Developing box

Abstract

The utility model discloses a developing box which comprises a shell which comprises a cavity capable of accommodating a developing agent; a developing roller; a powder feeding roller; the coupling part can rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller; the shell comprises a cavity body lower surface located in the cavity body, the cavity body lower surface is constructed to extend in the direction from back to front, in the front-back direction, the cavity body lower surface is located at the rear end of the axis of the powder feeding roller, and the front tail end of the cavity body lower surface is adjacent to the powder feeding roller; in the vertical direction, the distance between the lower surface of the cavity and the lower tail end of the cavity is reduced along the extension of the lower surface of the cavity in the direction from back to front.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electronic photographic imaging, in particular to a developing box. Background Art

[0002] In conventional imaging devices, a processing device (i.e., a developing cartridge) that can act on a photosensitive drum and the photosensitive drum are integrated into a cartridge, which is removably mounted to the imaging device. Depending on the type of cartridge, maintenance operations on the device can be performed by the user without relying on service personnel, thereby significantly improving operability. Therefore, this type of cartridge is widely used in imaging devices.

[0003] The prior art discloses a developing cartridge, which includes a housing for accommodating a developer, a developing roller rotatably supported on the housing, and an agitator. The agitator can be used to agitate the developer in the housing when the developing cartridge performs a printing task (i.e., when the developing cartridge is working) so as to facilitate the delivery of the developer to the developing roller. Therefore, by providing the agitator in the developing cartridge, the developer in the housing can be stably and efficiently delivered to the developing roller. However, this method of adding an agitator to the developing cartridge also complicates the structure of the developing cartridge, and the addition of the agitator increases the manufacturing cost of the developing cartridge. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a new processing box, which is mainly achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A developing cartridge is detachably mounted in a drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum, wherein the photosensitive drum is rotatable about the axis of the photosensitive drum, and the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally mounted in an imaging device, wherein the developing cartridge comprises:

[0006] a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer;

[0007] A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction;

[0008] a powder feeding roller rotatably supported on the housing and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller;

[0009] a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force from the imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller;

[0010] When the developer cartridge is installed in the drum cartridge and supported by a horizontal surface, the direction perpendicular to the horizontal surface is the up-down direction, the up-down direction is perpendicular to the left-right direction, and in the up-down direction, the end of the developer cartridge closer to the horizontal surface is the lower end; the axis of the developer roller and the axis of the photosensitive drum are arranged in the front-to-back direction, the axis of the developer roller is located at the rear end of the axis of the photosensitive drum in the front-to-back direction, and the front-to-back direction is perpendicular to both the left-to-right direction and the up-to-down direction;

[0011] The shell includes a cavity lower surface located in the cavity, and the cavity lower surface is constructed to extend in a direction from back to front. In the front-to-back direction, the cavity lower surface is located at the rear end of the powder feeding roller axis, and the front end of the cavity lower surface is arranged adjacent to the powder feeding roller; measured in the up and down directions, the distance between the cavity lower surface and the horizontal surface supporting the drum box and the developer box decreases along the extension of the cavity lower surface in the direction from back to front.

[0012] Furthermore, the powder feeding roller is provided in the cavity, and no developer stirring component is provided.

[0013] Furthermore, the lower surface of the cavity is constructed as a continuous plane.

[0014] Furthermore, in the front-to-back direction, the lower surface of the cavity and the powder feeding roller have an overlapping portion.

[0015] Furthermore, a first line segment is made connecting the axis of the developing roller and the axis of the powder feeding roller, and another second line segment is made connecting the front end and the rear end of the lower surface of the cavity, and the angle between the first line segment and the second line segment is 90° to 150°.

[0016] Furthermore, the angle between the first line segment and the second line segment is 110° to 130°.

[0017] Further, when the developing box is installed in the drum box and supported by the horizontal surface, there is a height difference K between the front end and the rear end of the lower surface of the cavity in the up and down direction, wherein 18mm<K<32mm.

[0018] Furthermore, 20 mm < K < 26 mm.

[0019] Furthermore, the developing box also includes a detection protrusion that can move the detection body in the imaging device, and the coupling part can drive the detection protrusion to move relative to the shell. Along the transmission direction of the driving force from the coupling part to the detection protrusion, a plurality of intermediate transmission gears for transmitting the driving force are arranged between the coupling part and the detection protrusion.

[0020] Furthermore, when projected along the left-right direction, the intermediate transmission gear has an overlapping portion with the lower surface of the cavity.

[0021] Furthermore, in the up-down direction, there is a spacing distance H between the lower end of the powder feeding roller and the shell at the lower end of the powder feeding roller, wherein 0mm<H<2.5mm.

[0022] Furthermore, 0.4 mm<H<1.5 mm.

[0023] Furthermore, the shell includes a first part located at the lower end of the powder feeding roller, and the wall thickness of the first part is T1; the shell also includes a second part adjacent to the first part in the front-to-back direction, and the wall thickness of the second part is T2, wherein T1>T2.

