Laser printer, printing method thereof and toner cartridge
By designing a toner cartridge containing magnetic carbon powder, using the magnetic field adsorption and curing technology of the toner, the problem that existing laser printing technology is difficult to achieve thickness printing is solved, and efficient, controllable and environmentally friendly thickness printing is achieved, which meets special printing needs and reduces costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510358141.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-27
AI Technical Summary
The existing laser printing technology is difficult to achieve pattern printing with a certain thickness. Traditional 3D printing equipment is complex and costly, UV inkjet printing has odor problems and high usage costs, and the printing speed is slow.
A toner cartridge is designed, including a first developing unit and a drum unit, and the second toner is adsorbed by a magnetic field of the first toner, thereby achieving thickness printing. The toner cartridge is transferred and solidified onto the developing medium by cooperating with the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum, and then the second toner is adsorbed and solidified to form an imaging pattern with a certain thickness.
It realizes efficient, controllable and environmentally friendly thickness printing in office and home scenarios, improves printing efficiency, meets special needs such as Braille printing, and has low cost and fast speed, so that the thickness of the imaging image can be consistent.
Smart Images
Figure CN120215232A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electrophotographic imaging, and specifically, to a toner cartridge, a laser printer provided with the toner cartridge, and a printing method of the above laser printer. Background Art
[0002] Laser printers are currently widely used in office and home environments, and have significant advantages such as fast printing speed and high output quality. However, existing laser printing technologies are still unable to directly and stably achieve the printing of patterns with a certain thickness, such as Braille dots. Although traditional 3D printing technologies can achieve the formation of three-dimensional structures, their equipment is complex and the cost is high, making it difficult to be compatible with the general office printing requirements; while UV inkjet printing can achieve printing with a certain thickness, but the UV ink used has a strong smell, and it requires the configuration of a UV lamp for light curing treatment. Moreover, the printing speed of UV inkjet printing is slower than that of laser printers, and the usage cost of UV ink cartridges is relatively higher than that of toner cartridges, so it is not very suitable for ordinary office and home scenarios; in addition, there is a type of existing toner cartridge that stores a foaming developer. When the foaming developer is cured onto a developing medium (such as paper) in cooperation with a laser printer, it self-foams and expands within a certain period of time to form a certain thickness. However, this printing method has defects such as a long foaming time and poor controllability [it is impossible to guarantee the direction and thickness of the foaming expansion (i.e., the degree of expansion, and the degree of expansion is affected by environmental conditions)].
[0003] In summary, existing technical means are difficult to meet the requirements of conventional printing efficiency in office and home scenarios while also achieving the printing requirement with a certain thickness, especially special requirements such as Braille printing. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To solve the above problems, the first object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge that can meet the printing requirement with a certain thickness, improve printing efficiency, has strong controllability, and is environmentally friendly.
[0005] The second object of the present invention is to provide a laser printer provided with the above toner cartridge, which can achieve printing with a certain thickness, and has high printing efficiency, good environmental friendliness, and strong controllability.
[0006] The third object of the present invention is to provide a printing method of the above laser printer.
[0007] To achieve the first object of the present invention, the present invention provides a toner cartridge, which includes a first developing unit and a drum unit. The first developing unit includes a first powder bin and a first developing roller. The first powder bin stores first toner. The first developing roller is rotatably mounted on the first powder bin. The drum unit includes a drum frame and a photosensitive drum. The drum frame is connected to the first powder bin. The photosensitive drum is rotatably mounted on the drum frame. The photosensitive drum can be in contact with the first developing roller. Wherein, the toner cartridge further includes a second developing unit. The drum unit is disposed between the first developing unit and the second developing unit. The second developing unit includes a second powder bin and a second developing roller. The second powder bin is connected to the drum frame. The second powder bin stores second toner. The second developing roller is rotatably mounted on the second powder bin. The first toner includes first magnetic particles. The second toner can be adsorbed by the magnetic field of the first toner.
[0008] As can be seen from the above, through the cooperation of the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum, the first toner is transferred and solidified onto a developing medium (such as paper). When the developing medium moves to the second developing unit, the first toner on the developing medium adsorbs the second toner onto itself through its own magnetic field. Then, the second toner is solidified and firmly adheres to the developing medium, making the imaged image have a certain thickness, thereby realizing thickness printing.
