CN219676454U

CN219676454U - Process cartridge

Info

Publication number: CN219676454U
Application number: CN202320622732.9U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈法妙; 骆韶聪; 许衍圳
Original assignee: Guangzhou Zhongnuo Microelectronics Co ltd
Current assignee: Guangzhou Zhongnuo Microelectronics Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-24
Filing date: 2023-03-24
Publication date: 2023-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2033-03-24

Abstract

The present invention provides a process cartridge detachably mountable in an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including: a housing; a photosensitive drum detachably mounted in the housing and rotatable from a rotation axis; a power receiving portion provided at an end portion of the photosensitive drum and configured to receive a driving force from a power output portion of the image forming apparatus from outside the process cartridge to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate; an offset gear provided on the housing, the offset gear being movable from a first position to a second position and meshing with a gear portion on the power output portion when mounted to the image forming apparatus; in the process of installing the processing box to the image forming device through the displaceable offset gear, the direct collision between the processing box and the power output part is avoided, and meanwhile, the power output part can be adjusted, so that the power output part can be connected with the power receiving part of the processing box, and the normal work of the processing box is ensured.

Description

Process cartridge

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of printing consumables, in particular to a processing box.

Background

In an image forming apparatus, which uniformly charges a photosensitive drum surface and selectively adsorbs a developer using toner as a developer according to an electrostatic latent image principle by a drum-type electrophotographic photosensitive member (i.e., photosensitive drum) as an image bearing member, next, the toner image covered on the photosensitive drum surface is directly transferred to a recording medium or indirectly transferred to the recording medium through a transfer device, and finally a visualized image is formed on the recording medium, and the toner image transferred to the recording medium is heated and pressurized to fix the toner image on the recording medium, thereby performing image recording.

In order to facilitate the use and maintenance of users, in image forming apparatuses of today, a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and the like have been basically integrated in another frame detachably mountable from the image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge having the frame has been basically circulated in the market and effectively and sufficiently verified for its feasibility.

However, in the image forming process, it is necessary that the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus are in close fit and in a linked relationship to normally cover the image on the recording material. Because most of the processing boxes and the image forming device are in a detachable connection relationship, the situation that the matching is not tight easily occurs when the processing boxes and the image forming device are reloaded into the image forming device after the processing boxes and the image forming device are detached, so that the processing boxes and the image forming device cannot generate a linkage relationship, further the recording medium cannot normally record images, and the use of users is affected.

As shown in fig. 1, in order to form a close fit between an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a power output member that can output power, the power output member being movable in an axial direction between a retracted position away from the process cartridge 50 and an extended position close to the process cartridge 50, the power output member being not engageable with the process cartridge 50 when in the retracted position, and the power output member being engageable with the process cartridge 50 when in the extended position, and a process cartridge 50 mounted in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus are disclosed in the prior art. The conventional process cartridge 50 includes a coupling member 41 engageable with the power take-off, and a developing roller gear 31, the coupling member 41 being mounted at one axial end of the photosensitive drum 49 and being rotatable to drive the photosensitive drum 49, the developing roller gear 31 being mounted at one axial end of a developing roller (not shown) and being rotatable to drive the developing roller, wherein, projected in the axial direction, at least a portion of the developing roller gear 31 is exposed outside the coverage of the gear cover 28 to allow the developing roller gear 31 to engage with the power take-off, and in the engaged state of both, the developing roller gear 31 is capable of pulling the power take-off from the retracted position to the extended position.

Although the coupling member 41 and the developing roller gear 31 of the process cartridge 50 can be engaged with the power take-off, respectively, in the process of engagement, since the power take-off of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus needs to be connected to the coupling member 41 and the developing roller gear 31 at the same time to normally operate the process cartridge 50, that is, the process cartridge 50 cannot be normally operated only when the coupling member 41 or the developing roller gear 31 is connected, and the coupling member 41 and the developing roller gear 31 connected to the power take-off in the process cartridge 50 are fixedly mounted, fine adjustment cannot be performed. In the case where the power output member of the partial image forming apparatus cannot be extended or retracted or the power output member is excessively extended due to collision of the process cartridge, the power output member cannot be connected to the coupling member 41 or the developing roller gear 31, and at this time, the process cartridge 50 cannot be driven by the power output member and cannot operate normally.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a processing box, which solves the problems that in the processing box of the related technology, the normal work of the processing box can be ensured under the condition that a power receiving part serving as a driving force receiving unit and a developing roller gear are meshed with a power output part, and the processing box can not be ensured under the condition that the processing box can not be stretched or contracted with a power output part or the power output part is excessively stretched due to collision of the processing box.

