A toner cartridge with waste powder fullness detection structure

Abstract

The utility model discloses a selenium drum with waste powder quantity detection function, including waste powder bin, the cavity for accommodating waste powder is provided with on waste powder bin, the bottom wall in the cavity is equipped with the movable slot, and the slot of movable slot is upwards, float detection board, set up in the opening of movable slot, and the slot wall between float detection board and movable slot is equipped with sealing element, and the both ends of float detection board are connected with the both sides inner wall of movable slot through elastic support subassembly respectively, sensing piece, install in movable slot and be located below float detection board, and float detection board can compress elastic support subassembly under the action of external force until trigger sensing piece. The utility model has the beneficial effects that: the application realizes the automatic detection of waste powder full amount through mechanical trigger, and the structure is simple, and only through the cooperation of float detection board and elastic component can realize detection, and the cost is low, and is suitable for various selenium drums, and relies on the detection of waste powder accumulation physical pressure, and the anti -interference is strong, and will not cause the misjudgment because of carbon powder adhesion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of collecting or recycling used developer technology, and specifically to a toner cartridge with a waste toner full-load detection structure. Background Technology

[0002] The toner cartridge is the core component of a laser printer, and its performance directly affects print quality. During the printing process, residual toner that is not transferred to the paper (waste toner) is collected in the waste toner compartment of the toner cartridge. If the waste toner compartment is full and not emptied in time, the waste toner may overflow and contaminate critical components such as the drum core and developing roller, resulting in abnormal marks such as ghosting, black spots, and lines in the print, or even damaging the printer.

[0003] In existing technologies, users typically only realize the waste toner tank is full and empty it after noticeable print quality issues arise. This "passive discovery" not only impacts printing efficiency but can also cause irreversible damage to the drum due to long-term waste toner accumulation. To address this issue, some solutions attempt to directly observe the waste toner level through a transparent viewing window. However, the interior of the waste toner tank is dimly lit, with numerous structural obstructions, resulting in low observation accuracy and the inability to provide early warnings. Another solution uses infrared sensors to detect waste toner levels, but the sensor probes are prone to toner adhesion, leading to signal interference, a high false alarm rate, and poor stability. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this utility model proposes: A toner cartridge with a waste toner full-capacity detection structure includes Waste powder bin, the waste powder bin having a cavity for containing waste powder, the bottom wall of the cavity having a movable groove with the groove opening facing upward; A floating detection plate is disposed at the opening of the movable groove. A sealing element is provided between the floating detection plate and the groove wall of the movable groove. The two ends of the floating detection plate are respectively connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the movable groove through elastic support components. The sensor is installed in the movable slot and located below the floating detection plate. The floating detection plate can compress the elastic support assembly under external force until the sensor is triggered.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by one embodiment of this utility model to solve its technical problem is: the sealing element is a lip seal ring, which is disposed between the inner wall of the floating detection plate and the movable groove.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by one embodiment of this utility model to solve its technical problem is as follows: the elastic support component includes a fixed column and an elastic element. The fixed column is fixedly installed in the movable groove, and the elastic element is sleeved on the fixed column, with its two ends connected to the fixed column and the floating detection plate respectively.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by one embodiment of this utility model to solve its technical problem is: the elastic element is a compression spring.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by one embodiment of this utility model to solve its technical problem is as follows: the sensing element is installed on the side wall of the waste powder bin and extends into the movable groove, and the sensing element is used to detect the floating detection plate.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by one embodiment of this utility model to solve its technical problem is: the sensing element is a mechanical contact switch or a Hall sensor.

[0010] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This application realizes automatic detection of full waste powder through mechanical triggering. The structure is simple and detection can be achieved by the cooperation of floating detection plate and elastic component. It is low cost and compatible with various toner cartridges. It relies on the physical pressure of waste powder accumulation for detection, which has strong anti-interference ability and will not cause misjudgment due to toner adhesion. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this utility model will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge described in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge described in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0012] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present utility model. The preferred embodiments of the present utility model are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to supplement the textual description with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present utility model, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0013] In the description of this utility model, "multiple" means two or more; "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number; "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features or their sequential relationship.

[0014] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the directional or positional relationship based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0015] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, the terms "setting," "installing," and "connecting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral molding; they can refer to a mechanical connection; they can refer to the internal connection of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0016] Reference Figure 1-3 The present application proposes an embodiment of the toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure, which includes: Waste powder bin 10, the waste powder bin 10 has a cavity 11 for containing waste powder, the bottom wall of the cavity 11 is provided with a movable groove 12, the groove opening of the movable groove 12 faces upward; A floating detection plate 20 is disposed at the opening of the movable groove 12. A sealing element 30 is provided between the floating detection plate 20 and the groove wall of the movable groove 12. The two ends of the floating detection plate 20 are respectively connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the movable groove 12 through elastic support components 40. The sensor 50 is installed in the movable groove 12 and located below the floating detection plate 20. The floating detection plate 20 can compress the elastic support assembly 40 under the action of external force until the sensor 50 is triggered.

[0017] Waste powder on the drum core is scraped off by a cleaning scraper and collected in the waste powder bin 10. The floating detection plate 20 can be made of a lightweight but rigid material, such as ABS plastic. Elastic support components 40 are symmetrically installed at both ends of the floating detection plate 20, initially supporting the detection plate away from the sensing element 50.

