CN218974784U - Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the process cartridge comprises a developing cartridge, a drum frame and a supporting component, the developing cartridge comprises an end cover, the drum frame comprises a second frame and a photosensitive drum arranged on the second frame, one end of the photosensitive drum is provided with a driving force receiving head, the driving force receiving head is used for being matched and connected with a driving head of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the developing cartridge is arranged on the second frame, the supporting component comprises a fixing seat, a sliding block and a fastening piece, the fixing seat is arranged at the end cover and provided with a sliding groove, the sliding block is slidably connected with the sliding groove and provided with a first position and a second position, a joint part matched with the driving head is arranged on the sliding block, the driving head can drive the sliding block to move to the second position, the fastening piece is connected between the fixing seat and the sliding block, the fastening piece can prevent the sliding block from moving from the first position to the second position, and the joint part can be abutted against the driving head. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes the process cartridge, which can reduce a driving load of a driving head, and reduce energy loss.

Description

Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to the field of electrophotographic image forming technology, and more particularly, to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge.

Background

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus (e.g., a laser printer) is an apparatus that forms an image on an image forming medium (e.g., paper) by using electrophotographic principles through at least the processes of charging, exposing, developing, transferring, fixing, and cleaning, and a material device of a printing consumable used on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is generally called a process cartridge.

The process cartridge generally includes a developer cartridge and a drum frame, the developer cartridge including a first frame having a powder hopper, a first end wall and a second end wall, a developer roller, a powder feed roller, a agitator frame, a powder discharge blade, a drive pulley assembly, a first end cap, and a second end cap. The developing roller and the powder outlet knife are both arranged on the first frame and positioned outside the powder bin, the developing roller is positioned at the powder outlet of the powder bin, and the blade part of the powder outlet knife is adjacent to the peripheral wall of the developing roller and extends into the powder bin; the powder feeding roller and the stirring frame are both arranged in the powder bin, and the powder feeding roller is positioned at the powder outlet and is adjacent to the developing roller; the transmission wheel set is arranged on the first end wall and is respectively connected with the developing roller, the powder feeding roller and the stirring frame; the first end cover is covered on the transmission wheel set and connected with the first end wall, a part of the developing roller gear in the transmission wheel set is exposed out of the first end cover, and the second end cover is arranged on the second end wall. The drum frame comprises a second frame, a photosensitive drum, a driving force receiving head, a charging roller and a cleaning scraper, wherein the second frame is provided with a waste powder bin, and the photosensitive drum, the charging roller and the cleaning scraper are all arranged on the second frame. The photosensitive drum is positioned outside the waste powder bin, and the photosensitive drum is positioned at a powder inlet of the waste powder bin; the charging roller is positioned in the waste powder bin and is adjacent to the photosensitive drum, and the edge part of the cleaning scraper is adjacent to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum and extends into the waste powder bin; a driving force receiving head is mounted at one end of the photosensitive drum at the first end cap, the driving force receiving head having a receiving portion.

At present, there is a driving head of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a double driving structure in which a driving portion of the driving head is abutted with a receiving portion of a driving force receiving head to drive a photosensitive drum to rotate, and a peripheral gear of the driving head is engaged with a first gear portion of a developing roller gear exposed outside a first end cap to drive the developing roller, a powder feeding roller and a stirring frame to rotate, and the first gear portion can also cooperate with the developing roller gear to position and stabilize a process cartridge mounted to a process cartridge mounting chamber of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Since the rotational speeds of the developing roller, the toner feeding roller, the stirring frame, and the photosensitive drum are all different, the transmission speeds of the respective components for adapting the process cartridge in a dual driving manner require a more complicated transmission wheel set, and the process cartridge applied to the dual driving type electrophotographic image forming apparatus cannot be adapted to other electrophotographic image forming apparatuses in a single driving manner.

In this regard, as shown in fig. 1, fig. 1 shows a process cartridge 9 modified to be applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of a dual drive type to convert the process cartridge into an applicable single drive type, specifically, to interface a driving portion 901 of a driving head 90 of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus with a receiving portion 911 of a driving force receiving head 91 to drive a photosensitive drum to rotate, and to provide a second gear portion 912 on the driving force receiving head 91 to engage the second gear portion 912 with a developing roller gear 921 to drive the developing roller 92, a toner feeding roller and a stirring frame to rotate. However, since the stability and the positional accuracy of the process cartridge 9 when mounted in the mounting chamber of the process cartridge 9 need to be ensured, it is necessary to provide the supporting wheel 922 on the developing roller 92 for cooperation with the first gear portion 902 on the driving head 90, wherein the supporting wheel 922 can idle about the shaft core of the developing roller 92 with respect to the shaft core (i.e., the supporting wheel 922 cannot drive the developing roller 92 to rotate, and the developing roller 92 cannot drive the supporting wheel 922 to rotate); however, since the driving head 90 always drives the supporting wheel 922 to idle during the operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a driving load of the driving head 90 may be increased, resulting in serious energy loss.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above-described problems, a main object of the present utility model is to provide a process cartridge that can reduce the driving load of a driving head and reduce the energy loss.