The present invention provides a process cartridge detachably mountable in an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including:

a housing;

a photosensitive drum detachably mounted in the housing and rotatable from a rotation axis;

a power receiving portion provided at an end portion of the photosensitive drum and configured to receive a driving force from a power output portion of the image forming apparatus from outside the process cartridge to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate;

an offset gear provided on the housing, the offset gear being movable from a first position to a second position and meshing with a gear portion on the power output portion when mounted to the image forming apparatus;

wherein a line between the shift gear moving from the first position to the second position is parallel to a plane in which the gear portion on the power output portion is located when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus.

Further, the offset gear is at the first position at a distance of less than 90% of a radius of the photosensitive drum from a rotational axis of the photosensitive drum to a tooth end of the offset gear measured in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum.

Further, the connecting piece is provided with the offset gear, the offset gear is driven to rotate from a first position to a second position by the connecting piece, and the connecting piece comprises:

a rotating member detachably attached to a guide mounting portion of the housing and rotatable about the guide mounting portion;

and a resilient member configured to hold the offset gear in the first position, the resilient member being operable to apply a force to the rotating member opposite to a direction of movement of the offset gear when the offset gear is moved to the second position relative to the first position.

Further, the rotating member is further provided with a first mounting post in an extending manner, and the offset gear is mounted on the first mounting post.

Further, the housing is further provided with a first limiting portion, and the first limiting portion is used for limiting the first mounting column to move only in the first limiting portion.

Further, the rotating member is further provided with a second limiting portion, and the second limiting portion abuts against the elastic member and limits a rotation range of the rotating member returned to the first position at the second position.

Further, the offset gear moves from the first position to the second position as a curvilinear offset.

Further, the connecting piece is provided with the offset gear, the offset gear is driven to translate from a first position to a second position by the connecting piece, and the connecting piece comprises:

a translation member detachably mounted to an outer side plate of the housing, and the translation member is movable along a slideway of the outer side plate;

and a resilient member configured to maintain the translating member in the first position, the resilient member being operable to apply a force to the translating member opposite the direction of movement of the offset gear when the offset gear is moved relative to the first position to the second position.

Further, the translation member is provided with a mounting post, and the offset gear is mounted on the second mounting post.

Further, the end of the second mounting post far away from the translation member is further provided with a first buckle, and the first buckle passes through the waist-shaped groove of the inner side plate of the shell and is abutted to the inner side plate so as to limit the movement position of the second mounting post in the first direction and the third direction.

Further, the translation member is further provided with a second buckle passing through the slideway and abutting against the outer side plate to limit the movement position of the translation member in the first direction and the third direction.

Further, the slide is configured to be a first section and a second section, wherein a length of the first section in a third direction is greater than that of the second section, and a movement range of the translating member is limited by a difference in length of the first section and the second section when the translating member returns from the second position to the first position.

Further, the offset gear is linearly offset from the first position to the second position.

After adopting above-mentioned technical scheme, make the in-process of processing box installation to image forming device through displaceable offset gear, avoid its direct collision with power take off part, also can put forward power take off part simultaneously to make power take off part can be connected with the power receiving part of processing box, guarantee the normal work of processing box.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a prior art process cartridge;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention is connected to a power output portion of an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a process cartridge and image forming apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is another schematic view of a process of connecting an offset gear of a process cartridge to a power take-off of an image forming apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a first connector of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is another schematic view of a process cartridge coupled to a power take-off of an image forming apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is another schematic view of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention in which an offset gear is coupled to a power output portion of an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 11 is another schematic view of the displacement amplitude of the offset gear of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is another exploded view of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view illustrating a structure of a second coupling member of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of an upper frame of a process cartridge according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of some embodiments of a connection process between an offset gear and a power take-off unit;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a connection process between an offset gear and a power take-off according to the present invention.

Reference numerals:

10. a housing;

10A, an upper frame; 10A1, positioning holes; 10A2, wells; 10A3, a guide mounting portion;

10A4, outer panel; 10A41, slotting; 10A42, a first limit column; 10A43, first section; 10A44, second section; 10A45, a first opening; 10A46, a second opening;

10A5, inner side plate; 10A51, waist-shaped grooves;

10A6, a first limiting part;

10B, a lower frame;

10B1, jacks;

20. a power output unit;

20A, gear portion;

30A, a first connector; 30A1, a rotating shaft member; 30A2, an extension; 30A3, a first mounting post; 30A4, mounting holes; 30A5, a second limiting part; 30A6, limiting protrusions;

30B, a second connector; 30B1, a first plate; 30B2, a second plate; 30B3, a second clasp; 30B4, a second limit column; 30B5, a second mounting post; 30B6, a first buckle;

