Powder box

Abstract

A powder box at least comprises a powder bin containing a developing agent and a stirring frame rotationally arranged in the powder bin, and the stirring frame is located between the two end walls of the powder bin. A guide inclined plane is arranged on at least one end wall of the powder bin, and the guide inclined plane obliquely extends from the top edge of the end wall where the guide inclined plane is located to the interior of the powder bin; and the guide inclined surface is positioned above the end part of the stirring frame. According to the utility model, the guide inclined surface extending inwards and downwards is arranged at the upper part of the end wall of the powder bin, the stirring frame is mounted along the guide inclined surface when being mounted, and the guide inclined surface guides the end part of the stirring frame, so that the stirring frame can be in smooth transition, and the mounting is smoother; the stirring frame can be prevented from being deformed and damaged due to the fact that the stirring frame is forcibly arranged in the powder bin, the reject ratio of products is reduced, meanwhile, the stirring frame is assembled more smoothly, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of electronic imaging photography, and in particular relates to a powder box used in image forming equipment. Background Art

[0002] A powder box is a box that can be detachably installed in the main body of an image forming device. The powder box includes a box body, which has a powder hopper for storing developer. A rotatable stirring frame is provided in the powder hopper. When the stirring frame rotates, the blades on the stirring frame rotate with the stirring frame to stir and transport the developer. The stirring frame is rotatably arranged in the powder hopper. One end of the stirring frame is set on the end wall of the powder hopper, and the other end is connected to the stirring frame gear. The stirring frame gear transmits the rotational driving force to the stirring frame, causing the stirring frame to rotate. Since the stirring frame and the powder box are usually assembled in a tight fit, the length L of the stirring frame is greater than the length W in the powder hopper, that is, the distance W between the two opposite end walls of the powder hopper in the axial direction of the stirring frame is less than the length L of the stirring frame. Therefore, when installing the stirring frame, it is usually necessary to use external force to cause the stirring frame to undergo a certain deformation before it can be installed in the powder hopper. Such operation can easily damage the stirring frame or cause improper assembly, affecting product yield and production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a powder box which is easy to assemble and can reduce the defective rate of products.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A powder box comprises at least: a powder hopper for accommodating developer, and a stirring frame rotatably arranged in the powder hopper, wherein the stirring frame is located between the two end walls of the powder hopper; a guide slope is provided on at least one end wall of the powder hopper, and the guide slope extends obliquely from the top edge of the end wall where the guide slope is located toward the interior of the powder hopper; the guide slope is located above the end of the stirring frame.

[0006] In some embodiments, the included angle between the guide slope and the end wall on which it is located is 5° to 15°.

[0007] In some embodiments, the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide bevel and the end wall is greater than the vertical distance between the bottom edge of the guide bevel and the end wall; the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide bevel and the end wall is 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0008] More specifically, the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope and the end wall where it is located is 0.9 mm.

[0009] In some embodiments, guide slopes are provided on both opposite end walls of the powder bin in the longitudinal direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, a stirring frame gear is provided at one end of the stirring frame; a through hole is provided on the end wall of the powder bin on the same side as the stirring frame gear, and the connecting part of the stirring frame gear extends into the powder bin through the through hole and is connected to the end of the stirring frame; a stirring frame mounting groove is provided on the end wall of the powder bin opposite to the stirring frame gear, and the other end of the stirring frame is provided in the stirring frame mounting groove.

[0011] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the utility model provides a guide slope extending inward and downward on the upper part of the end wall of the powder bin. When installing the stirring frame, the stirring frame is installed along the guide slope. The guide slope guides the end of the stirring frame, so that the stirring frame can have a smooth transition and the installation is smoother. It can avoid the situation where the stirring frame is deformed or damaged due to forcibly installing it into the powder bin, reducing the product defective rate. At the same time, the assembly of the stirring frame is smoother, thereby improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a powder box according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0014] Figure 2 For the Figure 1 Cross-sectional view along line AA;

[0015] Figure 3 For the Figure 1 Cross-sectional view along the midline BB;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the powder box according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the stirring frame being assembled along the guide slope;

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another angle when the stirring frame is assembled along the guide slope.

[0019] The specific implementation of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for the sake of convenience, the drawings showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general scale, and the schematic diagrams are only examples, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings are simplified and use non-precise scales, which are only used to facilitate and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. At the same time, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated; the terms "front", "back", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0021] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean internal communication between two components; it can mean a wireless connection or a wired connection. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0022] An image forming device generally includes a main body and a powder cartridge detachably installed in the main body. The powder cartridge supplies developer to a developing unit, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive device in the developing unit to form a visible image on a medium such as paper.

[0023] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 The powder cartridge of this embodiment includes at least a powder hopper 1 for storing developer. A stirring frame 2 is disposed within the powder hopper 1, and stirring blades (not shown) are disposed on the stirring frame 2. When the stirring frame 2 rotates, the stirring blades rotate together, stirring and transporting the developer. The powder cartridge of this embodiment does not involve a photosensitive drum cartridge and is suitable for a separate process cartridge. However, in other embodiments, the powder cartridge of this embodiment can also be used in an integrated process cartridge with a photosensitive drum cartridge.

