Processing box

Abstract

The utility model relates to a processing box detachably installed in imaging equipment. The processing box comprises a developing device frame; the extending direction of the developing roller is the longitudinal direction, the developing roller comprises a developing roller shaft and a developing layer wrapping the surface of the developing roller shaft, and the processing box is installed on the imaging equipment in the longitudinal direction; the powder feeding roller comprises a powder feeding roller shaft and an elastic part covering the surface of the powder feeding roller shaft; a doctor blade; the conductive assembly is used for receiving electric power from the imaging equipment and supplying the electric power to at least one of the developing roller, the powder feeding roller and the powder discharging knife; the first driving receiving part and the conductive component are arranged on a driving side, and one side opposite to the driving side is a non-driving side; the first transmission piece is arranged on the non-driving side and is connected with the powder feeding roller shaft; the first transmission part is arranged on the driving side and connected with the developing roller shaft, the second transmission part is arranged on the non-driving side and connected with the developing roller shaft, the first transmission part and the second transmission part are mutually combined, and the surface speed of the powder feeding roller is not larger than that of the developing roller so as to reduce abrasion of the powder feeding roller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of electrophotographic imaging, and particularly relates to a processing cartridge detachably installed in an electrophotographic imaging device. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a side view observed along the length direction of a conventional processing cartridge. The processing cartridge 70 includes a developing unit 4 and a drum unit 26 which are connected to each other. Among them, the developing unit 4 includes a developing device frame 31, a developing roller 25, a powder feeding roller 34, a stirring frame 36 and a blade 35. The developing device frame 31 is used for accommodating a developer. The developing roller 25, the powder feeding roller 34 and the stirring frame 36 are all rotatably arranged in the developing device frame 31. The stirring frame 36 is used for stirring the developer and conveying the developer towards the powder feeding roller 34. The powder feeding roller 34 is in contact with the developing roller 25. As the powder feeding roller 34 rotates, the developer is conveyed to the surface of the developing roller 25. The blade 35 is fixedly installed in the developing device frame 31 and is in contact with the developing roller 25 for adjusting the thickness of the developer on the surface of the developing roller 25. The drum unit 26 includes a cleaning frame 27, a charging roller 2, a photosensitive drum 1 and a cleaning member 6. The charging roller 2 and the photosensitive drum 1 are both rotatably arranged in the cleaning frame 27. The charging roller 2 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and is used for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. When the processing cartridge 70 develops, the developing roller 25 supplies the developer carried on its surface to the photosensitive drum 1, and the cleaning member 6 is used for removing the residual developer on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

[0003] Generally, the powder feeding roller 34 includes a powder feeding roller shaft 34j and an elastic part 34a coated on the surface of the powder feeding roller shaft 34j. After the developing roller 25 supplies the developer to the photosensitive drum 1, the elastic part 34a peels off the residual developer on the surface of the developing roller 25 to improve the imaging quality of the processing cartridge 70. For this reason, the surface speed of the powder feeding roller 34 in the existing processing cartridge is greater than the surface speed of the developing roller 25.

[0004] The applicant found in actual tests that if the rotation speed of the powder feeding roller 34 is too fast, it may cause an increase in the wear of the elastic part 34a. As a result, the performance of the powder feeding roller 34 in conveying the developer to the surface of the developing roller 25 and the performance of peeling off the developer from the surface of the developing roller 25 will both decline. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] Therefore, the processing cartridge involved in the utility model adopts the following technical solutions to solve the above technical problems, specifically:

[0006] A processing cartridge is detachably installed in an imaging device. The processing cartridge includes: a developing device frame for accommodating a developer; a developing roller rotatably provided in the developing device frame for carrying the developer, the extending direction of the developing roller being the longitudinal direction, the developing roller including a developing roller shaft and a developing layer coated on the surface of the developing roller shaft, the processing cartridge being installed in the imaging device along the longitudinal direction; a powder feeding roller rotatably provided in the developing device frame for feeding the developer to the developing roller, the powder feeding roller including a powder feeding roller shaft and an elastic portion coated on the surface of the powder feeding roller shaft, the elastic portion being used for feeding the developer to the developing layer; a blade for regulating the amount of the developer on the surface of the developing roller, fixedly installed on the developing device frame and in contact with the developing roller; a conductive component for receiving power from the imaging device and supplying the power to at least one of the developing roller, the powder feeding roller, and the blade; a first driving force receiving portion, along the longitudinal direction, both the conductive component and the first driving force receiving portion are provided on the driving side, and the side opposite to the driving side is the non-driving side, the first driving force receiving portion being used for receiving a driving force from the imaging device to directly or indirectly drive the developing roller to rotate; a first transmission member provided on the non-driving side and connected to the powder feeding roller shaft; a second transmission member provided on the non-driving side and connected to the developing roller shaft, the first transmission member and the second transmission member being combined with each other; wherein, the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller is not greater than the speed of the surface of the developing roller.