40. An offset gear;

40A, tooth ends;

50. a photosensitive drum;

50A, a power receiving part; 50A1, a protruding portion;

60. a fixing member;

70. a positioning pin;

80A, torsion springs;

80B, springs;

a1, a rotation axis;

q1, tooth tip to axis of rotation distance;

q2, radius of photosensitive drum;

f1, a first force;

f2, second force;

f3, third force;

s1, curve deviation;

s2, linearly shifting;

w1, steps;

l1, a first panel width;

l2, second panel width;

l3, a first opening width;

l4, second opening width;

AW1, a first distance;

AW2, second distance;

AQ1, a first distance;

AW2, second distance.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", and the like used in the embodiments of the present invention indicate an azimuth or a positional relationship based on the azimuth or the positional relationship shown in the drawings, or an azimuth or the positional relationship that a product of this embodiment conventionally puts in use, are merely for convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element to be referred to must have a specific azimuth, be configured and operated in a specific azimuth, and thus should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present invention.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used in embodiments of the present invention, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Nor does the terms "a," "an," or "the" or similar terms mean a limitation of quantity, but rather that at least one is present. Likewise, the word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that elements or items preceding the word are included in the element or item listed after the word and equivalents thereof, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "connected," and the like, are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The steps preceding or following the methods of embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily performed in a sequential order. Rather, the various steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations may be added to or removed from these processes.

At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a process cartridge detachably mountable in an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including: a housing; a photosensitive drum detachably mounted in the housing and rotatable from a rotation axis; a power receiving portion provided at an end portion of the photosensitive drum and configured to receive a driving force from a power output portion of the image forming apparatus from outside the process cartridge to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate; an offset gear provided on the housing, the offset gear being movable from a first position to a second position and meshing with a gear portion on the power output section when mounted to the image forming apparatus.

In the process cartridge according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the movable offset gear is used to prevent the process cartridge from directly colliding with the power output unit during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus, and the power output unit can be aligned so that the power output unit can be connected to the power receiving unit of the process cartridge, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the process cartridge. In addition, the power output part only needs to be connected with the power receiving part of the processing box to enable the processing box to operate, the offset gear is not used as a receiving part of the driving force, and the operation condition of the processing box is simple.

Embodiments of the present invention and examples thereof are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

The rotation axis A1 direction of the photosensitive drum 50 is defined as a first direction X;

defining a mounting direction of the process cartridge as a second direction Y;

the mounting direction of the photosensitive drum 50 is defined as a third direction Z.

In the first direction X, one end portion of the process cartridge is a drive end that receives a drive force of a power output portion 20 of an image forming apparatus (not shown), and the other end portion is a non-drive end.

As shown in fig. 6, the process cartridge includes a casing 10, the casing 10 being constituted by an upper frame 10A and a lower frame 10B, the upper frame 10A being a member to which the photosensitive drum 50 is attached, and the lower frame 10B being a member to which a developing roller (not shown) is attached. The upper frame 10A and the lower frame 10B are relatively movable, specifically, the lower frame 10B is provided with an insertion hole 10B1, and the upper frame 10A is provided with a positioning hole 10A1. In this process cartridge mounting process, the upper frame 10A is moved from top to bottom in the second direction Y until the positioning hole 10A1 of the upper frame 10A is positioned on the same line as the insertion hole 10B1 of the lower frame 10B (i.e., the center line of the positioning hole 10A1 overlaps the center line of the insertion hole 10B1 in the first direction X), the positioning pin 70 is sequentially passed through the positioning hole 10A1 and the insertion hole 10B1, and the upper frame 10A and the lower frame 10B are locked, and the upper frame 10A and the lower frame 10B can be rotated about the positioning pin 70 as the rotation axis center, so that the photosensitive drum 50 of the upper frame 10A and the developing roller of the lower frame 10B are brought into close contact with or separated from each other.

As shown in fig. 2, a process of connecting the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus with the driving end of the process cartridge will be described in detail.

The power output unit 20 is a transmission unit that is connected to the image forming apparatus in a transmission manner, and rotates the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is powered on and is operating normally. Wherein the power take-off 20 is of a generally cylindrical configuration, which may include a coupling recess (not shown) at an end of the power take-off 20 of the cylindrical configuration near the process cartridge, and a gear portion 20A covering a portion of the power take-off 20 of the cylindrical configuration. When the process cartridge is normally mounted to the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge is moved from an original position of the image forming apparatus to a predetermined position, which is actually a position where the coupling recess is coupled with the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge while the gear portion 20A is engaged with the offset gear 40 of the process cartridge, by a chute (not shown).

