CN220730640U - Process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present utility model relates to a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including a housing, a rotating member, a driving force receiving member, and a bracket; the driving force receiving part is used for receiving driving force to drive the rotating part to rotate; the bracket comprises a bracket main body combined with the shell, and a containing groove and a combining groove which are arranged in the bracket main body, wherein the containing groove and the combining groove are mutually communicated, and the driving force receiving piece passes through the containing groove; the process cartridge further comprising a shutter assembly movable relative to the housing or the bracket, at least a portion of the shutter assembly being movable between a first position and a second position; in the first position, along the mounting direction of the process cartridge, the coupling groove is shielded from penetration by the shielding member; in the second position, the coupling groove is penetrated without being blocked by the blocking member in the mounting direction of the process cartridge. This structure enables the driving force output member and the driving force receiving member to be smoothly combined.

Description

Process cartridge

The present utility model claims priority from the applicant's application No. 202320477118.8 to the patent office on 3/month 12 of 2023, entitled "process cartridge", and the applicant's prior application No. 202320769648.X to the patent office on 04/month 07 of 2023, entitled "process cartridge", all of which are cross-referenced in this application.

Technical Field

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

Background

The process cartridge is a consumable product usable in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (simply referred to as an "image forming apparatus") such as a printer, a copier, or the like, in which a driving force output member for outputting a driving force and a regulating member provided adjacent to the driving force output member are provided, and a driving force receiving member provided in the process cartridge can receive the driving force from the driving force output member to drive a rotating member rotatably provided in the process cartridge to rotate when the image forming apparatus is developing.

The conventional driving force receiving member is configured such that, before the driving force receiving member is coupled with the driving force output member, the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the driving force output member, and when the driving force receiving member is coupled with the driving force output member, the rotation axes of the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member are coaxial or parallel to each other, in order to ensure that the driving force receiving member is coupled with the driving force output member quickly, the process cartridge is further provided with a pressing member and a coupling groove, which communicates with the accommodation groove accommodating the driving force receiving member in the mounting direction of the process cartridge, and the coupling groove is located downstream of the driving force receiving member, the pressing member is configured to press the driving force receiving member toward the coupling groove such that the driving force receiving member is "toward" the driving force output member, and, as the process cartridge is mounted, the driving force output member is coupled with the driving force receiving member.

However, the above-described conventional process cartridge has the following two problems:

1. before the driving force receiving member is combined with the driving force output member, since the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member is inclined relative to the rotation axis of the driving force output member, the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member need to be pre-combined in the combining process of the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member, and then the driving force receiving member is pushed by the driving force output member and gradually reaches the state that the rotation axes of the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member are coaxial or parallel to each other, in the combining process, the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member can not be smoothly pre-combined, and therefore the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member can not be combined disadvantageously.

2. Before the process cartridge is mounted, there may be foreign matters falling into the coupling groove, so that the restriction member cannot smoothly enter the coupling groove, and finally, the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member cannot be coupled.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the present utility model provides a process cartridge described below to ensure that the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member are smoothly coupled.

A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus provided with a driving force output member, the process cartridge including a housing, a rotating member, a driving force receiving member, and a bracket; the driving force receiving part is used for receiving the driving force of the driving force output part and driving the rotating part to rotate; the bracket comprises a bracket main body combined with the shell, a containing groove and a combining groove which are arranged in the bracket main body, wherein the containing groove and the combining groove are adjacently arranged, and the driving force receiving piece penetrates through the containing groove; the process cartridge further comprising a shutter assembly movable relative to the housing or the bracket, at least a portion of the shutter assembly being movable between a first position and a second position; in the first position, along the mounting direction of the process cartridge, the coupling groove is shielded from penetration by the shielding member; in the second position, along the mounting direction of the process cartridge, the combining groove is not blocked by the blocking member and is penetrated, the structure can effectively prevent foreign matters from entering the combining groove, and even if the foreign matters enter the combining groove, the foreign matters can be pushed out of the combining groove by the force applying member or the blocking member in the process of moving the blocking member from the first position to the second position, and finally, the driving force output member and the driving force receiving member can be smoothly combined.

Preferably, the movement direction of at least a part of the shutter member intersects with the mounting direction of the process cartridge, and the structure ensures that the engaging groove is sufficiently opened when the shutter member reaches the second position.

