A process cartridge

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of processing box, comprising: developing unit, including developing frame, the developing frame is formed with powder bin;Partition, the partition is set in the powder bin to separate the powder bin into the first bin containing new carbon powder and the second bin containing waste powder, the shape of the partition can be changed;Photosensitive unit, including photosensitive frame, the photosensitive frame is formed with waste powder bin;Waste powder conveying member, for conveying the waste powder of the waste powder bin into the second bin.This application embodiment processing box by setting the shape of the partition that can be changed in powder bin, and by setting waste powder conveying member, so that the space of powder bin can be fully utilized to contain waste powder, without changing the external shape structure, increase the capacity of waste powder, avoid the situation that waste powder bin is full.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of image forming equipment technology, and in particular to a processing box. Background Technology

[0002] A processing cartridge is a consumable component that can be detachably installed on an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer. An image forming apparatus is a device that uses the principle of electrophotography to form an image on an image forming medium, such as paper, through at least the processes of charging, exposure, development, transfer, fixing, and cleaning.

[0003] A common processing cartridge consists of a photosensitive unit and a developing unit connected as one unit by pins or end caps. The photosensitive unit includes a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, a cleaning blade, and a photosensitive frame that forms a waste toner container. The developing unit includes a developing roller, a toner discharge blade, and a developing frame that forms a toner container.

[0004] During processing, the developing roller transfers toner from the toner cartridge to the photosensitive drum, developing the electrostatic latent image on the drum into a toner image. The drum then contacts the transfer belt, transferring the toner image onto it. Toner residue on the drum surface after transfer is scraped off by a cleaning blade and stored as waste toner in a waste toner hopper. As transfer continues, the waste toner in the hopper gradually increases. Because some processing cartridges have limited capacity, a full hopper can occur when the waste toner level exceeds the expected amount. This can cause waste toner to clog the hopper's entrance, even deforming the cleaning blade and affecting the cleaning effect on the drum. In severe cases, it can even prevent the drum from functioning properly. Furthermore, due to the limited internal space of the image shaping device, the photosensitive frame cannot be designed to be large enough to solve the waste toner hopper fullness problem by increasing its capacity.

[0005] Therefore, a new type of processing box needs to be designed to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a processing box.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0008] A processing box, comprising:

[0009] A photosensitive unit includes a photosensitive frame and a photosensitive drum rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame, the photosensitive frame forming a waste powder bin;

[0010] A developing unit includes a developing frame and a developing roller rotatably mounted on the developing frame. The developing frame has a powder hopper and is rotatably connected to the photosensitive frame so that the developing roller can be separated from or in contact with the photosensitive drum.

[0011] A separator is provided inside the toner hopper to divide the toner hopper into a first hopper for receiving new toner and a second hopper for receiving waste toner; the shape of the separator may be varied.

[0012] Waste powder conveying component, used to transport waste powder from the waste powder bin to the second bin.

[0013] In one embodiment, the waste powder conveying component includes a waste powder channel, a powder feeding component, and a driving component. The waste powder channel connects the waste powder bin and the second bin. The powder feeding component is at least partially disposed in the waste powder channel. The driving component is used to drive the powder feeding component to move so that the waste powder in the waste powder bin is conveyed to the second bin.

[0014] In one embodiment, the powder feeding component includes a first powder feeding screw and a second powder feeding screw. The first powder feeding screw is disposed in the waste powder bin and is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin toward the waste powder channel. The second powder feeding screw is disposed in the waste powder channel and is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin to the second bin.

[0015] In one embodiment, the photosensitive unit further includes a first power receiver connected to the end of the photosensitive drum for receiving rotational force to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, and the driving component is drivenly connected to the first power receiver.

[0016] In one embodiment, the driving component includes a first gear set and a second gear set. The first gear set includes a meshing first gear and a second gear. The first gear is rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame and meshes with the first power receiving component. The second gear is connected to the end of the first powder feeding screw via a connecting shaft. The second gear set includes a meshing first helical gear and a second helical gear. The first helical gear is mounted on the connecting shaft, and the second helical gear is mounted on the second powder feeding screw.

[0017] In one embodiment, the waste powder channel is a tubular structure, comprising a first section and a second section perpendicular to each other. The second powder feeding screw is a flexible rod, which has a first part and a second part perpendicular to each other. The first part is located in the first section of the waste powder channel, and the second part is located in the second section of the waste powder channel.