In some image forming apparatuses, the power output portion 20 of which can swing and move to a certain extent (so that the inside of the image forming apparatus forms a certain installation space margin by the swingable power output portion 20 before or after the process cartridge is installed, the installation space margin can be changed by the power output portion 20), the power output portion 20 is in a retracted state before or during the process cartridge is installed, specifically, in a state in which the power output portion 20 is retracted toward the inner wall of the image forming apparatus; after the process cartridge is mounted, the power output portion 20 is in an extended state, specifically, a state in which the power output portion 20 extends from the inner wall of the image forming apparatus.

In some image forming apparatuses, when the power output portion 20 is in the retracted state before the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the power output portion 20 is disposed obliquely due to the swing; when the power output portion 20 is in the extended state after the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the power output portion 20 is arranged in parallel (substantially parallel to the first direction X) due to the swing, so that the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 is coupled with the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge, thereby causing the photosensitive drum 50 to rotate.

The coupling concave portion is arranged in the same first direction X as the rotation axis A1 of the photosensitive drum 50 simultaneously with the gear portion 20A while the center lines therebetween are parallel and overlap each other. I.e. the gear part 20A is arranged coaxially with the coupling recess.

Wherein the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 has a substantially triangular cross section recessed inward a certain distance toward the power output portion 20 of the cylindrical structure; in contrast, the power receiving portion 50A has a protruding portion 50A1 of a substantially triangular cross section in a protruding shape. While the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 and the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A are both disposed in such a manner as to be substantially twisted (inclined) with one end to the other end of the first direction X.

In addition, on the premise that the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 is a helical tooth, the teeth of the offset gear 40 are also helical teeth; in contrast, on the premise that the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 is straight, the teeth of the offset gear 40 are also straight. In the present embodiment, the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 and the teeth of the offset gear 40 are both helical teeth as an explanation.

To ensure that the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 is normally coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge to ensure that the process cartridge can smoothly receive the driving force from the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus, the present embodiment is provided with the movable offset gear 40.

The deflection gear is movable from a first position to a second position. The first position is an initial position before the process cartridge is not mounted to the image forming apparatus, and the second position is an engaged position after the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus.

As shown in fig. 2, a state before the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus and a state after the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus are included. The offset gear 40 is mounted at a position to be driven by a process cartridge that receives a driving force of the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus, specifically, the offset gear 40 is mounted to a side end of the upper frame 10A near the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus, and a connection part is provided at a connection part of the offset gear 40 and the upper frame 10A, which enables the offset gear 40 to move from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position, and a path of movement thereof is a curved offset or a straight offset.

As shown in fig. 3, when the offset gear 40 is in the first position, a distance from the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum 50 to the tooth end 40A of the offset gear 40, measured in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum 50, is less than 90% of the radius of the photosensitive drum 50. Specifically, when the process cartridge is not mounted to the initial position before the image forming apparatus, the distance from the tooth end 40A of the offset gear 40 to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum 50 is Q1, and the radius of the photosensitive drum 50 is Q2. Wherein, the length of Q1 is less than 90% of the length of Q2, i.e. if the length of Q2 is 12mm, then the length of Q1 is less than 10.8mm (12 mm. Times.90%). To ensure that the offset gear 40 can start to attempt to mesh with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 in advance, making the meshing smoother.

In the first direction X, the tooth tip 40A of the offset gear 40 is arranged at a position closer to the inner wall of the image forming apparatus (i.e., closer to the driving end) with respect to the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A.

That is, before the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus is coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A, the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 is engaged with the offset gear 40, which is a helical tooth at the tooth tip 40A, is engaged with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 of the helical tooth, the inclination angle of the power output portion 20 is adjusted, and the power output portion 20 in the inclined position can be adjusted to the righting position, so that the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 and the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A can be normally coupled to ensure the normal operation of the process cartridge.

As shown in fig. 2, 4-6, an embodiment is provided in which the moving path of the offset gear 40 is a curved offset (rotation), which is connected with the upper frame 10A by the first link 30A.

Specifically, the first link 30A includes a rotating member 30A1 detachably mounted to the guide mounting portion 10A3 of the upper frame 10A and rotatable about the guide mounting portion 10A 3; an elastic member configured to hold the rotating member 30A1 at the first position, the elastic member being capable of applying a force to the rotating member 30A1 opposite to a moving direction of the rotating member 30A1 when the rotating member 30A1 moves to the second position with respect to the first position; a fixing piece 60 detachably mounted into the guide mounting portion 10A3 to restrict the first direction X movement of the rotating member 30 A1.

