Resilient Agitator Gear for Stable Detection in Laser Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional laser printers, the agitator gear is attached to a rotation shaft in a way that prevents it from rotating relative to the shaft, leading to potential decentering due to load deformation, resulting in insufficient meshing with the detected rotary body's gear teeth, which hampers the transmission of driving force and reduces detection accuracy of the developing cartridge.
Innovation Solution
A developing cartridge design featuring a rotatable agitator with a resilient agitation blade that can move away from the housing, allowing the agitator gear to engage with the detection gear at a stable position, ensuring reliable drive force transmission and improved detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the agitator gear is attached to the rotation shaft to prevent relative rotation, then the gear attachment is simplified, but the gear decentering occurs due to shaft deformation under load, resulting in insufficient meshing engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the agitation blade resilient and capable of dynamic movement. The blade can move away from the housing under load conditions, allowing the rotation shaft to deform without causing gear decentering. This dynamic adjustment maintains proper meshing engagement between the agitator gear and detection gear teeth even when the shaft position changes, resolving the contradiction between simple attachment and reliable engagement.
2Reliability
If the agitation blade is made resilient and movable, then the gear decentering is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements this principle by using a resilient agitation blade that can flex and move dynamically. The blade's flexibility allows it to accommodate shaft deformation without compromising gear engagement. This approach achieves reliable meshing stability through a relatively simple flexible component rather than a complex rigid mechanism, effectively resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration stabilizes the rotational driving of the detected rotary body, enhancing the detection accuracy of the developing cartridge by ensuring proper engagement between the agitator and detection gears, even under load conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The agitation blade is supported to the rotation shaft and resiliently deformable. The agitation blade is in contact with and spaced away from the housing in accordance with the rotation of the rotation shaft.
Data Source
AI summary
A cartridge includes a housing, an agitator, a first rotary member having a detected portion and a first abutment portion, and a second rotary member having a second abutment portion. The agitator includes: a rotation shaft having an axial end portion at which the second rotary member is supported; and an agitation blade supported to the rotation shaft and resiliently deformable. The second rotary member is configured such that while the agitation blade is being spaced apart from the housing, the second abutment portion contacts the first abutment portion in accordance with rotation of the second rotary member to move the first rotary member from the first position to the second position, thereby transmitting the driving force from the second rotary member to the first rotary member.