[0024] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a developing box, which includes:

[0025] a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer;

[0026] A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction;

[0027] a powder feeding roller rotatably supported in the cavity and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller;

[0028] a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force from the imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller;

[0029] a chip having an electrical contact surface, the electrical contact surface being disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction;

[0030] an electrode electrically connected to the developing roller and disposed at a right end of the housing in the left-right direction;

[0031] When the developing box is installed in the imaging device, the developer can move in the front-to-back direction from the rear end away from the developing roller to the front end close to the developing roller under the action of gravity. In the cavity, no developer stirring member is provided between the powder feeding roller and the rear end of the developing roller, and the front-to-back direction is perpendicular to the left-to-right direction.

[0032] In another aspect, the present invention further provides a developing cartridge, comprising:

[0033] a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer;

[0034] A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction;

[0035] a powder feeding roller rotatably supported on the housing and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller;

[0036] a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force from the imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller;

[0037] The cavity is provided with one and only one rotating member at least part of which is exposed in the cavity.

[0038] The developer box in the present invention eliminates the agitator and adopts an inclined surface structure on the lower surface of the cavity. The developer can be transported to the powder feeding roller along the inclined surface by relying on the developer's own gravity and the vibration of the developer box during operation. This simplifies the structure of the developer box and reduces the production cost of the developer box while ensuring the developer transportation effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the developer cartridge installed in the drum cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model at a certain angle;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present invention, in which the protective cover is separated from the housing;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model from another angle;

[0043] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the gear train of the developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0044] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of a developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model at a certain angle;

[0045] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of the developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present invention from another angle;

[0046] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the angle between the first line segment and the second line segment in the developing cartridge in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0047] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the first structural view of the lower surface of the cavity in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0048] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the lower surface of the cavity in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0049] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the lower surface of the cavity in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0050] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth structure of the lower surface of the cavity in Example 1 of the present utility model;

[0051] Figure 13 This is a cross-sectional view of the developing cartridge in Example 2 of the present utility model from another angle;

[0052] Figure 14 2 is a cross-sectional view of the developing cartridge in Example 2 of the present invention from another angle;

[0053] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in which the cover plate is mounted on the housing in Example 3 of the present utility model;

[0054] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of a certain angle of the cover plate being removed from the housing in Example 3 of the present utility model;

[0055] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of another angle of view of the cover plate being removed from the housing in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in Example 4 of the present utility model;

[0057] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the chip assembly exploded in Example 4 of the present utility model;

[0058] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in Example 5 of the present utility model;

[0059] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of the developer cartridge installed in the drum cartridge in Example 5 of the present utility model;

[0060] Figure 22 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developing cartridge in Example 5 of the present utility model;

[0061] Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in Example 6 of the present utility model from a certain angle;

[0062] Figure 24 This is a schematic diagram of the developing cartridge in Example 6 of the present utility model from another angle;

[0063] Figure 25 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developing cartridge in Example 6 of the present utility model;

[0064] Figure 26 This is a schematic diagram of a developing cartridge in Example 7 of the present utility model;

[0065] Figure 27 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the developing box in Example 7 of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Example 1

[0067] For the convenience of description, the direction of the developing box 100 is now defined. The developing roller 102 can rotate around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction, and the coupling part 103 is arranged on the left side of the shell 101 in the left-right direction; when the developing box 100 is installed in the drum box 10 and supported by the horizontal surface B, the direction perpendicular to the horizontal surface B is the up-down direction, and the up-down direction is perpendicular to the left-right direction. In the up-down direction, the end of the developing box 100 close to the horizontal surface B is the lower end; the developing roller axis and the photosensitive drum axis are arranged in the front-to-back direction, and the developing roller axis is located at the rear end of the photosensitive drum axis in the front-to-back direction, and the front-to-back direction is perpendicular to both the left-to-right direction and the up-down direction.

[0068] like Figure 1-12 As shown, a developing box 100 in embodiment 1 of the present invention is shown. The developing box 100 can be installed in conjunction with a drum box having a photosensitive drum. The photosensitive drum can rotate around the axis of the photosensitive drum. The developing box 100 and the drum box can be installed as a whole in the imaging device to perform printing work together.

