Powder box and image forming equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a powder box and image forming equipment, relates to the technical field of image forming equipment, and aims at solving the technical problem that a first conductive contact of a chip is abraded in the powder box disassembly and assembly process. Part of the first positioning structure protrudes out of the first conductive contact in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip. In the process that the powder box is inserted into the main body of the image forming equipment, the first positioning structure abuts against the inner wall of the main body, and an isolation gap is formed between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body. When the first positioning structure is installed in place, under the action of the first elastic piece, the chip support is close to the inner wall of the main body, and the isolation gap can be eliminated, so that the first conductive contact is electrically connected with a second conductive contact of the image forming equipment. The image forming apparatus provided by the present application forms an image on a medium by an imaging technique.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of image forming devices, and particularly to a toner cartridge and an image forming device. Background Art

[0002] An image forming device is a device that forms an image on a medium through imaging processing technology. For example, printers, copiers, etc. An image forming device includes a main body and at least one toner cartridge. A printing component is provided in the main body. The toner cartridge includes a chip that is electrically connected to the printing component. When the toner cartridge is inserted into the main body and installed in place, the chip is electrically connected to the printing component and can provide toner for printing to the printing component.

[0003] Exemplarily, the chip has a first conductive contact, and the printing component includes a second conductive contact that is electrically connected to the first conductive contact. After the toner cartridge is installed in place, the first conductive contact is electrically connected to the second conductive contact, so that the toner cartridge is electrically connected to the printing component and signal transmission is performed. However, after the toner cartridge is used for a long time, a new toner cartridge needs to be replaced; during the disassembly and assembly of the toner cartridge (when the toner cartridge is inserted into the main body or the toner cartridge is removed from the main body), the first conductive contact is worn, and when the wear is severe, it affects the electrical connection reliability between the printing component and the chip. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a toner cartridge and an image forming device, which can avoid wear of the conductive contacts of the toner cartridge during the disassembly and assembly of the toner cartridge, and improve the electrical connection reliability between the printing component and the chip.

[0005] To achieve the above object, embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect of embodiments of the present application, a toner cartridge is provided, which is inserted into the main body of an image forming device along a first direction; the toner cartridge includes a housing, a chip holder, a chip, and an elastic member; the chip holder is slidably mounted at an end of the housing along a second direction, the elastic member is disposed between the chip holder and the housing, and under the action of the elastic member, the chip holder can reciprocally slide relative to the housing; the chip holder is used for mounting the chip, and the chip includes a first conductive contact; the chip holder is provided with a first positioning structure, and a part of the first positioning structure protrudes from the first conductive contact along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip; during the insertion process of the toner cartridge, when the first positioning structure is configured to abut against the inner wall of the main body, there is an isolation gap between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip; and after the first positioning structure is installed in place, the first conductive contact is electrically connected to a second conductive contact of the image forming device.

[0007] Compared with the related art, the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application has the following advantages:

[0008] In the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application, a first positioning structure is provided on its chip holder, and part of the first positioning structure protrudes from the first conductive contact along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip.

[0009] During the process of inserting the toner cartridge into the main body of the image forming apparatus, the first positioning structure abuts against the inner wall of the main body and overcomes the elastic force of the first elastic member, so that the chip holder moves away from the inner wall of the main body, and then an isolation gap is formed between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body. When the first positioning structure is installed in place, under the action of the first elastic member, the chip holder approaches the inner wall of the main body, and the above isolation gap can be eliminated, so that the first conductive contact is electrically connected to the second conductive contact of the image forming apparatus.

[0010] In the related art, the first conductive contact of the chip is located on the outermost side of the entire chip holder. During the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge, the first conductive contact of the chip and the second conductive contact of the image forming apparatus move relative to each other and there is friction, or the first conductive contact rubs against other structures in the main body. Therefore, the first conductive contact of the chip is severely worn, affecting the electrical connection reliability between the first conductive contact and the second conductive contact, that is, affecting the electrical connection reliability between the printing component and the chip.