[0018] In one embodiment, the photosensitive frame is provided with a toner output port connected to the waste toner container, the developing frame is provided with a toner input port connected to the second container, one end of the waste toner channel is connected to the toner output port, and the other end is connected to the toner input port.

[0019] In one embodiment, the separator is a sheet-like film or a bag-like film.

[0020] In one embodiment, when the processing box is installed in the image forming apparatus, the first compartment is located below the second compartment.

[0021] In one embodiment, the developing unit further includes a toner feeding roller for conveying new toner from the toner hopper to the developing roller.

[0022] The processing box in this embodiment of the application can make full use of the space of the powder hopper to accommodate waste powder by setting a partition with a variable position or shape in the powder hopper and setting a waste powder conveying component. This increases the capacity of waste powder without changing the external shape and structure, and avoids the waste powder hopper from being full.

[0023] To better understand and implement this invention, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the processing box from one perspective in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the processing box from another perspective in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the processing box from one perspective in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the internal partition of the processing box in one of the states in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the partition inside the processing box in another state in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the processing box with the drive end cover hidden in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides accompanying drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention and are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments, and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementation methods and the advantages of the present invention.

[0031] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on this utility model.

[0032] Please see Figures 1 to 6 This embodiment provides a processing box, including a developing unit 10, a photosensitive unit 20, a separator 30, and a waste toner conveying component 40. For ease of description, an XYZ axis coordinate system is established in the drawings, wherein the length direction of the processing box is defined as the X-axis direction, the width direction as the Y-axis direction, and the height direction as the Z-axis direction. The direction from the non-driving side of the processing box to the driving side is the +X direction, and the opposite direction is the -X direction. The direction from the developing unit 10 to the photosensitive unit 20 is the +Y direction, and the opposite direction is the -Y direction. The upward direction is the +Z direction, and the downward direction is the -Z direction. The driving side of the processing box is the side that receives the rotational driving force of the image forming apparatus, and the non-driving side of the processing box is the side that does not receive the rotational driving force of the image forming apparatus.

[0033] The developing unit 10 includes a developing frame 11, a developing roller 12, a powder feeding roller 14, and a powder discharging blade 15. The developing frame 11 forms a powder hopper 110. The developing roller 12 and the powder feeding roller 14 are rotatably mounted on the developing frame 11. The powder feeding roller 14 is used to convey new toner from the powder hopper to the developing roller 12. The rotation axes of the developing roller 12 and the powder feeding roller 14 are both parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0034] The separator 30 is disposed within the toner cartridge 110, dividing the cartridge 110 into a first cartridge 111 for storing new toner and a second cartridge 112 for storing waste toner. The shape or position of the separator 30 can be varied, thereby changing the capacity of the first cartridge 111 and the second cartridge 112. For example, when the cartridge is new (unused), such as... Figure 4As shown, the first compartment 111 is filled with new toner, and the separator 30 is stretched open by the new toner and deformed towards the second compartment 112. At this time, the first compartment 111 has the largest capacity, and the second compartment 112 has the smallest capacity. As the new toner is gradually used, the amount of new toner in the first compartment 111 gradually decreases, reducing the support for the separator 30. Consequently, the separator 30 gradually deforms away from the second compartment 112, as shown... Figure 5 As shown, the capacity of the second chamber 112 gradually increases, while the capacity of the first chamber 111 gradually decreases. It can be understood that in this embodiment, by providing a separator 30 within the original toner chamber 110 of the developing frame 11, the toner chamber 110 is divided into two chambers. The separator 30 allows the capacity of the two chambers to change, thus not affecting the original toner capacity, and allowing the second chamber to increase its capacity to accommodate waste toner after new toner is consumed, fully utilizing the space of the toner chamber. It should be noted that in the prior art, when the processing cartridge is new, the toner chamber is not completely filled with toner, but rather leaves some space. Therefore, in this embodiment, the separator 30 is added to the toner chamber 110 to divide the toner chamber. When the first chamber 111 is full of toner, its toner capacity can be equal to that of the toner chambers in the prior art.