Another object of the present utility model is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus provided with the above process cartridge.

In order to achieve the main object of the present utility model, there is provided a process cartridge comprising a developing cartridge comprising a first frame, a developing roller mounted on the first frame, a driving pulley set and an end cap, a developing roller gear of the driving pulley set mounted on a first end of the developing roller and located at a first end wall of the first frame, an end cap covering the driving pulley set and connected to the first end wall, a drum frame comprising a second frame, a photosensitive drum mounted on the second frame, a driving force receiving head mounted on the first end of the photosensitive drum, the driving force receiving head having a first gear portion, the developing cartridge mounted on the second frame, the photosensitive drum abutting the developing roller, the first gear portion meshing with the developing roller gear, wherein the process cartridge further comprises a support assembly comprising a holder, a slider and a fastener, the holder being mounted at the end cap, the holder having a chute, the slider being slidably connected to the chute, the slider having a first position and a second position, the slider being provided with an engaging portion for abutting a driving head in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the driving head being prevented from moving between the slider and the holder and the second position, the slider being connected to the holder.

From the above, when the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head is cooperatively connected with the driving portion of the driving head in the process cartridge mounting chamber, so that the driving head can drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, and the driving force receiving head can drive the whole transmission wheel set to transmit through the engagement of the first gear portion and the developing roller gear, so that the developing roller, the powder feeding roller and the stirring frame rotate at different rotation speeds; in addition, the second gear part on the driving head is also matched and connected with the joint part on the sliding block, so that the processing box is supported and positioned, the processing box after being installed is more stable, and meanwhile, the influence of vibration generated in the working process of the electrophotographic imaging equipment on the processing box can be reduced; furthermore, when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts the operation for the first time after the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber, the second gear portion on the driving head is moved from the first position to the second position by the engaging portion driving slider, so that the engaging portion at the second position abuts against the second gear portion to play a role in supporting, positioning and stabilizing the process cartridge, and meanwhile, the driving head does not need to be moved by the driving slider during the subsequent operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, so that the driving head can be in an idle state, and the driving load of the driving head is reduced. Through the structural design to the processing box, the problem that the drive head needs to drive the supporting wheel on the developing roller of the existing processing box to idle after the existing processing box is installed in the processing box installation cavity is effectively solved, so that the load of the drive head is reduced, the abrasion speed of a second gear part on the drive head is slowed down, and the service life of the drive head is prolonged.

In a preferred embodiment, the engagement portion comprises a plurality of teeth, which are distributed along the extension direction of the chute.

In view of the above, the above design enables the teeth of the engaging portion to drive the second gear portion on the head to engage, and further enables the second gear portion on the driving head to reliably drive the slider to move from the first position to the second position when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is first started up after the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber.

In another preferred scheme, the joint part is an elastic block, the elastic block can be elastically deformed, the elastic block is detachably connected with the sliding block or is fixedly bonded with the sliding block, and the elastic block is made of rubber or silicon rubber.

From the above, the engaging portion is provided as an elastically deformable elastic block so that the second gear portion on the driving head can reliably drive the slider to move from the first position to the second position when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts the operation for the first time after the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber; the elastic block is designed to be detachably connected with the sliding block or bonded and fixed with the sliding block, so that when the elastic block is worn, the elastic block can be replaced to prolong the service life of the processing box.

The other preferable scheme is that the fixing seat is detachably connected with the end cover, or the fixing seat is adhered and fixed with the end cover, or the fixing seat and the end cover are integrally formed; the end cover is provided with an avoidance port, the fixing seat is positioned at the inner side of the end cover, and the joint part can extend out of the end cover from the avoidance port.

From the above, the connection mode between the fixing seat and the end cover can be changed in a matched mode according to production and design requirements, so that the production and assembly of the processing box are more reasonable, and the production cost can be better controlled.

In another preferred embodiment, the fastener is a return spring, and the return spring forces the slider to slide along the chute from the second position to the first position.

As can be seen from the above, the fastener is provided as a return elastic member so that when the process cartridge is taken out of the cartridge mounting chamber, the return elastic member can force the slider to return to the original position for the next mounting of the process cartridge.