Specifically, the coupling groove has a first end located upstream and a second end located downstream in the mounting direction of the process cartridge; in the first position, the first end, the second end, and at least one of the regions between the first end and the second end are shielded by the shielding assembly.

Specifically, the bracket is provided with a first surface and a second surface which are arranged in the same direction, and the second surface is at least one part of the bottom surface of the combining groove; along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member, the second surface is closer to the side where the driving force receiving member is not provided than the first surface; in the first position, at least a portion of the shield member has a surface facing away from the second surface which is not lower than the first surface in the direction of the axis of rotation of the drive force receiver.

In some embodiments, the bracket has a first surface and a second surface disposed in a same direction, the second surface being at least a portion of a bottom surface of the bonding groove; along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member, the second surface is closer to the side where the driving force receiving member is not provided than the first surface; at least the second surface is provided to be inclined with respect to the driving force receiver rotation axis.

In some embodiments, the driving force receiving member is retractable with respect to the housing, and the process cartridge further includes a control mechanism for controlling the retraction of the driving force receiving member.

The shielding assembly comprises a movable piece and a resetting piece which are combined with each other, wherein the movable piece comprises a shielding part and a stress part; the shielding part is used for shielding the combining groove; the force-receiving part is used for receiving the acting force exerted by the force-exerting part arranged in the imaging device or the processing box to force the shielding part to move from the first position to the second position; the reset element is used for forcing the movable element to return to the first position from the second position.

In some embodiments, the shutter portion moves upstream from downstream in the mounting direction under the action of the urging member, or moves downstream from the driving force receiving member toward a position close to the driving force receiving member under the action of the urging member.

In some embodiments, the shutter moves toward a side near which the driving force receiving member is not provided along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member under the action of the urging member.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to the present utility model.

Fig. 2A is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 2B is a side view of the bracket as seen in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the drive force receiver before the shield assembly according to the first embodiment of the present utility model is installed.

Fig. 2C is a side view of the bracket, when the shutter assembly according to the first embodiment of the present utility model is installed, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the driving force receiver.

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of a cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model, after a shutter member is blocked from a coupling groove.

Fig. 3B is a top view of fig. 3A looking along the rotational axis of the rotating member.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing a process cartridge in which a shielding member does not shield a coupling groove according to the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 4B is a top view of fig. 4A as viewed along the rotational axis of the rotary member.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis of the rotary member before the driving force receiving member is combined with the driving force output member in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through the rotation axis of the rotary member after the driving force receiving member and the driving force output member in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model are combined.

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of a shield assembly and a bracket according to a third embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 8A is a plan view of a shield assembly according to a third embodiment of the present utility model, as seen along the rotation axis of the rotary member, when shielding the engaging groove.

Fig. 8B is a top view of a shield assembly according to a third embodiment of the utility model, as viewed along the axis of rotation of the rotary member, when the shield assembly does not shield the coupling groove.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[ Structure of Process Cartridge ]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to the present utility model.

The process cartridge 100 is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus provided with a driving force output member 8 (shown in fig. 3B) in a mounting direction a, the image forming apparatus further including a regulating member 92 provided adjacent to the driving force output member 8, the process cartridge 100 including a housing 1 accommodating toner, a rotary member 11 rotatably provided in the housing 1, and a driving force receiving member 3 for receiving the driving force and driving the rotary member to rotate, a longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 being defined as a longitudinal direction x, a rotation axis L1 of the rotary member 11 extending in the longitudinal direction x, a side on which the driving force receiving member 3 is located being a driving side F, a side opposite to the driving side F being a non-driving side E directed in a-x direction by the driving side F, and an opposite direction being directed in a +x direction by the non-driving side E; a part of the restriction member 92 is located downstream of the driving force output member 8, the restriction member 92 has an abutment 921 located upstream of the driving force output member 8 in the +x direction, a part of the driving force output member 8 overlaps the abutment 921 in the longitudinal direction x, and the driving force output member 8 is farther from the housing 1 than the abutment 921.

The driving force receiving member 3 may be disposed coaxially with the rotary member 11, in which case the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 is coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary member 11, and correspondingly, the driving force receiving member 3 may be disposed not coaxially with the rotary member 11, in which case the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 and the rotation axis of the rotary member 11 are parallel to each other.

