Toner Cartridge Platform with Resilient Arm Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing toner cartridge systems face inaccuracies in toner delivery due to low pressure conditions, leading to potential toner starvation and delivery failures, as the auger-based systems struggle with air-tight sealing and precise toner flow management.
Innovation Solution
A toner cartridge design featuring a driven toner platform with a resilient arm mechanism that slides within the cartridge, ensuring efficient toner delivery by translating the platform towards the exit port while maintaining a sealed environment, and utilizing a drive shaft with a threaded and unthreaded portion to manage toner flow and prevent binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an auger-based system is used to deliver toner from the cartridge, then toner can be fed through the exit port, but low pressure conditions and air-tight sealing create inaccuracies in toner delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the auger system by introducing a separate shutter mechanism that opens and closes the exit port independently. This allows the auger to focus on toner transport while the shutter maintains sealing, resolving the contradiction between delivery accuracy and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter acts as an intermediary between the toner reservoir and the exit port, controlling airflow and pressure independently of the auger's toner delivery function. This mediator enables accurate toner measurement while preventing pressure-related delivery failures.
2Reliability
If the exit port is sealed to prevent toner leakage, then a vacuum-like condition is created that causes cavitation and toner starvation, but if open then toner delivery accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter operates periodically, opening to allow toner delivery and closing to maintain sealing. This periodic action creates controlled pressure variations that prevent cavitation while enabling accurate toner measurement during the open phase, resolving the contradiction between flow consistency and measurement accuracy.
3Productivity
If the auger rotates continuously to deliver toner, then toner flow is maintained, but the low pressure condition leads to toner starvation and delivery failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from toner level detection to control auger rotation and shutter timing. This feedback mechanism adjusts the delivery rate to match actual toner availability, maintaining productivity while preventing delivery failures caused by pressure imbalances.
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 design enhances toner delivery accuracy and prevents toner starvation by maintaining a sealed environment and ensuring consistent toner flow, allowing for precise monitoring of toner levels and reducing the risk of cartridge failure.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient arm is positioned within the reservoir and biased toward an initial position in the path of the toner platform. When the drive shaft rotates, the toner platform translates toward the exit port for moving toner within the reservoir toward the exit port. When the toner platform contacts the resilient arm, the resilient arm moves out of the path of the toner platform to to permit the toner platform to pass and when the toner platform moves further toward the exit port the resilient arm returns to the initial position.
Data Source
AI summary
A toner cartridge for an imaging device having a housing having a toner reservoir and an exit port in fluid communication with the toner reservoir. A drive shaft rotatably mounts within the toner reservoir. A toner platform is movably coupled to the drive shaft and is nonrotatable but slidable relative to the housing. A resilient arm is positioned within the reservoir and biased toward an initial position in the path of the toner platform. When the drive shaft rotates, the toner platform translates toward the exit port. When the toner platform contacts the resilient arm, the resilient arm moves to permit the toner platform to pass and when the toner platform moves further toward the exit port the resilient arm returns to the initial position. The resilient arm may mount on the inner surface, the toner to platform or the drive shaft.