The fastener comprises a first elastic piece, the first elastic piece is arranged on the side groove wall of the chute, the first elastic piece extends inwards of the chute in an inclined manner relative to the extending direction of the chute, the first extending tail end of the first elastic piece is close to the second position, the first extending tail end of the first elastic piece is abutted to the sliding block or the joint part, the first elastic piece is detachably connected with the fixing seat, or the first elastic piece and the fixing seat are integrally formed, or the first elastic piece is adhered and fixed on the fixing seat.

Therefore, the design enables the first elastic sheet to apply pressure to the sliding block so that the sliding block is fixed in the sliding groove and does not move, and after the second gear part on the driving head drives the sliding block to move from the first position to the second position, the sliding block clamp is matched with the sliding groove to fasten and fix the sliding block clamp in the second position.

Further, in the depth direction of the chute, the engaging portion is located on the upper side of the slider, and a first distance between the engaging portion and the side wall is smaller than a second distance between the first projecting end and the side wall in the axial direction of the developing roller.

From the above, the above design can make the assembly between the support component and the end cover more optimized and reasonable, and can reduce the space occupied by the support component; meanwhile, by designing the relationship between the first distance and the second distance, the slider can be effectively prevented from moving from the second position to the first position under the influence of vibration generated in the operation process of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Still further, the fastener further comprises a bump, the bump is arranged on the slider, the bump is positioned on the upper side of the slider in the depth direction, the first extending end is abutted on the bump, the bump is detachably connected with the slider, or the bump and the slider are integrally formed, or the bump is adhered and fixed on the slider.

From the above, the arrangement of the lug can further optimize the structure of the supporting component, reduce the space occupied by the supporting component, and further improve the effect of the fastener in preventing the sliding block from sliding between the first position and the second position.

The other preferable scheme is that the fastener comprises a second elastic piece, the second elastic piece is positioned on the upper side of the sliding block in the depth direction of the sliding groove, the second elastic piece is obliquely arranged from the top of the sliding groove towards the bottom of the sliding groove, the second extending tail end of the second elastic piece is abutted on the sliding block, the second extending tail end is arranged close to the second position, and the second elastic piece is fixedly adhered to the fixing seat or integrally formed with the fixing seat.

Therefore, the design enables the second elastic sheet to apply pressure to the sliding block so that the sliding block is fixed in the sliding groove and does not move, and after the second gear part on the driving head drives the sliding block to move from the first position to the second position, the sliding block clamp is matched with the sliding groove to be fastened and fixed in the second position; meanwhile, the second elastic sheet can also play a role in compressing and limiting the sliding block in the sliding groove.

In order to achieve another object of the present utility model, there is provided an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a housing in which a process cartridge mounting chamber is provided, the process cartridge mounting chamber having a driving head therein, the driving head having a driving portion and a second gear portion, wherein the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion is cooperatively connected with a receiving portion of a driving force receiving head, the second gear portion is cooperatively connected with a coupling portion, and the second gear portion is capable of driving a slider to move from a first position to a second position.

From the above, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge described above can effectively reduce the driving load of the driving head, slow down the wear speed of the second gear portion on the driving head, and extend the service life of the driving head; meanwhile, the mounting position of the processing box when the processing box is mounted in the processing box mounting cavity can be guaranteed, the processing box is effectively supported, the stability of the processing box in the operation process of the electrophotographic imaging equipment is guaranteed, and therefore the imaging quality of the electrophotographic imaging equipment is guaranteed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a partial structure of a conventional process cartridge.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 3 is a first partial structural view of a first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Figure 4 is an exploded view of a second partial structure of the first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model,

fig. 5 is a block diagram of a first omitted part of the components of the first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a use state of the cartridge of the first embodiment of the present utility model after omitting part of the components.

Fig. 7 is a structural view of a drum stand of the first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 8 is a view showing a use state of the cartridge of the first embodiment of the present utility model after omitting part of the components.

Fig. 9 is a view showing a usage state of the first embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 10 is a view showing a use state of the cartridge of the first embodiment of the present utility model with parts being omitted.

Fig. 11 is a first usage state reference diagram after omitting part of the components of the second embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 12 is a second usage state reference diagram after omitting part of the components of the second embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model at a first view angle with part of the components omitted.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model at a second view angle with part of the components omitted.

Fig. 15 is a partial configuration view of a fourth embodiment of the process cartridge of the present utility model with part of the components omitted.

The utility model is further described below with reference to the drawings and examples.

