Drum Cartridge Outer Contact Surface for Reliable IC Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate positioning of the electrical contact surface on a drum cartridge with respect to the main body frame of an image forming apparatus is required for effective communication between the IC chip on the drum cartridge and the image forming apparatus.
Innovation Solution
The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum frame, a drum coupling, and an electrical contact surface positioned closer to one side of the drum frame, with a holder movable in a second direction to ensure accurate alignment and contact with the main body frame's electrical contact upon attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electrical contact surface is positioned on the drum cartridge, then electrical connection with the main body frame is enabled, but accurate positioning becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
A holder is introduced as an intermediary component between the drum cartridge and the main body frame. The holder specifically positions the electrical contact surface and facilitates accurate electrical connection, separating the positioning function from the drum cartridge structure itself. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by enabling reliable electrical connection without requiring the drum cartridge to achieve precise positioning on its own.
Solution Approach 2:
The drum cartridge system is segmented into distinct functional components: the drum cartridge itself, the holder for electrical contact, and the main body frame. By dividing the system, the positioning function is assigned to the holder rather than the entire drum cartridge assembly, making it easier to achieve accurate electrical contact positioning independently of the drum cartridge's overall position.
2Quantity of substance
If the IC chip is mounted on the drum cartridge, then information storage capability is improved, but the complexity of positioning the electrical contact surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holder serves as a mediator that simplifies the positioning task. Instead of integrating the IC chip positioning directly into the drum cartridge structure, the holder independently manages the electrical contact surface positioning, reducing the overall system complexity while maintaining information storage capability.
3Ease of operation
If the electrical contact surface is positioned closer to one side of the drum frame, then alignment with the main body frame is facilitated, but the structural design becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The structural design is segmented by introducing the holder as a separate component. This allows the electrical contact surface to be positioned optimally for alignment on one side of the drum frame without constraining the overall structural design of the drum cartridge, as the holder can be independently configured to accommodate the positioning requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; a drum coupling; and an electrical contact surface. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction. The drum frame has one end portion in a second direction at which the photosensitive drum is positioned. The drum coupling is rotatable together with the photosensitive drum. The drum coupling is positioned at an outer surface of one side in the first direction of the drum frame. The electrical contact surface is positioned closer to another side in the second direction of the drum frame than the drum coupling is to the another side in the second direction of the drum frame.