies the structure of the developing box and reduces the cost by redesigning the path of the power receiving piece for transmitting the driving force to the detection piece. Specifically, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The developing cartridge is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus provided with a detected member, and includes a housing, a plurality of rotating members rotatably installed in the housing, and a power receiving member and the detected member respectively located at longitudinal two ends of the housing, wherein the power receiving member is used for receiving driving force from the image forming apparatus, the housing includes a lower housing and an upper housing combined in a vertical direction, and the lower housing and the upper housing enclose a cavity for accommodating toner, under the joint action of the plurality of rotating members, the toner is supplied to the outside of the developing cartridge; the developing cartridge further includes a transmission rod rotatably installed in the housing, the detected member is coaxially arranged with the transmission rod, the transmission rod is arranged to extend in the upper housing in a left-right direction, and the transmission rod is used for transmitting the driving force of the power receiving member to the detected member, so that the detected member and the detected member are combined with each other.

[0007] In some embodiments, the rotating member includes a stirring member rotatably installed in the housing, the transmission rod rotation axis is located above the stirring member rotation axis in the vertical direction of the developing cartridge, and further, the transmission rod rotation axis is located behind the stirring member rotation axis in the front-rear direction.

[0008] Preferably, the transmission rod is arranged to extend in the upper housing in the left-right direction, and when the stirring member rotates, stirring blades installed on the stirring member interfere with the transmission rod.

[0009] In some embodiments, the developing cartridge further includes a gear set arranged on the same side as the power receiving member, and the gear set is used for transmitting the driving force to the transmission rod.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rotating member includes a developing member for externally conveying toner, a toner feeding member for feeding toner to the developing member, and a stirring member for stirring toner, the developing cartridge further includes a conductive member arranged on the same side as the detected member, and the conductive member simultaneously supplies power received from the image forming apparatus to the developing member and the toner feeding member.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotating member includes a developing member for externally conveying toner, a toner feeding member for feeding toner to the developing member, and a stirring member for stirring toner; the gear set includes a first gear combined with the power receiving member, an intermediate gear, a third gear combined with the stirring member, and a fourth gear combined with the transmission rod, the intermediate gear is meshed with the first gear and the third gear respectively, and the third gear is further meshed with the fourth gear, the driving force received by the power receiving member is transmitted to the transmission rod through the first gear, the intermediate gear, the third gear and the fourth gear in sequence, and the third gear further drives the stirring member to rotate around the rotation axis, and the fourth gear is a missing tooth gear.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the above technical solutions are that the side where the detected member is located can not necessarily be installed with a power transmission component, the structure of the developing cartridge is simplified, and at the same time, the flow of toner in the developing cartridge is not hindered too much. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1A This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge involved in this invention when viewed from the upper left.

[0014] Figure 1B This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention when viewed from the upper left after the end cap is hidden.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention when viewed from the upper right after the end cap is hidden.

[0016] Figure 3A This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention viewed from the upper left after the end cap and upper housing are concealed.

[0017] Figure 3B This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention viewed from the upper right after the end cap and upper housing are concealed. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. To make the description clearer, the developing cartridge is defined as follows: the length direction of the developing cartridge is the left-right direction (longitudinal direction), the width direction is the front-back direction (lateral direction), and the thickness direction is the up-down direction (vertical direction). In practice, the developing cartridge is installed forward along the front-back direction and removed backward.

[0019] Figure 1A This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge involved in this invention as viewed from the upper left. Figure 1B This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention as viewed from the upper left after the end cap is hidden; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention viewed from the upper right after the end cap is hidden; Figure 3A This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention as seen from the upper left after the end cap and upper housing are concealed. Figure 3B This is a perspective view of the developing cartridge of the present invention viewed from the upper right after the end cap and upper housing are concealed.