Detailed Description

First embodiment of Process Cartridge

Referring to fig. 2, the process cartridge 100 includes a developing cartridge 1 and a drum frame 2. Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the developing cartridge 1 includes a first frame 11, a developing roller 12, a powder feeding roller, a stirring frame, a powder discharging blade 13, a driving pulley group 14, an end cover 15, a second end cover 16, and a supporting member 17.

The first frame 11 has a hopper for storing toner, a first end wall and a second end wall distributed at both ends of the hopper in the axial direction of the developing roller 12. The developing roller 12 is rotatably mounted on the first frame 11 around its own rotation axis, the developing roller 12 is located outside the powder bin, and the developing roller 12 is located at the powder outlet of the powder bin, and the developing roller 12 is used for uniformly transferring the carbon powder in the powder bin onto the photosensitive drum 22 of the drum frame 2 for developing.

The powder feeding roller is rotatably arranged on the first frame 11 around the rotation axis of the powder feeding roller, the powder feeding roller is positioned in the powder bin, and the powder feeding roller is positioned at the powder outlet. The toner feeding roller is adjacent to the developing roller 12 and is used for transferring the toner in the toner hopper onto the developing roller 12. The stirring frame is rotatably mounted on the first frame 11 around the rotation axis of the stirring frame, and is positioned in the powder bin, and the stirring frame is used for stirring the carbon powder in the powder bin to the developing roller 12 and the powder feeding roller and for stirring the carbon powder in the powder bin so as to prevent the carbon powder from agglomerating.

The powder discharging knife 13 is arranged on the first frame 11, the powder discharging knife 13 is arranged outside the powder bin and at the powder discharging port, the blade part of the powder discharging knife 13 is adjacent to the periphery of the developing roller 12, the blade part of the powder discharging knife 13 stretches into the powder bin, and the powder discharging knife 13 is used for controlling the thickness of the carbon powder layer on the developing roller 12 so that the thickness of the carbon powder layer on the developing roller 12 is kept consistent.

The transmission wheel set 14 comprises a developing roller gear 141, a powder feeding roller gear, a stirring rack gear and an idler gear, the developing roller gear 141 is arranged on the first end of the developing roller 12, and the developing roller gear 141 is positioned on the outer side of the first end wall; the powder feeding roller gear is arranged on the first end of the powder feeding roller, the powder feeding roller gear is positioned on the outer side of the first end wall, and the powder feeding roller gear is meshed with the developing roller gear 141; the stirring frame gear is arranged at the first end of the stirring frame, the stirring frame gear is positioned at the outer side of the first end wall, the idler wheel is rotatably arranged on the first end wall around the rotation axis of the idler wheel, the idler wheel is positioned at the outer side of the first end wall, and the idler wheel is respectively meshed with the powder feeding roller gear and the stirring frame gear. Through setting up drive wheelset 14 for drive wheelset 14 can drive developing roller 12, send powder roller and stirring frame rotation respectively, and can have different rotational speeds between the developing roller 12, send powder roller and the stirring frame.

The end cap 15 is covered on the driving wheel set 14, and the end cap 15 is detachably connected with the first end wall, that is, the driving wheel set 14 is arranged between the first end wall and the end cap 15. The end cover 15 has a relief port 151, the relief port 151 is provided toward the photosensitive drum 22 of the drum frame 2, and the relief port 151 communicates with the inside and outside of the first end wall. The second end cap 16 is removably mounted to the second end wall.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the support assembly 17 includes a fixing base 171, a slider 172, and a fastener 173. In the present embodiment, the fixing seat 171 is mounted on the inner side of the end cover 15, that is, the fixing seat 171 is located between the first end wall and the end cover 15, and the fixing seat 171 is disposed near the relief port 151 of the end cover 15; the fixing base 171 has a slide groove 1711, and an extending direction of the slide groove 1711 is perpendicular to an axial direction of the developing roller 12. It should be noted that, in another embodiment, the fixing seat 171 may be installed outside the end cover 15, and the setting of the avoiding opening 151 may be omitted when the fixing seat 171 is outside the end cover 15; alternatively, in still another embodiment, the fixing seat 171 may be mounted on the first end wall of the first frame 11, and the setting of the relief opening 151 on the end cover 15 is remained, so that the engaging portion 1721 of the slider 172 may extend from the relief opening 151 to the outside of the end cover 15.

In the embodiment, a first limiting portion 17111 is disposed at one end of the sliding groove 1711 close to the avoidance port 151, and a second limiting portion 17112 is disposed at the sliding groove 1711 far from the avoidance port 151; the fixing base 171 is preferably integrally formed with the end cover 15 to ensure positional installation accuracy of the fixing base 171. Of course, in another embodiment, the fixing seat 171 and the end cover 15 may be connected by a detachable connection manner, for example, the fixing seat 171 and the end cover 15 are fixedly connected by bolts, or the fixing seat 171 and the end cover 15 are fixedly connected by a fastening connection manner, so that the structure of the end cover 15 is simpler, the end cover 15 is opened conveniently, and the production cost of the end cover 15 is reduced; in another embodiment, the fixing base 171 may be fixedly mounted on the end cover 15 by an adhesive fixing manner.