[0069] The developer cartridge 100 includes a housing 101 and a developing roller 102 and a powder feeding roller 106 rotatably supported at the front lower end of the housing 101. The developing roller 102 and the powder feeding roller 106 can rotate around the developing roller axis and the powder feeding roller axis extending in the left-right direction, respectively. The housing 101 includes an upper housing 101a and a lower housing 101b connected to each other. The upper housing 101a is arranged on the upper side of the lower housing 101b in the up-down direction. The two together form a housing with a capacity of 101. The cavity 101c for accommodating the developer, the developing roller accommodating chamber 101b1 for accommodating the developing roller 102, and the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 101b2 for accommodating the powder feeding roller 106. When the developing cartridge 100 performs a printing task, the developer contained in the housing 101 can be transported through the cavity 101c, the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 101b2, and the developing roller accommodating chamber 101b1 in sequence. In other words, the developer can be transported through the cavity 101c and the powder feeding roller 106 in sequence to the developing roller 102. The developer cartridge 100 further includes a coupling portion 103 rotatably supported at the front end of the left side of the housing 101. The coupling portion 103 can receive a driving force from the imaging device to rotate the developing roller 102 and the powder feeding roller 106. An electrode 104 and a detection protrusion 107 are also provided on the right side of the housing 101. The electrode 104 includes an electrical connection surface that can be electrically contacted with the imaging device. The electrical connection surface is provided on the right side of the housing 101 and can transmit the received power to the developing roller 102 to ensure that the developer contained in the housing 101 is stably attached to the developing roller 102 after being charged. The detection protrusion 107 can move relative to the housing 101 in response to the rotation of the coupling portion 103. The detection protrusion 107 can be used to toggle a detection body in the imaging device so that the imaging device detects the toggle signal and identifies information such as the model of the developer cartridge 100 and the maximum number of printed pages. The detection protrusion 107 is further away from the axis of the developing roller in the front-to-back direction than the electrical contact surface of the electrode 104.Furthermore, the developing cartridge 100 further includes a chip 105, the chip 105 having an electrical contact surface 105a that can be electrically contacted with the imaging device and a storage portion (not shown) storing relevant information such as the developing cartridge 100 model and the maximum number of print pages. The imaging device can more accurately identify the relevant information of the developing cartridge 100 stored in the storage portion through electrical contact with the electrical contact surface 105a, thereby establishing a communication connection with the developing cartridge 100. The electrical contact surface 105a is arranged at a position closer to the left side of the housing 101 than the right side of the housing 101 in the left-right direction. a is located closer to the front side of the housing 101 than the rear side in the front-to-back direction. That is, the electrical contact surface 105a is located on the left side of the housing 101 in the left-to-right direction to keep it as far away from the electrode 104 as possible to avoid electrical interference between the two during operation. The electrical contact surface 105a is located on the front side of the housing 101 in the front-to-back direction to be as close as possible to rotating parts such as the developing roller 102 and the coupling portion 103 in the front-to-back direction, thereby reducing vibration of the electrical contact surface 105a and improving the electrical contact stability between the electrical contact surface 105a and the imaging device.

[0070] From the previous description, it can be known that the coupling part 103 can receive external force to rotate the developing roller 102 and the powder feeding roller 106 and drive the detection protrusion 107 to move. In order to better understand how the coupling part 103 transmits power to the developing roller 102, the powder feeding roller 106 and the detection protrusion 107, the power transmission process of the developing box 100 will be described in detail below; specifically, the developing box 100 also includes a developing roller gear 111 and a powder feeding roller gear 112 directly engaged with the coupling part 103, the developing roller gear 111 is installed at one end of the developing roller 102, and the powder feeding roller gear 112 is installed at one end of the powder feeding roller 106. The developing roller gear 111 and the powder feeding roller gear 112 that receive power from the coupling part 103 can respectively drive the developing roller 102 and the powder feeding roller 106 to rotate. The developing box 100 also includes a plurality of gears for transmitting the driving force on the coupling part 103 to the detection protrusion 107. In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the developing box 100 in the present invention does not have an agitator structure, that is, there is no agitator for stirring the developer in the cavity 101c at the rear end of the powder feeding roller 106 (the agitator is defined as a component that can be used to change the developer in the cavity 101c into a flying state). In other words, there is only one rotating member extending from the left end to the right end of the shell 101 and at least a part of it is exposed in the cavity 101c. In this embodiment, the rotating member is the powder feeding roller 106. Based on this structure, along the driving force transmission direction from the coupling part 103 to the detection protrusion 107, there is no need to provide an agitator gear for driving the agitator. Therefore, the multiple gears provided between the coupling part 103 and the detection protrusion 107 are not connected to the rotating member. The intermediate transfer gear of the component, the rotating component is constructed as a component extending from the left end of the shell 101 to the right end of the shell 101 and rotatable relative to the shell 101. Through the driving force transmission of the intermediate transfer gear, the detection protrusion 107 can receive the driving force transmitted from the coupling part 103 and move; preferably, there are 3 intermediate transfer gears, and along the direction of the driving force transmission of the coupling part 103, the first intermediate transfer gear 113, the second intermediate transfer gear 114, and the third intermediate transfer gear 115 are sequentially arranged, so that the faster rotation speed received by the first intermediate transfer gear 113 from the coupling part 103 is reduced to the rated speed after being decelerated by multiple intermediate transfer gears, thereby reducing the dialing speed of the detection protrusion 107 operably connected to the third intermediate transfer gear 115, thereby reducing the dialing error of the detection protrusion 107 and improving the dialing accuracy.

