Novel stirrer for toner cartridge

Abstract

The utility model discloses a novel stirrer for a carbon powder box, which comprises a stirring shaft and an elastic blade fixed on the stirring shaft, a plurality of gaps are arranged along the edge of the elastic blade, and the elastic blade is divided into continuously arranged scrapers. The elastic blade is divided into a pushing section and a flow guide section in the length direction of the elastic blade, the top end of a scraping piece of the pushing section is designed to be flat, the top end of a scraping piece of the flow guide section is designed to be bevel, and flow guide holes are formed in the edges of the gaps of the flow guide section. The utility model aims to provide the carbon powder feeding device which is divided into the pushing section with the flat-edge scraping piece and the flow guide section with the bevel-edge scraping piece through the elastic blade, and when the powder level is low, the flat-edge scraping piece of the pushing section is tightly attached to the bin wall, so that the carbon powder is ensured to continuously enter the conveying bin, and the interruption of powder supply is avoided; and when the powder level is high, the bevel edge scraping pieces and the flow guide holes act synergistically, so that the rotating resistance of the blades is reduced, the carbon powder is guided to flow smoothly, and the powder supply uniformity and the printing quality stability are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of toner cartridges for laser printers, and more particularly to a novel stirrer for toner cartridges. Background Technology

[0002] As a core consumable, the toner cartridge of a laser printer typically consists of a toner storage compartment and a connected transport compartment. The toner storage compartment stores toner, while the transport compartment delivers the toner to the developing unit via a built-in toner delivery screw. To ensure uniform toner distribution and good flowability during printing, a stirring device is required within the toner storage compartment. In existing technology, blade-type stirrers are widely used. Their structure includes rigid blades fixed to a stirring shaft, driven by a motor to rotate. The shearing action between the blades and the toner prevents clumping while simultaneously pushing the toner into the transport compartment.

[0003] To further reduce the shear resistance of the blades at high toner levels, some improvements involve adding through-holes or openings to the blades. This design reduces the contact area between toner and the blades at high toner levels, thus lowering stirring resistance. However, when the toner level in the cartridge is insufficient (low toner level) or the toner particles are large, these through-holes exhibit significant drawbacks: firstly, the edges of the through-holes easily form points where toner clumps can become stuck, causing a sharp increase in the rotational resistance of the stirring shaft, and even triggering motor overload protection; secondly, at low toner levels, the through-hole structure reduces the toner supply at the inlet of the conveyor, significantly decreasing toner delivery efficiency and leading to intermittent toner supply. In this situation, the toner layer thickness on the developing roller surface cannot remain stable, causing print quality fluctuations and defects such as uneven toner density and background graying.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a mixer that can adaptively adjust the stirring and pushing performance under different powder storage capacities to solve the problems of powder supply stability and reliability. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a new type of stirrer for toner cartridges that solves the problem of toner supply stability and reliability under high and low toner levels in existing stirrers, significantly improves print quality consistency, extends toner cartridge lifespan, and balances manufacturing cost and assembly efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model adopts the following solution: a novel stirrer for toner cartridges, comprising:

[0007] The stirring shaft is rotatably mounted inside the toner storage compartment of the toner cartridge;

[0008] The elastic blade is fixed to the stirring shaft along the length direction of the stirring shaft. One side of the elastic blade extends towards the inner wall of the toner storage chamber and fits against the inner wall. The blade is divided into a pushing section and a guiding section along the length direction of the fitting side.

[0009] Several gaps are spaced apart on the edge of the contact side of the elastic blade, dividing the elastic blade into continuously arranged scrapers;

[0010] The top of the scraper in the flow guiding section is beveled, and each scraper in the flow guiding section has a notch-shaped flow guiding hole recessed toward the center of the scraper on one side edge near the adjacent gap.

[0011] The top of the scraper located on the pushing section is flat, and the flat edge can fit against the inner wall of the toner storage chamber. No guide holes are provided on the scraper of the pushing section.

[0012] This design fundamentally balances the conflicting demands at high and low toner levels by dividing the flexible blades into a pushing section and a guiding section, and by designing differentiated scraper structures. The flat-edged scrapers in the pushing section fit tightly against the inner wall of the storage chamber, ensuring continuous toner delivery into the conveying chamber through rigid contact at low toner levels, preventing supply interruptions. Meanwhile, the angled scrapers in the guiding section, combined with notched guide holes, allow toner to flow through the slots at high toner levels, reducing blade rotational resistance and preventing the slots from becoming points where toner clumps can get stuck. This partitioned design enables the agitator to adapt to different toner storage conditions, significantly improving toner supply stability.