[0035] The separator 30 can adopt various structures to achieve the function of changing the capacity of the first compartment 111 and the second compartment 112. For example, in this embodiment, the separator 30 can be a sheet-like film or a bag-like film. The film is fixed in the powder hopper by means of adhesive or other fixing methods. The film has the characteristic of elastic deformation, such as... Figure 4 As shown, when there is a large amount of new toner in the first chamber 111, the membrane is stretched, making the capacity of the first chamber 111 the same as or nearly the same as the capacity of the toner chamber 110, while the capacity of the second chamber 112 is 0 or nearly 0. As the toner in the first chamber 111 gradually decreases, as... Figure 5 As shown, the film can recover its deformation, thus gradually increasing the capacity of the second chamber 112. Furthermore, as the waste toner in the second chamber 112 gradually increases, the film can be stretched and deformed by the waste toner, further increasing the capacity of the second chamber 112. In some other embodiments, the separator 30 can also be a thin plate, which is slidably mounted in the toner chamber 110 via a guide rail. When the processing cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, the first chamber 111 is below the second chamber 112. When there is a large amount of new toner in the first chamber, the thin plate is supported by the toner and positioned at a higher level. The capacity of the first chamber is the same as or substantially the same as the toner chamber capacity, while the capacity of the second chamber is 0 or substantially 0. As the toner in the first chamber gradually decreases, the thin plate slides downwards under gravity as the toner decreases, thereby gradually increasing the capacity of the second chamber.

[0036] In this embodiment, the developing frame 11 is provided with a powder outlet that communicates with the first chamber 111. The developing roller 12 and the powder dispensing knife 15 are located at the powder outlet. The powder feeding roller 14 is located inside the first chamber 111 and can transport the new toner in the first chamber 111 toward the developing roller 12. The powder dispensing knife 15 is used to adjust the thickness of the toner on the developing roller 12.

[0037] The photosensitive unit 20 includes a photosensitive frame 21, a photosensitive drum 22, and a charging roller 23. The photosensitive drum 22 and the charging roller 23 are rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame 21. Specifically, the photosensitive frame 21 forms a waste toner bin 210. The +X direction end and the -X direction end of the photosensitive frame 21 are respectively provided with a drive end cover 24 and a non-drive end cover 25. The photosensitive drum 22 is rotatably mounted between the drive end cover 24 and the non-drive end cover 25. In this embodiment, the developing frame 11 is rotatably connected between the drive end cover 24 and the non-drive end cover 25, so that the developing unit 10 can rotate relative to the photosensitive unit 20 around the second rotation axis L2 to achieve contact or separation between the developing roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 22. The charging roller 23 is rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame 21 via a bracket. The charging roller 23 is used to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 before development. When a laser beam carrying imaging information scans the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 22, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22. The rotation axes of the photosensitive drum 22 and the charging roller 23 are both parallel to the X-axis direction. Further, the photosensitive unit 20 also includes a first power receiver 27 located at the +X direction end of the photosensitive drum 22, and the developing unit 1 also includes a second power receiver 13 located at the +X direction end of the developing frame 11. When the processing cartridge is working, the first power receiver 27 and the second power receiver 13 receive rotational driving force from the image forming apparatus (e.g., laser printer, copier), thereby driving the photosensitive drum 22 and the developing roller 12 to rotate, respectively. The first power receiver 27 is directly connected to one end of the photosensitive drum 22 and rotates around a first rotation axis (the axis of the photosensitive drum), and the second power receiver 13 rotates around a second rotation axis L2. The drive end cover 24 is provided with a first hole 241 exposing the first power receiver 27 and a second hole 242 exposing the second power receiver 13.

[0038] The driving end cap 24 and the non-driving end cap 25 can be considered as part of the photosensitive frame 21. To reduce assembly steps, at least one of the driving end cap 24 and the non-driving end cap 25 can be integrally formed with the photosensitive frame 21. When the processing cartridge is assembled, it is only necessary to snap the developing frame 11 into the space between the driving end cap 24 and the non-driving end cap 25.

[0039] like Figure 4 and 5As shown, the photosensitive frame 21 is provided with a waste toner inlet 211 that is connected to the waste toner bin 210. A cleaning blade 26 is installed at the waste toner inlet. The circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 22 abuts against the cleaning blade 26, so that the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 after transfer can be scraped off by the cleaning blade 26 and stored in the waste toner bin 210.