[0071] From the above description, it can be known that the developer cartridge 100 in the present invention is no longer provided with an agitator. At this time, the existing developer cartridge structure cannot stably transport the developer contained in the shell 101 to the powder feeding roller 106. Therefore, the present invention improves the structure of the shell 101 of the developer cartridge 100 so that it can achieve the technical effect of stably transporting the developer contained in the shell 101 to the powder feeding roller 106. For the convenience of the following description, it is defined that when the developer cartridge 100 is installed in the drum cartridge and the two are placed horizontally together When the developer box 100 is on the surface B, the direction perpendicular to the horizontal surface B is the up-down direction (i.e., the direction of gravity), the side facing the horizontal surface B on the developer box 100 is the lower end, and the side away from the horizontal surface B is the upper end. The shell 101 includes a cavity lower surface 101b3 located in the cavity 101c. In the front-to-back direction, the cavity lower surface 101b3 is located at the rear end of the axis of the powder feeding roller and is constructed to extend from the back to the front. The front end of the cavity lower surface 101b3 is arranged adjacent to the powder feeding roller 106. Further, the cavity lower surface 101b3 The structure is a continuous surface inclined relative to the front-to-back direction. When projected along the left-right direction, the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity has an overlapping portion with the intermediate transmission gear, so that the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity is at a suitable position, which is conducive to the flow of the developer. In the up-down direction, the distance between the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity and the lower end of the powder feeding roller 106 decreases as the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity extends from the back to the front, which allows the developer covered on the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity to flow along the inclined cavity. The lower surface 101b3 flows toward the side of the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 101b2 under the combined action of gravity and the vibration of the shell 101 during the operation of the developer box 100, so as to avoid the problem that the developer accumulates in the shell 101 and cannot be stably transported to the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 101b2. Therefore, the developer box 100 in the present invention not only ensures that the developer can be stably transported to the powder feeding roller 106, but also simplifies the structure of the developer box 100 by eliminating the agitator, thereby reducing the production cost of the developer box 100.

[0072] Furthermore, the cavity lower surface 101b3 is configured as a continuous surface extending from the lower end of the housing 101 to the upper end of the housing 101 in the vertical direction to prevent the developer in the cavity 101c from accumulating at the rear side of the cavity 101c.

[0073] Further, such as Figure 9 As shown, the cavity lower surface 101b3 is constructed as a plane. Compared with the curved surface structure, the cavity lower surface 101b3 with a plane structure is simpler in structure, which simplifies the structure of the shell 101. Of course, optionally, the cavity lower surface 101b3 can also be as follows Figure 10The lower surface 101b3 of the cavity can also be as shown in FIG. Figure 11 The arc surface structure shown; and the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity can also be as follows Figure 12 The wavy surface shown.

[0074] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the developer contained in the housing 101 can be stably transported to the powder feeding roller 106, the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity should have an appropriate inclination angle, and a first line segment L1 connecting the axis of the developing roller and the axis of the powder feeding roller is made, and another second line segment L2 connecting the front end and the rear end of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity is made. Preferably, the first line segment L1 is used as the reference line, and the angle α between the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 is preferably 90° to 150°. Within this range, the structure of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity is more appropriate, which can avoid the situation where the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity relative to the front-to-back direction is too large when the angle α is too small (less than 90°), resulting in a reduction in the volume of the cavity 101c. at the same time, within the range of angle α, it can also avoid the situation where the angle α is too large (greater than 150°) and the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity relative to the front-to-back direction is too small, resulting in the developer covering it being difficult to flow into the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 101b2, thereby causing a large amount of developer to accumulate on the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity and unable to be transported to the developing roller 102, thereby causing a large amount of developer to be wasted; more preferably, the angle α between the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 is 110° to 130°. Within this range, the structure of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity is most appropriate, and its technical effects will not be elaborated here.

[0075] In other words, the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity can be defined by its extended height in the up and down directions. Specifically, in the up and down directions, there is a height difference K between the front end of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity and the rear end of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity. Preferably, 18mm<K<32mm, more preferably, 20mm<K<26mm. When K is less than or equal to 18mm, this means that the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity relative to the front and rear directions is small, and the problem of developer accumulation is prone to occur. When K is greater than or equal to 26mm, this means that the inclination angle of the lower surface 101b3 of the cavity relative to the front and rear directions is large, which will cause the volume of the cavity 101c to decrease, reducing the developer capacity of the cavity 101c. Therefore, within the above-mentioned preferred and more preferred ranges of K, the developer box 100 is more appropriately constructed.

[0076] Example 2

[0077] like Figure 13-14As shown, a developing box 200 in embodiment 2 of the present invention is shown. The parts of the developing box 200 that are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will not be repeated. The difference is that the structure of the shell 201 of the developing box 200 has been changed. Specifically, the structure of the lower shell 201b of the shell 201 has been changed, which will be described in detail below.