[0011] However, in the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application, a first positioning structure is provided on the chip holder. During the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge, the first positioning structure abuts against the inner wall of the main body, and an isolation gap can be formed between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body. This isolation gap can prevent the first conductive contact from contacting the inner wall of the main body and other structures in the main body during the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge, reducing the risk of wear of the first conductive contact and improving the electrical connection reliability between the printing component and the chip.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the chip holder further includes a body; the first positioning structure is disposed on the body, and part of the first positioning structure is located in front of the first conductive contact along a first direction.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the first positioning structure includes at least two positioning protrusions, and the two positioning protrusions are respectively located on both sides of the chip along a third direction; the end of the positioning protrusion protrudes from the first conductive contact along a second direction.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the body includes a central area and a peripheral area surrounding the central area; the chip is located in the central area, and the two positioning protrusions are located in the peripheral area and are oppositely arranged.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the housing includes an end cap, and the end cap is detachably mounted at an end of the housing; the chip holder is slidably mounted on the end cap, and a sliding direction of the chip holder is perpendicular to an insertion direction of the toner cartridge; the elastic member is disposed between the end cap and the chip holder, and a deformation direction of the elastic member is parallel to the sliding direction of the chip holder.

[0016] In a possible implementation, along a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the chip holder, slideways are respectively disposed on two sides of the end cap; the chip holder is provided with guiding sliders that cooperate with the slideways, and the chip holder is slidably mounted in the slideways through the guiding sliders.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first positioning structure further includes a first positioning plane; along the insertion direction of the toner cartridge, the first positioning plane is located on two sides of the positioning protrusion; the first positioning plane is configured such that when the first positioning structure is installed in place, the first positioning plane is in contact with a partial inner wall of the main body.

[0018] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an image forming apparatus, which includes a main body and at least one toner cartridge as described in the first aspect; the main body has an installation cavity for accommodating the toner cartridge, a second conductive contact and a second positioning structure are disposed in the installation cavity, and the second positioning structure cooperates with the first positioning structure of the toner cartridge; when the toner cartridge is inserted into the installation cavity, the second positioning structure and the first positioning structure are combined to position the toner cartridge, and the second conductive contact is in contact with and electrically connected to the first conductive contact.

[0019] It should be noted that for the advantages of the image forming apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to the advantages of the toner cartridge described in the first aspect, and details are not described herein again.

[0020] In a possible implementation, a partial inner wall of the installation cavity is configured as a conductive portion; the second positioning structure and the second conductive contact are located on the conductive portion, wherein the second positioning structure includes a positioning groove, and the positioning groove is located at an edge of the conductive portion; the positioning groove cooperates with the positioning protrusion of the first positioning structure and accommodates the positioning protrusion.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the conductive portion is further provided with a guiding surface, and the guiding surface is located on one side of the positioning groove along the insertion direction of the toner cartridge; the guiding surface is configured as an inclined surface, and the guiding surface is configured such that during the disassembly and assembly of the toner cartridge, it contacts the positioning protrusion prior to the positioning groove, and when the positioning protrusion slides on its surface, it can deform the elastic member of the toner cartridge.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the second positioning structure further includes a second positioning plane; the second positioning plane is configured such that when the positioning protrusion is inserted into the positioning groove, the second positioning plane fits against the first positioning plane of the first positioning structure, and the first conductive contact comes into contact with the second conductive contact.