The slider 172 is slidably connected to the sliding groove 1711 along the extending direction of the sliding groove 1711, and the slider 172 has a first position (see fig. 6) at an end of the sliding groove 1711 near the escape opening 151 and a second position (see fig. 10) at an end of the sliding groove 1711 far from the escape opening 151. The slider 172 is provided with a joint portion 1721, and the joint portion 1721 may extend from the relief port 151 to the outside of the end cover 15, wherein a projected area of a portion of the joint portion 1721 extending out of the end cover 15 at the first position is larger than a projected area of a portion of the joint portion 1721 extending out of the end cover 15 at the second position in the axial direction of the developing roller 12. In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 1721 includes a plurality of teeth distributed along the extending direction of the sliding groove 1711, and the plurality of teeth are preferably integrally formed with the slider 172. In the initial state, the slider 172 is positioned at the first position, and when the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the teeth on the slider 172 engage with the second gear portion 32 of the driving head 3 in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber to support and position the process cartridge 100, and make the mounted process cartridge 100 more stable, while also reducing the influence of vibrations generated during operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus on the process cartridge 100; further, when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts a job for the first time after the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the mounting chamber of the process cartridge 100, the second gear portion 32 of the driving head 3 drives the slider 172 from the first position to the second position via the engaging portion 1721, so that the engaging portion 1721 at the second position abuts against the second gear portion 32 and is disengaged from the second gear portion 32, and at the same time, the process cartridge 100 can be supported, positioned and stabilized, and the driving head 3 does not need to move the slider 172 again during a subsequent job of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, thereby enabling the driving head 3 to be in an idle state to reduce the driving load of the driving head 3. Preferably, the length of engagement portion 1721 is less than the overall length of slider 172.

A fastener 173 is coupled between the anchor 171 and the slider 172, the fastener 173 resisting movement of the slider 172 from the first position to the second position. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the fastener 173 is preferably a return elastic member such as a compression spring. The reset elastic member is disposed in the sliding groove 1711, the first end of the compression spring is abutted against the slider 172, the second end of the compression spring is sleeved on the second limiting portion 17112 and abutted against the fixing seat 171, and the compression spring is used for forcing the slider 172 to move from the second position to the first position along the extending direction of the sliding groove 1711, so that when the process cartridge 100 is taken out from the mounting cavity of the process cartridge 100, the reset elastic member can force the slider 172 to return to the initial position, so that the next mounting of the process cartridge 100 is facilitated. In addition, when the slider 172 moves to the first position, the slider 172 abuts against the first limiting portion 17111 to prevent the slider 172 from coming out of the sliding groove 1711 of the fixing base 171.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, the drum frame 2 includes a second frame 21, a photosensitive drum 22, a charging roller 23, a cleaning blade 24, and a driving force receiving head 25. The second frame 21 has a waste toner hopper for recovering waste toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 after imaging, and a mounting position. The photosensitive drum 22 is rotatably mounted on the second frame 21 around its own rotation axis, the photosensitive drum 22 is located outside the waste toner hopper and at the toner inlet of the waste toner hopper, and the photosensitive drum 22 is used for image formation. A charging roller 23 is rotatably mounted on the second frame 21 about its own rotation axis, the charging roller 23 being in abutment with the photosensitive drum 22, the charging roller 23 being for charging the photosensitive drum 22 so that the toner on the developing roller 12 of the developing cartridge 1 can be transferred onto the photosensitive drum 22 for image formation. The cleaning blade 24 is mounted on the second frame 21, the blade portion of the cleaning blade 24 abuts the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 22, and the blade portion of the cleaning blade 24 is located in the waste bin, and the cleaning blade 24 is used for removing the waste powder remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 and recovering the waste powder into the waste bin.

The driving force receiving head 25 has a first gear portion 251 and a receiving portion 252, and the driving force receiving head 25 is mounted on the first end of the photosensitive drum 22. When the developing cartridge 1 is mounted in the mounting position of the second frame 21, the photosensitive drum 22 abuts on the developing roller 12, and the first gear portion 251 is engaged with the developing roller gear 141. When the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the driving portion 31 of the driving head 3 in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber is cooperatively connected with the receiving portion 252 of the driving force receiving head 25, so that the driving head 3 can drive the photosensitive drum 22 to rotate, and the driving force receiving head 25 can drive the entire driving pulley group 14 to perform transmission through the engagement of the first gear portion 251 and the developing roller gear 141, thereby rotating the developing roller 12, the powder feeding roller, and the agitator at different rotation speeds.