[0009] A further solution is that the particle size of the first toner is between 3 microns and 5 microns; the particle size of the second toner is between 0.05 mm and 0.2 mm.
[0010] As can be seen from the above, the first toner adopts a particle size similar to that of the toner in a conventional toner cartridge, enabling the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to transfer the first toner onto the developing medium through conventional imaging techniques. At the same time, when the second powder bin does not store the second toner (i.e., when the second developing unit is not in use), the toner cartridge can achieve conventional printing, improving the practicality of the toner cartridge. And through the design of the particle size of the second toner, after the second toner is adsorbed onto the first toner and solidified and adhered to the developing medium, under the imaging of the second toner, the imaged image can have a certain convex thickness and provide a perceivable three-dimensional sense for the user.
[0011] A further solution is that the second toner is ferromagnetic toner or ferrimagnetic toner; or the second toner includes second magnetic particles, and the relative magnetic poles of the second magnetic particles and the first magnetic particles are of opposite polarities.
[0012] As can be seen from the above, when the second toner is ferromagnetic toner or ferrimagnetic toner, the adsorption effect of the first toner on it can be ensured; when the relative magnetic poles of the second magnetic particles included in the second toner and the first magnetic particles in the first toner are of opposite polarities, the second toner can be adsorbed onto the first toner more precisely and firmly.
[0013] A further solution is that the first developing unit further includes a first stirring rack and a first toner blade. The first stirring rack is rotatably installed in the first toner cartridge, and the first toner blade is installed on the first toner cartridge. The cutting edge of the first toner blade is adjacent to the surface of the first developing roller; the second developing unit further includes a second stirring rack and a second toner blade. The second stirring rack is rotatably installed in the second toner cartridge, and the second toner blade is installed on the second toner cartridge. The cutting edge of the second toner blade is adjacent to the surface of the second developing roller; the toner cartridge further includes a transmission wheel set, and the transmission wheel set is respectively connected to the first developing roller, the second developing roller, the photosensitive drum, the first stirring rack and the second stirring rack.
[0014] As can be seen from the above, the first stirring rack is used to stir the first toner in the first toner cartridge to prevent the first toner from solidifying and to make the first toner move better to the first developing roller. The first toner blade can control the thickness of the first toner layer on the first developing roller to ensure the transfer and imaging effects of the first toner; similarly, the second stirring rack is used to stir the second toner in the second toner cartridge to prevent the second toner from solidifying and to make the second toner move better to the second developing roller. The second toner blade can control the thickness of the second toner layer on the second developing roller to ensure that the second toner is better adsorbed onto the first toner and to ensure the imaging effect; by linking the first developing roller, the second developing roller, the photosensitive drum, the first stirring rack and the second stirring rack through the transmission wheel set, the transmission structure can be simplified, the number of drive sources can be reduced, and it is helpful to reduce the volume of the toner cartridge.
[0015] A further solution is that the toner cartridge further includes a first curing element, and the first curing element is installed on the second toner cartridge. Along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the first curing element is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller, and the first curing element is used to heat and cure the second toner.
[0016] As can be seen from the above, the first curing element added on the basis of the original toner cartridge is installed on the second toner cartridge and is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller in the paper feeding direction, so that the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner can be heated and cured in time. This can ensure that the second toner is firmly attached to the developing medium, avoid its falling off or displacement during subsequent transportation, effectively improve the firmness and stability of the imaged image, and ensure the thickness printing quality.
[0017] A further solution is that the toner cartridge further includes a first fixing roller, and the first fixing roller is installed on the drum frame and / or the second toner cartridge. Along the paper feeding direction, the first fixing roller is located between the photosensitive drum and the second developing roller.
[0018] As can be seen from the above, the first curing element and the first fixing roller are used to perform layered fixing on the first toner and the second toner, which not only ensures that the first toner is firmly attached to the developing medium, but also avoids displacement or blurring caused by non-curing when the subsequent second toner is adsorbed or stacked, thereby improving the accuracy and image clarity of multi-layer printing.
[0019] In a further solution, the heating temperature of the first curing element is between 60°C and 150°C.
[0020] As can be seen from the above, this design can ensure the curing effect of the second toner, protect the developing medium, and avoid excessive energy consumption.
