Chip module of toner cartridge

Abstract

The invention relates to a chip module of a toner cartridge, which is used for being overlapped with an electronic imaging device, the electronic imaging device is provided with a reading head, the reading head comprises a plurality of communication guide sheets and a grounding guide sheet, and the chip module comprises a substrate, a memory and a plurality of terminals. The memory body is arranged on the substrate, the plurality of terminals are arranged on the substrate and are electrically connected to the memory body, each terminal is provided with a sheet-shaped body parallel to an imaginary plane, two side surfaces are respectively positioned on two opposite sides of the body and parallel to the imaginary plane, and an arc-shaped contact edge is positioned on one side edge of the body. Wherein each contact edge is located between the two corresponding side surfaces, and each contact edge is used for abutting against each communication guide sheet and each grounding guide sheet of the reading head. Therefore, the chip module can be accurately aligned and contacted with the reading head of the electronic imaging device, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced so as to reduce the burden of consumers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an electronic imaging device, in particular to a chip module of a toner cartridge. Background Art

[0002] Generally, electronic imaging devices such as photocopiers or printers have a replaceable toner cartridge inside. A chip module is provided at the front end of the toner cartridge for contacting with a reading head of the electronic imaging device to communicate relevant information. The reading head has a base, a plurality of communication guides, and a grounding guide. In order to ensure that the chip module of the toner cartridge and the reading head are aligned accurately, a boss is provided on the base, the grounding guide is provided at the side edge of the boss, and the communication guides are provided at both sides of the boss. Relatively speaking, the chip module has an alignable structure. Since the toner cartridge is a consumable material, it needs to be replaced when the toner is used up. Therefore, how to design the structure of the chip module to ensure that each new toner cartridge inserted can accurately align with the reading head of the electronic imaging device and reduce the manufacturing cost to reduce the burden on consumers has become a technical problem that the industry is trying to overcome. Summary of the invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide a chip module of a toner cartridge that can accurately align and contact with a reading head of an electronic imaging device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a chip module of a toner cartridge that can reduce manufacturing costs to alleviate the burden on consumers.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a chip module of a toner cartridge, which includes: a substrate; a memory disposed on the substrate; and a plurality of terminals disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the memory, each of the terminals having a sheet-shaped body parallel to an imaginary plane, two side surfaces respectively located on two opposite sides of the body and parallel to the imaginary plane, and an arc-shaped contact edge located on one side edge of the body, wherein each of the contact edges is located between the two corresponding side surfaces.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting with an electronic imaging device, the electronic imaging device having a reading head, the reading head including a plurality of communication guides and a grounding guide, the chip module including a substrate, a memory and a plurality of terminals; the memory is arranged on the substrate, the plurality of terminals are arranged on the substrate and electrically connected to the memory, each of the terminals having a sheet-shaped body parallel to an imaginary plane, two side surfaces respectively located on two opposite sides of the body and parallel to the imaginary plane, and an arc-shaped contact edge located on one side edge of the body, wherein each of the contact edges is located between the corresponding two side surfaces, and each of the contact edges is used to abut against each of the communication guides and the grounding guide of the reading head. In this way, the chip module can accurately align and contact with the reading head of the electronic imaging device, and can reduce the manufacturing cost to reduce the burden on consumers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0007] Figure 2 A partial exploded view of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 3 A three-dimensional diagram of a chip module of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 4 An exploded view of a chip module of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 5 A three-dimensional view of a chip module of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention from another angle;

[0011] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the combined state of the chip module and the reading head of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figures 7 to 9 for Figure 6 Partial cross-sectional views along different sections.

[0013]

Explanation of symbols

[0014] 1Toner cartridge 2Case 3Card slot

[0015] 4 Card connection block 5 Reading head

[0016] 6 base 7 communication guide

[0017] 8 grounding guide 9 boss

[0018] 10 chip module

[0019] 12 substrate 14 top surface 16 bottom surface

[0020] 18 Memory

[0021] 20 terminal 22 body 221 extension

[0022] 23 side surface 24 contact edge

[0023] 25 pin 26 ground terminal

[0024] 28 Transmission terminal A imaginary surface

[0025] 30 connecting frame 32 body 34 embedding groove

[0026] 36 guide groove 37 opening

[0027] 38 elastic arm 39 hook part DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following is a detailed description of the technical content and features of the present invention through a preferred embodiment with accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 5 The figure shows a chip module 10 of a toner cartridge 1 provided by a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The chip module 10 is arranged at the front end of the toner cartridge 1. When the toner cartridge 1 is assembled into an electronic imaging device (not shown), the chip module 10 will contact a reading head 5 of the electronic imaging device to transmit information between the toner cartridge 1 and the electronic imaging device. The toner cartridge 1 has a shell 2 and a card slot 3 arranged in the shell 2. The reading head 5 has a base 6, three communication guides 7 and a grounding guide 8. The base 6 has a protrusion 9 located between the three communication guides 7, and the grounding guide 8 is arranged at the side edge of the protrusion 9. Both the communication guide 7 and the grounding guide 8 can be subjected to force to produce elastic deformation. The chip module 10 includes a substrate 12, a memory 18, four terminals 20 and a connecting frame 30.

[0029] like Figure 2 , 4 5 , the substrate 12 is a printed circuit board and has a top surface 14 and a bottom surface 16 opposite to each other. The memory 18 is disposed on the top surface 14 of the substrate 12 . However, in other embodiments, the memory 18 may also be disposed on the bottom surface 16 of the substrate 12 .