The elastic member is a torsion spring 80A, the guide mounting portion 10A3 has a substantially cylindrical structure, a hollow middle portion thereof and an inner wall thereof having an internal thread (not shown), and the outer surface of the fixing member 60 has an external thread (not shown) which can be inserted into the guide mounting portion 10A3 and engaged with the internal thread to fix the fixing member 60 to the guide mounting portion 10A 3. In addition, the rotary member 30A1 has a circular hole-like through hole in its middle, the diameter of which is greater than or equal to the diameter of the guide mounting portion 10A3, and it further has a second stopper portion 30A5 and a first mounting post 30A3. The second stopper 30A5 abuts against the torsion spring 80A to restrict the rotation range of the rotating member 30A1 from the second position to the first position, and the rotating member 30A1 is further provided with an extending portion 30A2, and the extending portion 30A2 is a part of the rotating member 30A1, extends in the second direction Y, has a substantially arc-shaped structure, and gradually extends toward the rotation axis A1 of the photosensitive drum 50. Meanwhile, the first mounting post 30A3 extends in the first direction X on the side of the extension portion 30A2 near the photosensitive drum 50, gradually approaching the power receiving portion 50A of the photosensitive drum 50, and has the offset gear 40 fitted thereon.

Thus, when the first connector 30A is attached to the upper frame 10A, the torsion spring 80A is first fitted over the guide attachment portion 10A3, one end portion thereof is stopped against the upper frame 10A, the offset gear 40 is fitted over the first attachment post 30A3 of the rotating member 30A1, the rotating member 30A1 is then moved in the first direction X toward the guide attachment portion 10A3 until the other end of the torsion spring 80A is stopped against the second stopper portion 30A5 of the rotating member 30A1, and finally the fixing piece 60 is screwed into the guide attachment portion 10A 3.

At this time, the offset gear 40 on the first link 30A is located at the first position, which is the initial position before the process cartridge is not mounted to the image forming apparatus (i.e., the state in which the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 is not coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge). That is, the process cartridge may be referred to as the offset gear 40 being located at the first position before being successfully mounted to the image forming apparatus. Actually, as shown in fig. 3, the user holds the process cartridge outside the image forming apparatus and moves it in the second direction Y toward the inside of the image forming apparatus, and has a first force F1 (first stage) that gradually approaches the power output portion 20 of the image forming apparatus, and at this time, the offset gear 40 is located at the first position; when the process cartridge is no longer movable in the second direction Y along the slideway of the image forming apparatus, the user rotates counterclockwise with the cooperation of the fulcrum of the process cartridge and the slideway, the process cartridge of the second stage has a second force F2 (second stage), the process cartridge of the second stage gradually rotates to approach the power output part 20 of the image forming apparatus, and the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving part 50A of the process cartridge gradually approaches the coupling recess of the power output part 20 in the axis of the first direction X, at this time, the offset gear 40 is located at the first position; when the process cartridge is no longer rotatable counterclockwise, the user moves the process cartridge horizontally with a third force F3 (third stage); finally, the offset gear 40 is successfully engaged with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 to align the power output portion 20 such that the axis of the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 coincides with the axis of the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A in the first direction X, and at this time the offset gear 40 on the first link 30A is located at a second position, which is an engaged position after the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus (i.e., a state in which the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 is not coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge). In addition, the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 can be coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge to rotate the photosensitive drum 50, ensuring that the process cartridge can function normally.

In the third stage, when the gear tip 40A of the offset gear 40 comes into contact with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, the offset gear 40 is appropriately rotated in the opposite direction (i.e., clockwise) due to the first connecting member 30A, so that the offset gear 40 and the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 can have more margin for meshing, and slip is less likely to occur.

As shown in fig. 4 to 5, during engagement of the offset gear 40 on the first link 30A with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, the first link 30A is offset (rotated) by a curve by an amplitude S1, the range S1 of which is the range in which the offset gear 40 moves from the first position to the second position. The first connecting piece 30A is rotated by mainly using the central axis of the fixing piece 60 in the first direction X as a rotation axis, so that the offset gear 40 is rotated from the first position to the second position. It should be noted that, on the premise that the elastic member is the torsion spring 80A, the offset gear 40 is gradually separated from the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 during the process of removing the process cartridge, and the offset gear 40 gradually returns to the first position from the second position, so as to ensure that the curve offset effect can be achieved when the offset gear 40 is mounted to the image forming apparatus again.

As shown in fig. 16, in addition, when the offset gear is located at the first position, the distance from the tooth tip of the offset gear to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum is a first distance AW1. In addition, when the offset gear is located at the second position, the distance from the tooth tip of the offset gear to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum is the first distance AW2.