[0021] To achieve the second object of the present invention, the present invention provides a laser printer, including a body having a toner cartridge installation cavity. Among them, the laser printer further includes the above-mentioned toner cartridge, and the toner cartridge is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity.
[0022] As can be seen from the above, by configuring the above-mentioned toner cartridge, the laser printer can support two printing modes: conventional printing and thickness printing, achieving diversified printing and meeting different needs of users. Compared with 3D printers, it is more compatible with conventional office printing needs; compared with UV inkjet printing, it has lower usage costs, faster printing speeds, and basically no odor at the printed image; compared with toner cartridges using foaming developers, the toner cartridge of the present invention has good printing controllability and the thickness of the printed image can be kept consistent.
[0023] To achieve the second object of the present invention, the present invention further provides a laser printer, including a body having a toner cartridge installation cavity. Among them, the laser printer further includes the above-mentioned toner cartridge, and the toner cartridge is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity. The toner cartridge installation cavity is provided with a second curing element and / or a second fusing roller. Along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the second curing element is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller. The second curing element is used to heat and cure the second toner, and the heating temperature of the second curing element is between 60°C and 150°C. Along the paper feeding direction, the second fusing roller is located between the photosensitive drum and the second developing roller.
[0024] As can be seen from the above, through the design of the laser printer and the configuration of the above-mentioned toner cartridge, the laser printer can support two printing modes: conventional printing and thickness printing, achieving diversified printing and meeting different needs of users. Compared with 3D printers, it is more compatible with conventional office printing needs; compared with UV inkjet printing, it has lower usage costs, faster printing speeds, and basically no odor at the printed image; compared with toner cartridges using foaming developers, the toner cartridge of the present invention has good printing controllability and the thickness of the printed image can be kept consistent.
[0025] To achieve the third object of the present invention, the present invention provides a printing method for a laser printer, wherein the laser printer is the above-mentioned laser printer, and the printing method includes: charging the photosensitive drum, controlling a laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to print data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, controlling the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate, so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller onto the electrostatic latent image, controlling the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum, so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the paper, controlling the paper to pass through the fixing element, so that the fixing element cures the first toner on the paper, the fixing element is the first fixing roller provided on the toner cartridge or the second fixing roller provided in the toner cartridge installation cavity, controlling the paper to pass through the first curing element, so that the first curing element cures the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner; or the laser printer is the above-mentioned laser printer, and the printing method includes: charging the photosensitive drum, controlling a laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to print data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, controlling the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate, so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller onto the electrostatic latent image, controlling the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum, so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the paper, controlling the paper to pass through the second fixing roller, so that the second fixing roller cures the first toner on the paper, controlling the paper to pass through the second curing element, so that the second curing element cures the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner.
[0026] As can be seen from the above, the image formed by the above printing method can have a certain thickness, meeting the special printing needs of users, such as printing images with thickness such as Braille, and improving the applicable range and practicability of the laser printer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the printing process of an embodiment of the toner cartridge of the present invention.
[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the imaging of the paper in an embodiment of the toner cartridge of the present invention.
[0029] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] Embodiment of the Toner Cartridge Combined with Figure 1 , the toner cartridge 100 includes a first developing unit 1, a drum unit 2, a second developing unit 3 and a transmission wheel set; wherein, the first developing unit 1 and the second developing unit 3 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the drum unit 2.
[0031] The first developing unit 1 includes a first toner cartridge 11, a first developing roller 12, a first stirring frame 13 and a first doctor blade 14. The first toner cartridge 11 stores a first toner 111, and the first toner 111 includes first magnetic particles. It should be noted that conventional toner usually includes resin, carbon black, magnetic materials (such as magnetic iron oxide), charge control agents, external additives, etc. The conventional production method of toner is the grinding method. Specifically, resin, carbon black, magnetic materials, etc. are mixed in proportion, and then kneaded into a uniform melt at high temperature (mainly to melt the resin), then extruded into strips and cooled, and then ground into micron-sized particles by equipment such as a hammer crusher and a jet mill, and the qualified particle size is screened out. Finally, external additives such as lubricants can be added, and after mixing, it is packaged. The difference between the first toner 111 of the present application and the conventional toner is that magnetic particles (such as magnets) are used to replace the magnetic materials, and the other components and processing methods are the same as those of the conventional toner. And because there is no chemical reaction between resin, carbon black, magnetic particles (or magnetic materials), etc. during the processing, the preparation of the first toner 111 of the present application poses no technical obstacles to those skilled in the art. Moreover, since the first toner 111 includes first magnetic particles, it can generate a certain magnetic field. In addition, since the first toner 111 can generate a magnetic field, in order to ensure that the first developing roller 12 can reliably transfer the first toner 111 to the photosensitive drum 22 of the drum unit 2, the core shaft of the first developing roller 12 is preferably a conductive roller instead of a magnetic roller.