In one embodiment, the driving force receiving member 3 is provided so as not to be swingable, that is, the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 and the rotation axis of the rotating member 11 are always kept coaxial or parallel to each other, at which time, along the rotation axis of the rotating member 11, the driving force receiving member 3 is retractable with respect to the casing 1, the driving force receiving member 3 is in a "retracted" state without interfering with the installation of the process cartridge 100 before the process cartridge 100 is installed, the driving force receiving member 3 is controlled by the control mechanism 7 gradually away from the casing 1 to gradually "extend" as the process cartridge 100 is installed, or after the process cartridge 100 is installed, with the door of the image forming apparatus closed, a control mechanism 7 (e.g., a lever movable with respect to the casing 1, an elastic member coupled with the driving force receiving member 3, etc.) provided in the process cartridge directly or indirectly receives a force from outside the process cartridge, and finally, the driving force receiving member 3 is controlled by the control mechanism 7 to gradually "extend" away from the casing 1, and finally, the driving force receiving member 3 is coupled with the driving force outputting member 8; conversely, the driving force receiving member 3 may be configured such that, before the process cartridge 100 is mounted, the driving force receiving member 3 is in an "extended" state, the control mechanism 7 controls the driving force receiving member 3 to move from the "extended" state toward the direction approaching the housing 1 to be "retracted", for example, by applying a force directly or indirectly to the control mechanism 7 through the user's hand, and the control mechanism 7 controls the driving force receiving member 3 to be "retracted", and finally, the driving force receiving member 3 and the driving force outputting member 8 are completely combined; it is possible to provide the control mechanism 7 as a movable lever movable relative to the housing 1.

In another embodiment, the driving force receiving member 3 is also provided so as not to be swingable, the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 and the rotation axis of the rotating member 11 are always kept coaxial or parallel to each other, but the driving force receiving member 3 is not retractable with respect to the housing 1, and the driving force receiving member 3 is still capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the driving force output member 8, and it is possible, for example, to perform a translational movement of a part or all of the driving force receiving member 3 itself in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 to perform an engagement and disengagement of the driving force receiving member 3 and the driving force output member 8, or a rotational movement of a part or all of the driving force receiving member 3 itself around the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member 3 by a predetermined angle to perform an engagement and disengagement of the driving force receiving member 3 and the driving force output member 8.

In practice, the toner contained in the casing 1 may be unused toner (also referred to as new toner) or used toner (also referred to as waste toner), and in one embodiment, the rotary 11 may be a photosensitive drum on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing member for carrying toner and conveying toner to the photosensitive drum, or a feeding/stirring member for conveying toner to the developing member, that is, the rotary 11 should not be limited to a specific member, and it is understood that any member rotatably provided in the casing 1 and capable of receiving the driving force of the driving force receiving member 3 to rotate may be regarded as the rotary 11.

Further, the process cartridge 100 further includes a bracket 4 provided at the driving side F, the bracket 4 being coupled to the housing 1 for supporting the rotary 11 and/or preventing the rotary 11 from falling off.

The driving force receiving member 3 is provided at one longitudinal end of the rotary member 11, and the driving force receiving member 3 is coaxial with the rotary member 11 will be described below as an example.

Example one

FIG. 2A is an exploded view of part of the components of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model; FIG. 2B is a side view of the bracket, looking in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive force receiver, before the shield assembly according to one embodiment of the present utility model is installed; FIG. 2C is a side view of the bracket, when the shield assembly of the first embodiment of the present utility model is installed, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive force receiver; FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model, after a coupling groove is blocked by a blocking member; FIG. 3B is a top view of FIG. 3A looking along the rotational axis of the rotating member; FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a process cartridge in which a shielding member does not shield a coupling groove according to the first embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 4B is a top view of fig. 4A as viewed along the rotational axis of the rotary member.