[0007] In some embodiments, the conductive component includes a first conductive member, a second conductive member, and a third conductive member. Among them, one end of the first conductive member is used for receiving power from the imaging device, and the other end is in contact with the developing roller to supply power to the developing roller; one end of the second conductive member is used for receiving power from the imaging device, and the other end is in contact with the powder feeding roller to supply power to the powder feeding roller; one end of the third conductive member is used for receiving power from the imaging device, and the other end is in contact with the blade to supply power to the blade.

[0008] In some embodiments, the processing cartridge further includes a third intermediate transmission member coaxially provided with the first driving force receiving portion, and a fourth transmission member coaxially provided with the developing roller shaft. Both the third intermediate transmission member and the fourth transmission member are provided on the driving side, and the third intermediate transmission member and the fourth transmission member are engaged with each other.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first driving force receiving portion is coaxially provided with the developing roller to directly drive the developing roller shaft.

[0010] In some embodiments, the processing cartridge further includes a cleaning frame, a photosensitive drum, and a second driving force receiving portion. The photosensitive drum is rotatably provided in the cleaning frame, and the second driving force receiving portion is used for receiving a driving force from the imaging device to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first transmission member and the second transmission member are set as one of a gear, a friction wheel, and a ratchet wheel.

[0012] In some embodiments, when both the first transmission member and the second transmission member are set as gears, the number of teeth of the first transmission member is 23, and the number of teeth of the second transmission member is 21.

[0013] In some embodiments, the speed ratio of the surface of the developing roller to the surface of the powder feeding roller is 1.09.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first driving force receiving portion and the powder feeding roller shaft are coaxially arranged. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 is a side view observed along the length direction of the existing processing cartridge.

[0016] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is a perspective view of some components in the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4A is a perspective view of the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4B is a perspective view of the conductive component and its corresponding components in the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention after being disassembled into a developing unit and a drum unit.

[0020] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the driving force transmission between the developing roller and the powder feeding roller in the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] [Embodiment 1]

[0023] Figure 2 and Figure 3 are perspective views of some components in the processing cartridge according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. For ease of understanding, in the processing cartridge described below, the same structures as those in the background art will be directly cited, and the same components as those in the background art will use the same numbers.

[0024] First, continue to refer to Figure 1 to describe the specific structure of the processing cartridge 70. The processing cartridge 70 can be detachably installed on the imaging device, and the processing cartridge 70 will be Figure 1The attitude shown is mounted to the imaging device, with the gravity direction G being downward. At this time, the photosensitive drum 1 is located above the processing cartridge 70. The developing device frame 31 includes a developer accommodating portion 31c and a developing chamber 31b distributed in the vertical direction. A partition wall 31d is provided between the two, and at the same time, the partition wall 31d is provided with an opening 31e. The developer accommodating portion 31c and the developing chamber 31b communicate through the opening 31e, and the developing chamber 31b is located above the developer accommodating portion 31c.

[0025] The stirring frame 36 is rotatably provided in the developer accommodating portion 31c, and the powder feeding roller 34 and the developing roller 25 are rotatably provided in the developing chamber 31b. While the stirring frame 36 stirs the developer, it also conveys the developer to the developing chamber 31b through the opening 31e. The powder feeding roller 34 and the developing roller 25 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the powder feeding roller 34 can convey the developer in the developing chamber 31b to the developing roller 25. The developing roller 25 includes a developing roller shaft 25j and a developing layer 25a coated on the surface of the developing roller shaft 25j. The elastic portion 34a is used to convey the developer to the developing layer 25a, and the developing layer 25a is used to carry the developer.

[0026] As Figure 2 shown, the processing cartridge 70 further includes a first drive receiving portion 23 and a second drive receiving portion 16. The first drive receiving portion 23 is provided at the end of the powder feeding roller 34 and is connected to one end of the powder feeding roller 34. Specifically, the first drive receiving portion 23 is connected to the powder feeding roller shaft 34j. The second drive receiving portion 16 is provided at the end of the photosensitive drum 1. When the processing cartridge 70 develops in the imaging device, the first drive receiving portion 23 and the second drive receiving portion 16 respectively receive driving forces from the imaging device. Therefore, the powder feeding roller 34 and the photosensitive drum 1 can be respectively driven. Further, the processing cartridge 70 further includes a driving force transmission assembly 200 disposed opposite to the first drive receiving portion 23. As Figure 3 shown, the driving force transmission assembly 200 includes a first transmission member 201, a second transmission member 202, and a third transmission member 203. The first transmission member 201 is connected to the powder feeding roller shaft 34j, the second transmission member 202 is connected to the developing roller shaft 25j, and the third transmission member 203 is connected to the stirring frame 36. When the first transmission member 201, the second transmission member 202, and the third transmission member 203 are combined with each other, the driving force received by the first drive receiving portion 23 can be transmitted to the developing roller 25 and the stirring frame 36. Finally, the developing roller 25, the powder feeding roller 34, and the stirring frame 36 are all driven.