[0032] The first developing roller 12 is rotatably mounted on the first toner cartridge 11, and the first developing roller 12 is used to transfer the first toner 111 to the photosensitive drum 22; the first stirring frame 13 is rotatably mounted in the first toner cartridge 11, and the first stirring frame 13 is used to fully stir the toner stored in the first toner cartridge 11 to avoid caking during the storage of the first toner 111 due to factors such as environmental humidity and long-term static placement, so as to ensure the fluidity of the first toner 111, ensure that the first toner 111 can move evenly onto the first developing roller 12, and make the transferred first toner 111 evenly distributed and sufficient in toner amount, so as to avoid imaging quality problems such as blurred imaging images (such as text, patterns, etc.) and missing colors.
[0033] The first doctor blade 14 is mounted on the first toner cartridge 11, and the edge of the first doctor blade 14 is adjacent to the surface of the first developing roller 12 to precisely control the thickness of the first toner 111 layer on the first developing roller 12, so as to avoid too much first toner 111 being transferred to the developing medium (such as paper 10, hereinafter taking paper 10 as an example for illustration), thereby avoiding problems such as blurred imaging images and bleeding; moreover, it can also avoid the toner layer being too thin, resulting in a light and unclear image color during imaging.
[0034] The drum unit 2 includes a drum frame 21, a photosensitive drum 22, and a charging roller 23. The drum frame 21 is connected to the first powder bin 11. Preferably, the drum frame 21 is movably connected to the first powder bin 11, so that the photosensitive drum 22 can be in contact with or separated from the first developing roller 12. The photosensitive drum 22 is mounted on the drum frame 21, and the charging roller 23 is movably mounted on the photosensitive drum 22, and the surface of the charging roller 23 is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 22.
[0035] Combined Figure 2 , the second developing unit 3 includes a second powder bin 31, a second developing roller 32, a second stirring frame 33, and a second powder discharging blade 34. The second powder bin 31 is connected to the drum frame 21, and the second powder bin 31 stores second toner 311. The second developing roller 32 is rotatably mounted on the second powder bin 31, and the second developing roller 32 is used to control the second toner 311 to be adsorbed onto the first toner 111; the second stirring frame 33 is rotatably mounted in the second powder bin 31, and the second stirring frame 33 is used to fully stir the toner stored in the second powder bin 31 to avoid caking during the storage of the second toner 311 due to factors such as environmental humidity and long-term static placement, so as to ensure the fluidity of the second toner 311 and ensure that the second toner 311 can move evenly onto the second developing roller 32, so that the adsorbed second toner 311 is evenly distributed and the toner amount is sufficient, avoiding imaging quality problems such as blurred or missing colors in the imaged image (such as text, patterns, etc.); the second powder discharging blade 34 is mounted on the second powder bin 31, and the blade part of the second powder discharging blade 34 is adjacent to the surface of the second developing roller 32 to precisely control the thickness of the second toner 311 layer on the second developing roller 32, avoiding excessive second toner 311 adsorbed onto the first toner 111 due to the toner layer thickness, thereby avoiding problems such as blurred or bleeding imaged images; furthermore, it can also avoid the toner layer being too thin, resulting in a light and unclear color of the imaged image.