The first distance AW1 and the second distance AW2 are distances measured from a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum to the tooth tips of the offset gear when the offset gear is located at the first position and the second position. So that the offset gear is displaced by a certain extent before being meshed with the gear part of the power output part, and the offset gear is prevented from being clamped or removed in the process of meshing or transmission with the gear part of the power output part.

To further limit the range of movement of the offset gear 40. As shown in fig. 7, in some embodiments, a first limiting portion 30A5 is disposed on the upper frame 10A, the first limiting portion 30A5 is substantially in a circular arc waist-shaped hole structure, the arc length of which is substantially equal to the length of the amplitude S1 of the curve offset of the first connecting member 30A, and the first mounting post 30A3 is also extended and passes through the first limiting portion 30A5, and is configured to limit the first mounting post 30A3 to move only inside the first limiting portion 30A 5. Further limiting the movement range of the offset gear 40 prevents excessive movement of the offset gear 40 from interfering with it to stop rotation by other components, or excessively advancing the power output portion 20 to cause the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 to be unable to couple with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A.

To further limit the movement of the first link 30A in the first direction X. As shown in fig. 8, in some embodiments, a stopper projection 30A6 is provided on the end of the second restriction portion remote from the rotating member 30A1, the stopper projection 30A6 being provided toward the remote from the second restriction portion 30A5, configured to be higher than the end diameter of the torsion spring 80A when the torsion spring 80A is mounted to the mounting guide portion, which can be stopped against the other end of the torsion spring 80A from the first direction X to prevent the torsion spring 80A from coming off from the second restriction portion 30 A5.

In the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus by the displaceable offset gear 40, the direct collision with the power output portion 20 is avoided, and the power output portion 20 can be aligned so that the power output portion 20 can be connected with the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge, ensuring the normal operation of the process cartridge.

As shown in fig. 2 to 8, when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the line connecting the first position and the second position is parallel to the plane of the gear portion 20A on the power output portion 20 in the image forming apparatus, thereby facilitating the offset gear 40 to be more efficiently engaged with the gear portion 20A.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2 to 8, when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the curve formed by the locus of movement of the offset gear 40 from the first position to the second position is on the same plane parallel to the plane of the gear portion 20A on the power output portion 20 in the image forming apparatus, which is advantageous in that the offset gear 40 is engaged with the gear portion 20A more efficiently on the one hand and in that the design space of the offset gear 40 and the first connecting member 30A in the process cartridge is saved on the other hand.

As shown in fig. 9 to 15, another embodiment is provided in which the moving path of the offset gear 40 is linearly offset (translational), which is connected to the upper frame 10A (the upper frame 10A in this embodiment has the outer side plate 10A4 and the inner side plate 10A 5) through the second link 30B, so that the offset gear 40 on the second link 30B can be linearly offset in the third direction Z, resulting in that the offset gear 40 can be linearly offset in the third direction Z and engaged with or disengaged from the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20.

Specifically, the first connector 30A includes a translation member detachably mounted to the outer side plate 10A4 of the housing 10, and movable along a slide of the outer side plate 10A 4; and a resilient member configured to maintain the translating member in the first position, the resilient member being operable to apply a force to the translating member that is opposite to the direction of movement of the translating member when the translating member is moved relative to the first position to the second position.

The second mounting post 30B5 extends toward the photosensitive drum 50 in the first direction X on the side of the first plate 30B1 adjacent to the photosensitive drum 50, and gradually approaches the power receiving portion 50A of the photosensitive drum 50, and the offset gear 40 is coupled to the second mounting post 30B 5.

It should be noted that, the elastic member is a spring 80B, one end of which is connected to the first limit post 10a42 on the outer side plate 10A4, and the other end of which is connected to the second limit post 30B4 on the translation member near the first limit post 10a42, and is located approximately in the slot 10a41 formed by recessing the inside of the outer side plate 10A4 to have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the slot 10a41 has a certain space so that the spring 80B can freely expand and contract, so that the spring 80B can apply a force opposite to the moving direction of the translation member to the translation member when the translation member moves to the second position relative to the first position. Specifically, the direction of the opposing force is the mounting direction of the photosensitive drum 50 (i.e., the third direction Z) to ensure that the translation member is also capable of telescopic movement.

In addition, the translation member has a first plate 30B1 and a second plate 30B2, wherein the projection length of the first plate 30B1 perpendicular to the third direction Z (i.e. the second direction Y) is L1, the projection length of the second plate 30B2 perpendicular to the third direction Z (i.e. the second direction Y) is L2, the projection length L1 of the first plate 30B1 is greater than the projection length L2 of the second plate 30B2, and the second limiting post 30B4 is mounted at the end of the second plate 30B 2.