[0023] In addition to the technical problems solved by the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the technical features constituting the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects brought about by these technical features of the technical solutions, the other technical problems that can be solved by the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the other technical features included in the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects brought about by these technical features will be further described in detail in the specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an enlarged schematic view of part A in

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic end view of the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the chip holder in the extended state provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the chip holder in the retracted state provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the conductive part of the image forming apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process of inserting the toner cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present application into the main body;

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the toner cartridge installed in place provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Description of the reference numerals:

[0034] 10 - housing;

[0035] 11 - End cap; 111 - Slideway;

[0036] 20 - Chip bracket;

[0037] 21 - Body; 22 - First positioning structure; 221 - Positioning protrusion; 222 - First positioning plane;

[0038] 30 - Chip;

[0039] 31 - First conductive contact;

[0040] 40 - Elastic member;

[0041] 100 - Toner cartridge;

[0042] 200 - Image forming apparatus;

[0043] 210 - Main body; 220 - Conductive part; 230 - Second conductive contact; 240 - Second positioning structure; 241 - Positioning groove; 242 - Second positioning plane. Detailed implementation manners

[0044] As described in the background art, in the image forming apparatus in the related art, there is a technical problem that the first conductive contact of the chip is worn during the disassembly and assembly of the toner cartridge, which affects the reliability of the electrical connection between the printing component and the chip. After research by the inventor, it is found that the reason for this problem is that:

[0045] The first conductive contact of the chip is located on the outermost side of the entire chip bracket. During the disassembly and assembly of the toner cartridge, the first conductive contact of the chip moves relative to and rubs against the second conductive contact of the image forming apparatus, or the first conductive contact rubs against other structures in the main body. Therefore, the first conductive contact of the chip is severely worn, affecting the reliability of the electrical connection between the first conductive contact and the second conductive contact, that is, affecting the reliability of the electrical connection between the printing component and the chip.

[0046] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a toner cartridge. By providing a first positioning structure on its chip bracket, a part of the first positioning structure protrudes from the first conductive contact in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip. During the insertion of the toner cartridge into the main body of the image forming apparatus, the first positioning structure abuts against the inner wall of the main body and overcomes the elastic force of the first elastic member, so that the chip bracket moves away from the inner wall of the main body, thereby forming an isolation gap between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body. When the first positioning structure is installed in place, under the action of the first elastic member, the chip bracket approaches the inner wall of the main body, and the above isolation gap can be eliminated, so that the first conductive contact is electrically connected to the second conductive contact of the image forming apparatus.

[0047] With such a setting, during the installation process of the toner cartridge, an isolation gap is formed between the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body. This isolation gap can prevent the first conductive contact from contacting the inner wall of the main body and other structures inside the main body during the disassembly and assembly process, reduce the risk of wear of the first conductive contact, and improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the printing component and the chip.

[0048] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more obvious and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0049] To facilitate the description of the embodiments of the present application, the coordinate system in the accompanying drawings is first explained. Among them, the X-axis direction is the first direction, the first direction is the installation direction of the toner cartridge, and can also be regarded as the front-back direction of the toner cartridge; the Y-axis direction is the second direction, the second direction is the left-right direction of the toner cartridge, and can also be regarded as the sliding direction of the chip holder; the Z-axis direction is the third direction, and the third direction is the up-down direction of the toner cartridge.

[0050] The image forming apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application may be one of a printer, a copier, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The image forming apparatus includes a toner cartridge group, a main body (not shown in the figure), and a printing component. The toner cartridge group may include at least one toner cartridge, and the toner cartridge stores toner and is used to provide toner to the printing component. Since the toner cartridge needs to be replaced after long-term use, the toner cartridge can be detachably installed in the main body.

[0051] The main body is provided with an installation cavity, and the printing component is arranged in the installation cavity. The printing component includes a second conductive contact electrically connected to each toner cartridge, and the second conductive contact may be a conductive elastic piece. The toner cartridge is provided with a chip, and the chip has a plurality of first conductive contacts. When the toner cartridge is inserted into the installation cavity, the first conductive contact contacts and is electrically connected to the second conductive contact, so that the printing component communicates with the chip of the toner cartridge.