The process cartridge 100 is briefly described in use with reference to fig. 9 and 10 as follows:

when the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber, the driving portion 31 of the driving head 3 in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber is cooperatively connected with the receiving portion 252 of the driving force receiving head 25, and the second gear portion 32 of the driving head 3 is engaged with the engaging portion 1721 on the slider 172 to secure the mounting position of the process cartridge 100 and to support the process cartridge 100, so that the process cartridge 100 can be firmly fixed in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber while also being able to prevent the process cartridge 100 from sliding in the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber during operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, thereby securing the image quality of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

When the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts a job for the first time after the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the mounting chamber of the process cartridge 100, the driving head 3 drives the photosensitive drum 22 and the developing roller 12, the toner feeding roller, and the agitator to rotate by the driving portion 31 of itself and the receiving portion 252 of the driving force receiving head 25, and at the same time, the second gear portion 32 on the driving head 3 drives the slider 172 to move from the first position to the second position by the engaging portion 1721, and causes the compression spring to be compressed. When the slider 172 moves to the second position, one tooth of the engaging portion 1721 closest to the dodging port 151 abuts against the second gear portion 32 of the driving head 3 under the action of the compression spring to support and position the process cartridge 100, so as to ensure the stability of the process cartridge 100 after mounting, and meanwhile, the driving head 3 does not need to drive the slider 172 to move again, so that the following driving head 3 can be always in an idle state, and the driving load of the driving head 3 is reduced.

When the process cartridge 100 is taken out of the process cartridge 100 mounting chamber, the driving portion 31 of the driving head 3 is decoupled from the receiving portion 252 of the driving force receiving head 25, and the second gear portion 32 of the driving head 3 is decoupled from abutment with the engaging portion 1721 of the slider 172, at this time, the slider 172 moves from the second position to the first position under the elastic force of the compression spring to return to the initial position, thereby facilitating the next mounting of the process cartridge 100.

In summary, through the structural design to the processing box, the problem that the drive head needs to drive the supporting wheel on the developing roller of the existing processing box to idle after the existing processing box is installed in the processing box installation cavity is effectively solved, so that the load of the drive head is reduced, the abrasion speed of the second gear part on the drive head is slowed down, and the service life of the drive head is prolonged.

Second embodiment of Process Cartridge

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment of the process cartridge in the structure of the engaging portion, specifically, in the present embodiment, the engaging portion does not include a plurality of teeth but is an elastic block 41. Wherein the elastic block 41 is elastically deformable, the elastic block 41 is detachably connected with the slider 42, or the elastic block 41 is adhered and fixed with the slider 42, and the elastic block 41 is preferably made of rubber or silicone rubber.

Similarly, when the process cartridge is mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion 431 of the driving head 43 in the process cartridge mounting chamber is cooperatively connected with the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and the second gear portion 432 of the driving head 43 is engaged with the elastic block 41 on the slider 42 to secure the mounting position of the process cartridge and to support the process cartridge, so that the process cartridge can be firmly fixed in the process cartridge mounting chamber while also being prevented from sliding in the process cartridge mounting chamber during operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, thereby ensuring the image quality of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

When the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts a job for the first time after the process cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting chamber, the driving head 43 drives the photosensitive drum and the developing roller, the toner feeding roller, the agitating frame to rotate by the driving portion 431 of the driving head itself and the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and at the same time, the second gear portion 432 on the driving head 43 drives the slider 42 to move from the first position (as shown in fig. 11) to the second position (as shown in fig. 12) by the elastic block 41, and causes the compression spring 44 to be compressed. When the slider 42 moves to the second position, the elastic block 41 abuts against the second gear portion 432 of the driving head 43 under the action of the compression spring 44 to support and position the process cartridge, so that the stability of the process cartridge after being mounted is ensured, and meanwhile, the driving head 43 does not need to drive the slider 42 to move, so that the subsequent driving head 43 can be always in an idle state to reduce the driving load of the driving head 43.

When the process cartridge is taken out of the cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion 431 of the driving head 43 is decoupled from the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and the second gear portion 432 of the driving head 43 is decoupled from abutment with the elastic block 41 of the slider 42, at this time, the slider 42 moves from the second position to the first position by the elastic force of the compression spring 44 to return to the initial position, thereby facilitating the next mounting of the process cartridge.

