Tapered Toner Bottle Ridge Pattern for Low Fluidity Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing powder containing devices face challenges in efficiently conveying toner with low fluidity and compression ratios between 0.35 to 0.45, as they either supply too much toner due to high fluidity or experience cogging due to low fluidity, without a suitable mechanism to manage the flow effectively.
Innovation Solution
A powder containing device with a toner bottle featuring a tapered section and a protruding ridge on its inner surface, which reduces in diameter towards the opening, facilitating smooth toner conveyance by rotating around a central axis, ensuring the toner is efficiently conveyed to the opening without excessive supply or cogging, using a lid member that maintains a non-rotating state to control the outlet flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional powder containing device is used, then the device structure is simple, but the toner conveyance is inefficient due to low fluidity and compression ratios between 0.35 to 0.45
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a main body section and a tapered section, with the protruding ridge forming different patterns in each section. The tapered section has narrower intervals between ridges compared to the main body section, allowing optimized toner conveyance for low fluidity toner without overcomplicating the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the container have different ridge interval patterns tailored to their specific functions. The main body section uses wider intervals for general storage, while the tapered section uses narrower intervals to effectively convey low fluidity toner to the outlet, applying quality differentiation where needed.
2Ease of operation
If the protruding ridge intervals are uniform throughout, then the manufacturing is simple, but the toner flow is inconsistent in the tapered section
Solution Approach 1:
The ridge intervals are made non-uniform, with narrower spacing in the tapered section and wider spacing in the main body section. This local differentiation ensures consistent toner flow through the tapered section while maintaining manufacturability through a relatively simple varying pattern.
3Productivity
If the container has a straight cylindrical shape, then the manufacturing is easy, but the toner accumulates near the outlet due to low fluidity
Solution Approach 1:
The container transitions from a symmetric cylindrical main body to an asymmetric tapered section near the outlet. This asymmetric tapering creates a geometry that promotes toner flow toward the outlet and prevents accumulation, while the overall shape remains relatively simple for manufacturing.
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
The solution ensures effective and controlled toner conveyance, maintaining optimal fluidity and preventing toner accumulation, thus ensuring consistent supply and efficient use in image forming apparatuses, with the taper length and inclination angle optimized for efficient performance.
Implementation Method 1
a protruding ridge which protrudes from the inner circumferential surface and conveys the powder to the second end side by rotating around a rotation axis
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a powder containing device including a powder container that contains powder, that has a first end which is closed, that has a second end which is opened, that includes a main body section and a tapered section which is disposed on the second end side from the main body section and has a diameter reduced as close to the second end side, and that has an inner circumferential surface on which a protruding ridge is formed to convey the powder to the second end side by rotating around a rotation axis extending in a direction in which the first end and the second end is connected, and a lid member that is provided with an outlet of the powder, is maintained in a non-rotating state, and causes the powder flowing from the opening to flow out from the outlet.