Waste toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a waste toner box and an image forming device. The waste toner box comprises a box body, a light guide assembly and a cleaning assembly. The light guide assembly is arranged in the box body and is used for detecting the waste toner amount in the box body. The cleaning assembly comprises a cleaning piece, an elastic piece and a push rod. The cleaning piece is connected with the inner wall of the box body through the elastic piece. The push rod is movably arranged in the box body. When the waste toner box is installed on the main body of the image forming device, the push rod is subjected to the force applied by the main body, so as to push the cleaning piece to move in the direction away from the light guide assembly, thereby cleaning the light guide assembly. When the waste toner box is detached from the main body of the image forming device, the cleaning piece moves in the direction close to the light guide assembly under the elastic action of the elastic piece, so as to clean and shield the light guide assembly. The light guide assembly can be cleaned and shielded through the cleaning assembly, so that the light guide assembly is kept in a clean state, and thus the machine waste toner false alarm problem caused by the weakened light received or emitted by the light guide assembly can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of image forming technology, specifically to a waste toner box and an image forming apparatus containing the waste toner box. Background Technology

[0002] Image forming apparatuses, such as color laser printers, are equipped with waste toner cartridges, which are important components of the image forming apparatus and are mainly used to collect waste toner discharged by the cleaning unit.

[0003] Waste toner cartridges are consumables. When a waste toner cartridge is full, the user needs to replace it. Therefore, waste toner cartridges need to have a toner level detection function. Existing methods for detecting toner level in waste toner cartridges mainly include capacitance detection, structured light detection based on the light guide assembly, and detection based on the number of printed pages. Among these, the structured light detection method mostly uses a sensor to detect the light intensity emitted by the light guide assembly to determine whether the waste toner cartridge is full. The principle of this method is that the sensor converts changes in light intensity into changes in voltage, and then uses the voltage change to determine whether the waste toner cartridge is full.

[0004] However, due to the scattering of waste toner inside the waste toner box, the structured light detection solution using a light guide component is prone to contamination, leading to false alarms when the waste toner box is not full. Furthermore, after the waste toner box is removed, it may be placed upside down or flat, and the accumulated waste toner may contaminate the light guide component. A contaminated light guide component may falsely indicate that the waste toner box is full or about to be full, at which point a new waste toner box must be replaced, resulting in increased production costs and a reduced user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the problems existing in the prior art, the main objective of this application is to provide a waste toner box and an image forming apparatus that can improve the detection accuracy of toner quantity by the light guide component.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application specifically adopts the following technical solution: This application provides a waste toner box, which is detachably mounted on the main body of an image forming apparatus, the waste toner box comprising: The box is used to hold waste powder; A light guide assembly, which is disposed inside the box and is used to detect the amount of waste powder inside the box; A cleaning assembly, comprising a cleaning component, an elastic component, and a push rod, wherein the cleaning component is connected to the inner wall of the box via the elastic component, and the push rod is movably disposed within the box. When the waste toner cartridge is installed on the main body of the image forming apparatus, the main body of the image forming apparatus applies a force to the push rod, causing the push rod to push the cleaning component away from the light guide assembly, thereby cleaning the light guide assembly and compressing the elastic component; when the waste toner cartridge is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the cleaning component moves towards the light guide assembly under the elastic action of the elastic component, thereby cleaning and blocking the light guide assembly.

[0007] In some embodiments, the cleaning component is connected to the top wall of the housing via the elastic member. When the push rod applies a force to the cleaning component, the cleaning component moves toward the top wall of the housing. When the push rod does not apply a force to the cleaning component, the cleaning component moves toward the bottom wall of the housing.

[0008] In some embodiments, the cleaning assembly further includes a positioning post and a swing arm. The positioning post is disposed within the housing and connected to the inner wall of the housing. The swing arm is rotatably connected to the positioning post. The push rod is used to drive the swing arm to rotate, so that the swing arm pushes the cleaning component to move away from the light guide assembly.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cleaning assembly further includes a torsion spring sleeved on the positioning post for resetting the swing arm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the push rod has an inclined portion at one end near the swing rod, and the inclined portion can cooperate and interact with the swing rod. As the push rod moves toward the direction of the pendulum, the inclined portion interacts with the pendulum to push the pendulum to rotate around the positioning post.