In order to further ensure that the translation member can move along the installation direction (i.e., the third direction Z) of the photosensitive drum 50, at least one group of second buckles 30B3 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second plate 30B2 in the second direction Y with respect to the central axis of the second plate 30B2, and the second buckles 30B3 have a substantially 7-shaped structure; in addition, two slides are symmetrically provided on the outer side plate 10A4 at positions distant from the slot 10a41 in the third direction Z, and the slides are configured so that the translation member can move along the slides at a certain position in the third direction Z. Specifically, the slide includes a first section 10a43 and a second section 10a44, with the first section 10a43 being coupled to the second section 10a44 in a staggered manner along the second direction Y. The first section 10a43 meets the slot 10a41 as seen in the first direction X and is positioned higher relative to the first section 10a43, the second section 10a44 being positioned such that the first section 10a43 and the second section 10a44 form a height difference, in particular the length of the step W1 in the second direction Y. Meanwhile, the distance between the two sets of first sections 10a43 on two opposite sides in the second direction Y is L3, and a first opening 10a45 is formed; in addition, the two sets of second segments 10a44 on opposite sides have a distance L4 in the second direction Y, and form a second opening 10a46. Wherein, the projection length L2 of the second plate 30B2 in the direction perpendicular to the third direction Z (i.e. the second direction Y) is the same as the distance L3 between the two sets of first segments 10a43 on opposite sides in the second direction Y, i.e. L2 is substantially equal to L3.

When the translational member is mounted on the upper frame 10A, one end of the spring 80B is first sleeved on the first limiting post 10A42, and then the second connecting piece 30B is pushed in the direction of the slot 10A41 along the first section 10A43 and the second section 10A44, so that the other end of the spring 80B is sleeved on the second limiting post 30B4, and meanwhile, the second buckle 30B3 positioned on the second plate 30B2 also passes through the outer side plate 10A4, and the outer end of the second buckle also clings to one side of the first section 10A43 close to the inner side plate 10A5, so that the mounting of the translational member is completed. So that the translation member can move in the installation direction (i.e., the third direction Z) of the photosensitive drum 50, and the second catch 30B3 provided on the second plate 30B2 can respectively abut against the step W1 or the groove 10a41 during movement with the translation member to limit the movement range of the translation member. Specifically, when the offset gear 40 is at the first position, the second buckle 30B3 moves along with the translation member and the third direction Z, and is stopped by the step W1 formed by the first segment 10a43 and the second segment 10a44, so that the offset gear 40 is at the first position. When the cheap gear is at the second position, the second buckle 30B3 moves along with the translation member and the third direction Z, and is stopped by the slot 10a41, so that the offset gear 40 is at the second position.

When the offset gear 40 on the second link 30B is located at the first position, which is the initial position before the process cartridge is not mounted to the image forming apparatus (i.e., the state in which the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 is not coupled with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge). In fact, as shown in fig. 10 to 11, when the user moves the process cartridge toward the inside of the image forming apparatus, the specific pushing manner and direction of the force are described in the above embodiments, and the details thereof will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, in the process of meshing the offset gear 40 with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, it is specifically that the shift gear 40 on the shift member can move along the third direction Z until the offset gear 40 on the shift member starts to mesh with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 until the offset gear 40 is completely meshed with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, so as to align the power output portion 20, so that the axis of the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 coincides with the axis of the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A in the first direction X, at this time, the offset gear 40 on the second connector 30B is located at the second position, which is the meshing position after the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus (i.e., the uncoupled state of the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 and the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge), and in addition, the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 can be connected with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A of the process cartridge, so that the photosensitive drum 50 rotates, and the process cartridge can be guaranteed to operate normally.

When the gear tip 40A of the offset gear 40 comes into contact with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, the offset gear 40 is appropriately moved in the opposite direction due to the second link 30B, so that the offset gear 40 can be engaged with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 with more margin, and slip is less likely to occur.

As shown in fig. 17, when the offset gear is located at the first position, the distance from the tooth end of the offset gear to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum is a first distance AQ1. In addition, when the offset gear is located at the second position, the distance from the tooth end of the offset gear to the rotational axis A1 of the photosensitive drum is the first distance AQ2.

The first distance AQ1 and the second distance AQ2 are measured from the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A1 of the photosensitive drum to the tooth end of the offset gear when the offset gear is located at the first position and the second position. So that the offset gear is displaced by a certain extent before being meshed with the gear part of the power output part, and the offset gear is prevented from being clamped or removed in the process of meshing or transmission with the gear part of the power output part.