[0036] In some embodiments, the second toner 311 is ferromagnetic toner or ferrimagnetic toner (i.e., conventional toner), so that the second toner 311 can be adsorbed by the magnetic field of the first toner 111. When the second toner 311 uses ferromagnetic toner or ferrimagnetic toner, the adsorption effect of the first toner 111 on it can be ensured. Due to the strong magnetic response characteristics of ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic materials, under the action of the magnetic field generated by the first magnetic particles in the first toner 111, the second toner 311 can be magnetized quickly and efficiently, so that the magnetic attraction between the second toner 311 and the first toner 111 is greatly enhanced, and then the second toner 311 is adsorbed more stably and in a larger amount onto the first toner 111 attached to the developing medium. This efficient adsorption process ensures that during the thickness printing process, the second toner 311 can fully participate in imaging, making the thickness of the imaged pattern more uniform and full, avoiding local thickness deficiencies or missing situations, and effectively improving the quality and stability of thickness printing. In some embodiments, the second toner 311 includes second magnetic particles. The production of the second toner 311 can refer to the production of the first toner 111 described above. That is, there are no technical obstacles for those skilled in the art to prepare the second toner 311. In addition, the relative magnetic poles of the second magnetic particles of the second toner 311 and the first magnetic particles of the first toner 111 are of opposite polarities. When the relative magnetic poles of the second magnetic particles included in the second toner 311 and the first magnetic particles in the first toner 111 are of opposite polarities, according to the magnetic principle, opposite poles attract each other, and a strong magnetic attraction will be generated between the two, so that the second toner 311 can be more accurately and firmly adsorbed onto the first toner 111. And accurate adsorption means that during the printing process, the second toner 311 can be accurately positioned at the position where the first toner 111 is located, avoiding the diffusion and deviation of the second toner 311, thus ensuring the clarity and accuracy of the imaging pattern. This enables both fine text and complex graphics to maintain clear outlines and accurate details in thickness printing. Moreover, the firm adsorption ensures that the second toner 311 will not easily fall off or shift during the subsequent curing process and the use of the printed product. This not only improves the durability and stability of the printed pattern, but also further enhances the quality and reliability of thickness printing, enabling the printed product to better meet the requirements of various actual application scenarios.
[0037] Preferably, the particle size of the first toner 111 ranges from 3 microns to 5 microns, and the particle size of the second toner 311 ranges from 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm. The particle size range of the first toner 111 is similar to that of the toner in the conventional toner cartridge 100, enabling the first developing roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 22 to transfer the first toner 111 onto the developing medium through conventional imaging techniques. At the same time, when the second toner 311 is not stored in the second toner cartridge 31 (i.e., when the second developing unit 3 is not in use), the toner cartridge 100 can achieve conventional printing, enhancing the practicality of the toner cartridge 100. When the user does not need to perform thickness printing, there is no need to replace the toner cartridge 100, and the toner cartridge 100 can be directly used for daily ordinary document printing and other tasks, saving time and cost and improving the usage efficiency of the device. The second toner 311 with a particle size ranging from 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm is crucial for achieving the raised thickness and three-dimensional effect of the imaging pattern. When the second toner 311 is adsorbed by the magnetic field of the first toner 111 and solidified and adhered to the paper 10, the second toner 311 with a larger particle size forms an obvious raised structure on the surface of the paper 10. At the microscopic level, this particle size range can ensure appropriate spacing and stacking patterns between the second toner 311 particles, neither being unable to form an obvious bulge due to too small a particle size nor resulting in rough and uneven imaging due to too large a particle size. Macroscopically, the user can visually observe that the imaging pattern has an obvious thickness and can feel a strong three-dimensional effect when touching it, enabling the toner cartridge 100 to meet special printing requirements such as Braille printing.
[0038] The drive wheel set is respectively connected to the first developing roller 12, the second developing roller 32, the photosensitive drum 22, the first stirring frame 13, and the second stirring frame 33. By linking the first developing roller 12, the second developing roller 32, the photosensitive drum 22, the first stirring frame 13, and the second stirring frame 33 through the drive wheel set, the drive structure can be simplified, the number of drive sources can be reduced, and it helps to reduce the volume of the toner cartridge 100.
[0039] In some embodiments, the toner cartridge 100 further includes a first curing element 4. The first curing element 4 is installed on the second toner bin 31, and along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge 100, the first curing element 4 is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller 32. When the toner cartridge 100 is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity of the laser printer, the first curing element 4 is electrically connected to the control system of the laser printer, so that the control system can control the start and stop of the first curing element 4. The first curing element 4 is used to heat and cure the second toner 311, so that the second toner 311 stably and firmly adheres to the paper 10 and the first toner 111. Preferably, the heating temperature of the first curing element 4 is between 60°C and 150°C. By designing the heating temperature of the first curing element 4, the curing effect on the second toner 311 can be effectively ensured, so that the second toner 311 is effectively melted and firmly adheres to the paper 10 to ensure the stability and durability of the imaging pattern, and the paper 10 can also be protected to avoid deformation and scorching of the paper 10 due to high temperature and maintain the printing quality. By providing the first curing element 4 on the toner cartridge 100 and designing the position of the second curing element, the second curing element can timely heat and cure the second toner 311 adsorbed on the first toner 111 to ensure that the second toner 311 firmly adheres to the paper 10, avoid its falling off or displacement during subsequent conveying, and effectively improve the firmness and stability of the imaging image and ensure the thickness printing quality.
