Counting gear assembly and processing box

Abstract

A counting gear assembly and a processing box, the counting gear assembly comprising: a gear bracket disposed on the end wall of a housing; a counting gear with a full tooth structure disposed on the gear bracket, the counting gear being provided with a first rib and a second rib; a gear bracket that drives the counting gear to move between an engaged position and a disengaged position when the gear bracket rotates, wherein the counting gear and the driving gear rotate synchronously in the engaged position; a guide rib, wherein during the rotation of the counting gear, the first rib can contact and move along the guide rib, causing the counting gear to move toward the disengaged position; a gear bracket return spring that moves the gear bracket from the disengaged position to the engaged position; a limit bracket that can move between an initial position and a limit position, wherein when the limit bracket moves to the limit position, the limit bracket can contact the second rib and limit the counting gear; and a limit bracket return spring that moves the limit bracket from the limit position to the initial position. The present invention can automatically reset the counting gear.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of electronic imaging photography, and in particular relates to a counting gear assembly of a processing box used in an image forming device and the processing box. Background Art

[0002] Image forming devices such as laser printers and copiers typically have an image processing unit and a developing unit. The developing unit uses a developer such as toner provided by the developing unit to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the image processing unit, thereby forming a visible image on a medium such as paper. The developing unit includes a processing cartridge, which is a box that can be removably installed in the main body of the image forming device. The processing cartridge includes a powder hopper that holds the developer. To facilitate users in determining the service life of the processing cartridge, some processing cartridges are provided with a counting gear that can cooperate with a detection mechanism on the image forming device. When the processing cartridge is installed, the image forming device resets the preset life value within the image forming device by identifying the counting gear on the processing cartridge. When the number of pages printed by the processing cartridge reaches the preset life value, it is considered that the developer in the processing cartridge has been consumed and the processing cartridge cannot be used any further. However, some large-capacity process cartridges hold more developer than standard-capacity ones. Since the preset lifespan of an image forming device is typically set based on the standard capacity and cannot be altered, the image forming device will indicate that the developer has been depleted after the number of printed pages reaches the preset lifespan, rendering the process cartridge inoperable. This results in the developer in the large-capacity process cartridge not being fully utilized, resulting in waste. Furthermore, for some refillable process cartridges, the counting gear cannot be reset, making the cartridge unusable, increasing user costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a counting gear assembly and a processing box in which the counting gear can be automatically reset.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A counting gear assembly is used in a processing cartridge, the processing cartridge comprising a housing and a driving gear disposed on an end wall of the housing; the assembly comprises: a gear bracket rotatably disposed on the end wall of the housing about a first axis; a counting gear having a full-tooth structure rotatably disposed on the gear bracket about a second axis, the counting gear being provided with a first rib and a second rib; when the gear bracket rotates, the counting gear is driven to move between a meshing position and a disengaging position, wherein the counting gear is meshed with the driving gear in the meshing position, and the counting gear is disengaged from the driving gear in the disengaging position. ; Guide rib, during the rotation of the counting gear, the first rib can contact the guide rib and move along the guide rib, so that the counting gear moves to the separation position; a gear bracket reset spring that moves the gear bracket from the separation position to the engagement position; a limiting bracket, the limiting bracket can move between an initial position and a limiting position, and when the limiting bracket moves to the limiting position, the limiting bracket can contact the second rib and limit the counting gear; a limiting bracket reset spring that moves the limiting bracket from the limiting position to the initial position.

[0006] In some embodiments, the driving gear is a stirring frame gear disposed at the end of the stirring frame.

[0007] Furthermore, the counting gear is provided with a third rib extending radially along the counting gear, and the driving gear includes a first tooth portion meshing with the tooth portion of the counting gear and a second tooth portion meshing with the third rib; in the meshing position, the third rib can mesh with the second tooth portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the diameter of the addendum circle of the first tooth portion is greater than the diameter of the addendum circle of the second tooth portion.

[0009] Furthermore, the outer end portion of the counting gear is provided with the first rib protruding radially outward of the counting gear, and the inner side of the counting gear is provided with the second rib protruding in a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear; the guide rib is provided on the inner wall of the gear end cover of the processing box.

[0010] In some embodiments, a limiting portion is provided on the gear bracket, and a limiting protrusion is provided on the end wall of the processing box; when the gear bracket moves to the engagement position, the limiting portion is blocked by the limiting protrusion, so that the gear bracket cannot exceed the engagement position.