[0011] In some embodiments, the box body is provided with a mounting hole, the waste powder box further includes a sealing element, the push rod is movably inserted through the mounting hole, and the sealing element is disposed in the mounting hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the cleaning assembly further includes a guide rail connected to the inner wall of the housing, the guide rail having a guide rail groove, and the cleaning component being able to slide within the guide rail groove.

[0013] In some embodiments, the cleaning component includes a slider and a cleaning sponge, one end of the slider is connected to the elastic element, the other end of the slider is connected to the cleaning sponge, and the slider can cooperate with the guide groove for positioning.

[0014] In some embodiments, the light guide assembly includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, which are spaced apart on the inner wall of the box. Multiple cleaning sponges are provided, and the multiple cleaning sponges are respectively disposed on both sides of the slider. During the movement of the cleaning sponges driven by the slider, the cleaning sponges on both sides of the slider can respectively contact the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element.

[0015] Accordingly, this application also provides an image forming apparatus, including a main body and a waste toner box as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the waste toner box is detachably installed on the main body.

[0016] The waste toner cartridge of this application includes a cartridge body, a light guide assembly, and a cleaning assembly. The cartridge body is used to contain waste toner. The light guide assembly is disposed in the cartridge body and is used to detect the amount of waste toner in the cartridge body. The cleaning assembly includes a cleaning component, an elastic component, and a push rod. The cleaning component is connected to the inner wall of the cartridge body through the elastic component. The push rod is movably disposed in the cartridge body. When the waste toner cartridge is installed on the main body of the image forming apparatus, the main body of the image forming apparatus applies a force to the push rod, causing the push rod to push the cleaning component to move away from the light guide assembly, so as to clean the light guide assembly and compress the elastic component. When the waste toner cartridge is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the cleaning component moves towards the light guide assembly under the elastic action of the elastic component, so as to clean and block the light guide assembly. Compared to existing technologies, this application incorporates a cleaning component, which can clean the waste powder on the surface of the light guide component, keeping the light guide component clean. When the waste powder box is disassembled, the cleaning component can shield the light guide component, thus protecting the light guide component from waste powder contamination when the waste powder box is placed upside down or flat. This solves the problem of false alarms due to weakened light received or emitted by the light guide component. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 A perspective view of an image forming apparatus for a waste powder box in a disassembled state, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the waste powder box in a disassembled state, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 3 A perspective view of an image forming apparatus with a waste powder box in an installed state, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the waste powder box provided in the embodiment of this application in the installed state.

[0021] Figure 5 This is another cross-sectional view of the waste powder box provided in the embodiment of this application in the installed state.

[0022] Figure 6 Another sectional view of the waste powder box in a disassembled state provided in the embodiments of this application. Attached image labels: 1. Box body; 2. Light guide assembly; 21. Light-emitting element; 22. Light-receiving element; 3. Cleaning assembly; 31. Cleaning component; 311. Slider; 312. Cleaning sponge; 32. Elastic component; 33. Push rod; 331. Inclined part; 34. Positioning post; 35. Swing rod; 351. Protruding post; 36. Torsion spring; 361. Connecting part; 362. Limiting part; 37. Guide rail; 38. Sealing component; 100. Image forming apparatus; 101. Main body; 102. Waste toner box. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance; unless otherwise specified or explained, the term "multiple" refers to two or more; the terms "connected," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, an integral connection, or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] In the description of this specification, it should be understood that the directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" used in the embodiments of this application are used to describe the angles shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, in the context, it should also be understood that when it is mentioned that an element is connected "upper" or "lower" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower," or indirectly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower" through an intermediate element.

[0026] Reference Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of this application discloses an image forming apparatus 100, which includes a main body 101 and a waste toner box 102. The waste toner box 102 is detachably mounted on the main body 101. The main body 101 is used to transfer toner onto a recording material (e.g., paper) to form a desired pattern on the recording material. The waste toner box 102 is used to collect waste toner cleaned by a cleaner.

[0027] Reference Figure 2As shown, the waste toner box 102 includes a box body 1, a light guide assembly 2, and a cleaning assembly 3. The box body 1 has a receiving cavity for containing waste toner. The light guide assembly 2 is disposed inside the box body 1 and connected to the side wall of the receiving cavity, and is used to detect the amount of waste toner inside the box body 1. The cleaning assembly 3 is disposed inside the box body 1, and is used to clean the light guide assembly 2 and to block the light guide assembly 2 when the waste toner box 102 is in the disassembled state.