[0040] In some embodiments, the toner cartridge 100 further includes a first fusing roller 51. The first fusing roller 51 is installed on the drum frame 21 and / or the second toner bin 31, and along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge 100, the first fusing roller 51 is located between the photosensitive drum 22 and the second developing roller 32. When the toner cartridge 100 is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity of the laser printer, the first fusing roller 51 is electrically connected to the control system of the laser printer, so that the control system can control the start and stop of the first fusing roller 51 and operate according to set parameters (such as controlling the heating temperature of the first fusing roller 51, etc.). Among them, the first fusing roller 51 cooperates with the third fusing roller 53 in the toner cartridge installation cavity of the laser printer to ensure that the first toner 111 firmly adheres to the paper 10, avoid displacement or blurring caused by non-curing during subsequent adsorption or superposition of the second toner 311, and thus improve the accuracy and image clarity of multi-layer printing.
[0041] In summary, through the design of the toner cartridge 100, with the cooperation of the first developing roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 22, the first toner 111 can be accurately transferred onto the surface of the paper 10, and then cured on the paper 10 through the existing conventional curing method, so that the first toner 111 is firmly attached to the paper 10. When the paper 10 is driven by the conveying mechanism of the printer and moves smoothly and accurately to the position where the second developing unit 3 is located, since the first toner 111 contains the first magnetic particles, the magnetic field generated by it can effectively adsorb the second toner 311. After the second toner 311 is adsorbed onto the paper 10 with the first toner 111 attached, it goes through a curing process similar to that of the first toner 111 [such as heat curing (melting the resin)] to firmly attach the second toner 311 to the paper 10. This design realizes thickness printing. Compared with the traditional single-layer toner printing, thickness printing has many significant advantages; in terms of visual effect, thickness printing makes the imaging pattern have a stronger three-dimensional sense and layering, and the image is more vivid and lifelike, greatly improving the quality and ornamental value of the printed matter, especially suitable for scenarios with high requirements for visual effects such as art work printing and advertising material production; in terms of tactile experience, the printed pattern with thickness can bring a unique tactile feeling, increasing the texture and quality sense of the printed matter, and can be applied to the production of Braille, high-end business cards, certificates, etc. In addition, the thickness printing is realized by adopting a dual-developing unit and the magnetic field adsorption of toner, and the structure is relatively simple. There is no need to carry out large-scale transformation on the overall structure of the existing printer, and it is easy to be upgraded and applied on the existing printer products, having good market promotion prospects and economic value.
[0042] First Embodiment of Laser Printer The laser printer includes a body and a toner cartridge. Among them, the laser printer further includes the above-mentioned toner cartridge. The toner cartridge is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity. The toner cartridge is the toner cartridge described in the above toner cartridge embodiment, and the toner cartridge is provided with a first curing element and a first fixing roller; since the toner cartridge is provided with a first curing element and a first fixing roller, in this embodiment, there is no need to set a curing element and a fixing roller (such as the second fixing roller mentioned below) that cooperates with the third fixing roller (provided in the toner cartridge installation cavity) in the toner cartridge installation cavity.
[0043] Second Embodiment of Laser Printer The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment of the laser printer is that in this embodiment: The toner cartridge installation cavity is provided with a second fixing roller, which is electrically connected to the control system of the laser printer, and the second fixing roller cooperates with the third fixing roller provided in the toner cartridge installation cavity to cure the first toner attached to the paper, so as to ensure that the first toner is firmly adsorbed on the paper; along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the second fixing roller is located between the photosensitive drum and the second developing roller. The second toner cartridge is provided with a first curing element. Therefore, in this embodiment, the toner cartridge installation cavity does not need to be provided with a curing element. Similarly, a toner cartridge without a first fixing roller can be used.