[0011] The present invention also provides a processing box, including a shell and a gear end cover arranged at the end of the shell, the shell includes a powder bin for accommodating developer, and a stirring frame is arranged in the powder bin; it also includes the aforementioned counting gear assembly, the driving gear and the counting gear are located on the outside of the shell and are arranged at the same side end of the shell, and are covered by the gear end cover.

[0012] In some embodiments, a first assembly column protruding outward in an axial direction parallel to the stirring frame is provided on the end wall of the shell, the gear bracket is sleeved on the first assembly column, and the axis of the first assembly column is the first axis; a second assembly column parallel to the first assembly column is provided on the gear bracket, the counting gear is sleeved on the second assembly column, and the axis of the second assembly column is the second axis.

[0013] In some embodiments, the guide ribs are arc-shaped ribs.

[0014] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the counting gear assembly of the present invention sets the counting gear on a rotatable gear bracket, and the gear bracket drives the counting gear to move between the meshing position and the disengagement position. When in the meshing position, the counting gear rotates with the stirring frame gear to realize the detection of the processing box being dropped into the machine for installation. In the disengagement position, the counting gear does not rotate with the stirring frame gear and is limited by the limit bracket. After the recognition of the preset value of the processing box life is completed once, the limit bracket automatically returns to the initial position, and the counting gear automatically returns to the meshing position. After installation, it can be recognized by the detection mechanism of the image forming device again, and the preset value of life can be reset, so that the remaining developer in the processing box can continue to be used, or the processing box can be refilled with developer and reused. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a partial structure of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 A side view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention with the gear end cover removed;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a counting gear according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of another angle of the counting gear according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a gear end cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the stirring frame gear according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the printer front cover after the process cartridge is installed in the machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the case where the stirring frame gear drives the counting gear to rotate until the first rib contacts the guide inclined surface during use of the process cartridge of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of part A;

[0025] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the separation of the stirring frame gear and the counting gear during use of the process cartridge of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of part B;

[0027] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the counting gear being restricted in rotation by the limiting bracket when the counting gear is in the separated position during use of the process cartridge of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 13 for Figure 12 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of part C in the middle;

[0029] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram showing how the counting gear is released after the limit bracket is reset after the printer front cover is opened.

[0030] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for the convenience of explanation, the drawings showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general scale, and the schematic diagrams are only examples, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings are simplified and all use non-precise scales, which are only used to facilitate and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. At the same time, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features; the terms "front", "back", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean internal communication between two components; it can mean a wireless connection or a wired connection. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the processing box of this embodiment includes a shell 1, which has a powder hopper for accommodating developer, and a stirring frame 3 that can rotate around its own axis is provided in the powder hopper. Gear end covers 2 and conductive end covers (not shown) are respectively provided on the outer sides of the shell 1 along the axial direction of the stirring frame. A stirring frame gear 4 and a counting gear 5 and other gears, such as a photosensitive drum gear, an intermediate transmission gear, etc. are provided on one end wall of the shell 1. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the gear that directly meshes with the counting gear and drives the counting gear to rotate is defined as a driving gear. The driving gear of this embodiment is the stirring frame gear 4.

[0034] The agitator gear 4 is mounted at the end of the agitator frame 3. Rotation of the agitator gear 4 drives the agitator frame 3, thereby stirring and transporting the developer within the powder hopper. The agitator gear 4 and the counter gear 5 are both mounted outside the housing 1 and enclosed within the gear end cap 2. The counter gear assembly of this embodiment includes the counter gear 5, a gear bracket 6, a gear bracket return spring 7, a limit bracket 8, a limit bracket return spring 9, and a guide rib 2a.

[0035] In this embodiment, the counting gear 5 is directly meshed with the stirring frame gear 4, so that the counting gear 5 can rotate synchronously with the stirring frame gear 4. In another embodiment, the counting gear 5 can also be indirectly meshed with the stirring frame gear 4 through the transmission of other transmission gears, rotating synchronously with the stirring frame gear 4. In this case, the driving gear is an intermediate transmission gear or other gear that directly meshes with the counting gear. The following description uses the structure of the stirring frame gear as an example to illustrate the structure of the driving gear. When the driving gear is other gears, the structure adopted can refer to the structure of the stirring frame gear.

[0036] The counting gear 5 in this embodiment is a fully toothed gear, meaning its outer circumference is uniformly distributed with meshing teeth, connected end to end. The counting gear 5 is mounted on the end wall of the housing 1 via a gear bracket 6. In this embodiment, the end wall of the housing 1 is provided with a first mounting post 1a that protrudes outward in an axial direction parallel to the stirring frame. The gear bracket 6 is mounted on this first mounting post 1a and is rotatable about the axis (first axis) of the first mounting post 1a. When the gear bracket 6 rotates, the counting gear 5 moves with it.