As shown in fig. 2A, the bracket 4 includes a bracket body 41, and an accommodating groove 43 and a coupling groove 44 provided on the bracket body 41, the bracket body 41 being coupled with the housing 1, the accommodating groove 43 and the coupling groove 44 being provided adjacently, the two communicating with each other, the coupling groove 44 being located downstream of the accommodating groove 43 in the mounting direction a; further, the accommodation groove 43 is for accommodating the driving force receiving member 3, and thus, a part of the driving force receiving member 3 is accommodated by the accommodation groove 43, and as the process cartridge 100 is mounted toward the image forming apparatus, the abutment 921 (shown in fig. 4B) in the image forming apparatus can enter the engaging groove 44, and the driving force output member 8 can reach the position to be engaged with the driving force receiving member 3.

The holder body 41 has a first surface 411 and a second surface 412 facing the driving side F, and the first surface 411 and the second surface 412 may be continuous surfaces formed by connection of one or more intermediate surfaces in the circumferential direction of the accommodation groove 43/the driving force receiving member 3, or a gap may be formed between the first surface 411 and the second surface 412 so that they are discontinuous, however, regardless of the structure between the first surface 411 and the second surface 412, as long as the second surface 412 is closer to the non-driving end E than the first surface 411. When the first surface 411 and the second surface 412 are formed as continuous surfaces, the coupling groove 44 is recessed from the first surface 411 toward the non-driving side E, the second surface 412 is formed as a part of the coupling groove 44, and specifically, the second surface 412 is at least a part of the bottom surface of the coupling groove 44; in the mounting direction a, the coupling groove 44 has a first end 44a located upstream and a second end 44b located downstream, the first end 44a and the second end 44b being disposed opposite each other, wherein the first end 44a is closer to the receiving groove 43 than the second end 44 b. In some embodiments, the first end 44 a/coupling groove 44 is provided in communication with the receiving groove 43 with the abutment 921 entering the coupling groove 44 through the second end 44b; in some embodiments, a partition may be further provided at the first end 44a such that the engaging groove 44 is not in communication with the accommodation groove 43, but the abutment 921 may still enter the engaging groove 44 through the second end 44b, in which embodiment, even if a foreign matter falls on the engaging groove 44, the foreign matter is not pushed by the abutment 921 into the accommodation groove 43, and thus, the rotation of the driving force receiving member 3 may not be interfered.

As shown in fig. 2B, the second surface 412 is located in the coupling groove 44 and is formed as at least a portion of the bottom surface of the coupling groove 44, the second surface 412 is farther from the driving end F than the first surface 411 when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, or the second surface 412 is closer to the non-driving end E than the first surface 411, the first surface 411 includes left and right surfaces 411a and 411B located on both sides of the coupling groove 44, respectively, the left surface 411a is spaced from the second surface 412 by a distance h1 along the rotation axis L1, and the right surface 411B is spaced from the second surface 412 by a distance h2, the distances h1 and h2 may be equal or unequal, but at least one of the left and right surfaces 411a and 411B may be regarded as the first surface 411 regardless of the relationship between h1 and h 2.

In the angle shown in fig. 2B, further, the coupling groove 44 may also be described as extending the first surface 411 to form an extended surface 411c such that the extended surface 411c and the second surface 412 overlap in the direction in which the rotation axis L1 is located, the coupling groove 44 being located between the extended surface 411c and the second surface 412.

Further, the process cartridge 100 further comprises a shutter member 5 movable relative to the casing 1/frame 4, the shutter member 5 comprising a movable member 5a and a return member 5b coupled to each other, the movable member 5a comprising a shutter portion 51 and a force receiving portion 53, the force receiving portion 53 being adapted to receive a force to thereby urge the shutter portion 51 from the first position toward the second position, the return member 5b being adapted to urge the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 from the second position back to the first position, the return member 5b preferably being an elastic member having one end coupled to the shutter portion 51 and the other end coupled to the casing 1/frame body 41.

The shutter member 5 is movable between a first position where the engaging groove 44 is blocked and a second position where the engaging groove 44 is not blocked, the engaging groove 44 being blocked by the shutter member when the process cartridge 100 is not mounted, the engaging groove 44 being blocked from penetration by a shutter portion 51 described below in the mounting direction a, at which time the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 is flush with the first surface 411 or the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 is higher than the first surface in the direction in which the rotation axis L1 is located; as the process cartridge 100 is mounted toward the image forming apparatus, the shutter member 5 moves relative to the casing 1/frame 4 by receiving the urging force directly or indirectly, and moves from the first position to the second position, and the engaging groove 44 is no longer covered by the shutter portion 51 to pass through in the mounting direction a, at which time, in the direction in which the rotation axis L1 is located, the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 may or may not be kept flush with the first surface 411, for example, the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 is higher than the first surface 411 or lower than the first surface 411, and the shutter member 5 is kept in the second position after the process cartridge 100 reaches the predetermined mounting position.