[0044] The third embodiment of the laser printer The difference between this embodiment and the second embodiment of the laser printer is that in this embodiment: The toner cartridge installation cavity is further provided with a second curing element, which is electrically connected to the control system of the laser printer; and since the laser printer is provided with a second curing element and a second fixing roller, the first curing element and the first fixing roller do not need to be provided on the toner cartridge in this embodiment. Among them, along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the second curing element is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller, and the second curing element is used to heat and cure the second toner. The heating temperature of the second curing element is between 60°C and 150°C.
[0045] The fourth embodiment of the laser printer The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment of the laser printer is that in this embodiment: The toner cartridge does not have a first curing element, but instead a second curing element is provided in the toner cartridge installation cavity. The second curing element is electrically connected to the control system of the laser printer. Along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the second curing element is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller. The second curing element is used to heat and cure the second toner. The heating temperature of the second curing element is between 60°C and 150°C. Since the second toner cartridge is provided with a first fixing roller, in this embodiment, the toner cartridge installation cavity does not need to be provided with a fixing roller (such as a second fixing roller) that cooperates with the third fixing roller (provided in the toner cartridge installation cavity).
[0046] It can be seen that by designing and configuring the above-mentioned toner cartridge for the laser printer, the laser printer can support two printing modes: conventional printing and thickness printing, realizing diversified printing and meeting different needs of users. Compared with 3D printers, it is more compatible with conventional office printing needs; compared with UV inkjet printing, it has lower usage costs, faster printing speeds, and basically no odor at the imaging area after printing; compared with toner cartridges using foaming developers, the toner cartridge of the present invention has good printing controllability and the thickness of the imaging image can be kept consistent.
[0047] The first embodiment of the printing method of the laser printer The printing method provided in this embodiment is applicable to the laser printer described in the first or second embodiment of the above laser printer. The printing method includes: Obtain a printing instruction, which can be obtained through a client [such as a computer client, a client of a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc.)].
[0048] According to the obtained printing instruction, charge the photosensitive drum. Specifically, control the laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to the printing data sent in the printing instruction to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. At the same time, control the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller onto the electrostatic latent image, and control the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper.
[0049] When the paper is controlled to pass through a fixing element (such as the first fixing roller or the second fixing roller), control the fixing element and the third fixing roller to cure the first toner on the paper so that the first toner firmly adheres to the paper.
[0050] When the paper passes through the second developing roller, the first toner on the paper will adsorb the second toner at the second developing roller onto itself (that is, the second toner is adsorbed onto the first toner). When the paper is controlled to pass through the first curing element, control the first curing element to cure the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner, thereby forming an imaging pattern with a certain thickness (including but not limited to text, graphics, images, etc.).
[0051] After completing the printing job in the current cycle, clean and discharge the photosensitive drum to ensure the imaging quality in the next printing cycle.
[0052] Second Embodiment of the Printing Method of the Laser Printer The printing method provided in this embodiment is applicable to the laser printer described in the third embodiment of the above laser printer. The printing method includes: Obtain a printing instruction, which can be obtained through a client [such as a computer client, a client of a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc.)].
[0053] According to the obtained printing instruction, charge the photosensitive drum. Specifically, control the laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to the printing data sent in the printing instruction to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. At the same time, control the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller onto the electrostatic latent image, and control the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper.
[0054] When the paper is controlled to pass through the second fixing roller, control the second fixing roller and the third fixing roller to cure the first toner on the paper so that the first toner firmly adheres to the paper.
[0055] When the paper passes through the second developing roller, the first toner on the paper adsorbs the second toner at the second developing roller onto itself (i.e., the second toner is adsorbed onto the first toner). When the paper is controlled to pass through the second curing element, the second curing element is controlled to cure the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner, thereby forming an imaging pattern with a certain thickness (including but not limited to characters, graphics, images, etc.).
[0056] After completing the printing job of the current cycle, the photosensitive drum is cleaned and discharged to ensure the imaging quality of the next printing cycle.
[0057] Among them, when printing is performed using the laser printer described in the fourth embodiment of the laser printer, the printing method can refer to the laser printing methods described in the first and second embodiments of the laser printer, so it will not be elaborated here.
[0058] In summary, the image formed by the above printing method can have a certain thickness, meeting the special printing needs of users, such as printing images with thickness like Braille, and improving the applicable range and practicality of the laser printer.
