Photosensitive Body Unit Integrating Developing Roller

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in ensuring uniform developer supply to the photosensitive body, leading to potential inferior printing quality, and occupy significant space due to the large size of the photosensitive body unit and developing unit.

Innovation Solution

The photosensitive body unit is designed with a structure that regulates the mounting position of developing sub-units, ensuring uniform developer supply and integrating the developing unit within the photosensitive body housing to reduce overall apparatus size.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the developing unit is arranged separately from the photosensitive body unit, then the developer supply position can be adjusted, but the apparatus occupies significant space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapparatus sizeVSAvoiddeveloper supply positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The developing unit is integrated within the photosensitive body housing, merging two previously separate units into one compact structure. This reduces the overall apparatus volume while maintaining the functional relationship between the developing roller and photosensitive body through internal positioning mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The developing unit is nested inside the photosensitive body housing, with the developing roller positioned in proximity to the photosensitive body within the same housing structure. This nesting arrangement minimizes space occupation while ensuring proper developer supply positioning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Manufacturing precision

If the developing roller is not precisely positioned, then the structure is simpler, but uniform developer supply cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeveloper supply uniformityVSAvoidmounting structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The developing roller is pre-positioned at a predetermined position within the housing during assembly, ensuring correct positioning before operation. This preliminary positioning action guarantees uniform developer supply without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The housing structure itself provides the positioning function through its internal geometry and mounting features, eliminating the need for separate complex positioning mechanisms. The structure serves its own positioning function, achieving precision without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2458446B1Photosensitive Body Unit and Image Forming Apparatus Including the Same
Publication Date: 2020.03.18 HEWLETT PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LP
  • EP2458446B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2458446B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2458446B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed herein is a photosensitive body unit having an improved structure capable of disposing a developing unit (40) at a correct position to supply developer to a photosensitive body (200), and an image forming apparatus including the photosensitive body unit. The image forming apparatus includes a main body (10), a photosensitive body housing (300) mounted in the main body, a photosensitive body (200) rotatably coupled to the photosensitive body housing (300), and a developing unit (40) detachably mounted in the main body to supply developer to the photosensitive body (200). The photosensitive body housing (300) includes a guide portion to determine a mounting position of the developing unit when the developing unit is mounted in the main body.