[0052] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the toner cartridge 100 provided in the embodiments of the present application includes a housing 10, a chip 30, a chip holder 20, and an elastic member 40. The chip holder 20 is used to install the chip 30. The chip holder 20 is slidably installed at the end of the housing 10, and the sliding direction of the chip holder 20 relative to the housing 10 is perpendicular to the installation direction of the toner cartridge 100. The elastic member 40 is arranged between the chip holders 20, and the elastic member 40 is used to provide an elastic force to the chip holder 20, so that the chip holder 20 reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the installation direction of the toner cartridge 100.

[0053] Exemplarily, as Figure 4 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the housing 10 includes an end cap 11, and the end cap 11 is detachably installed at the end of the housing 10. The chip holder 20 is slidably installed on the end cap 11. The elastic member 40 can be a helical spring. The elastic member 40 is disposed between the chip holder 20 and the end cap 11, and the deformation direction of the elastic member 40 is parallel to the sliding direction of the chip holder 20. When the elastic member 40 deforms, it can drive the chip holder 20 to reciprocate relative to the end cap 11.

[0054] For example, along the first direction, slideways 111 are respectively disposed on both side surfaces of the end cap 11. The slideways 111 can be chutes formed by partial recesses on the side surfaces. The chip holder 20 is provided with guiding sliders that cooperate with the chutes, and the chip holder 20 is embedded into the chutes through the guiding sliders. Under the action of the elastic member 40, the chip holder 20 moves along the slideways 111. It should be noted that the chip holder 20 slides along the second direction, the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 100 is the same as the first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0055] In the embodiment of the present application, the chip holder 20 is further provided with a first positioning structure 22, and the first positioning structure 22 is located on the surface of the inner wall of the chip holder 20 facing the main body 210. At least a part of the first positioning structure 22 protrudes from the first conductive contact 31 of the chip 30 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip 30.

[0056] It can be understood that if the chip 30 is horizontally installed on the chip holder 20 and the direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip 30 is the same as the second direction, then a part of the first positioning structure 22 protrudes from the surface of the chip 30 along the second direction and simultaneously protrudes from the first conductive contact 31. Unless otherwise specified hereinafter, in the embodiment of the present application, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip 30 is the same as the second direction, and the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge 100 will be described.

[0057] As Figure 5 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, the first positioning structure 22 of the toner cartridge 100 abuts against the inner wall of the main body 210 and can overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 40, so that the chip holder 20 moves away from the inner wall of the main body 210 to ensure smooth insertion of the toner cartridge 100. At the same time, an isolation gap is formed between the first conductive contact 31 and the inner wall of the main body 210 along the second direction. Correspondingly, the surface of the chip holder 20 where the chip 30 is located is kept at an isolation gap from the inner wall of the main body 210 along the second direction.

[0058] With such a setting, during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, the first conductive contact 31 is located within the isolation gap, which can prevent the first conductive contact 31 from contacting and rubbing against the second conductive contact 230 during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, or prevent it from contacting and rubbing against other structures within the main body 210.

[0059] After the first positioning structure 22 is installed in place, the above-mentioned isolation gap can be eliminated to electrically connect the first conductive contact 31 and the second conductive contact 230. Exemplarily, a second positioning structure 240 is provided in the installation cavity of the main body 210, and the second positioning structure 240 can accommodate the first positioning structure 22.

[0060] For example, the second positioning structure 240 is configured as a recess provided on the inner wall of the main body 210, and when the second positioning structure 240 can accommodate the first positioning structure 22. After the first positioning structure 22 moves into place, under the action of the restoring force of the elastic member 40, the first positioning structure 22 can be embedded into the second positioning structure 240, so that the chip holder 20 moves towards the position where the second conductive contact 230 is located, and further the first conductive contact 31 is electrically connected to the second conductive contact 230.