When the coupling groove 44 and the accommodation groove 43 are in communication with each other, alternatively, in the first position, the shutter member 5 may block at least one of the first end 44a and the second end 44b, and may block the region between the first end 44a and the second end 44b as well, as long as the first end 44a and the second end 44b can be prevented from penetrating, that is, in the first position, at least a part of the shutter member 5 is located in at least one of the regions between the first end 44a, the second end 44b, and the first end 44a and the second end 44b, and as the process cartridge 100 is mounted, the shutter member 5 receives the urging force outside the process cartridge and moves from the first position to the second position, and thus, before the process cartridge 100 is not mounted, foreign matter will hardly enter the coupling groove, and even if any foreign matter enters the coupling groove 44, the foreign matter can be pushed out of the coupling groove 44 by the member 5 during the movement of the shutter member 5, so that the abutment 921 can smoothly enter the coupling groove 44, and finally the driving force of the receiving member 3 and the driving force 8 can be smoothly coupled.

When the coupling groove 44 and the receiving groove 43 are not in communication with each other, the shielding member 5 shields at least one of the second end 44b and the area between the first end 44a and the second end 44b in the first position, and in the second position, the coupling groove 44 can communicate with the outside through the second end 44b in the mounting direction a, at which time the coupling groove 44 can also be regarded as being in a through state, that is, the "through" means that the coupling groove 44 can communicate with the outside through at least the second end 44b, at which time the abutment 921 will enter the coupling groove 44 through the second end 44 b.

In this embodiment, the shielding part 51 is slidably disposed with respect to the housing 1/the bracket 4, as shown in fig. 2A, the bracket 4 is further provided with a guide rail/guide part 42, the movable member 5a is further provided with a guided part 52, and the movement path of the shielding part 51 can be precisely controlled by the combination of the guide part 42 and the guided part 52, as a result, the shielding part 51 can be more precisely moved from the first position to the second position, and the shielding part 51 will not interfere with the driving force output member.

Preferably, the guide path/trajectory of the guide rail 42 extends around the rotation axis L1 of the driving force receiver 3, so that the shielding portion 51 will move around the circumferential direction of the driving force receiver 3, and thus can extend as long as the plane in which the movement trajectory of the shielding portion 51 intersects the rotation axis L1, at which time the movement direction of the shielding portion 51 intersects the mounting direction a, and more preferably, the plane in which the movement trajectory of the shielding portion 51 intersects the rotation axis L1.

The shielding portion 51 does not exceed the range of the holder main body 41 in the radial direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, which is advantageous in controlling the overall size of the process cartridge 100; in some embodiments, the shielding portion 51 may also be provided such that its movement direction is not perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, but the movement direction intersects the rotation axis L1, while the movement direction of the shielding portion 51 also intersects the installation direction a.

Preferably, the movable member 5a is integrally formed, and in this case, the shielding portion 51, the guided portion 52 and the force receiving portion 53 are integrally formed, and in some embodiments, the shielding portion 51, the guided portion 52 and the force receiving portion 53 may be formed separately, and a force transmission device may be provided between the force receiving portion 53 and the shielding portion 51 to achieve the transmission of the pushing force.

For a clearer view of the course of movement of the screen assembly 5, only the support 4 and the screen assembly 5 are shown in figures 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the movable member 5a further includes a closing portion 511 provided at the shielding portion 51, in which the second end 44B is shielded by the shielding portion 51, specifically, the closing portion 511 is located at the second end 44B, the engaging groove 44 is no longer in communication with the outside in the mounting direction a, when the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the mounting direction a, the urging member in the image forming apparatus is gradually engaged with the force receiving portion 53, for example, the urging member is a projection 91 provided in the image forming apparatus, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the movable member 5a is pushed, the closing portion 511 gradually leaves the second end 44B, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 gradually moves from the first position to the second position, specifically, in the mounting direction a, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 moves downstream of the driving force receiving member 3 from a position away from the driving force receiving member 3 toward a position close to the driving force receiving member 3, that is the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 moves upstream from the downstream of the mounting direction a, and then the abutting portion 921 enters the engaging groove 44B through the second end 44B; as the process cartridge 100 is removed from the image forming apparatus, the movable member 5 a/shutter member 5 gradually disengages from the projection 91, and the reset member 5b forces the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 from the second position back to the first position.

