Toner Container Screw with Variable Reverse Pitch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collected toner containers face issues with efficient toner accumulation due to the configuration of screw conveying members, leading to uneven filling rates and potential toner clogging or spillage, as increasing the number of turns of the reverse conveyance screw can cause toner to be clogged and spill upstream, while reducing it results in reduced filling efficiency downstream.
Innovation Solution
A collected toner container design with a conveying member featuring a plurality of forward and reverse conveyance sections, where the downstreammost reverse conveyance section is the longest, ensuring efficient toner distribution and accumulation by alternating the direction of toner conveyance mid-course, thereby preventing toner buildup and promoting uniform filling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of turns of the reverse conveyance screw is increased to improve filling efficiency, then the filling rate improves, but the toner is clogged and spills out on the upstream side
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the number of turns of the reverse conveyance screw non-uniform along the axial direction. Specifically, the number of turns increases from the upstream side to the downstream side of the reverse conveyance screw. This local variation allows the upstream portion to have fewer turns (reducing clogging risk) while the downstream portion has more turns (improving filling efficiency), thereby resolving the contradiction between filling efficiency and toner clogging.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the number of turns of the reverse conveyance screw is reduced uniformly to prevent upstream clogging, then toner spilling is reduced, but the filling rate on the downstream side is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by implementing local quality through a non-uniform distribution of screw turns. The number of turns of the reverse conveyance screw is designed to increase progressively from the upstream side to the downstream side. This ensures that the upstream side has fewer turns (preventing toner spilling) while the downstream side has more turns (maintaining high filling rate), thus simultaneously addressing both concerns.
3Volume of moving object
If the container is made compact to reduce apparatus size, then the apparatus footprint is reduced, but the toner accumulation efficiency is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing a rotating screw conveying member that actively moves toner within the compact container. The screw member rotates to convey toner from the collecting port toward the discharge port, dynamically distributing toner throughout the container volume. This active conveyance mechanism enables efficient toner accumulation within a compact container size, resolving the contradiction between compactness and accumulation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw conveying member acts as an intermediary that facilitates toner movement within the compact container. It mediates between the collecting port and the discharge port, actively transporting toner through the container interior. This intermediary mechanism enables the container to maintain a compact form factor while achieving efficient toner accumulation through the mediating action of the rotating screw.
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 accumulation efficiency, reduces the need for frequent container replacements, and allows for a compact image forming apparatus by ensuring uniform toner distribution and reducing the height of the container, thus lowering running costs and enabling quieter operation.
Implementation Method 1
a screw conveying member configured to convey the collected toner to a discharge port
Implementation Method 2
a screw conveying member arranged rotatably in the container to convey the toner collected from the collecting port from the one end toward the other end
Data Source
AI summary
A collected toner container includes a container with a collecting port receiving a collected toner on one end in a longitudinal direction and a conveying member convey the toner collected from the collecting port from the one end toward the other end. The conveying member includes a plurality of forward conveyance sections and a plurality of reverse conveyance sections configured to convey the toner in a direction opposite to the forward conveyance section. The reverse conveyance sections are arranged alternately with the forward conveyance sections in an axial direction and a length of a downstreammost reverse conveyance section, in the direction of conveyance of the forward conveyance sections, is formed to be longest among the plurality of reverse conveyance sections.