Developer Container Agitating Member Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming systems face challenges in maintaining consistent performance of the agitating member when switching between developer containers of different capacities, as changes in container shape affect the agitating and conveying efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates two developer containers with differently sized housings and agitating members, ensuring the lower portions and inner surfaces are equally positioned and shaped relative to the agitators, allowing for equivalent performance across varying capacities while accommodating different toner reservoir capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the developer container capacity is changed by replacing the lid member, then the storage capacity is adjusted, but the agitating member performance changes due to different rotation center position and radius
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion is designed with a standardized inner surface shape that is independent of the container capacity, while the upper portion varies to accommodate different lid members. This segmentation allows the agitating member to interact with a consistent lower portion structure regardless of the container's total capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower portion of the housing is designed with a specific local quality - a standardized inner surface shape - that is common to all container types. This local standardization ensures that the agitating member performs consistently across different container capacities, while the upper portion can be customized for different storage needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple developer containers with different capacities are supported, then storage flexibility is improved, but the complexity of managing different agitating member configurations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower portion of the housing is designed as a universal component with a standardized inner surface shape that works with all container capacities. This universal design allows a single agitating member configuration to function effectively across multiple container types, eliminating the need for different agitating member configurations for each capacity level.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the lower portion of all housing types into a single standardized design. By combining the common functionality of all container types into one shared lower portion structure, the system reduces the variety of components needed and simplifies manufacturing and maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system includes a first developer container, a second developer container having a capacity larger than the first developer container, and an image forming main unit having a structure configured to allow one developer container selected from a group including the first and second developer containers to be removably installed therein. Each of the first and second developer containers includes a housing configured to form a developer storage chamber in which developer is storable, and a developer agitating member. The agitating member of the first developer container has a construction equivalent to that of the second developer container. Lower portions of the housings are equally positioned relative to the corresponding agitating member and have equally shaped inner surfaces, while portions other than the lower portions of the housings are shaped differently from each other.