Preferably, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 slides in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, and in the first position and the second position, the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is always kept on the same plane as the first surface 411/the left surface 411 a/the right surface 411b, or the surface of the closing portion 511 away from the second surface 412 is always kept on the same plane as the first surface 411/the left surface 411 a/the right surface 411b, in the direction of the rotation axis L1.

As shown in fig. 3B, in the mounting direction a, the driving force output member 8/abutment 921 is located downstream of the protrusion 91, or in the direction opposite to the mounting direction a, the driving force output member 8/abutment 921 is located upstream of the protrusion 91, and the timing of engagement of the protrusion 91 with the force receiving portion 53 during mounting of the process cartridge 100 will be earlier than the timing of entry of the abutment 921 into the engagement groove 44.

As described above, since the second end 44b is closed by the closing portion 511 before the process cartridge 100 is mounted, it will be difficult for foreign matter to enter the coupling groove 44 through the second end 44b, and the abutment 921 can enter the coupling groove 44 more easily when the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 moves from the first position to the second position.

In some embodiments, when the first end 44a is closed by providing the partition plate, and the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is located at the first position, both the first end 44a and the second end 44b are closed, so that foreign matters can be further prevented from entering the coupling groove 44 from the first end 44 a; it will be appreciated that the partition may also be part of the moveable member 5a, that is, the moveable member 5a may enclose both the first end 44a and the second end 44 b.

In some embodiments, the coupling groove 44 is also closed along the rotation axis L1, that is, the coupling groove 44 is also closed in a direction intersecting the mounting direction a, and as shown in fig. 3A, the shielding portion 51 is further provided with a covering portion 512, which covering portion 512 covers the coupling groove 44 from above/on a side away from the non-driving end E of the coupling groove 44 in the first position, so that foreign matter cannot enter from above the coupling groove 44.

Example two

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 6A is a sectional view taken along the rotation axis of the rotary member before the driving force receiving member and the driving force outputting member in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model are combined; fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the rotational axis of the rotary member after the driving force receiving member and the driving force outputting member in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model are combined.

The shielding assembly 5 according to this embodiment is set in a telescopic manner with respect to the housing 1/support 4, and the shielding assembly 5 is still capable of moving between a first position where the coupling groove 44 is blocked and a second position where the coupling groove 44 is not blocked, as shown in fig. 5, the shielding assembly 5 still includes a movable member 5a and a restoring member 5b coupled to each other, the movable member 5a includes a shielding portion 51, a guided portion 52, and a force receiving portion 53, and accordingly, the housing 1/support body 41 is provided with a guide portion 42, and by coupling of the guide portion 42 and the guided portion 52, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is capable of moving in a direction intersecting the mounting direction a, for example, a plane where a movement track of the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is parallel to the rotation axis L1 or forms an angle other than 90 °, preferably, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 moves in a linear manner, and the restoring member 5b is an elastic member, and the movement direction of the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is parallel to the rotation axis L1.

Preferably, the movable member 5a is integrally formed, and the force receiving portion 53 has a surface inclined with respect to the rotation axis L1 in such a direction that the vertical distance from the inclined surface to the rotation axis L1 gradually increases along the-x direction.

As shown in fig. 6A, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is located at the first position, the second end 44b of the coupling groove 44 is shielded by the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 such that the coupling groove 44 is not penetrated in the mounting direction a, and a surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is kept flush with the first surface 411/left surface 411 a/right surface 411b in a direction in which the rotation axis L1 is located, or a surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is higher than the first surface 411/left surface 411 a/right surface 411b.