[0061] For the process of removing the toner cartridge 100 from the main body 210, reference can be made to the description of the process of inserting the toner cartridge 100 into the main body 210. The changes of the elastic member 40 are opposite in the two processes, and the pulling force applied to the toner cartridge 100 can ensure that the first positioning structure 22 is disengaged from the second positioning structure 240, or operate on the elastic member 40 to release the locked state between the first positioning structure 22 and the second positioning structure 240, which will not be elaborated here.

[0062] Compared with the solution in the related art where the first conductive contact of the chip is located on the outermost side of the entire chip holder, during the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge, the first conductive contact of the chip moves relative to the second conductive contact of the image forming device and there is friction, or the first conductive contact rubs against other structures within the main body, resulting in serious wear of the first conductive contact of the chip and affecting the electrical connection reliability between the first conductive contact and the second conductive contact, that is, affecting the electrical connection reliability between the printing assembly and the chip.

[0063] However, for the toner cartridge 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application, by providing the first positioning structure 22 on the chip holder 20, during the disassembly and assembly process of the toner cartridge 100, the first positioning structure 22 abuts against the inner wall of the main body 210, and an isolation gap can be formed between the first conductive contact 31 and the inner wall of the main body 210. This isolation gap can prevent the first conductive contact 31 from contacting the inner wall of the main body 210 and other structures within the main body 210 during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, reduce the risk of wear of the first conductive contact 31, and improve the electrical connection reliability between the printing assembly and the chip 30.

[0064] Refer toFigure 2 and Figure 3 For the chip bracket 20 provided in the embodiment of the present application, it includes a body 21. The body 21 is arranged in a regular plate-like structure. For example, the body 21 is arranged in a rectangular plate-like structure. The body 21 is slidably connected to the end cover 11 of the housing 10. Along the second direction, the outer surface of the body 21 facing the inner wall of the main body 210 is configured as a bearing surface. The chip 30 and the first positioning structure 22 are arranged on the bearing surface. Among them, along the first direction, part of the first positioning structure 22 is located on the front side of the chip 30, that is, part of the first positioning structure 22 is located on the front side of the first conductive contact 31.

[0065] With such a setting, during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, the first positioning structure 22 contacts the inner wall of the main body 210 before the chip 30, which can avoid the contact and friction between the first conductive contact 31 of the chip 30 and the second conductive contact 230 or other components in the main body 210 in special cases (such as when the toner cartridge 100 is inserted obliquely).

[0066] Furthermore, the first positioning structure 22 provided in the embodiment of the present application at least includes two positioning protrusions 221. The two positioning protrusions 221 are respectively located on both sides of the chip 30 along the third direction, that is, the two positioning protrusions 221 are respectively arranged on the top edge and the bottom edge of the body 21. With such a setting, it can be avoided that the positioning protrusion 221 is opposite to the first conductive contact 31 along the first direction, interfering with the electrical connection between the first conductive contact 31 and the second conductive contact 230.

[0067] It should be noted that one end of the positioning protrusion 221 in the embodiment of the present application is connected to the bearing surface of the body 21, and the other end of the positioning protrusion 221 protrudes from the first conductive contact 31 along the second direction. For example, the chip bracket 20 includes a central area and a peripheral area. The peripheral area surrounds the central area. The chip 30 is arranged in the central area. The above two positioning protrusions 221 are arranged in the peripheral area, and the two positioning protrusions 221 can be arranged opposite to each other or staggeredly along the third direction. Of course, according to needs, three or more positioning protrusions 221 can be arranged on the bearing surface, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0068] Furthermore, the first positioning structure 22 further includes a first positioning plane 222. Along the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 100, the first positioning plane 222 is located on both sides of the positioning protrusion 221; the first positioning plane 222 is configured to be in contact with a part of the inner wall of the main body 210 when the first positioning structure 22 is installed in place.

[0069] Specifically, positioning protrusions 221 are respectively provided at the top edge and the bottom edge of the body 21, and the two positioning protrusions 221 are centrally arranged on the edge of the body 21. Taking the top edge of the body 21 as an example, along the first direction, first positioning planes 222 are respectively provided on both sides of the positioning protrusion 221. The end of the positioning protrusion 221 protrudes from the first positioning plane 222 along the second direction, and the first positioning plane 222 protrudes from the surface of the first conductive contact 31 along the second direction.