[0024] A stirring frame 2 is rotatably mounted within the powder hopper 1, with the axial direction of the stirring frame 2 also being the length of the powder box (powder hopper). The stirring frame 2 is positioned between two opposing longitudinal walls (s1, s2) of the powder hopper 1. A stirring frame gear 3 is mounted at one end of the powder hopper 1. This gear meshes with a drive gear or intermediate transmission gear, receiving the rotational drive force from the image forming device and rotating the stirring frame 2.

[0025] A through-hole (not shown) is provided on the first end wall s1 of the powder silo 1, on the same side as the agitator gear 3. The connecting portion of the agitator gear 3 can extend through the through-hole into the powder silo 1 and connect with one end of the agitator 2, thereby transmitting rotational driving force to the agitator 2. A stirring frame mounting groove 1a is provided on the second end wall s2 of the powder silo 1, opposite the agitator gear 3. The other end of the agitator 2 is disposed in the stirring frame mounting groove 1a.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown, the distance between the two opposite end walls (the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2) in the length direction of the powder bin 1 is W, and the length of the stirring frame 2 is L. The fit between the stirring frame 2 and the powder bin 1 is a tight fit, that is, W<L, so as to ensure that the stirring frame 2 is firmly installed in the powder bin 1. Since the length L of the stirring frame 2 is greater than the distance W between the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2, the stirring frame 2 is easily damaged when it is loaded into the powder bin 1, or it is not installed in place. In order to solve this problem, the utility model provides a guide bevel s3 on at least one end wall (the first end wall s1 or the second end wall s2) of the powder bin 1, and guides the installation of the stirring frame 2 by the guide bevel 3, so that the installation of the stirring frame 2 is smoother. In this embodiment, guide bevels s3 are provided on both end walls s1 and s2 of the powder bin 1.

[0027] The guide slope s3 extends obliquely from the upper edge of the end wall (s1, s2) (the open side of the powder bin 1 is defined as the upper side) toward the interior of the powder bin 1. The included angle α between the guide slope s3 and the end wall (s1, s2) on which it is located is 5° to 15°. The bottom of the guide slope s3 is connected to the end wall (s1, s2) on which it is located. The vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope s3 and the end wall on which it is located is greater than the vertical distance between the bottom edge of the guide slope s3 and the end wall on which it is located. Figure 4 For example, for the guide slope s3 disposed on the second end wall s2, the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope s3 and the second end wall s2 is greater than the vertical distance between the bottom edge of the guide slope s3 and the second end wall s2. In this embodiment, the vertical distance a between the top edge of the guide slope s3 and the second end wall s2 (or the first end wall s1) is 0.9 mm. In other embodiments, the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope s3 and the end wall on which it is located may be 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0028] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, when installing the stirring frame 2 of the powder box of this embodiment, the stirring frame 2 is placed from the open side of the powder bin 1 and moved along the guide slope s3. The guide slope s3 extends obliquely from the top of the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2 toward the interior of the powder bin 1. The inclined structure of the guide slope s3 makes the distance between the two guide slopes s3 (when the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2 are both provided with the guide slope s3) greater than the distance between the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2, thereby making it relatively easy to insert the stirring frame 2. The guide slope s3 is an inclined surface, and the two ends of the stirring frame 2 can naturally and smoothly transition along the guide slope s3. It is installed between the first end wall s1 and the second end wall s2 along the guide slope s3, and finally moves until one end is inserted into the stirring frame installation groove 1a and the other end is opposite to the stirring frame gear 3. The connecting portion of the stirring frame gear 3 is inserted into the powder bin 1 and connected to the stirring frame 2, thus completing the installation of the stirring frame 2. After the stirring frame 2 is installed, the end of the stirring frame 2 is located below the guide slope s3. By providing the guide slopes extending inward and downward on the upper part of the two end walls of the powder silo, the stirring frame can be smoothly assembled during assembly, making installation smoother and improving production efficiency. It also minimizes the use of external force to deform the stirring frame to install it into the powder silo, which may cause damage to the stirring frame and reduce the defective product rate.

[0029] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A powder box, comprising at least: a powder silo for accommodating developer, and a stirring frame rotatably disposed in the powder silo, the stirring frame being located between the end walls of the powder silo; Its characteristics are: A guide slope is provided on at least one end wall of the powder bin, and the guide slope extends obliquely from the top edge of the end wall where the guide slope is located toward the interior of the powder bin; The guide slope is located above the end of the stirring frame.

2. The powder box according to claim 1, wherein: The included angle between the guide slope and the end wall on which it is located is 5° to 15°.

3. The powder box according to claim 1, wherein: The vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope and the end wall where it is located is greater than the vertical distance between the bottom edge of the guide slope and the end wall where it is located; the vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope and the end wall where it is located is 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

4. The powder box according to claim 3, wherein: The vertical distance between the top edge of the guide slope and the end wall where it is located is 0.9 mm.

5. The powder box according to claim 1, wherein: Guide slopes are provided on opposite end walls of the powder bin in the length direction.

6. The powder box according to claim 1, wherein: A stirring frame gear is provided at one end of the stirring frame; A through hole is provided on the end wall of the powder bin on the same side as the gear of the stirring frame, and the connecting portion of the gear of the stirring frame extends into the powder bin through the through hole and is connected to the end of the stirring frame; A stirring frame mounting groove is provided on the end wall of the powder bin opposite to the stirring frame gear, and the other end of the stirring frame is arranged in the stirring frame mounting groove.

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