[0059] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. Toner cartridge, including: A first developing unit, the first developing unit comprising a first powder bin and a first developing roller, the first powder bin storing first carbon powder, the first developing roller being rotatably mounted on the first powder bin; A drum unit, the drum unit comprising a drum frame and a photosensitive drum, the drum frame being connected to the first powder bin, the photosensitive drum being rotatably mounted on the drum frame, and the photosensitive drum being contactable with the first developing roller; Characterized in that the toner cartridge also includes: The second developing unit, the drum unit is arranged between the first developing unit and the second developing unit, the second developing unit includes a second powder bin and a second developing roller, the second powder bin is connected to the drum frame, the second powder bin stores second carbon powder, the second developing roller is rotatably mounted on the second powder bin, the first carbon powder includes first magnetic particles, and the second carbon powder can be adsorbed by the magnetic field of the first carbon powder.
2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The particle size of the first carbon powder is between 3 microns and 5 microns; The particle size of the second carbon powder is between 0.05 mm and 0.2 mm.
3. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein: The second carbon powder is ferromagnetic carbon powder or ferrimagnetic carbon powder; or The second carbon powder includes second magnetic particles, and the second magnetic particles have opposite magnetic poles to the first magnetic particles.
4. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first developing unit further comprises a first stirring frame and a first powder discharge knife, wherein the first stirring frame is rotatably mounted in the first powder bin, the first powder discharge knife is mounted on the first powder bin, and the blade of the first powder discharge knife is adjacent to the surface of the first developing roller; The second developing unit further comprises a second stirring frame and a second powder discharge knife, wherein the second stirring frame is rotatably mounted in the second powder bin, the second powder discharge knife is mounted on the second powder bin, and the blade of the second powder discharge knife is adjacent to the surface of the second developing roller; The toner cartridge further comprises a transmission wheel set, and the transmission wheel set is respectively connected to the first developing roller, the second developing roller, the photosensitive drum, the first stirring frame and the second stirring frame.
5. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The toner cartridge further includes a first curing element, which is mounted on the second powder bin and is located at the downstream end of the second developing roller along the paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge. The first curing element is used to heat and cure the second toner.
6. The toner cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that: The toner cartridge further comprises a first fixing roller, which is mounted on the drum frame and / or the second powder bin, and is located between the photosensitive drum and the second developing roller along the paper feeding direction.
7. The toner cartridge according to claim 6, characterized in that: The heating temperature of the first curing element is between 60°C and 150°C.
8. A laser printer, comprising a body, the body having a toner cartridge installation cavity, characterized in that: The laser printer further comprises a toner cartridge as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the toner cartridge is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity.
9. A laser printer comprising a body having a toner cartridge installation cavity, characterized in that: The laser printer further comprises a toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the toner cartridge is installed in the toner cartridge installation cavity, and the toner cartridge installation cavity is provided with: a second curing element, located at a downstream end of the second developing roller along a paper feeding direction of the toner cartridge, the second curing element being used for heating and curing the second toner, the heating temperature of the second curing element being between 60° C. and 150° C.; and / or A second fixing roller is located between the photosensitive drum and the second developing roller along the paper feeding direction.
10. A printing method for a laser printer, characterized in that: The laser printer is the laser printer according to claim 8, and the printing method comprises: charging the photosensitive drum, Controlling the laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to the print data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, controlling the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller to the electrostatic latent image, Controlling the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper, Controlling the paper to pass through a fixing element so that the fixing element solidifies the first toner on the paper, wherein the fixing element is a first fixing roller disposed on the toner cartridge or a second fixing roller disposed in a mounting cavity of the toner cartridge, controlling the paper to pass through the first curing element so that the first curing element cures the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner; or The laser printer is the laser printer according to claim 9, and the printing method comprises: charging the photosensitive drum, Controlling the laser beam to scan the photosensitive drum according to the print data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, controlling the first developing roller and the photosensitive drum to rotate so that the first toner is adsorbed from the first developing roller to the electrostatic latent image, Controlling the paper to pass through the photosensitive drum so that the first toner on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper, controlling the paper to pass through the second fixing roller so that the second fixing roller solidifies the first toner on the paper, The paper is controlled to pass through the second curing element so that the second curing element cures the second toner adsorbed onto the first toner.