Developing Cartridge Filling Opening Positioning for Toner Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing developing cartridges face issues with uniform toner distribution near the developing roller, leading to potential image formation failures when first attached to an image forming apparatus, as the toner supply takes time to reach the necessary areas.
Innovation Solution
The developing cartridge design includes a housing with a filling opening that allows for efficient toner distribution, featuring a developing roller, a supply roller, and a driving force receiving member that ensures the toner is evenly spread around the developing roller, even when the cartridge is new, by positioning the filling port strategically to overlap with the developing coupling and being closer to the developing roller than the tangent line passing through the edge point of the coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the toner containing section is filled with toner through the toner filling port while sealed with a toner sealing member, then the toner can be contained in the cartridge, but the toner is not uniformly provided to the vicinity of the developing roller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the toner filling port at a specific location that overlaps with the developing roller's peripheral surface. This allows toner to be directly deposited onto the developing roller during the filling process, ensuring uniform toner distribution from the outset rather than requiring subsequent redistribution time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized toner deposition zone where the filling port is positioned to overlap with a specific region of the developing roller. This ensures that toner is uniformly distributed precisely where it is needed on the roller's peripheral surface, rather than relying on general containment.
2Device complexity
If the process cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus in a state where only the toner containing section is filled with toner, then the cartridge structure is simplified, but image formation fails just after attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the toner filling port to overlap with the developing roller's peripheral surface. This ensures that when the cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus, the developing roller already has sufficient toner on its surface to immediately perform image formation without failure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the toner filling port is positioned away from the developing roller, then the housing structure is simplified, but toner takes time to reach the developing roller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the toner filling port at a location that overlaps with the developing roller's peripheral surface. This strategic positioning ensures that toner is deposited directly onto the roller during filling, eliminating the time delay that would otherwise be required for toner to transport from a distant filling port to the developing roller.
Data Source
AI summary
A developing cartridge including: a housing; a developing roller rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a first direction; a developing gear supported by an end portion of the developing roller; and a driving force receiving member rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the first direction by receiving a driving force from an image forming apparatus body and including a gear portion engaging with the developing gear, wherein the housing has an opening for filling the housing with developer, and wherein at least a part of the driving force receiving member overlaps the opening when viewed in the first direction.