[0078] In this embodiment, the extension length of the cavity lower surface 201b3 of the shell 201 in the front-to-back direction becomes longer than that of the cavity lower surface in Example 1, and the front end of the cavity lower surface 201b3 has an overlapping part with the powder feeding roller 206 in the front-to-back direction. In other words, the front end of the cavity lower surface 201b3 extends in the front-to-back direction to the lower end of the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 201b2. Through this structure, the cavity lower surface 201b3 has a smoother structure in the front-to-back direction, and the developer attached to the cavity lower surface 201b3 will be more easily transported to the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 201b2, thereby improving the transportation effect of the developer to the powder feeding roller 206.

[0079] Typically, in the up-down direction, there is a certain spacing distance H between the lower end of the outer surface of the powder feeding roller 206 (i.e., the developer carrying surface) and the shell 201 at the lower end of the powder feeding roller 206, so as to avoid repeated friction between the developer carrying surface of the powder feeding roller 206 and the shell 201 during the high-speed rotation of the powder feeding roller 206, thereby wearing the developer carrying surface of the powder feeding roller 206 and reducing the conveying effect of the powder feeding roller 206. However, in order to further improve the conveying effect of the developer to the powder feeding roller 206, the spacing distance H between the developer carrying surface of the powder feeding roller 206 and the lower end of the powder feeding roller accommodating chamber 201b2 is smaller than that in Example 1. Preferably, 0mm<H<2.5mm. In this way, the adsorption efficiency of the charged powder feeding roller 206 to adsorb the developer will become higher, so that the developer The developer conveying efficiency will be improved; more preferably, 0.4mm<H<1.5mm. On the one hand, compared with the previous range, the minimum distance of H is increased to avoid manufacturing errors in the shell 201 and the powder feeding roller 206 or installation errors in the powder feeding roller 206 when it is installed on the shell 201, so that the powder feeding roller 206 contacts the shell 201 due to the error, and then continuously rubs against the shell 201 when the powder feeding roller 206 rotates, causing wear of the powder feeding roller 206. Therefore, a certain spacing distance must still be maintained between the lower end of the powder feeding roller 206 and the shell 201 to compensate for the error. On the other hand, compared with the previous range, the maximum distance of H is reduced to reduce the distance as much as possible and improve the adsorption efficiency of the powder feeding roller 206. Therefore, H has a better developer conveying effect within the above range.

[0080] In order to achieve this structure of reducing the spacing distance H, it can be achieved by increasing the wall thickness of the shell 201 at the lower end of the powder feeding roller 206; specifically, the wall thickness T1 of the shell 201 at the lower end of the powder feeding roller 206 (defined as the first part) is greater than the wall thickness T2 of the second part adjacent to the first part in the front-to-back direction, that is, T1>T2, that is, only the local wall thickness of the shell 201 at the lower end of the powder feeding roller 206 can be increased, while the wall thickness of the shell 201 at the rear end of the powder feeding roller 206 remains unchanged, so that while reducing the spacing distance H, the production cost of the developing box 200 can also be reduced; optionally, the spacing distance H can also be reduced by moving the powder feeding roller 206 downward. Therefore, the technical means adopted to achieve the required range of the spacing distance H are not unique.

[0081] Example 3

[0082] like Figure 15-17 As shown, a developing box 300 in Example 3 of the present invention is shown. The similarities between the developing box 300 and the developing boxes in Examples 1-2 will not be repeated in this embodiment. The difference is that the developing box 300 also includes a cover plate 310 located at the lower end of the shell 301. The cover plate 310 and the structure related to the cover plate 310 will be specifically introduced below.

[0083] The developer box 300 also includes a plurality of ribs 309 arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. The plurality of ribs 309 are constructed to protrude downward from the lower end surface of the shell 301. More specifically, the plurality of ribs 309 are constructed to protrude downward from the lower end surface of the lower shell 301b. In the left-right direction, the plurality of ribs 309 are positioned closer to the right end of the shell 301 than the electrical contact surface 305a of the chip 305. When the developer box 300 performs printing work, the plurality of ribs 309 can be used to guide the movement of the printing medium (such as paper); however, since the plurality of ribs 309 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction of the developer box 300, during the movement of the paper and the contact with the ribs 309, the paper is easily wrinkled after being squeezed, which will affect the subsequent printing process and cause the text or image on the paper to be unclear.

[0084] Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of this problem, one embodiment is that the developer box 300 also includes the cover 310 mentioned above. Preferably, the cover 310 is detachably installed on the shell 310. In this way, the original structure of the shell 301 does not need to be changed or only slightly changed to achieve the role played by the cover 310, which reduces the production cost of the developer box; the cover 310 is constructed to cover the multiple ribs 309 so that the multiple ribs 309 cannot be exposed to the outside of the developer box 300. When observed along the length direction of the cover 310, the cover 310 is roughly in the shape of a "7". The cover 310 includes a first part 311 and a second part 312 arranged crosswise. The width of the first part 311 is greater than the width of the second part 312. A preferably arc-shaped bending portion 316 is connected between the first part 311 and the second part 312. The bending portion 316 can make the transition between the first part 311 and the second part 312 smoother, avoiding problems such as cracking at the junction of the two.