[0028] When the waste toner cartridge 102 is installed on the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the cleaning component 3 moves relative to the light guide component 2 under the force applied by the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 to clean the light guide component 2; when the waste toner cartridge 102 is removed from the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 no longer applies a force to the cleaning component 3. At this time, the cleaning component 3 moves relative to the light guide component 2 under its own elastic force to clean the light guide component 2 and block the light guide component 2.

[0029] This application includes a cleaning component 3, which can clean the waste powder on the surface of the light guide component 2, keeping the light guide component 2 clean. When the waste powder box 102 is in the disassembled state, the cleaning component 3 can block the light guide component 2, thus protecting the light guide component 2 from waste powder contamination when the waste powder box 102 is placed upside down or flat. This solves the problem of false alarms due to weakened light received or emitted by the light guide component 2.

[0030] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the light guide assembly 2 includes a light-emitting element 21 and a light-receiving element 22. The light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 are spaced apart on the inner wall of the housing 1 and located at the upper part of the housing 1. The light-emitting element 21 is used to emit light signals, and the light-receiving element 22 is used to receive the light signals emitted by the light-emitting element 21. When there is little waste powder in the housing 1 and it has not reached the position of the light guide assembly 2, the light-receiving element 22 receives a strong light signal emitted by the light-emitting element 21. When the external sensor detects that the light-receiving element 22 receives a strong light signal, it is determined that the housing 1 is not full of waste powder. When there is a lot of waste powder in the housing 1 and it has partially or completely covered the light guide assembly 2, the light-receiving element 22 receives a weak light signal emitted by the light-emitting element 21 or cannot receive the light signal emitted by the light-emitting element 21. When the external sensor detects that the light-receiving element 22 receives a weak light signal or cannot receive the light signal, it is determined that the housing 1 is full of waste powder.

[0031] Simultaneously refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the cleaning assembly 3 includes a cleaning component 31, an elastic component 32, and a push rod 33. The cleaning component 31 is connected to the inner wall of the housing 1 through the elastic component 32, and the cleaning component 31 can move along the length extension direction of the elastic component 32. The elastic component 32 can be configured as a compression spring. The push rod 33 is movably disposed in the housing 1 and is used to push the cleaning component 31 to move along the length extension direction of the elastic component 32. When the waste toner cartridge 102 is installed on the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 applies a force to the push rod 33, causing the push rod 33 to push the cleaning member 31 away from the light guide assembly 2, so as to clean the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 and compress the elastic member 32. At this time, there is no obstruction between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, and the light guide assembly 2 can work normally. When the waste toner cartridge 102 is removed from the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the cleaning member 31 moves towards the light guide assembly 2 under the action of the elastic member 32, so as to clean and block the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cleaning component 31 is connected to the top wall of the box 1 via the elastic member 32. When the push rod 33 applies a force to the cleaning component 31, the cleaning component 31 moves toward the top wall of the box. When the push rod 33 does not apply a force to the cleaning component 31, the cleaning component 31 moves toward the bottom wall of the box. It is understood that in other embodiments, the cleaning component 31 may also be connected to other side walls of the box 1.

[0033] Continue to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the cleaning assembly 3 also includes a positioning post 34, a swing rod 35, and a torsion spring 36. The positioning post 34 is disposed inside the housing 1 and connected to the inner wall of the housing 1. The swing rod 35 is rotatably connected to the positioning post 34, allowing the swing rod 35 to rotate around the positioning post 34. The swing rod 35 can interact with the cleaning component 31 under the action of the push rod 33. The torsion spring 36 is sleeved on the positioning post 34 and abuts against the swing rod 35. The elastic deformation of the torsion spring 36 when the waste powder box 102 is in the installed state is greater than the elastic deformation of the torsion spring 36 when the waste powder box 102 is in the disassembled state. The torsion spring 36 is used to reset the swing rod 35. When the waste toner cartridge 102 is installed on the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 applies a force to the push rod 33, causing the push rod 33 to move towards the swing rod 35 to push the swing rod 35 to rotate. During the rotation of the swing rod 35, it pushes the cleaning component 31 towards the top wall of the cartridge 1. As the cleaning component 31 moves towards the top wall of the cartridge 1, it rubs against the light guide assembly 2 to clean the light guide assembly 2. When the waste toner cartridge 102 is removed from the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the push rod... When the image forming apparatus 100 no longer exerts a force on the cleaning element 31, the swing arm 35 rotates in the opposite direction under the elastic action of the torsion spring 36 and no longer exerts a force on the cleaning element 31. The cleaning element 31 moves toward the bottom wall of the housing 1 under the elastic action of the elastic element 32. During the process of the cleaning element 31 moving toward the bottom wall of the housing 1, the cleaning element 31 rubs against the light guide assembly 2 to clean the light guide assembly 2. At the same time, when the cleaning element 31 no longer moves downward, the cleaning element 31 is located between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, which can just block the light guide assembly 2.