[0070] For example, a convex-shaped step is provided at the top edge of the body 21. The middle protruding part is configured as the positioning protrusion 221, and the surfaces of the two side edge parts are configured as the first positioning planes 222. The cross-sectional shape of the middle part is not limited. It should be noted that the first positioning plane 222 and the positioning protrusion 221 provided at the bottom edge of the body 21 are symmetric structures with those provided at the top edge, and will not be elaborated here.

[0071] When the toner cartridge 100 is installed in place, the first positioning structure 22 (positioning protrusion 221) can be embedded in the second positioning structure 240 of the main body 210, so that the first positioning plane 222 fits against a part of the inner wall of the main body 210, ensuring that the chip bracket 20 abuts against the inner wall of the main body 210, avoiding gaps between the two, and making their combination more stable; at the same time, the first conductive contact 31 is connected to the second conductive contact 230, improving the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0072] As Figure 5 shown, based on the above toner cartridge 100, in the image forming apparatus 200 provided by the embodiment of the present application, a conductive part 220 corresponding to each toner cartridge 100 is provided in the installation cavity, and the above-mentioned second conductive contact 230 and second positioning structure 240 are respectively provided on the conductive part 220.

[0073] The conductive part 220 is configured as a protruding structure formed on the inner wall of a part of the main body 210. The conductive part 220 includes a mounting surface, and its mounting surface is arranged opposite to the chip bracket 20 along the second direction. The second conductive contact 230 and the second positioning structure 240 are respectively provided on the mounting surface. Correspondingly, the second conductive contact 230 is provided in the central area of the mounting surface, the second positioning structure 240 is provided in the edge area of the mounting surface, and the second positioning structure 240 is arranged in cooperation with the first positioning structure 22, and the second conductive contact 230 is arranged in cooperation with the first conductive contact 31.

[0074] Specifically, the second positioning structure 240 includes positioning grooves 241. Along the third direction, a positioning groove 241 is provided at the top edge and the bottom edge of the conductive part 220 respectively. The positioning groove 241 cooperates with the positioning protrusion 221 of the first positioning structure 22. After the toner cartridge 100 is installed in place, the positioning protrusion 221 of the chip holder 20 can be embedded into the positioning groove 241 to lock the position of the toner cartridge 100.

[0075] Further, second positioning planes 242 are respectively provided at the top edge and the bottom edge of the conductive part 220. Taking the top edge of the conductive part 220 as an example, along the first direction, a second positioning plane 242 is provided on each side of the positioning groove 241 at the top edge of the conductive part 220, and the second positioning plane 242 extends along the first direction.

[0076] For example, the top edge of the conductive part 220 can be provided with a concave-shaped stepped structure, where the middle part is configured as the positioning groove 241, and the two side parts are configured as the second positioning planes 242; it should be noted that the second positioning planes 242 and the positioning groove 241 provided at the bottom edge of the conductive part 220 are symmetric structures with those provided at the top edge, which will not be elaborated here.

[0077] When the toner cartridge 100 is installed in place, the positioning protrusion 221 can be embedded into the positioning groove 241, and the first positioning plane 222 is in contact with the second positioning plane 242, so as to ensure that the chip holder 20 abuts against the inner wall of the main body 210, avoid gaps between the two, and make the combination of the two more stable; at the same time, the first conductive contact 31 is connected to the second conductive contact 230, improving the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0078] Based on the above embodiments, the conductive part 220 provided in the embodiments of the present application further includes a guiding surface, and the guiding surface is located on one side of the positioning groove 241 along the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 100. For example, the guiding surface is located on the front side of the second positioning plane 242.