[0085] The cover 310 includes, in its thickness direction, an outer surface 310a exposed to the outside of the developer box 300 and an inner surface 310b facing the multiple ribs 309. The outer surface 310a is not provided with a rib structure such as multiple ribs 309 or a protrusion structure such as multiple protrusions. Preferably, the outer surface 310a is constructed as a smooth surface to increase the contact area with the paper, so that the local pressure on the paper is reduced, and the problem of the paper being easily wrinkled after being squeezed can be avoided. Moreover, when the developer box 300 performs printing work, the outer surface 310a can also guide the movement of the paper. Therefore, by setting the outer surface of the cover 310 to a smooth surface, the contact area with the paper is increased. On the premise of ensuring that the cover 310 can guide the movement of the paper, the problem of the paper being easily wrinkled after being squeezed can be avoided.

[0086] Furthermore, the cover plate 310 also includes a positioning portion, which can be used to position the cover plate 310 on the housing 301. The positioning portion includes at least one positioning protrusion 314. The positioning protrusion 314 is configured to protrude from the inner surface 310b of the cover plate 310 toward the housing 301. The positioning protrusion 314 can be inserted into the positioning hole 301f at the lower end of the housing 301 to ensure that the cover plate 310 is properly installed on the housing 301 and the position of the cover plate 310 is not shifted. Furthermore, the positioning protrusion 314 and the positioning hole 301f are interference fit. In this way, the cover plate 310 can be stably positioned and installed on the housing 301 without being separated from the housing 301. Furthermore, the positioning portion includes at least one elastic buckle 315. The elastic buckle 315 can be buckled onto the housing 301 to further prevent the cover plate 310 from falling off the housing 301.

[0087] Furthermore, the cover 310 also includes an avoidance hole 313, which is located approximately in the middle of the cover 310 in the left-right direction. The avoidance hole 313 is constructed as a through hole formed on the cover 310, so as to avoid the inductive protrusion in the imaging device when the developing box 300 is installed in the imaging device, thereby ensuring that no installation interference occurs during the installation of the developing box 300 to the imaging device.

[0088] Furthermore, when the cover 310 is installed on the rib 309, in order to avoid the installation interference between the cover 310 being too thick and the drum box, and at the same time, to ensure that the cover 310 has sufficient structural strength, the cover 310 cannot be set too thin, otherwise it may be deformed or even broken, affecting the movement of the paper. Therefore, the thickness S of the cover 310 should be moderate, not too thick or too thin. Preferably, 0.2mm≦S≦2mm, more preferably, 0.5mm≦S≦1.5mm. Within this range, the cover 310 has strong structural strength without interfering with the drum box. Furthermore, the cover 310 is made of plastic material, and optionally, it can also be made of blister sheet or steel sheet, but this is not a limitation.

[0089] Optionally, the cover plate 310 may be formed together with the shell 301 , which eliminates the need to additionally mount the cover plate 310 on the shell 301 , thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the developer cartridge.

[0090] Example 4

[0091] like Figure 18-19 As shown, a developing box 400 in Example 4 of the utility model is shown. The similarities between the developing box 400 and the developing boxes in Examples 1-3, such as the structure of the lower surface of the cavity, will not be repeated in this embodiment. The difference is that the position and structure of the chip component of the developing box 400 are different. The difference will be introduced in detail below.

[0092] The chip assembly includes a chip 405. In the left-right direction, the electrical contact surface 405a is located at the left end of the developer box 400, that is, it is still located at the same end of the developer box 400 in the left-right direction as the coupling part 403. In the front-to-back direction, the electrical contact surface 405a of the chip 405 is set at a position closer to the rear end relative to the front end of the developer box 400, and in the up-down direction, the electrical contact surface 405a is arranged to face the upper end of the developer box 400.

[0093] Furthermore, the chip assembly also includes a chip frame 420 for supporting the chip 405 and separately arranged from the shell 401, a pushing protrusion 422 that is fastened to the chip frame 420 by a first elastic buckle 422a and is movable relative to the chip frame 420, and an elastic member 423 connected between the chip frame 420 and the pushing protrusion 422. By providing the elastic member 423, the pushing protrusion 422 can elastically push the chip frame 420 after being subjected to force, so that the chip 405 supported on the chip frame 420 can elastically contact the electrical contacts of the imaging device. Even if there is a deviation in the chip installation position, the elastically movable chip can adaptively maintain stable electrical contact with the electrical contacts of the imaging device. Therefore, this improves the electrical contact stability between the chip and the imaging device.

[0094] Furthermore, the chip assembly also includes a retainer 421 for supporting the chip rack 420 and maintaining the position of the chip rack 420. The retainer 421 is detachably connected to the protective cover of the shell 401 through a second elastic buckle 421b provided thereon. A strip guide hole 421a is provided on the retainer 421, and a guide protrusion 420b is correspondingly provided on the chip rack 420. The guide protrusion 420b can be inserted into the guide hole 421a, so that when the chip rack 420 moves relative to the developing roller 402, the chip rack 420 can move in the guide hole 421a under the limitation of the preset path of the guide hole 421a.