[0040] like Figure 1 , 3 As shown in Figure 5, the processing box in this embodiment also includes a waste powder conveying component 40. The waste powder conveying component 40 is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin 210 to the second bin 112, thereby realizing the transfer of waste powder. The second bin 112 is used to store excess waste powder, which can increase the storage capacity of waste powder without changing the volume of the original waste powder bin 210 and powder bin 110, and avoid the waste powder bin 210 from being full.

[0041] The waste toner conveying component 40 can be configured in various ways. Preferably, in this embodiment, the waste toner conveying component 40 includes a waste toner channel 41, a toner feeding component 42, and a driving component 43. The waste toner channel 41 connects the waste toner bin 210 and the second bin 112. Specifically, the photosensitive frame 21 is provided with a toner output port 201 connected to the waste toner bin 210, and the developing frame 11 is provided with a toner input port 101 connected to the second bin 112. One end of the waste toner channel 41 is connected to the toner output port 201, and the other end is connected to the toner input port 101. The toner feeding component 42 is at least partially disposed in the waste toner channel 41. The driving component 43 is used to drive the toner feeding component 42 to move, so as to transport the waste toner from the waste toner bin 210 to the second bin 112. This achieves waste toner transport, prevents waste toner leakage, and ensures that the waste toner is stably transported to the second bin.

[0042] The waste toner channel 41 is a tubular structure. Specifically, in this embodiment, the waste toner channel 41 includes a first segment 411 and a second segment 412 that are substantially perpendicular to the axis (X-axis direction) of the photosensitive drum 22. The first segment 411 and the second segment 412 are substantially perpendicular to each other.

[0043] The powder feeding component 42 can be configured in various ways. For example, the powder feeding component 42 can be a conveyor belt structure, and the driving component 43 drives the rotation of the conveyor belt to transport waste powder. Preferably, in this embodiment, the powder feeding component 42 includes a first powder feeding screw 421 and a second powder feeding screw 422. The first powder feeding screw 421 is disposed in the waste powder bin 210 and is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin 210 toward the waste powder channel 41. In other words, the first powder feeding screw 421 is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin 210 toward the powder output port 201. The second powder feeding screw 422 is disposed in the waste powder channel 41 and is used to transport the waste powder transported by the first powder feeding screw 421 to the second bin 112. Or, the second powder feeding screw 422 is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin 210 to the second bin 112. The screw structure is stable and highly reliable. The waste powder is transported efficiently using a screw. The first feeding screw 421 can accumulate waste powder towards the waste powder channel 41, allowing a larger amount of waste powder to be transported to the second bin 112 by the second feeding screw 422 through the waste powder channel 41. The feeding screw uses a common feeding screw structure found in the prior art, for example, it includes a rod and continuous blades arranged spirally on the rod. By rotating the rod, the blades rotate accordingly, thereby transporting the carbon powder along the blades. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the first toner feeding screw 421 is parallel to the rotation axis (X-axis direction) of the photosensitive drum 22. The rod of the second toner feeding screw 422 is a flexible rod with a bend to form a first part 4221 and a second part 4222. Both the first part 4221 and the second part 4222 are substantially perpendicular to the axis (X-axis direction) of the photosensitive drum 22. The first part 4221 and the second part 4222 are substantially perpendicular to each other. The first part 4221 is located in the first section 411 of the waste toner channel 41, and the second part 4222 is located in the second section 412 of the waste toner channel 41. Thus, waste toner can be delivered to the second compartment through the waste toner channel by the second toner feeding screw. In some other embodiments, the first part 4221 and the second part 4222 of the second toner feeding screw 422 can also be two separate small screws driven together to transport toner.

[0044] The driving component can be an active driving component, that is, the driving component itself can directly drive the powder feeding component to move. For example, the driving component includes a battery and a drive motor. The battery powers the drive motor, and the output shaft of the drive motor is directly driven to the powder feeding component or indirectly driven to the powder feeding component through transmission components such as gears, thereby driving the movement of the powder feeding component.