Third embodiment of Process Cartridge

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, the present embodiment is different from the above embodiments in the structure of the fastener, specifically, in the present embodiment, the fastener includes a first spring piece 511, the first spring piece 511 is mounted on a side groove wall 5211 of a chute 521 of the fixing base 52, the first spring piece 511 extends into the chute 521 obliquely to the extending direction of the chute 521, a first protruding end of the first spring piece 511 is disposed near the second position, and the first protruding end abuts on the slider 53 or the engaging portion 531. The fastener is configured as the first spring 511 such that the first spring 511 can apply pressure to the slider 53 to fix the slider 53 in the slide groove 521 without play, and cooperate with the slide groove 521 to clamp and fix the slider 53 in the second position after the second gear portion on the driving head drives the slider 53 to move from the first position to the second position. The first elastic piece 511 is preferably integrally formed with the fixing base 52; of course, in other embodiments, the first elastic piece 511 may be detachably connected to the fixing base 52, or the first elastic piece 511 may be fixed on the fixing base 52 by adhesive.

In addition, the engaging portion 531 is located at the upper side of the slider 53 in the depth direction of the slide groove 521, and a first distance L1 between the engaging portion 531 and the side groove wall 5211 is smaller than a second distance L2 between the first projecting end and the side groove wall 5211 in the axial direction, so that the assembly between the support assembly and the end cap is more optimized and reasonable, and the space required for the support assembly can be reduced; meanwhile, by designing the relationship of the first distance L1 and the second distance L2, the slider 53 can be effectively prevented from moving from the second position to the first position under the influence of vibrations generated during the operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Preferably, the second distance L2 is less than 1.5 times the first distance L1.

Preferably, the fastener further includes a bump 512, the bump 512 is disposed on the slider 53, the bump 512 is located above the slider 53 in a depth direction, the first protruding end abuts on the bump 512, the bump 512 is detachably connected with the slider 53, the bump 512 is integrally formed with the slider 53, or the bump 512 is adhesively fixed on the slider 53. The provision of the projection 512 can further optimize the structure of the support assembly, reduce the space required for the support assembly, and can further enhance the effect of the fastener blocking sliding of the slider 53 between the first and second positions.

When the process cartridge is mounted to the process cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion of the driving head in the process cartridge mounting chamber is cooperatively connected with the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and the second gear portion of the driving head is engaged with the engaging portion 531 on the slider 53 to secure the mounting position of the process cartridge and to play a supporting role for the process cartridge, so that the process cartridge can be stably fixed in the process cartridge mounting chamber while the process cartridge can be prevented from sliding in the process cartridge mounting chamber during operation of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, thereby ensuring the image quality of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

When the electrophotographic image forming apparatus starts the operation for the first time after the process cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting chamber, the driving head drives the photosensitive drum and the developing roller, the toner feeding roller, the agitating frame to rotate by the driving portion of the driving head itself and the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and at the same time, the second gear portion on the driving head drives the slider 53 to move from the first position to the second position by the engaging portion 531. When the slider 53 moves to the second position, the engaging portion 531 is constantly abutted against the second gear portion of the driving head to support and position the process cartridge, ensuring the stability of the process cartridge after mounting, and the driving head does not need to drive the slider 53 to move at the same time, so that the subsequent driving head can be always in an idling state to reduce the driving load of the driving head.

When the process cartridge is taken out of the cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion of the driving head is decoupled from the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, and the second gear portion of the driving head is decoupled from abutment with the engaging portion 531 of the slider 53, and then the slider 53 is moved from the second position to the first position by manual operation, so that the next mounting use of the process cartridge is facilitated.

Fourth embodiment of Process Cartridge

Referring to fig. 15, the difference between the present embodiment and the third embodiment of the process cartridge is that the structure of the fastener, specifically, in the present embodiment, the fastener includes a second elastic piece 61, the second elastic piece 61 is located above the sliding block 63 in the depth direction of the sliding slot 621, the second elastic piece 61 is disposed obliquely from the top of the sliding slot 621 toward the bottom of the sliding slot 621, the second protruding end of the second elastic piece 61 abuts against the sliding block 63, the second protruding end is disposed near the second position, the second elastic piece 61 is preferably integrally formed with the fixing seat 62, and of course, in other embodiments, the second elastic piece 61 may be adhesively fixed on the fixing seat 62.

Electrophotographic image forming apparatus embodiment

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a housing and a process cartridge, a process cartridge mounting chamber is provided in the housing, a drive head is provided in the process cartridge mounting chamber, and the drive head has a drive portion and a second gear portion. The process cartridge is a process cartridge according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments, wherein the process cartridge is mounted in a process cartridge mounting chamber, the driving portion is cooperatively connected with the receiving portion of the driving force receiving head, the second gear portion is cooperatively connected with the engaging portion, and the second gear portion is configured to drive the slider to move from the first position to the second position.