In the present embodiment, the abutting portion 921 applies a pushing force to the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51, and as the process cartridge 100 is mounted, the regulating member 92/abutting portion 921 starts to abut against the force receiving portion 53, and further, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 starts to move along the rotation axis L1 in a direction approaching the case 1/non-driving side E/-x, the reset member 5b is elastically deformed, and the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 gradually no longer shields the second end 44b; as shown in fig. 6B, when the restriction member 92 reaches above the movable member 5a, that is, along the rotation axis L1, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 reaches a position closer to the non-driving side E than the restriction member 92, the abutment portion 921 completely enters the engaging groove 44, and the movable member 5a reaches the second position, at which time, in the direction of the rotation axis L1, the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is lower than the first surface 411/the left surface 411 a/the right surface 411B, or the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is closer to the non-driving side E than the first surface 411/the left surface 411 a/the right surface 411B, and the movable member 5a// shielding portion 51 is held in the second position by the restriction member 92.

As the process cartridge 100 is taken out of the image forming apparatus, the movable member 5a// shutter 51 is gradually no longer abutted by the regulating member 92, and the reset member 5b forces the movable member 5a// shutter 51 from the second position back to the first position.

Example III

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a shield assembly and a bracket according to a third embodiment of the present utility model; FIG. 8A is a top view of a shield assembly according to a third embodiment of the utility model as viewed along the axis of rotation of the rotary member when the shield assembly shields the mating groove; fig. 8B is a top view of a shield assembly according to a third embodiment of the utility model, as viewed along the axis of rotation of the rotary member, when the shield assembly does not shield the coupling groove.

In this embodiment, the shielding member 5 is still capable of moving between the first position where the engaging groove 44 is shielded and the second position where the engaging groove 44 is not shielded, as shown in fig. 7, the shielding member 5 still includes the movable member 5a and the reset member 5b which are engaged with each other, the movable member 5a includes the shielding portion 51, the guided portion 52 and the force receiving portion 53, and accordingly, the housing 1/the holder main body 41 is provided with the guide portion 42, the movable member 5 a/the shielding portion 51 is capable of rotating around the direction parallel to the rotation axis L1 by the engagement of the guide portion 42 and the guided portion 52, and the plane where the movement locus of the shielding portion 51 is located is perpendicular to the rotation axis L1, that is, the movement direction of the movable member 5 a/the shielding portion 51 is still intersected with the installation direction a; in some embodiments, the rotation axis L5 of the movable member 5 a/the shielding portion 51 may also be disposed so as to intersect the rotation axis L1, and obviously, the intersection also includes a case where the rotation axis L5 and the rotation axis L1 are perpendicular to each other.

As shown in fig. 8A, in the first position, the engaging groove 44 is blocked by the movable member 5 a/blocking portion 51, for example, the first end 44a and/or the second end 44b of the engaging groove 44 are blocked while the side of the engaging groove 44 away from the non-driving side E is blocked, in the direction in which the rotation axis L1 is located, the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is flush with the first surface 411/left surface 411 a/right surface 411b, or the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 is higher than the first surface 411/left surface 411 a/right surface 411b, and as the process cartridge 100 is mounted, the force receiving portion 53 starts to abut against the abutment 921, and thus, the movable member 5a starts to rotate about the rotation axis L5, the movable member 5 a/blocking portion 51 gradually moves in the direction indicated by r around the rotation axis L5 from the first position toward the second position, specifically, in the mounting direction a, the movable member 5 a/blocking portion 51 moves downstream of the driving force receiving member 3 from the position away from the receiving member 3 toward the downstream position of the blocking member 5 a/the mounting direction a; as shown in fig. 8B, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 reaches the second position, the engaging groove 44 is no longer shielded by the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51, the abutting portion 921 enters the engaging groove 44, at this time, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 can be held at the second position by the predetermined holding member, the surface of the movable member 5a away from the second surface 412 in the direction of the rotation axis L1 is still flush with the first surface 411/left surface 411 a/right surface 411B, and the engagement of the driving force receiver 3 with the driving force output member 8 can be completed smoothly.

According to the above description, during the mounting of the process cartridge 100, the abutment 921 abuts against the force receiving portion 53, and when the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 reaches the second position, the abutment 921 still abuts against the force receiving portion 53, at which time the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 holds the abutted portion 921 at the second position, and it can be seen that the abutment 921 can be regarded as one embodiment of the holding assembly.

In some embodiments, the holding member may also be the protrusion 91 described above, and the protrusion 91 and/or the abutment 921 abut against the force receiving portion 53 during the mounting of the process cartridge 100, and the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is held in the second position by the protrusion 91 when the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 reaches the second position.