[0045] Specifically, in this embodiment, the driving component 43 is a passive driving component, and the driving component 43 is drivenly connected to the first power receiving component 27, thereby receiving the rotational force of the first power receiving component 27 and driving the powder feeding component 42 to move. Specifically, as Figure 1 , 3 As shown in Figure -5, the outer periphery of the first power receiver 27 is provided with teeth 271. The driving component 43 includes a first gear set and a second gear set. The first gear set includes a meshing first gear 431 and a second gear 432. The first gear 431 is rotatably disposed on the driving end of the photosensitive frame 21 and meshes with the teeth 271 of the first power receiver 27. The second gear 432 is fixedly connected to the end of the first powder feeding screw 421 through a connecting shaft 433, thereby driving the first powder feeding screw 421 to rotate. The second gear set includes a meshing first helical gear 434 and a second helical gear 435. The first helical gear 434 is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft 433, and the second helical gear 435 is fixed on the end of the first part 4221 of the second powder feeding screw 422 away from the second part 4222. Thus, the first helical gear 434 drives the second helical gear 435 to rotate as the connecting shaft 433 rotates, causing the second powder feeding screw 422 to rotate.

[0046] It is understood that the powder feeding component 42 and the driving component 43 can also have other implementations, as long as they can achieve the function of transporting waste powder from the waste powder bin 210 to the second bin 112, and will not be listed one by one here.

[0047] The processing box in this embodiment can fully utilize the space of the powder hopper to accommodate waste powder by setting up a partition with a variable position or shape in the powder hopper and by setting up a waste powder conveying component. This increases the capacity of waste powder without changing the external shape and structure, and avoids the waste powder hopper from being full.

[0048] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the manual self-centering vise of this utility model. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A processing box, characterized in that, include: A photosensitive unit includes a photosensitive frame and a photosensitive drum rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame, the photosensitive frame forming a waste powder bin; A developing unit includes a developing frame and a developing roller rotatably mounted on the developing frame. The developing frame has a powder hopper and is rotatably connected to the photosensitive frame so that the developing roller can be separated from or in contact with the photosensitive drum. A separator is provided inside the toner hopper to divide the toner hopper into a first hopper for receiving new toner and a second hopper for receiving waste toner; the shape of the separator may be varied. Waste powder conveying component, used to transport waste powder from the waste powder bin to the second bin.

2. The processing box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waste powder conveying component includes a waste powder channel, a powder feeding component, and a driving component. The waste powder channel connects the waste powder bin and the second bin. The powder feeding component is at least partially disposed in the waste powder channel. The driving component is used to drive the powder feeding component to move so that the waste powder in the waste powder bin is conveyed to the second bin.

3. The processing box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The powder feeding component includes a first powder feeding screw and a second powder feeding screw. The first powder feeding screw is disposed in the waste powder bin and is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin toward the waste powder channel. The second powder feeding screw is disposed in the waste powder channel and is used to transport the waste powder in the waste powder bin to the second bin.

4. The processing box according to claim 3, characterized in that: The photosensitive unit further includes a first power receiver connected to the end of the photosensitive drum, which is used to receive rotational force to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, and the driving component is drivenly connected to the first power receiver.

5. The processing box according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving component includes a first gear set and a second gear set. The first gear set includes a meshing first gear and a second gear. The first gear is rotatably mounted on the photosensitive frame and meshes with the first power receiving component. The second gear is connected to the end of the first powder feeding screw via a connecting shaft. The second gear set includes a meshing first helical gear and a second helical gear. The first helical gear is mounted on the connecting shaft, and the second helical gear is mounted on the second powder feeding screw.

6. The processing box according to claim 3, characterized in that: The waste powder channel is a tubular structure, comprising a first section and a second section perpendicular to each other. The second powder feeding screw is a flexible rod, which has a first part and a second part perpendicular to each other. The first part is located in the first section of the waste powder channel, and the second part is located in the second section of the waste powder channel.

7. The processing box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The photosensitive frame is provided with a toner output port connected to the waste toner container, and the developing frame is provided with a toner input port connected to the second container. One end of the waste toner channel is connected to the toner output port, and the other end is connected to the toner input port.

8. The processing box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The separator is a sheet-like film or a bag-like film.

9. The processing box according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the processing box is installed in the image forming apparatus, the first compartment is located below the second compartment.

10. The processing box according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: The developing unit also includes a powder feeding roller, which is used to convey new toner from the powder hopper to the developing roller.

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