[0013] As a further embodiment of this utility model, a separator strip is provided in the gap between adjacent scrapers in the pushing section. The length of the separator strip is equal to the length of the gap, and the width is the same as the width of the gap. This can effectively prevent the scrapers from getting stuck together when they are elastically deformed, ensuring that the scrapers can quickly reset after stirring the toner, avoiding the problem of the entire agitator getting stuck due to scraper entanglement, and further enhancing reliability.

[0014] As a further embodiment of this invention, the elastic blades are fixed to the stirring shaft by a hot pressing process, which prevents the blades from falling off during high-speed rotation, simplifies the assembly process, and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0015] As a further embodiment of this invention, the elastic blade is made of an elastic plastic sheet.

[0016] As a further embodiment of this invention, the elastic blade and the separator strip are integrally formed from the same material.

[0017] The elastic blades made of elastic plastic sheets in the above scheme have both flexibility and wear resistance, which can adapt to the shearing action of toner and avoid the defects of rigid elastic blades being easily broken. The design of the elastic blades and the separator strips being integrally molded from the same material eliminates the risk of stress concentration or interface peeling that may be caused by the combination of heterogeneous materials, which not only reduces manufacturing costs but also extends the service life of the agitator.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the width of the gap is 3mm to 5mm, which ensures the independence of the scraper and avoids local accumulation of toner due to excessively large gaps.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the top of the scraper near the end of the toner storage chamber in the pushing section is beveled to ensure that the toner in the edge area of ​​the storage chamber can be fully agitated, avoid dead corners and powder accumulation, and form a seamless collaboration with the guide section.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the guide hole is a triangular notch that is recessed inward along the side edge of the scraper. Compared with a simple rectangular opening, it is beneficial to increase the scraper area on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is more conducive to the smooth passage of toner and less likely to leave powder clumps.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the elastic blade is provided with a plurality of through holes spaced apart along its length direction, and the stirring shaft is provided with hot melt pillars corresponding to the through holes. The elastic blade passes through the through holes through the hot melt pillars and is fixed to the side wall of the stirring shaft by a hot melt process. The hot melt pillars enhance the connection strength and prevent the elastic blade from falling off during high-speed rotation.

[0022] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the highest point of the inclined edge of the scraper top in the guide section is higher than the height of the flat edge of the scraper top in the push section. The height difference forms a toner flow gradient, which reduces toner backflow during rotation and further improves conveying efficiency.

[0023] In summary, the advantages of this invention compared to existing technologies are as follows: This invention, through the partitioned design of the elastic blades, organically combines the flat-edged scraper of the pushing section with the inclined-edged scraper of the guiding section, enabling the agitator to dynamically adjust its working mode according to the toner level. At low toner levels, the flat-edged scraper of the pushing section closely adheres to the toner storage chamber wall, ensuring a continuous flow of toner into the delivery chamber and preventing toner supply interruptions. At high toner levels, the inclined-edged scraper of the guiding section works in conjunction with the notched guiding holes, reducing blade rotation resistance and guiding the toner to flow smoothly. This solution, preventing toner clumps from getting stuck in the guiding holes, effectively balances the conflicting needs of high and low toner levels, significantly improving toner supply uniformity and printing quality stability.

[0024] Furthermore, the continuous scraper structure of the elastic blades and the introduction of gap separators further enhance the stirrer's anti-interference capability. The scrapers in the pushing section, independently arranged with continuously spaced gaps and the separators, can elastically deform and quickly reset when encountering localized powder blockage, preventing the entire blade from jamming. The hot-melt column fixing and one-piece molding design not only improves the connection strength between the blades and the stirring shaft but also simplifies the assembly process and reduces manufacturing costs. The beveled edge treatment of the scrapers at the end of the pushing section further eliminates dead zones in toner agitation, ensuring uniform toner flow throughout the storage chamber. The ingenious design of the triangular notch in the guide hole and the height difference of the scrapers further guides the toner flow direction and gradient distribution, reducing backflow and accumulation, and maximizing toner delivery efficiency. Compared to existing agitators that are limited by rigid blades and fixed slot structures, although the shear resistance can be reduced through guide holes at high powder levels, the slots are prone to becoming powder clump jamming points at low powder levels, leading to problems such as a sharp increase in agitation resistance, intermittent powder supply, and fluctuations in the thickness of the toner layer on the developing roller. Systematic optimization has been carried out in terms of adaptive adjustment of high and low powder level conditions, powder supply stability, and equipment reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is one of the three-dimensional views of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a second perspective view of the present invention, and an enlarged view of a partial area in the figure.