[0027] In some embodiments, the driving force transmission component 200 further includes at least one of a first intermediate transmission member 204 and a second intermediate transmission member 205. In particular, when the stirring frame 36 is disposed far from the developing roller 25 / powder feeding roller 34, the driving force of the first driving receiving portion 23 is transmitted to at least one of the first intermediate transmission member 204 and the second intermediate transmission member 205 through the first transmission member 201, and then transmitted from at least one of the first intermediate transmission member 204 and the second intermediate transmission member 205 to the third transmission member 203. Based on this concept, the number of intermediate transmission members in the driving force transmission component 200 can be even more to ensure that the stirring frame 36 can stably receive the driving force.

[0028] For ease of description, the extending direction of the developing roller 25 / powder feeding roller 34 / stirring frame 36 / photosensitive drum 1 is defined as the longitudinal direction, the side where the first driving receiving portion 23 is located is the right side of the processing cartridge 70, and the side where the driving force transmission component 200 is located is the left side of the processing cartridge 70.

[0029] In the present utility model, the surface speed of the powder feeding roller 34 is set not to be greater than the surface speed of the developing roller 25 to reduce the wear of the powder feeding roller 34 / elastic portion 34a. For ease of understanding, each of the above transmission members is taken as an example of a gear, and the following specific solutions can be adopted:

[0030] Solution 1: By adjusting the tooth number ratio of the first transmission member / first gear 201 and the second transmission member / second gear 202, the tooth number of the first gear 201 is made greater than the tooth number of the second gear 202. Preferably, the tooth number of the first gear 201 is 23 and the tooth number of the second gear 202 is 21. At the same time, the diameter ratio of the developing roller 25 and the powder feeding roller 34 is adjusted. In a preferred manner, the diameters of both the developing roller 25 and the powder feeding roller 34 are set to 12 mm. Finally, the surface speed ratio of the developing roller 25 to the surface speed of the powder feeding roller 34 is 1.09.

[0031] Solution 2: The first gear 201 and the second gear 202 are not directly meshed (a combined manner), but after speed conversion through at least one intermediate gear, the second gear 202 is then driven by the intermediate gear. Specifically, it can be designed according to the rotational speed requirement of the developing roller 25, that is, the first gear 201 and the second gear 202 are meshed through at least one intermediate gear.

[0032] [Embodiment 2]

[0033] In the above embodiment, through the driving force transmission component 200, the surface speed of the powder feeding roller 34 is set not to be greater than the surface speed of the developing roller 25. Specifically, by increasing the surface speed of the developing roller 25, the surface speed of the developing roller 25 is made greater than or equal to the surface speed of the powder feeding roller 34.

[0034] In practice, the developing roller 25 contacts the photosensitive drum 1. However, since the speeds of the surfaces of the first driving force receiving portion 23 and the second driving force receiving portion 16 remain unchanged, this will cause the amount of developer carried by the developing roller 25 to increase. Finally, the toner consumption per unit of the processing cartridge 70 increases.

[0035] In this embodiment, by reducing the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller 34 such that the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller 34 is not greater than the speed of the surface of the developing roller 25, before describing this embodiment in detail, the structure of the processing cartridge 70 is supplemented as follows.

[0036] As Figure 4A and Figure 4B shown, the processing cartridge 70 further includes a doctor blade 35 and a conductive component for receiving power from the imaging device. The conductive component supplies the received power to at least one of the developing roller 25, the powder feeding roller 34, and the doctor blade 35. The doctor blade 35 is fixedly installed on the developing device frame 31 and contacts the developing roller 25 for adjusting the amount of developer on the surface of the developing roller 25. The conductive component includes a first conductive member 44, a second conductive member 45, and a third conductive member 46. Among them, one end of the first conductive member 44 is used to receive power from the imaging device, and the other end contacts the developing roller 25 to supply power to the developing roller 25. One end of the second conductive member 45 is used to receive power from the imaging device, and the other end contacts the powder feeding roller 34 to supply power to the powder feeding roller 34. One end of the third conductive member 46 is used to receive power from the imaging device, and the other end contacts the doctor blade 35 to supply power to the doctor blade 35.