[0034] Reference Figure 5 The torsion spring 36 includes a connecting portion 361 and a limiting portion 362. The connecting portion 361 is sleeved on the positioning post 34, and the limiting portion 362 is connected to the connecting portion 361. The swing arm 35 includes a protrusion 351, which abuts against the limiting portion 362. When the push rod 33 moves toward the swing arm 35 and pushes the swing arm 35 to rotate counterclockwise, the protrusion 351 rotates counterclockwise with the swing arm 35 and applies pressure to the limiting portion 362, causing the torsion spring 36 to deform. At the same time, the swing arm 35 also pushes the cleaning component 31 toward the top of the housing to clean the light guide assembly 2. (Refer to...) Figure 6 As shown, when the push rod 33 does not apply force to the swing rod 35, the swing rod 35 rotates clockwise under the elastic force of the torsion spring 36, while the cleaning component 31 moves towards the bottom of the box under the elastic force of the elastic component 32, so as to clean and block the light guide component 2.

[0035] In order to correctly guide the movement direction of the cleaning component 31, the cleaning component 3 also includes a guide rail 37, which is connected to the inner wall of the housing 1 and has a guide rail groove, so that the cleaning component 31 can slide in the guide rail groove.

[0036] In some embodiments, the cleaning component 31 includes a slider 311 and a plurality of cleaning sponges 312. The slider 311 can be engaged with the guide groove of the guide rail 37 for positioning, and one end of the slider 311 is connected to an elastic member 32, which is connected to the top wall of the housing 1. The plurality of cleaning sponges 312 are respectively connected to the end of the slider 311 away from the elastic member 32, and the plurality of cleaning sponges 312 are respectively located on both sides of the slider 311. During the movement of the slider 311 and the cleaning sponges 312, the cleaning sponges 312 on both sides of the slider 311 can respectively contact the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 to clean the surfaces of the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22.

[0037] In some embodiments, the waste powder box 102 further includes a sealing element 38, which may be a sealing sponge. A mounting hole is provided on the side wall of the box body 1, through which the push rod 33 is movably inserted. The sealing element 38 is disposed in the mounting hole to seal the gap between the push rod 33 and the mounting hole. In this embodiment, the sealing element 38 prevents waste powder from leaking out of the box body 1 when the push rod 33 moves.

[0038] Referring again to Figure 6, the push rod 33 has an inclined portion 331 at one end near the swing rod 35. When the push rod 33 moves toward the swing rod 35, the inclined portion 331 interacts with the swing rod 35, pushing the swing rod 35 to rotate counterclockwise around the positioning post 34. This, in turn, pushes the cleaning component 31 toward the top wall of the housing 1, thus cleaning the light guide assembly 2. When the push rod 33 is not subjected to a force applied by the main body of the image forming apparatus, the swing rod 35 rotates clockwise around the positioning post 34.

[0039] In some embodiments, the rocker arm 35 includes a locking portion, and the slider 311 includes a locked portion, wherein the locked portion of the slider 311 can engage with the locking portion of the rocker arm 35 for limiting.