[0079] The guiding surface is configured as an inclined surface, and the guiding surface is configured to contact the positioning protrusion 221 of the chip holder 20 prior to the second positioning plane 242 during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100, so that when the positioning protrusion 221 slides on the surface of the guiding surface, the acting force generated between the two can deform the elastic member 40. With such a setting, in the moving path of the chip holder 20 in the embodiments of the present application, the main body 210 is provided with a guiding inclined surface, which can avoid jamming during the insertion process of the toner cartridge 100 and ensure smooth insertion of the toner cartridge 100.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A powder box, which is inserted into a main body of an image forming device along a first direction; characterized in that: The powder box comprises a shell, a chip bracket, a chip and an elastic member; The chip holder is slidably mounted on the end of the housing along the second direction, the elastic member is arranged between the chip holder and the housing, and under the action of the elastic member, the chip holder can reciprocate relative to the housing; The chip holder is used to mount the chip, and the chip includes a first conductive contact; the chip holder is provided with a first positioning structure, and part of the first positioning structure is protruded from the first conductive contact in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip; During the insertion process of the powder box, the first positioning structure is configured so that when it abuts against the inner wall of the main body, the first conductive contact and the inner wall of the main body have an isolation gap in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the chip; and after the first positioning structure is installed in place, the first conductive contact is electrically connected to the second conductive contact of the image forming device.

2. The powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip holder also includes a body; The first positioning structure is disposed on the body, and a portion of the first positioning structure is located in front of the first conductive contact along a first direction.

3. The powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first positioning structure comprises at least two positioning protrusions, and the two positioning protrusions are respectively located on two sides of the chip along the third direction; The end of the positioning protrusion is arranged to protrude from the first conductive contact along the second direction.

4. The powder box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing includes an end cover, and the end cover is detachably mounted on an end of the housing; The chip holder is slidably mounted on the end cover, and the elastic member is arranged between the end cover and the chip holder; The deformation direction of the elastic member is parallel to the sliding direction of the chip support.

5. The powder box according to claim 4, characterized in that: Along the first direction, slideways are respectively arranged on both sides of the end cover; The chip holder is provided with a guide slider matched with the slideway, and the chip holder is slidably installed in the slideway through the guide slider.

6. The powder box according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first positioning structure also includes a first positioning plane; Along the insertion direction of the powder box, the first positioning plane is located on both sides of the positioning protrusion; the first positioning plane is configured so that when the first positioning structure is installed in place, the first positioning plane is in contact with part of the inner wall of the main body.

7. An image forming device, characterized in that: It comprises a main body and at least one powder box according to any one of claims 1 to 6; The main body has an installation cavity for accommodating the powder box, and a second conductive contact and a second positioning structure are arranged in the installation cavity, and the second positioning structure cooperates with the first positioning structure of the powder box; When the powder box is inserted into the installation cavity, the second positioning structure and the first positioning structure are combined to position the powder box, and the second conductive contact contacts and is electrically connected to the first conductive contact.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that Part of the inner wall of the installation cavity is configured as a conductive portion; The second positioning structure and the second conductive contact are located on the conductive portion, wherein the second positioning structure comprises a positioning groove, and the positioning groove is located at an edge of the conductive portion; The positioning groove cooperates with the positioning protrusion of the first positioning structure and accommodates the positioning protrusion.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that The conductive portion is further provided with a guide surface, and the guide surface is located on one side of the positioning groove along the insertion direction of the powder box; The guide surface is configured as an inclined surface, and the guide surface is configured to contact the positioning protrusion before the positioning groove during the powder box disassembly and assembly process, and the positioning protrusion can deform the elastic part of the powder box when the positioning protrusion slides on its surface.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that The second positioning structure also includes a second positioning plane; The second positioning plane is configured such that when the positioning protrusion is embedded in the positioning groove, the second positioning plane is in contact with the first positioning plane of the first positioning structure, and the first conductive contact is in contact with the second conductive contact.

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