[0018] As the toner cartridge is used, waste toner gradually accumulates inside the cavity 11. With the increase in waste toner, the waste toner exerts downward pressure on the floating detection plate 20, forcing it to compress the elastic support assembly 40 and move. The sealing element 30 prevents waste toner from entering the movable slot 12, thus avoiding any impact on the movement of the floating detection plate 20. When the waste toner level reaches full, the floating detection plate 20 moves to the position of the trigger sensor 50, which then sends a signal indicating that the waste toner is full.

[0019] This application achieves automatic detection of full waste powder volume through mechanical triggering. The structure is simple, and detection can be achieved only through the cooperation of the floating detection plate 20 and the elastic component. It is low in cost and compatible with various toner cartridges. It relies on the physical pressure of waste powder accumulation for detection, which has strong anti-interference ability and will not cause misjudgment due to toner adhesion.

[0020] The sealing element 30 is a lip seal ring, which is disposed between the inner wall of the floating detection plate 20 and the movable groove 12.

[0021] The sealing element 30 is a polyurethane lip seal ring, embedded in the outer periphery of the floating detection plate 20. The lip edge is tightly fitted and sealed against the inner wall of the movable groove 12. The pre-compression of the lip seal ring is controlled to regulate the friction between the seal ring and the inner wall of the movable groove. This ensures both contact sealing and that the floating detection plate 20 moves downwards under the pressure of the toner. As the floating detection plate 20 moves downwards, it slides along the inner wall of the movable groove 12. The lip edge of the lip seal ring adheres tightly to the groove wall due to the pressure generated by the downward movement of the detection plate, forming a self-tightening seal. This seal continuously prevents toner from entering the movable groove 12 as the floating detection plate 20 moves. Simultaneously, it enhances the fit accuracy between the floating detection plate 20 and the movable groove 12, further limiting lateral swaying.

[0022] In this application, the elastic support assembly 40 includes a fixed column 41 and an elastic element 42. The fixed column is fixedly installed in the movable groove 12, and the elastic element 42 is sleeved on the fixed column 41, with its two ends connected to the fixed column 41 and the floating detection plate 20, respectively.

[0023] When the waste powder pressure pushes the floating detection plate 20 downward, the direction of compression of the elastic element 42 is restricted by the fixed column 41. The elastic element 42 is built into the tube and is completely isolated from the waste powder, which avoids carbon powder adhesion from affecting the elastic performance and extends the service life. Preferably, the elastic element 42 is a compression spring. In its natural state, the compression spring supports the movable tube and the floating detection plate 20 through its elastic force. When the waste powder pressure is greater than the spring force, the spring is compressed and stores elastic potential energy. After the waste powder is emptied, the spring releases its potential energy to push the movable tube and the floating detection plate 20 back to their original positions.

[0024] Preferably, the sensing element 50 is installed on the side wall of the waste powder bin 10 and extends into the movable groove 12. The sensing element 50 is used to detect the floating detection plate 20. The sensing element 50 is a mechanical contact switch, a Hall sensor, or a proximity switch. Correspondingly, the floating detection plate 20 has a sensed element on the side near the sensing element 50, such as a metal trigger piece that cooperates with the mechanical contact switch or a magnetic piece that matches the Hall sensor.

[0025] The sensor 50 is installed in a pre-drilled hole on the outer wall of the waste toner hopper 10. The sensing end extends through the side wall into the interior of the movable slot 12, and is triggered when the movable tube moves. As the floating detection plate 20 moves downward, the trigger / magnetic plate gradually approaches the sensor 50 until the floating detection plate 20 reaches the preset position. The sensor 50 detects the trigger signal and transmits the signal to the printer's control system.

[0026] Of course, this utility model is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of this utility model. All such equivalent modifications and substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A toner cartridge with a waste toner full-capacity detection structure, characterized in that, include Waste powder bin (10), the waste powder bin (10) has a cavity (11) for containing waste powder, the bottom wall of the cavity (11) is provided with a movable groove (12), the opening of the movable groove (12) faces upward; A floating detection plate (20) is provided at the opening of the movable groove (12). A sealing element (30) is provided between the floating detection plate (20) and the groove wall of the movable groove (12). The two ends of the floating detection plate (20) are respectively connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the movable groove (12) through elastic support components (40). The sensor (50) is installed in the movable groove (12) and located below the floating detection plate (20). The floating detection plate (20) can compress the elastic support assembly (40) under the action of external force until the sensor (50) is triggered.

2. The toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing element (30) is a lip seal ring, which is disposed between the inner wall of the floating detection plate (20) and the movable groove (12).

3. The toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic support assembly (40) includes a fixed column (41) and an elastic element (42). The fixed column (41) is fixedly installed in the movable groove (12), and the elastic element (42) is sleeved on the fixed column (41). Its two ends are respectively connected to the fixed column (41) and the floating detection plate (20).

4. The toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The elastic element (42) is a compression spring.

5. The toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor (50) is installed on the side wall of the waste powder bin (10) and extends into the movable groove (12). The sensor (50) is used to detect the floating detection plate (20).

6. The toner cartridge with a waste powder full-capacity detection structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sensing element (50) is a mechanical contact switch or a Hall sensor.

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