[0030] These terminals 20 are arranged on the top surface 14 of the substrate 12 and are electrically connected to the memory 18. Each of the terminals 20 has a sheet-shaped body 22 which is parallel to an imaginary plane A, two side surfaces 23 respectively located on two opposite sides of the body 22 and parallel to the imaginary plane A, an arc-shaped contact edge 24 located on one side edge of the body 22, and two pins 25 extending from the body 22 and penetrating the substrate 12, wherein the imaginary plane A is approximately perpendicular to the substrate 12, each of the contact edges 24 is located between the two corresponding side surfaces 23, and the contact edges 24 are generally semicircular. In this embodiment, the body 22 has an extension portion 221, so that the contact edge 24 extends from the top surface 14 of the substrate 12 to the side direction, but in other embodiments, it may not extend to the side, that is, the body 22 is approximately semicircular and does not have the extension portion 221. Although these terminals 20 have the same appearance, they are composed of a grounding terminal 26 and three transmission terminals 28. The grounding terminal 26 is located between the three transmission terminals 28 and its position corresponds to the grounding conductor 8 of the reading head 5. The positions of the three transmission terminals 28 correspond to the three communication conductors 7 of the reading head 5 respectively.

[0031] like Figures 2 to 4As shown, the connecting frame 30 is used to connect the substrate 12 and the toner cartridge 1. The connecting frame 30 includes a body 32, an embedding groove 34 recessed inwardly from one side of the body 32, four guide grooves 36 parallel to each other and connected to the embedding groove 34, and two elastic arms 38 extending from two opposite sides of the body 32 toward the card slot 3. The embedding groove 34 is for accommodating the substrate 12 of the chip module 10, and the guide grooves 36 are for the contact edges 24 of the terminals 20 to extend into, and the openings 37 of the guide grooves 36 are all in a funnel shape that gradually narrows from wide to narrow, which can help guide the grounding guide 8 and the communication guide 7 of the reading head 5 to be aligned with the terminals 20. A hook portion 39 is provided at the end of each elastic arm 38, which can be hooked on the two card blocks 4 of the card slot 3 to firmly combine the connecting frame 30 with the shell 2.

[0032] Thus, when the toner cartridge 1 is inserted into the electronic imaging device, the chip module 10 located at the front end of the toner cartridge 1 contacts the reading head 5, as shown in Figures 6 to 9, wherein the grounding terminal 26 abuts against the grounding conductor 8, and the three transmission terminals 28 abut against the three communication conductors 7 respectively. Since the contact edge 24 is arc-shaped and the grounding conductor 8 and the communication conductor 7 can be elastically deformed, even if the grounding conductor 8 and the communication conductor 7 have manufacturing dimensional tolerances or are deformed due to long-term use, it can still be ensured that the contact edges 24 of these terminals 20 can be accurately aligned and abutted with the grounding conductor 8 or the communication conductor 7. Moreover, since the main body 22 has a considerable thickness, the contact edge 24 can abut against each of the communication conductors 7 and the grounding conductor 8 in a linear contact manner, so as to avoid problems such as excessive local current or poor contact. In addition, since the ground terminal 26 has the same shape as the three transmission terminals 28 and the same assembly structure as the substrate 12, the same mold or fixture can be used for manufacturing and assembly, which can not only reduce manufacturing costs, but also reduce the burden on consumers and enhance market competitiveness.

[0033] Based on the design spirit of the present invention, the structure of the chip module 10 may have other changes, for example: each terminal 20 only needs to have at least one pin 25 disposed on the substrate 12, the imaginary plane A may not be perpendicular to the substrate 12, the contact edge 24 only needs to be arc-shaped, not necessarily semicircular, and the number of the terminals 20 may be changed according to the number of communication conductors and ground conductors of the reading head. All these easily conceivable structural changes should be covered by the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Claims

1. A chip module for a toner cartridge, characterized in that: Contains: a substrate; a memory disposed on the substrate; and A plurality of terminals are arranged on the substrate and electrically connected to the memory, each of the terminals having a sheet-shaped body parallel to an imaginary plane, two side surfaces respectively located on two opposite sides of the body and parallel to the imaginary plane, and an arc-shaped contact edge located on one side edge of the body, wherein each of the contact edges is located between the two corresponding side surfaces.

2. The chip module of the toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the terminals has at least one pin extending from the body and arranged on the substrate.

3. The chip module of the toner cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of terminals are composed of a ground terminal and a plurality of transmission terminals.

4. The chip module of the toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate is substantially perpendicular to the imaginary plane.

5. The chip module of the toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The contact edges of the majority of the terminals are semicircular.

6. A chip module for a toner cartridge connected to an electronic imaging device, characterized in that: The electronic imaging device has a reading head, which includes a plurality of communication guides and a grounding guide. The chip module of the toner cartridge includes: a substrate; a memory disposed on the substrate; A plurality of terminals are arranged on the substrate and electrically connected to the memory, each of which has a sheet-shaped body parallel to an imaginary plane, two side surfaces respectively located on two opposite sides of the body and parallel to the imaginary plane, and an arc-shaped contact edge located on one side edge of the body, wherein each of the contact edges is located between the two corresponding side surfaces, and each of the contact edges is used to abut against each of the communication guides and the grounding guide of the reading head.

7. The chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting to an electronic imaging device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: Each of the contact edges is used to abut against each of the communication guides and the grounding guide in a line contact manner.

8. The chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting to an electronic imaging device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: Each of the terminals has at least one pin extending from the body and arranged on the substrate.

9. The chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting to an electronic imaging device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The plurality of terminals are composed of a ground terminal and a plurality of transmission terminals. The ground terminal is used to abut against the grounding guide of the reading head, and the plurality of transmission terminals are used to abut against each communication guide of the reading head.

10. The chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting to an electronic imaging device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The substrate is substantially perpendicular to the imaginary plane.

11. The chip module of a toner cartridge for connecting to an electronic imaging device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The contact edges of the majority of the terminals are semicircular.

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