As shown in fig. 11, in the process of the offset gear 40 on the second link 30B meshing with the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20, the second link 30B is offset by an extent S2 in a straight line, the extent S2 of which is the extent in which the offset gear 40 moves from the first position to the second position. Its primary second link 30B slides on the slideway in the third direction Z, translating the offset gear 40 from the first position to the second position with respect to the third direction Z. On the premise that the elastic member is the spring 80B, the offset gear 40 is gradually separated from the gear portion 20A of the power output portion 20 during the process of removing the process cartridge, and the offset gear 40 gradually returns to the first position from the second position, so that the above-mentioned linear offset effect can be achieved when the offset gear 40 is mounted to the image forming apparatus again.

To further limit the range of movement of the offset gear 40. As shown in fig. 12 to 15, in some embodiments, the inner side plate 10A5 of the upper frame 10A is provided with a waist-shaped groove 10A51, the length of the waist-shaped groove 10A51 in the third direction Z is substantially the length of the amplitude S2 by which the second link 30B is linearly offset, and the end of the second mounting post 30B5 remote from the translation member is provided with a first catch 30B6, which passes through the waist-shaped groove 10A51 and is abutted against the side portion of the inner side plate 10A5 near the photosensitive drum 50, configured to restrict the second mounting post 30B5 from moving only inside the waist-shaped groove 10A51 (i.e., only in the first direction X and the second direction Y). Further limiting the movement range of the offset gear 40 prevents excessive movement of the offset gear 40 from interfering with it to stop rotation by other components, or excessively advancing the power output portion 20 to cause the coupling recess of the power output portion 20 to be unable to couple with the protruding portion 50A1 of the power receiving portion 50A.

As shown in fig. 9 to 15, when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the line connecting the first position and the second position is parallel to the plane of the gear portion 20A on the power output portion in the image forming apparatus, thereby facilitating the offset gear 40 to be more efficiently engaged with the gear portion 20A while saving the design space of the offset gear 40 and the second connecting member 30B in the process cartridge.

It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present invention, specific mechanisms and technical effects of the process cartridge may refer to the description about the chip above, and are not described herein.

The following points need to be described:

(1) The drawings of the embodiments of the present invention relate only to the structures to which the embodiments of the present invention relate, and other structures may refer to the general designs.

(2) The embodiments of the invention and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other to give new embodiments without conflict.

The above description is only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention should not be limited thereto, and the scope of the present invention should be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A process cartridge detachably mountable in an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge comprising:

a housing;

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a distance from the rotational axis of said photosensitive drum to a tooth end of said offset gear, measured in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of said photosensitive drum, is less than 90% of a radius of said photosensitive drum when said offset gear is at said first position.

3. A process cartridge according to claim 2, wherein a connection of said offset gear and said housing is provided to move said offset gear from said first position to said second position.

4. A process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein said offset gear is mounted on said coupling member, said offset gear being rotated from a first position to a second position by said coupling member, said coupling member comprising:

5. A process cartridge according to claim 4, wherein said rotation member is further provided with a first mounting post on which said offset gear is mounted.

6. The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the housing is further provided with a first stopper portion to restrict the first mounting post from moving only inside the first stopper portion.

7. A process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said rotation member is further provided with a second stopper portion which abuts against said elastic member and restricts a rotation range of said rotation member in said second position back to said first position.

8. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 4-7, wherein said shift gear is curved shift from said first position to said second position.

9. A process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein said coupling member has said offset gear mounted thereon, said offset gear being moved by said coupling member to translate from a first position to a second position, said coupling member comprising:

a translation member detachably mounted to an outer side plate of the housing and movable along a slideway of the outer side plate;

10. A process cartridge according to claim 9, wherein said translation member is provided with a second mounting post, and said offset gear is mounted on said second mounting post.

11. The process cartridge of claim 10, wherein an end of the second mounting post remote from the translation member is further provided with a first catch that passes through the waist-shaped slot of the inner side plate of the housing and abuts the inner side plate to limit the movement position of the second mounting post in the first direction and the third direction.

12. A process cartridge according to claim 10, wherein said translation member is further provided with a second catch passing through said slide and abutting to said outer side plate to restrict a moving position of said translation member in the first direction and the third direction.

13. The process cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the slideway is configured as a first segment and a second segment, wherein a length of the first segment in a third direction is greater than that of the second segment, and wherein a range of movement of the translating member is limited by a difference in length of the first segment and the second segment when the translating member is returned from the second position to the first position.

14. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 9-13, wherein said shift gear is linearly shifted from said first position to said second position.