[0037] When the gear bracket 6 rotates around the first axis, it can drive the counting gear 5 to move to the meshing position or to the disengaging position. The meshing position is the position where the counting gear 5 rotates synchronously with the stirring frame gear 4, and the disengaging position is the position where the counting gear 5 does not rotate with the stirring frame gear 4.

[0038] The counting gear 5 of this embodiment is directly meshed with the stirring frame gear 4. When the gear bracket 6 rotates to the counting gear 5 in the meshing position, the counting gear 5 and the stirring frame gear 4 are meshed together. At this time, the stirring frame gear 4 can drive the counting gear 5 to rotate synchronously. When the gear bracket 6 rotates to the counting gear 5 in the separation position, the counting gear 5 and the stirring frame gear 4 are separated from each other (see Figure 10 and Figure 11 ), the stirring frame gear 4 cannot drive the counting gear 5 to rotate synchronously.

[0039] A gear bracket return spring 7 is disposed between the gear bracket 6 and the end wall of the housing 1. The gear bracket return spring 7 provides a force for moving the gear bracket 6 from the disengaged position to the engaged position. In this embodiment, the gear bracket return spring 7 is a torsion spring. In other embodiments, other types of elastic elements may be used as long as they can provide a force for returning the gear bracket 6.

[0040] The gear bracket 6 is provided with a second assembly column 6a, which is parallel to the first assembly column 1a. The counting gear 5 is sleeved on the second assembly column 6a and can rotate around the axis (second axis) of the second assembly column 6a.

[0041] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, a first rib 5a is provided at the outer end of the counting gear 5 (the side of the counting gear 5 away from the end wall of the housing 1 is the outer side) and protrudes radially outward along the counting gear 5. The function of the first rib 5a is to cooperate with the guide rib 2a on the gear end cover 2 to push the counting gear 5 (gear bracket 6) away from the stirring frame gear 4.

[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, a guide rib 2a is provided on the inner wall of the gear end cover 2. The guide rib 2a is a rib protruding from the inner wall of the gear end cover 2. The function of the guide rib 2 is to cooperate with the first rib 5a to make the counting gear 5 leave the stirring frame gear 4. When the counting gear 5 rotates, the first rib 5a will contact the guide rib 2a during the rotation process (see Figure 9 ), and moves along the guide rib 2a. During the movement of the first rib 5a along the guide rib 2a, the counting gear 5 is pushed outward, thereby causing the gear bracket 6 to rotate around the first axis. The gear bracket 6 drives the counting gear 5 provided thereon to gradually separate from the stirring frame gear 4, as shown in FIG. Figure 11 shown.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first rib 5a is arranged radially along the counter gear 5, and the guide rib 2a is arranged on the inner wall of the gear end cover 2 to facilitate manufacturing and reduce component interference. In other embodiments, the first rib 5a can be arranged along other directions, and the guide rib 2a can be arranged on the end wall of the processing box, as long as the first rib 5a and the guide rib 2a cooperate to ensure that the counter gear is separated from the stirring frame gear. The guide rib 2a can be a curved rib or an inclined surface. The curved rib can make the movement of the counter gear smoother.

[0044] Continue to refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 A second rib 5b is provided on the inner side of the counting gear 5, protruding in a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear 5. The second rib 5b cooperates with the limiting bracket 8 to limit the rotation of the counting gear 5. In other embodiments, the second rib 5b may also protrude radially along the counting gear 5, as long as it can be blocked by the limiting bracket 8 to achieve limiting.

[0045] The limit bracket 8 can be arranged on the end wall of the shell 1 in a translational manner, and the moving direction of the limit bracket 8 is close to or away from the counting gear 5. A limit bracket reset spring 9 is arranged between the limit bracket 8 and the end wall of the shell 1. The limit bracket 8 can move between the initial position and the limit position. In the initial position, the limit bracket 8 will not limit the counting gear 5. In the limit position, the limit bracket 8 can limit the counting gear 5. The function of the limit bracket reset spring 9 is to provide a force for the limit bracket 8 to reset to the initial position. When the limit bracket 8 is in the initial position, it will not contact the second rib 5b, so it will not limit the rotation of the counting gear 5. When the limit bracket 8 moves forward to the limit position, the front end of the limit bracket 8 will extend forward, and the counting gear 5 will rotate to the second rib 5b due to inertia in the separation position and be blocked by the limit bracket 8, or when the gear bracket 6 resets and rotates to drive the counting gear 5 to move to the second rib 5b and be blocked by the limit bracket 8, the counting gear 5 cannot continue to rotate or move. Figure 12 shown.