[0040] When the waste toner box 102 is removed from the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the push rod 33 is no longer subjected to the force applied by the main body of the image forming apparatus. At this time, the swing rod 35 rotates toward the push rod 33 under the elastic action of the torsion spring 36 and no longer applies force to the cleaning member 31. At the same time, the elastic member 32 applies a downward force to the slider 311 under its own elastic force, causing the slider 311 to move downward along the guide groove of the guide rail 37. This allows the cleaning sponges 312 attached to both sides of the slider 311 to clean the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 once respectively. Under the action of the elastic member 32, the slider 311 remains between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, blocking the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22. When the waste toner box 102 is installed on the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the main body 101 pushes the push rod 33 to move into the box body 1, causing the push rod 33 to push the swing rod 35 to swing around the positioning post 34. During the upward swing of the swing rod 35, a force is applied to the torsion spring 36, causing the torsion spring 36 to undergo elastic deformation. At the same time, the swing rod 35 pushes the slider 311 to move upward along the guide groove, so that the cleaning sponges 312 attached to both sides of the slider 311 can clean the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 again. At the same time, the cleaning sponges 312 no longer block the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, and the light guide assembly 2 can work normally.

[0041] In this embodiment, the cleaning component 31 can move up and down to repeatedly clean the light guide assembly 2. When the waste toner box 102 is in the disassembled state, the cleaning sponge 312 blocks the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, thereby protecting the light guide assembly 2 from waste toner contamination when the waste toner box 102 is placed upside down or flat. That is, the user can place the waste toner box at will without contaminating the light guide assembly 2 with waste toner, thus ensuring the intensity of the light emitted by the light guide assembly 2 and avoiding false alarms about the amount of waste toner caused by the light guide assembly 2 being contaminated with waste toner. If the image forming apparatus 100 makes a false alarm due to the waste toner contamination of the light guide assembly 2, the user can remove the waste toner box 102 and reinstall it. At this time, the light guide assembly 2 has completed one cleaning. After reinstallation, the image forming apparatus 100 will eliminate the false alarm. If the image forming apparatus 100 still detects that the waste toner is full, then it means that the waste toner is indeed full.

[0042] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A waste toner box, detachably mounted on the main body of an image forming apparatus, characterized in that, The waste powder box includes: The box is used to hold waste powder; A light guide assembly, which is disposed inside the box and is used to detect the amount of waste powder inside the box; A cleaning assembly, comprising a cleaning component, an elastic component, and a push rod, wherein the cleaning component is connected to the inner wall of the box via the elastic component, and the push rod is movably disposed within the box. When the waste toner cartridge is installed on the main body of the image forming apparatus, the main body of the image forming apparatus applies a force to the push rod, causing the push rod to push the cleaning component away from the light guide assembly, thereby cleaning the light guide assembly and compressing the elastic component; when the waste toner cartridge is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the cleaning component moves towards the light guide assembly under the elastic action of the elastic component, thereby cleaning and blocking the light guide assembly.

2. The waste powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning component is connected to the top wall of the box via the elastic element. When the push rod applies force to the cleaning component, the cleaning component moves toward the top wall of the box. When the push rod does not apply force to the cleaning component, the cleaning component moves toward the bottom wall of the box.

3. The waste powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning component further includes a positioning post and a swing arm. The positioning post is disposed inside the housing and connected to the inner wall of the housing. The swing arm is rotatably connected to the positioning post. The push rod is used to drive the swing arm to rotate so that the swing arm pushes the cleaning component to move away from the light guide component.

4. The waste powder box according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly also includes a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the positioning post to reset the swing arm.

5. The waste powder box according to claim 3, characterized in that, The push rod has an inclined portion at one end near the swing rod, and the inclined portion can cooperate and interact with the swing rod. As the push rod moves toward the direction of the pendulum, the inclined portion interacts with the pendulum to push the pendulum to rotate around the positioning post.

6. The waste powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The box body is provided with a mounting hole, the waste powder box also includes a sealing element, the push rod is movably inserted through the mounting hole, and the sealing element is disposed in the mounting hole.

7. The waste powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning component also includes a guide rail, which is connected to the inner wall of the housing. The guide rail has a guide rail groove, and the cleaning component can slide within the guide rail groove.

8. The waste powder box according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cleaning component includes a slider and a cleaning sponge. One end of the slider is connected to the elastic element, and the other end of the slider is connected to the cleaning sponge. The slider can cooperate with the guide groove for positioning.

9. The waste powder box according to claim 8, characterized in that, The light guide assembly includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, which are spaced apart on the inner wall of the box. Multiple cleaning sponges are provided, and the multiple cleaning sponges are respectively disposed on both sides of the slider. During the movement of the cleaning sponges driven by the slider, the cleaning sponges on both sides of the slider can respectively contact the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element.

10. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a main body and a waste powder box as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the waste powder box is detachably installed on the main body.

Images