[0037] According to the inventive concept of the present invention, at least one of the first conductive member 44, the second conductive member 45, and the third conductive member 46 may be provided.

[0038] In the present invention, in the longitudinal direction, the conductive component, the first driving force receiving portion 23, and the second driving force receiving portion 16 are all provided on the right side (driving side) of the processing cartridge 70. That is to say, the components for receiving driving force from the imaging device and the components for receiving power from the imaging device are provided on the same side. Such a design is beneficial to simplifying the overall structure of the processing cartridge; as Figure 4AAs shown, the processing cartridge 70 is set to be installed in the imaging device from left to right in the longitudinal direction. That is to say, when the processing cartridge 70 is in the state of being installed in the imaging device, the left side (non-driving side) without the conductive component, the first driving force receiving portion 23, and the second driving force receiving portion 16 can be exposed outward from the imaging device until the user closes the door cover of the imaging device. Conventionally, the door cover needs to be set to be movable between an open position and a closed position. When the conductive component, the first driving force receiving portion 23, and the second driving force receiving portion 16 are arranged on the left side of the processing cartridge 70, inevitably, at least a part of the conductive component, at least a part of the first driving force receiving portion 23, and at least a part of the second driving force receiving portion 16 need to be arranged on the door cover. Obviously, such a design will greatly increase the structural complexity of the door cover.

[0039] Different from the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the first driving force receiving portion 23 drives the developing roller 25 to rotate directly or indirectly on the driving side, as Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, the driving force transmission assembly 200 further includes a fourth transmission member 206 in addition to the above-mentioned first transmission member 201, second transmission member 202, and third transmission member 203. The fourth transmission member 206 is arranged on the driving side, for receiving the driving force from the first driving force receiving portion 23 and transmitting the driving force to the developing roller 25.

[0040] In some embodiments, the driving force transmission assembly 200 further includes a third intermediate transmission member 231 coaxially arranged with the first driving force receiving portion 23. The third intermediate transmission member 231 is also arranged on the driving side. The fourth transmission member 206 is coaxially arranged with the developing roller 25 / developing roller shaft 25j. The third intermediate transmission member 231 and the fourth transmission member 206 are meshed with each other. In this way, the driving force received by the first driving force receiving portion 23 can be transmitted to the developing roller 25 through the third intermediate transmission member 231 and the fourth transmission member 206 in sequence.

[0041] In the longitudinal direction, the fourth transmission member 206 and the second transmission member 202 are respectively arranged on the right side and the left side of the developing roller 25. The first transmission member 201 is arranged on the left side of the powder feeding roller 34, and the first transmission member 201 and the second transmission member 202 are meshed with each other. Therefore, when the developing roller 25 is driven to rotate, the driving force received by the first driving force receiving portion 23 can also be transmitted to the powder feeding roller 34 through the second transmission member 202 and the first transmission member 201, and finally, the powder feeding roller 34 is driven to rotate.

[0042] As Figure 6As shown, the second transmission member 202 is arranged to include a large-diameter portion 2021 and a small-diameter portion 2022 which are coaxially arranged. Among them, the large-diameter portion 2021 meshes with the first transmission member 201, so that the powder feeding roller 34 can be driven. Similar to the first embodiment, when both the large-diameter portion 2021 and the first transmission member 201 in this embodiment are arranged as gears, at least one of the following methods can be used to make the speed of the surface of the developing roller 25 greater than or equal to the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller 34: adjusting the tooth number ratio, diameter ratio of the large-diameter portion 2021 and the first transmission member 201, arranging an intermediate gear, adjusting the diameter ratio of the developing roller 25 and the powder feeding roller 34, etc.

[0043] In some embodiments, each of the transmission members can also be arranged as a non-gear. For example, at least one of the transmission members is arranged as a friction wheel, ratchet, etc., as long as it can transmit the driving force between the transmission members. In other embodiments, the driving force can also be transmitted between the transmission members through a belt.

[0044] In some embodiments, the powder feeding roller 34 / the powder feeding roller shaft 34j is coaxially arranged with the first driving force receiving portion 23, but the driving force received by the driving force receiving portion 23 is not directly transmitted to the powder feeding roller 34 through the third intermediate transmission member 231. The third intermediate transmission member 231 can be installed on the bracket 28 of the processing cartridge, and the bracket 28 is at least used to support the developing roller 25, or the third intermediate transmission member 231 is installed on the developing device frame 31 or the end cover, etc.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first driving force receiving portion 23 can also be coaxially arranged with the developing roller 25. Specifically, the first driving force receiving portion 23 directly drives the developing roller shaft 25a. Therefore, the first driving force receiving portion 23 can directly or indirectly drive the developing roller 25 to rotate.