[0095] Example 5

[0096] like Figure 20-22 As shown, a developing box 500 in Example 5 of the utility model is shown. The similarities between the developing box 500 and the developing boxes in Examples 1-4, such as the structure of the lower surface of the cavity, the structure of the chip assembly, the absence of a stirring rack and a cover plate in the shell, etc., will not be repeated in this embodiment. The difference is that the position of the chip assembly of the developing box 500 is different, and this difference will be introduced in detail below.

[0097] The chip assembly in this embodiment still includes a chip 505 having an electrical contact surface 505a. However, the drum cartridge in this embodiment also includes a chip. For the convenience of the following description, the chip provided on the developer cartridge 500 is named the developer cartridge chip 505, and the electrical contact surface on the developer cartridge chip 505 is named the developer cartridge chip electrical contact surface 505a. The chip provided on the drum cartridge 10 is named the drum cartridge chip 11. The drum cartridge chip 11 has a drum cartridge chip electrical contact surface 11a that is in electrical contact with the electrical contacts of the imaging device. The developer box chip electrical contact surface 505a is roughly located in the middle of the developer box 500 in the front-to-back direction, and the drum box chip electrical contact surface 11a is arranged at a position closer to the rear end relative to the front end of the drum box 10 in the front-to-back direction. When the developer box 500 is installed in the drum box 10, in the front-to-back direction, the developer box chip electrical contact surface 505a is located between the coupling portion 503 and the drum box chip electrical contact surface 11a. In other words, the developer box chip electrical contact surface 505a is located between the developing roller 502 and the drum box chip electrical contact surface 11a.

[0098] Example 6

[0099] like Figure 23-25 As shown, a developing box 600 in Example 6 of the utility model is shown. The similarities between the developing box 600 and the developing box in Example 5, such as the structure of the lower surface 601b3 of the cavity, and the fact that no stirring rack is provided in the shell 601, etc., will not be repeated in this embodiment. The differences will be described in detail below.

[0100] Specifically, the developer box 600 is not provided with a developer chip, and the drum box used with the developer box 600 is also not provided with a chip, but the developer box 600 includes a detection protrusion 607 that can be detected by the imaging device. The detection protrusion 607 is arranged at the left end of the shell 601 in the left and right directions, that is, the detection protrusion 607 and the coupling part 603 are located at the same end of the shell 601 in the left and right directions. In the front-to-back direction, compared with the coupling part 603, the detection protrusion 607 is arranged at a position closer to the rear end of the shell 601. More specifically, in the front-to-back direction, the detection protrusion 607 is arranged at the rear end of the shell 601.

[0101] Furthermore, the developer box 600 also includes forced pushing protrusions 612 respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the shell 601. In the front-to-back direction, the forced pushing protrusion 612 is arranged between the coupling portion 603 and the detection protrusion 607. More specifically, in the front-to-back direction, compared with the rear end of the shell 601, the forced pushing protrusion 612 is arranged at a position closer to the front end of the shell 601. When the developer box 600 is installed in the drum box, the forced pushing protrusion in the drum box can elastically push the forced pushing protrusion 612 forward (in the front-to-back direction toward the direction close to the developing roller 602) so that the developing roller 602 of the developer box 600 maintains pressure contact with the photosensitive drum in the drum box, thereby improving the conveying effect of the developing roller 602 to convey the developer to the photosensitive drum.

[0102] Furthermore, the developing box 600 also includes a locking protrusion 613. In the left-right direction, the locking protrusion 613 is arranged at the right end of the shell 601. When the developing box 600 is installed in the drum box, the locking protrusion 613 can be locked by the locking protrusion of the drum box to limit the developing box 600 from accidentally detaching from the drum box, thereby ensuring the correct position of the developing box 600 in the drum box.

[0103] In general, this embodiment 6 provides a developing box 600 that is different from the one in embodiment 5. The developing box 600 can still eliminate the agitator in the shell 601 and realize the developer transportation in the shell 601 by setting the lower surface 601b3 of the cavity to an inclined structure.

[0104] Example 7

[0105] like Figures 26-27 FIG. 7 shows a developer cartridge 700 according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The developer cartridge 700 shares similarities with the developer cartridge according to the sixth embodiment, such as the coupling portion 703 and the detection protrusion 707, both of which are located at the left end of the housing 701. These similarities will not be further described in this embodiment. The difference lies in the different positions of the forced-pushing protrusion 712 and the locked protrusion 713 within the developer cartridge 700. Specifically, the forced-pushing protrusion 712 is located at the rear end of the housing 701 in the front-to-back direction, and more specifically, at the rear end of the detection protrusion 707 in the front-to-back direction. The locked protrusion 713 of the developer cartridge 700 is located at the left end of the housing 701 in the left-to-right direction, which is also different from the locking protrusion in the sixth embodiment. Furthermore, the developer cartridge 700 can still eliminate the agitator within the housing 701, and instead achieves developer transport within the housing 701 by configuring the lower surface 701b3 of the cavity with an inclined surface.