[0020] The developing cartridge 1 includes a housing 2, multiple rotating components rotatably mounted in the housing 2, a power receiving component 11 and a detection component 6 located at the longitudinal ends of the housing 2, and a left end cover 3 and a right end cover 4, respectively. The power receiving component 11 and the detection component 6 are exposed through the left end cover 3 and the right end cover 4, respectively. The power receiving component 11 is used to receive driving force from the outside (imaging device), and the detection component 6 is used to combine with a pre-set detection object of the outside (imaging device), so that the developing cartridge 1 can be detected by the imaging device. Therefore, the side where the power receiving component 11 is located can be called the driving end, and the side where the detection component 6 is located can be called the detection end. The housing 2 has a left side wall 2a at the driving end and a right side wall 2b at the detection end. Along the left-right direction, the power receiving component 11 protrudes to the left relative to the left side wall 2a, and the detection component 6 protrudes to the right relative to the right side wall 2b.

[0021] The housing 2 includes a lower housing 21 and an upper housing 22 joined together in the vertical direction. The lower housing 21 and the upper housing 22 enclose a cavity for containing toner. Under the combined action of multiple rotating components, the toner is supplied to the outside of the developing cartridge. The multiple rotating components include a developing component 51 for conveying toner outward, a powder feeding component 52 for conveying toner to the developing component, and a stirring component 53 for stirring toner. The developing component 51, the powder feeding component 52, and the stirring component 53 all rotate by receiving the driving force of the power receiving component 11. As shown in the figure, the developing cartridge 1 also includes a transmission rod 54 rotatably mounted in the housing 2 for transmitting the driving force of the power receiving component 11 to the detection component 6. In this embodiment of the invention, the detection component 6 and the transmission rod 54 are coaxial.

[0022] Furthermore, the developing cartridge 1 also includes a gear set 7 arranged on the same side as the power receiving unit 11. The gear set 7 is used to transmit the driving force to the transmission rod 54. At the detection end, the detection element 6 is directly mounted on the transmission rod 54. When the transmission rod 54 is driven, the detection element 6 is also driven to rotate around the rotation axis L2. The gear set 7 includes a first gear 71 engaged with the power receiving unit 11, an intermediate gear 72, a third gear 73 engaged with the stirring element 53, and a fourth gear 74 engaged with the transmission rod 54. That is, the fourth gear 74 and the detection element 6 are located at the longitudinal ends of the transmission rod 54, respectively. The intermediate gear 72 meshes with the first gear 71 and the third gear 73, and the third gear 73 also meshes with the fourth gear 74. Therefore, the driving force received by the power receiving unit 11 is transmitted to the transmission rod 54 in sequence through the first gear 71, the intermediate gear 72, the third gear 73, and the fourth gear 74. The third gear 73 also drives the stirring element 53 to rotate around the rotation axis L1.

[0023] Preferably, the transmission rod 54 is arranged to extend in the upper housing 22 in the left-right direction. More preferably, the transmission rod 54 passes through the upper housing 22 in the left-right direction, thus making the installation and removal of the fourth gear 74 and the detection element 6 more convenient.

[0024] Along the vertical direction, the rotation axis L2 is located above the rotation axis L1. The advantage of this design is that when the housing 2 contains a large amount of toner, the transmission rod 54 located above the stirring element 53 will not excessively obstruct the flow of toner. Furthermore, when the stirring blades 531 mounted on the stirring element 53 rotate to the top of the cavity, the stirring blades 531 interfere with the transmission rod 54, shaking off the toner adhering to the stirring blades 531 and preventing toner from clumping. Along the front-back direction, the rotation axis L2 is located slightly behind the rotation axis L1. This design further reduces the impact of the transmission rod 54 on the flowability of toner, thus ensuring a smooth toner supply. Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, the transmission rod 54 is cylindrical in shape and has a smooth outer surface. Therefore, the influence of the transmission rod 54 on the flowability of toner can be further reduced.

[0025] After the developing cartridge 1 is installed into the imaging device, the detection element 6 is driven to rotate, thereby enabling the developing cartridge 1 to be detected by the imaging device. After the imaging device has completed the detection, the detection element 6 no longer needs to continue rotating. For this purpose, the fourth gear 74, which is installed at the other end of the transmission rod 54, is set as a toothless gear. As shown in the figure, a part of the circumference of the fourth gear 74 (the toothless part) is a smooth surface, that is, there are no teeth in this part. When the toothless part of the fourth gear 74 is opposite to the third gear 73, the fourth gear 74 will no longer be driven by the third gear 73 and will stop rotating. Consequently, the transmission rod 54 and the detection element 6 also stop rotating.