[0027] Figure 3 This is one of the perspective views of the toner storage compartment of the toner cartridge installed in this utility model.

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a second perspective view of the toner storage compartment of the toner cartridge installed in the toner box according to the present invention, and an enlarged view of a partial area in the figure.

[0030] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the present invention and the toner cartridge installation.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Stirring shaft; 2. Elastic blade; 10. Toner storage bin; 11. Hot melt column; 12. Conveying bin; 13. Spiral conveyor rod; 20. Gap; 21. Scraper; 22. Pushing section; 23. Guide section; 24. Separator bar; 25. Guide hole; 26. Through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following detailed description provides various embodiments or examples for implementing this utility model. Of course, these are merely embodiments or examples and are not intended to be limiting. Additionally, repeated reference numerals, such as repeated numbers and / or letters, may be used in different embodiments. These repetitions are for the purpose of simple and clear description of the invention and do not represent a specific relationship between the different embodiments and / or structures discussed.

[0033] Furthermore, spatial terms may be used, such as "below," "lower," "from the inside out," "above," "upper," and similar terms. These relational terms are used to facilitate the description of the relationship between some elements or features in the drawings and other elements or features. These spatial relational terms include different orientations of the device in use or operation, as well as the orientations described in the drawings. The device may be rotated 90 degrees or otherwise to different orientations, and the spatially related adjectives used therein can be interpreted in the same way. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the invention. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0034] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments: Figures 1 to 6 The illustration shows a novel stirrer for a toner cartridge, comprising a stirring shaft 1 rotatably mounted within a toner storage chamber 10 of the toner cartridge, the stirring shaft 1 being driven to rotate by a motor in the printer. Elastic blades 2, made of a thin elastic plastic sheet (such as polyurethane or modified nylon), are fixed along the length of the stirring shaft 1. One long side of the elastic blade 2 extends towards the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 10 and remains in contact with the inner wall, while the other long side is fixed to the stirring shaft 1 by a hot-pressing process. Along the edge of one long side of the elastic blade 2, several gaps 20 with a width of 3.5 mm are spaced at intervals. These gaps 20 divide the elastic blade 2 into multiple continuously arranged scraper blades 21, thus forming a comb-like structure. A separator strip 24 is provided in the gap 20 between adjacent scrapers 21 in the pushing section 22. The separator strip 24 and the elastic blade 2 are integrally formed from the same material. Its length and width are completely consistent with the length and width of the gap 20. The function of the separator strip 24 is to limit the displacement of the scraper 21 in the pushing section 22 during elastic deformation, prevent adjacent scrapers 21 from getting tangled or stuck due to carbon powder resistance, and ensure that the scraper 21 can quickly reset after stirring the carbon powder to maintain a stable stirring action.

[0035] The elastic blade 2 is divided into a pushing section 22 and a guiding section 23 along its length on the side that contacts the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 10. The pushing section 22 is located near the inlet of the conveying chamber 12, and its scraper 21 has a flat edge design at the top, which can completely contact the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 10. When the toner cartridge is at a low toner level, the flat edge of the scraper 21 in the pushing section 22 continuously contacts and scrapes the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 10, forcibly pushing the bottom toner into the inlet of the conveying chamber 12, avoiding toner supply interruption due to insufficient toner. At the same time, the top of the scraper 21 at the end of the pushing section 22 (i.e., near the end of the toner storage chamber 10) is designed with a beveled edge, so that the toner in the edge area of ​​the toner storage chamber 10 is effectively agitated when the scraper 21 rotates, eliminating toner accumulation dead corners.

[0036] In addition, the guide section 23 is located on the side of the elastic blade 2 away from the inlet of the conveying chamber 12. Its scraper 21 has a beveled top, and each scraper 21 has a notch-shaped guide hole 25 recessed towards the center of its adjacent gap 20. In this embodiment, a triangular notch is used as an example of the guide hole 25, but an arc-shaped notch can also be used. When the toner cartridge has sufficient toner, the beveled edge of the scraper 21 in the guide section 23 cuts into the toner layer at an inclined angle, reducing the contact area between the elastic blade 2 and the toner, thereby reducing rotational resistance. Simultaneously, the guide hole 25 allows some toner to flow through the notch, preventing toner clumps from accumulating and jamming at the edge of the guide hole 25. Furthermore, the highest point of the beveled edge of the scraper 21 in the guide section 23 is slightly higher than the flat edge of the scraper 21 in the pushing section 22, creating a height difference in toner flow. During the rotation of the stirring shaft, this height difference causes the toner to migrate naturally to one side, reducing toner backflow and further improving conveying efficiency. It should be noted that the scraper 21 located on the push section 22 does not have a guide hole, which makes it easier to push the toner in the toner storage chamber 10 to the entrance of the conveying chamber 12 and into the conveying chamber 12, and then output to the developing unit by the spiral conveying rod 13 in the conveying chamber 12.