[0046] When the limit bracket return spring 9 pushes the limit bracket 8 backward, it moves toward its initial position, that is, away from the counting gear 5. Once the limit bracket 8 clears the second rib 5b, it no longer restrains the counting gear 5. At this point, the gear bracket 6, under the action of the gear bracket return spring 7, drives the counting gear 5 toward the meshing position. When the gear bracket 6 drives the counting gear 5 to the meshing position, the counting gear 5 is no longer restrained by the limit bracket 8 and re-engages with the stirring frame gear 4, rotating synchronously with the stirring frame gear 4.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment, in order to avoid tooth jumping when the counting gear 5 returns to the meshing position and re-engages with the stirring frame gear 4, a third rib 5c extending radially along the counting gear 5 is provided on the inner side of the counting gear 5. The function of the third rib 5c is to engage with the stirring frame gear 4, drive the counting gear to rotate, and prevent the counting gear from jumping.

[0048] like Figure 6As shown, the stirring frame gear 4 (driving gear) has a first tooth portion 4a that meshes with the tooth portion of the counting gear 5 and a second tooth portion 4b that can mesh with the third rib 5c. The diameter of the tooth top circle of the first tooth portion 4a is larger than the diameter of the tooth top circle of the second tooth portion 4b. The counting gear 5 mainly rotates synchronously with the stirring frame gear 4 by meshing with the first tooth portion 4a and the teeth on the counting gear 5. When the counting gear 5 returns to the meshing position, the third rib 5c on the counting gear 5 can mesh with the second tooth portion 4b on the stirring frame gear 4. The second tooth portion 4b drives the counting gear 5 to rotate through the meshing with the third rib 5c. When the counting gear 5 and the first tooth portion 4a of the stirring frame gear 4 are meshed together, the counting gear is driven to rotate synchronously through the meshing of the first tooth portion 4a and the counting gear 5, thereby avoiding tooth skipping between the counting gear 5 and the stirring frame gear.

[0049] In order to prevent the gear bracket 6 from moving too much when it is reset to the meshing position, causing the stirring frame gear 4 and the counting gear 5 to be too tightly meshed, such as Figure 1 and Figure 12 As shown, a limit portion 6b is provided on the gear bracket 6, and a limit protrusion 1b is provided on the end wall of the housing 1 (processing cartridge). When the gear bracket 6 is reset to the meshing position under the action of the gear bracket reset spring 7, the limit protrusion 1b can block the limit portion 6b, preventing the gear bracket 6 from rotating beyond the meshing position, ensuring that the stirring frame gear 4 and the counting gear 5 are in the correct meshing position and do not get too close to affect transmission.

[0050] The following describes the use of the process cartridge loader and the reset process of the counting gear in accordance with the present embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the image forming apparatus is described as a printer.

[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, after the process cartridge is loaded into the printer and the printer front cover 100 is closed, the printer front cover 100 will push the limit bracket 8 forward to the limit position. When the limit bracket 8 is in the initial position, the front end of the limit bracket 8 will not extend forward to the position where it can contact the second rib 5b, and will not restrict the rotation / movement of the counting gear 5. When the printer front cover 100 is closed, the printer front cover 100 will push the limit bracket 8 forward. When the limit bracket 8 moves forward, it squeezes the limit bracket return spring 9. At this time, the counting gear 5 is in the meshing position, that is, it can mesh with the stirring frame gear 4.

[0052] When the printer is started, the stirring frame gear 4 receives the rotational driving force from the printer and rotates, and drives the counting gear 5 to rotate synchronously, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown; after the counting gear 5 rotates, it can cooperate with the detection mechanism on the printer to realize the identification of the process cartridge and reset the printer to the preset life value;

[0053] When the counting gear 5 rotates until the first rib 5a contacts the guide rib 2a on the inner wall of the gear end cover 2, the process of separating the counting gear 5 and the stirring frame gear 4 is started. Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, with the help of the shape of the guide rib 2a, the first rib 5a contacts the guide rib 2a and moves along the guide rib 2a, which will gradually push the counting gear 5 away from the stirring frame gear 4. Since the counting gear 5 is installed on the gear bracket 6 that can rotate around the first axis, the gear bracket 6 rotates around the first axis and drives the counting gear 5 to leave the stirring frame gear 4 and separate from the stirring frame gear 4, as shown in FIG. Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, after separation, the counting gear 5 no longer rotates with the stirring frame gear 4, which will not affect the recognition of the detection device inside the printer and the normal use of the processing cartridge; even if the counting gear 5 rotates due to inertia after separation from the stirring frame gear 4, the limiting bracket 8 will also clamp the second rib 5b, limiting the counting gear 5 from continuing to rotate, as shown in FIG. Figure 12 As shown;