[0026] In fact, when the developing cartridge 1 is working, it needs to receive not only driving force from the imaging device, but also electricity from the imaging device. In the developing cartridge 1 of the present invention, the power receiving element 8 for receiving electricity is set at the detection end, and the power receiving element 8 supplies the electricity received from the imaging device to the developing element 51 and the powder feeding element 52 at the same time. This design also helps to simplify the structure of the developing cartridge 1. That is to say, it is not necessary to set power receiving elements for the developing element 51 and the powder feeding element 52 separately, but only one power receiving element 8 is needed.

[0027] In another embodiment of the present invention, depending on the working requirements of the detection element 6, or considering the stability of the force transmission between the transmission rod 54 and the detection element 6, when a delay device or buffer device or other components are provided between the detection element 6 and the transmission rod 54, it is necessary to ensure that the detection element 6 and the transmission rod 54 are coaxial.

[0028] As described above, the detection element 6 is coaxially arranged with the transmission rod 54. Preferably, the detection element 6 is directly installed at one end of the transmission rod 54. When the power receiving element 11 receives external driving force, the detection element 6 can be directly driven by the transmission rod 54. Therefore, the detection end where the detection element 6 is located does not need to install power transmission components such as gears or belts. Instead, only the gear set 7 needs to be installed at the drive end. This design reduces the number of gears required for the developing cartridge 1, simplifies the structure of the developing cartridge 1, and ultimately reduces the cost of the developing cartridge 1.

Claims

1. A developing cartridge, detachably installed in an imaging device containing a sample to be inspected, the developing cartridge comprising a housing, multiple rotating components rotatably mounted within the housing, and a power receiving component and a detection component located at opposite longitudinal ends of the housing, wherein... The power receiver is used to receive driving force from the imaging device. The housing includes a lower housing and an upper housing joined together in the vertical direction. The lower housing and the upper housing enclose a cavity for containing toner. Under the combined action of multiple rotating parts, the toner is supplied to the outside of the developing cartridge. Its features are, The developing cartridge also includes a transmission rod rotatably mounted in the housing, the detection element being coaxially arranged with the transmission rod, the transmission rod being arranged to extend in the upper housing in a left-right direction, the transmission rod being used to transmit the driving force of the power receiving element to the detection element, so that the detection element and the detected element are engaged with each other; The rotating component includes a stirring element rotatably mounted in the housing, wherein when the stirring element rotates, the stirring blades mounted on the stirring element interfere with the transmission rod.

2. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the vertical direction of the developing chamber, the axis of rotation of the transfer rod is located above the axis of rotation of the stirring component.

3. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission rod is arranged to extend in the upper housing in a left-right direction.

4. The developing cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that, Along the front-to-back direction, the axis of rotation of the transmission rod is located behind the axis of rotation of the stirring component.

5. The developing cartridge according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The developing cartridge also includes a gear set arranged on the same side as the power receiver, the gear set being used to transmit driving force to the transmission rod.

6. The developing cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rotating component includes a developing component for conveying toner outward, a powder feeding component for conveying toner to the developing component, and a stirring component for stirring the toner. The developing cartridge also includes a conductive component disposed on the same side as the detection component, which supplies power received from the imaging device to both the developing component and the powder feeding component.

7. The developing cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rotating component includes a developing component for conveying toner outward, a toner feeding component for conveying toner into the developing component, and a stirring component for stirring the toner. The gear set includes a first gear connected to the power receiving unit, an intermediate gear, a third gear connected to the stirring unit, and a fourth gear connected to the transmission rod. The intermediate gear meshes with the first gear and the third gear, and the third gear also meshes with the fourth gear. The driving force received by the power receiving unit is transmitted to the transmission rod in sequence through the first gear, the intermediate gear, the third gear, and the fourth gear. The third gear also drives the stirring unit to rotate around the rotation axis.

8. The developing cartridge according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fourth gear is a toothed gear.

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