[0037] In addition, such as Figure 6 The diagram shows another embodiment where the elastic blade 2 is connected and fixed to the stirring shaft 1. The elastic blade 2 has multiple through holes 26 spaced apart along its length. A corresponding hot-melt column 11 is provided on the stirring shaft 1. During assembly, the hot-melt column 11 passes through the corresponding through hole 26 and melts at high temperature to form a riveting point, thus firmly bonding the elastic blade 2 to the side wall of the stirring shaft 1. This connection method not only ensures that the elastic blade 2 does not shift or fall off during high-speed rotation but also simplifies the assembly process and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0038] In actual operation, the stirring shaft 1 drives the elastic blades 2 to rotate, and the scraper 21 generates shearing and pushing action in the toner layer. Under low toner level conditions, the flat-side scraper 21 of the pushing section 22 plays a leading role, ensuring a sufficient amount of toner continuously enters the conveying chamber 12 through rigid pushing that is tightly attached to the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 10; while the inclined-side scraper 21 of the guiding section 23, due to the smaller amount of toner, mainly undertakes the auxiliary stirring function to prevent toner agglomeration. Under high toner level conditions, the inclined-side scraper 21 of the guiding section 23 works in conjunction with the guiding holes 25 to significantly reduce the rotational resistance of the elastic blades 2, while guiding the toner to flow towards the pushing section 22, avoiding excessive local toner pressure. The overall flexible design of the elastic blades 2 allows them to bend and deform locally when encountering toner clumps, and quickly return to their original shape after overcoming obstacles, while the presence of the separator strip 24 ensures that the scraper 21 operates independently, avoiding chain jamming.

[0039] In summary, this embodiment achieves adaptive toner supply adjustment under high and low toner levels through the partitioned structure of the elastic blade 2, the differentiated shape design of the scraper 21, the partition strip 24 in the gap 20, and material and process optimization. It completely solves the printing quality defects caused by toner jamming in the slots and unstable toner supply in existing rigid stirrers, while improving the reliability and service life of the toner cartridge.

[0040] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles and main features of this utility model, as well as its advantages. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A new type of agitator for toner cartridges characterized in that, include: The stirring shaft (1) is rotatably installed in the toner storage compartment (10) of the toner box; The elastic blade (2) is fixed on the stirring shaft (1) along the length direction of the stirring shaft (1). One side of the elastic blade (2) extends toward the inner wall of the toner storage chamber (10) and fits against the inner wall. It is divided into a pushing section (22) and a guiding section (23) along the length direction of the fitting side. Several gaps (20) are spaced apart on the edge of the elastic blade (2) to divide the elastic blade (2) into continuously arranged scrapers (21). The top of the scraper (21) of the flow guiding section (23) is beveled, and each scraper (21) of the flow guiding section (23) has a notch-shaped flow guiding hole (25) recessed toward the center of the scraper (21) on one side edge near the adjacent gap (20). The top of the scraper (21) located in the pushing section (22) is flat, and the flat edge can fit against the inner wall of the toner storage chamber (10). No guide holes are provided on the scraper (21) of the pushing section (22).

2. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, A separator (24) is provided in the gap (20) between adjacent scrapers (21) in the push section (22). The length of the separator (24) is equal to the length of the gap (20), and the width of the separator (24) is the same as the width of the gap (20).

3. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The elastic blade (2) is fixed to the stirring shaft (1) by hot pressing.

4. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The elastic blade (2) is made of an elastic plastic sheet.

5. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The elastic blade (2) and the separator (24) are integrally formed from the same material.

6. A new type of stirrer for toner cartridge as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein, The width of the gap (20) is 3 mm to 5 mm.

7. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The top of the scraper (21) of the push section (22) near the end of the toner storage bin (10) is beveled.

8. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The guide hole (25) is a triangular notch that is recessed inward along the side edge of the scraper (21).

9. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The elastic blade (2) is provided with a plurality of through holes (26) spaced apart along its length direction. The stirring shaft (1) is provided with a hot melt column (11) corresponding to the through hole (26). The elastic blade (2) passes through the through hole (26) through the hot melt column (11) and is fixed to the side wall of the stirring shaft (1) by hot melt process.

10. A new type of agitator for toner cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The highest point of the oblique edge of the top edge of the scraper (21) located in the guide section (23) is higher than the height of the flat edge of the top edge of the scraper (21) in the push section (22).

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