[0106] The developer box in the present invention eliminates the agitator and adopts an inclined surface structure on the lower surface of the cavity. The developer can be transported to the powder feeding roller along the inclined surface by relying on the developer's own gravity and the vibration of the developer box during operation. This simplifies the structure of the developer box and reduces the production cost of the developer box while ensuring the developer transportation effect.

Claims

1. A developer cartridge, detachably mounted in a drum cartridge having a photosensitive drum, wherein the photosensitive drum is rotatable about an axis of the photosensitive drum, wherein the developer cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally mounted in an imaging device, the developer cartridge comprising: a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer; A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction; a powder feeding roller rotatably supported on the housing and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller; a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force from the imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller; When the developer cartridge is installed in the drum cartridge and supported by a horizontal surface, the direction perpendicular to the horizontal surface is the up-down direction, the up-down direction is perpendicular to the left-right direction, and in the up-down direction, the end of the developer cartridge closer to the horizontal surface is the lower end; the axis of the developer roller and the axis of the photosensitive drum are arranged in the front-to-back direction, the axis of the developer roller is located at the rear end of the axis of the photosensitive drum in the front-to-back direction, and the front-to-back direction is perpendicular to both the left-to-right direction and the up-to-down direction; The housing comprises a lower surface located within the cavity, the lower surface extending from rear to front, the lower surface located at a rear end of the axis of the powder feeding roller in the front-to-back direction, and the front end of the lower surface is arranged adjacent to the powder feeding roller; The distance between the lower surface of the cavity and the horizontal surface supporting the drum cartridge and the developer cartridge, measured in the up-down direction, decreases as the lower surface of the cavity extends in the direction from rear to front.

2. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein The powder feeding roller is arranged in the cavity, and no developer stirring component is arranged.

3. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The lower surface of the cavity is configured as a continuous plane.

4. The developing cartridge according to claim 3, wherein: In the front-to-back direction, the lower surface of the cavity and the powder feeding roller have an overlapping portion.

5. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein A first line segment is made connecting the axis of the developing roller and the axis of the powder feeding roller, and another second line segment is made connecting the front end and the rear end of the lower surface of the cavity, and the angle between the first line segment and the second line segment is 90° to 150°.

6. The developing cartridge according to claim 5, wherein: The included angle between the first line segment and the second line segment is 110° to 130°.

7. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: When the developing cartridge is installed in the drum cartridge and supported by the horizontal surface, a height difference K is provided between the front and rear ends of the lower surface of the cavity in the up-down direction, wherein 18 mm < K < 32 mm.

8. The developing cartridge according to claim 7, wherein: 20mm<K<26mm.

9. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The developing box also includes a detection protrusion that can move the detection body in the imaging device, and the coupling part can drive the detection protrusion to move relative to the shell. Along the transmission direction of the driving force from the coupling part to the detection protrusion, a plurality of intermediate transmission gears for transmitting the driving force are arranged between the coupling part and the detection protrusion.

10. The developing cartridge according to claim 9, wherein: Projected along the left-right direction, the intermediate transmission gear has an overlapping portion with the lower surface of the cavity.

11. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein In the up-down direction, there is a spacing distance H between the lower end of the powder feeding roller and the shell at the lower end of the powder feeding roller, wherein 0mm<H<2.5mm.

12. The developing cartridge according to claim 11, wherein: 0.4mm<H<1.5mm.

13. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein The shell includes a first portion located at the lower end of the powder feeding roller, and the wall thickness of the first portion is T1; the shell also includes a second portion adjacent to the first portion in the front-to-back direction, and the wall thickness of the second portion is T2, wherein T1>T2.

14. A developing cartridge, comprising: a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer; A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction; a powder feeding roller rotatably supported in the cavity and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller; a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force of an imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller; a chip having an electrical contact surface, the electrical contact surface being disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction; an electrode electrically connected to the developing roller and disposed at a right end of the housing in the left-right direction; It is characterized in that when the developing box is installed in the imaging device, the developer can move in the front-to-back direction from the rear end away from the developing roller in the cavity to the front end close to the developing roller in the cavity under the action of gravity. In the cavity, no developer stirring member is provided between the powder feeding roller and the rear end, and the front-to-back direction is perpendicular to the left-to-right direction.

15. A developing cartridge, comprising: a housing comprising a cavity for accommodating a developer; A developing roller is rotatably supported on the housing and is rotatable about a developing roller axis extending in the left-right direction; a powder feeding roller rotatably supported on the housing and rotatable about an axis of the powder feeding roller, wherein the powder feeding roller can supply developer to the developing roller; a coupling portion, disposed at a left end of the housing in the left-right direction, the coupling portion being capable of receiving a driving force of an imaging device to rotate the developing roller and the powder feeding roller; It is characterized in that the cavity has and only has one rotating member at least a portion of which is exposed in the cavity.

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