Toner Container Holder Design for Smooth Shutter Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In toner containers for image forming apparatuses, the shutter and guide rod often fail to move smoothly due to agglomeration of toner between the holder, guide rod, and compression spring, leading to incomplete toner discharge.
Innovation Solution
A toner container design featuring a holder with a fitting portion, holding portion, and bridge portion that supports the guide rod movably, along with a compression spring wound around the guide rod, where the circumferential area facing the bridge portion is smaller than the area not facing it, ensuring smooth movement and discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the holder covers over half of the circumference of the guide rod and compression spring, then the structural support is improved, but toner agglomeration occurs between the holder, guide rod, and compression spring
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is designed with non-uniform circumferential coverage, providing structural support where needed while leaving gaps in specific regions to prevent toner agglomeration. The bridge portion connects holding portions while maintaining open space around the guide rod and compression spring, achieving localized optimization of both support and toner flow properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder structure deliberately breaks symmetry by having the bridge portion connect holding portions in an asymmetric arrangement, creating uneven circumferential coverage. This asymmetric design prevents toner from agglomerating in the gaps while maintaining adequate structural support, resolving the contradiction between support strength and toner flow.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the holder covers over half of the circumference, then structural stability is improved, but shutter and guide rod movement becomes unsmooth
Solution Approach 1:
The holder provides structural stability through its overall framework while creating local gaps between the bridge portion and the guide rod/compression spring. These localized openings allow the shutter and guide rod to move smoothly without toner interference, while the rest of the holder structure maintains stability.
3Device complexity
If the compression spring is wound around the guide rod, then the urging force mechanism is simplified, but toner agglomeration occurs between the spring and guide rod
Solution Approach 1:
The holder acts as an intermediary structure that positions the compression spring and guide rod while preventing direct contact between toner and these components. The bridge portion of the holder creates spacing that prevents toner agglomeration, while still allowing the compression spring to function around the guide rod.
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 ensures the shutter and guide rod move smoothly in the opening and closing direction, preventing toner agglomeration and ensuring satisfactory toner discharge through the nozzle.
Implementation Method 1
a compression spring to urge the shutter in a direction to close the opening
Data Source
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AI summary
A toner container includes a shutter to open and close an opening into which the nozzle is inserted, a guide rod provided together with the shutter, and a compression spring that urges the shutter in the closing direction. Further, the toner container includes a holder including a holding portion including at least two portions to support the guide rod movably in an opening and closing direction, a fitting portion having the opening, to fit into a container body, and a bridge portion to connect the holding portion and the fitting portion. A circumferential area around the guide rod and the compression spring that faces the bridge portion is smaller than a circumferential area around the guide rod and the compression spring that does not face the bridge portion. the shutter and the guide rod (or the nozzle) moves smoothly in the opening and closing direction.