[0054] When the number of pages printed by the printer reaches the preset life value, and it is prompted that the developer in the process cartridge has been consumed, the front cover 100 of the printer is opened. Figure 14 As shown, the printer front cover 100 no longer presses the limit bracket 8, and the limit bracket 8 retreats under the action of the limit bracket reset spring 9 and moves away from the counting gear 5. After the limit bracket 8 leaves the second rib 5b, the counting gear 5 and the gear bracket 6 are no longer limited. The gear bracket 6 moves to the meshing position with the counting gear 5 under the action of the gear bracket reset spring 7, thereby realizing the reset of the counting gear; the processing box is taken out and reinstalled, and after the stirring frame gear 4 drives the counting gear 5 to rotate and is recognized by the detection mechanism of the printer, the printer resets the preset life value, and the remaining developer in the powder bin can continue to be used without being limited by the standard capacity and unable to use the remaining developer, causing waste.

[0055] If the number of pages printed by the printer reaches the preset life value again, indicating that the developer in the process cartridge has been consumed, the above process can be repeated until the developer in the process cartridge is completely consumed.

[0056] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with this profession can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes using the technical contents disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A counting gear assembly, used in a process cartridge, the process cartridge comprising a housing and a drive gear disposed on an end wall of the housing; It is characterized in that include: a gear support rotatably disposed on the end wall of the housing about a first axis; a counting gear of a full-tooth structure rotatably disposed on the gear bracket about a second axis, wherein the counting gear is provided with a first rib and a second rib; when the gear bracket rotates, the counting gear is driven to move between an engaged position and a disengaged position, wherein the counting gear is engaged with the driving gear in the engaged position and the counting gear is disengaged from the driving gear in the disengaged position; a guide rib, wherein the first rib can contact the guide rib and move along the guide rib during the rotation of the counting gear, so that the counting gear moves toward the separation position; a gear bracket return spring for moving the gear bracket from the disengaged position to the engaged position; a limiting bracket, the limiting bracket being movable between an initial position and a limiting position, and when the limiting bracket moves to the limiting position, the limiting bracket can contact the second rib and limit the counting gear; A limit bracket return spring enables the limit bracket to move from the limit position to the initial position.

2. The counting gear assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving gear is a stirring frame gear arranged at the end of the stirring frame.

3. The counting gear assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The counting gear is provided with a third rib extending radially along the counting gear, and the driving gear includes a first tooth portion meshing with the tooth portion of the counting gear and a second tooth portion meshing with the third rib; in the meshing position, the third rib can mesh with the second tooth portion.

4. The counting gear assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The diameter of the tooth tip circle of the first tooth portion is greater than the diameter of the tooth tip circle of the second tooth portion.

5. The counting gear assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer end of the counting gear is provided with the first rib protruding outward in the radial direction of the counting gear, and the inner side of the counting gear is provided with the second rib protruding in a direction parallel to the axis of the counting gear; The guide ribs are arranged on the inner wall of the gear end cover of the processing box.

6. The counting gear assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting portion is provided on the gear bracket, and a limiting protrusion is provided on the end wall of the processing box; when the gear bracket moves to the meshing position, the limiting portion is blocked by the limiting protrusion, so that the gear bracket cannot exceed the meshing position.

7. A process cartridge comprising a housing and a gear end cover disposed at an end of the housing, the housing comprising a powder hopper for accommodating developer, the powder hopper being provided with a stirring frame; characterized in that: It also includes a counting gear assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the driving gear and the counting gear are located outside the housing and are arranged at the same side end of the housing and are covered by the gear end cover.

8. The process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein: A first assembly column protruding outward in an axial direction parallel to the stirring frame is provided on the end wall of the housing, the gear bracket is sleeved on the first assembly column, and the axis of the first assembly column is the first axis; The gear bracket is provided with a second assembly column parallel to the first assembly column, the counting gear is sleeved on the second assembly column, and the axis of the second assembly column is the second axis.

9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein: The guide ribs are arc-shaped ribs.

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