[0046] As described above, the powder feeding roller 34 also has the function of peeling off the residual developer on the surface of the developing roller 25. When the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller 34 decreases, the peeling effect may decrease. For this reason, under the above inventive concept, the aperture, density or material of the elastic portion 34a in the powder feeding roller 34 involved in the present utility model can also be adjusted according to the design requirements to enhance the strength of the powder feeding roller 34 to peel off the residual developer on the surface of the developing roller 25. Or, the roughness of the surface of the developing roller 25 can also be adjusted to make the residual developer less likely to adsorb on the surface of the developing roller 25. For example, the roughness of the surface of the developing roller 25 is reduced. Thus, even if the speed of the surface of the powder feeding roller 34 decreases, the residual developer on the surface of the developing roller 25 is more easily peeled off by the powder feeding roller 34.

[0047] In the above description, the processing cartridge 70 includes both the developing unit 4 and the drum unit 26 at the same time, and such can be referred to as an integrated processing cartridge. According to the inventive concept of the present utility model, the above technical solution can also be applicable to a product referred to as a split-type processing cartridge. In this product, the processing cartridge 70 will only include the developing unit 4, and the drum unit 26 can be pre-installed in the imaging device, or the developing unit 4 and the drum unit 26 are first combined in a detachable manner to form a combined body, and then the combined body is installed in the imaging device in a detachable manner.

Claims

1. A process cartridge, detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus, characterized in that: Processing box includes: A developing device frame for accommodating a developer; A developing roller is rotatably arranged in the developing device frame and is used to carry the developer. The extending direction of the developing roller is the longitudinal direction. The developing roller includes a developing roller shaft and a developing layer coated on the surface of the developing roller shaft. The process box is installed to the imaging device along the longitudinal direction. A powder feeding roller is rotatably arranged in the frame of the developing device and is used to feed the developer to the developing roller. The powder feeding roller includes a powder feeding roller shaft and an elastic part covered on the surface of the powder feeding roller shaft. The elastic part is used to feed the developer to the developing layer. A powder discharge knife is fixedly mounted on the frame of the developing device and contacts the developing roller, and is used to adjust the developer amount on the surface of the developing roller; A conductive component for receiving power from an imaging device and supplying power to at least one of a developing roller, a powder feeding roller and a powder discharge blade; A first driving force receiving portion, wherein the conductive component and the first driving force receiving portion are both arranged on the driving side along the longitudinal direction, and the side opposite to the driving side is the non-driving side, and the first driving force receiving portion is used to receive the driving force from the imaging device to directly or indirectly drive the developing roller to rotate; A first transmission member is arranged on the non-driving side and connected to the powder feeding roller shaft; A second transmission member is arranged on the non-driving side and connected to the developing roller shaft, wherein the first transmission member and the second transmission member are combined with each other; The surface speed of the powder feeding roller is not greater than the surface speed of the developing roller.

2. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive component includes a first conductive member, a second conductive member and a third conductive member, wherein: One end of the first conductive member is used to receive power from the image forming device, and the other end is in contact with the developing roller to supply power to the developing roller; One end of the second conductive member is used to receive power from the imaging device, and the other end is in contact with the powder feeding roller to supply power to the powder feeding roller; One end of the third conductive member is used to receive power from the image forming device, and the other end is in contact with the powder discharge knife to supply power to the powder discharge knife.

3. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The processing box also includes a third intermediate transmission member coaxially arranged with the first driving force receiving portion, and a fourth transmission member coaxially arranged with the developing roller shaft, wherein the third intermediate transmission member and the fourth transmission member are both arranged on the driving side, and the third intermediate transmission member and the fourth transmission member are meshed with each other.

4. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The first driving force receiving portion is coaxially disposed with the developing roller to directly drive the developing roller shaft.

5. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The process cartridge further includes a cleaning frame, a photosensitive drum rotatably disposed in the cleaning frame, and a second driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate.

6. The process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first transmission member and the second transmission member are configured as one of a gear, a friction wheel, and a ratchet wheel.

7. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein: When the first transmission member and the second transmission member are both configured as gears, the number of teeth of the first transmission member is 23, and the number of teeth of the second transmission member is 21.

8. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein: The ratio of the speed of the surface of the developer roller to the speed of the surface of the powder feed roller was 1.

09.

9. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein: The first driving force receiving portion and the powder feeding roller shaft are coaxially arranged.

Images