The electrophotographic image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge can effectively reduce the driving load of the driving head, slow down the wear speed of the second gear part on the driving head, and prolong the service life of the driving head; meanwhile, the mounting position of the processing box when the processing box is mounted in the processing box mounting cavity can be guaranteed, the processing box is effectively supported, the stability of the processing box in the operation process of the electrophotographic imaging equipment is guaranteed, and therefore the imaging quality of the electrophotographic imaging equipment is guaranteed.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the utility model, and that various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and principles of the utility model, and any such modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc. are intended to be included within the scope of the utility model.

Claims (10)

1. A process cartridge comprising:

the developing box comprises a first frame, a developing roller, a transmission wheel set and an end cover, wherein the developing roller is arranged on the first frame, a developing roller gear of the transmission wheel set is arranged on a first end of the developing roller and is positioned at a first end wall of the first frame, and the end cover is covered on the transmission wheel set and is connected with the first end wall;

a drum frame including a second frame, a photosensitive drum mounted on the second frame, and a driving force receiving head mounted on a first end of the photosensitive drum, the driving force receiving head having a first gear portion, the developing cartridge being mounted on the second frame, the photosensitive drum abutting the developing roller, the first gear portion being gear-engaged with the developing roller;

the processing box is characterized in that the processing box further comprises a supporting component, and the supporting component comprises:

the fixing seat is arranged at the end cover and is provided with a sliding groove;

a slider slidably coupled to the chute, the slider having a first position and a second position, the slider being provided with a joint for abutting a drive head in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the drive head being operable to drive the slider to move to the second position;

the fastener is connected between the fixed seat and the sliding block, and the fastener prevents the sliding block from moving from the first position to the second position.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein:

the joint part comprises a plurality of teeth, and the teeth are distributed along the extending direction of the sliding groove.

3. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein:

the joint part is an elastic block which can elastically deform, and the elastic block is detachably connected with the sliding block or fixedly bonded with the sliding block;

the elastic block is made of rubber or silicon rubber.

4. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein:

the fixing seat is detachably connected with the end cover, or the fixing seat is fixedly bonded with the end cover, or the fixing seat and the end cover are integrally formed;

the end cover is provided with an avoidance port, the fixing seat is positioned at the inner side of the end cover, and the joint part can extend out of the end cover from the avoidance port.

5. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the fastener is a reset elastic piece, and the reset elastic piece forces the sliding block to slide from the second position to the first position along the sliding groove.

6. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the fastener comprises a first elastic piece, the first elastic piece is arranged on the side wall of the chute, the first elastic piece extends into the chute in an inclined manner relative to the extending direction of the chute, the first extending tail end of the first elastic piece is arranged close to the second position, and the first extending tail end is abutted against the sliding block or the joint part;

the first elastic sheet is detachably connected with the fixing seat, or the first elastic sheet and the fixing seat are integrally formed, or the first elastic sheet is adhered and fixed on the fixing seat.

7. A process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein:

the engaging portion is located on an upper side of the slider in a depth direction of the chute, and a first distance between the engaging portion and the side wall is smaller than a second distance between the first projecting end and the side wall in an axial direction of the developing roller.

8. A process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein:

the fastener further comprises a lug which is arranged on the sliding block, the lug is positioned on the upper side of the sliding block in the depth direction, and the first extending tail end is abutted against the lug;

the lug is detachably connected with the sliding block, or the lug and the sliding block are integrally formed, or the lug is adhered and fixed on the sliding block.

9. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the fastener comprises a second elastic piece, the second elastic piece is positioned on the upper side of the sliding block in the depth direction of the sliding groove, the second elastic piece is obliquely arranged from the top of the sliding groove towards the bottom of the sliding groove, the second extending tail end of the second elastic piece is abutted to the sliding block, and the second extending tail end is arranged close to the second position;

the second elastic sheet is fixedly bonded on the fixing seat, or the second elastic sheet and the fixing seat are integrally formed.

10. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a housing, a process cartridge mounting chamber provided in the housing, a driving head provided in the process cartridge mounting chamber, the driving head having a driving portion and a second gear portion, characterized in that:

a process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9 mounted in the process cartridge mounting chamber;

the driving part is in fit connection with the receiving part of the driving force receiving head, the second gear part is in fit connection with the joint part, and the second gear part can drive the sliding block to move from the first position to the second position.

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