In some embodiments, the holding assembly may also be a component installed in the process cartridge 100, with the protrusion 91 and/or abutment 921 abutting the force receiving portion 53 during installation of the process cartridge 100 such that the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 reaches the second position, after which the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 is held in the second position by the holding assembly; when the process cartridge 100 needs to be taken out of the image forming apparatus, the holding member is triggered to release the holding of the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51, the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 moves from the second position toward the first position, and the force to trigger the holding member may come directly or indirectly from the driving force output member 8, the driving force receiving member 3, the user's grip on the handle 12, or the like.

In some embodiments, a trigger assembly may be additionally provided, by which the holding assembly is triggered by the trigger assembly, so that the movable member 5 a/shielding part 51 is no longer held by the holding assembly but moves from the second position towards the first position, and likewise, the force triggering the trigger assembly may come directly or indirectly from the driving force output member 8, the driving force receiving member 3, the user's grip on the handle 12, etc.

In some embodiments, the force for forcing the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 to move from the first position toward the second position may also be from the driving force output member 8, for example, by providing the movable member 5 a/shielding portion 51 with an extension portion that is engageable with the driving force output member 8 earlier than the timing at which the abutment 921 starts to enter the engaging groove 44 during the mounting of the process cartridge 100.

As can be seen from the above description, the force application member in this embodiment is the driving force output member 8, and it can be seen that the force application member may be the driving force output member 8 itself, the protrusion 91 in the image forming apparatus, or the restriction member 92; in some embodiments, the force application member may also be a component of the process cartridge itself, for example, the force application member is the handle 12 of the process cartridge 100, and when the user grasps the handle 12, the handle 12 transmits the grasping force to the shutter assembly 5 through a preset force transmission mechanism, thereby causing the shutter assembly 5/the shutter portion 51.

In some embodiments, the first surface 411 and the second surface 412 may be disposed perpendicular to the rotation axis L1; in other embodiments, at least the second surface 412 may also be provided to be inclined with respect to the rotation axis L1, and the inclination direction thereof may be described as that the distance from the second surface 412 to the non-driving end E along the rotation axis L1 gradually decreases in the mounting direction a, so that the abutment 921 can enter the coupling groove 44 more smoothly during the mounting of the process cartridge 100.

As described above, the shutter member 5 movable with respect to the housing 1/bracket 4 is provided in the process cartridge 100, the shutter member 5/shutter portion 51 being movable between the first position in which the shutter member 5 is positioned and the second position in which the shutter member is not positioned to shutter the coupling groove 44, before the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the shutter member 5 being moved from the first position to the second position as the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the shutter member 5 receiving the urging force exerted by the urging member, specifically, the moving direction of the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 intersecting the mounting direction a, it is ensured that the coupling groove 44 is sufficiently opened when the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 reaches the second position, that is, the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 does not interfere with the movement of the abutment 921 in the coupling groove 44, or that is, the movable member 5 a/shutter portion 51 does not interfere with the movement of the abutment 921 in the coupling groove 44, and the driving force output member 8 can be smoothly coupled to the driving force receiving member 3.

Further, as described above, the structure is effective to prevent foreign matter from entering the engaging groove 44, and even if foreign matter enters the engaging groove 44, the foreign matter can be pushed out of the engaging groove 44 by the urging member or the shutter member 5 during the movement of the shutter member 5 from the first position to the second position, so that the driving force output member 8 and the driving force receiving member 3 can be smoothly engaged.

Claims (10)

1. A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus provided with a driving force output member, the process cartridge including a housing, a rotating member, a driving force receiving member, and a bracket;

the driving force receiving part is used for receiving the driving force of the driving force output part and driving the rotating part to rotate;

the bracket comprises a bracket main body combined with the shell, a containing groove and a combining groove which are arranged in the bracket main body, wherein the containing groove and the combining groove are adjacently arranged, and the driving force receiving piece penetrates through the containing groove;

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the process cartridge further comprising a shutter assembly movable relative to the housing or the bracket, at least a portion of the shutter assembly being movable between a first position and a second position;

in the first position, along the mounting direction of the process cartridge, the coupling groove is shielded from penetration by the shielding member;

in the second position, the coupling groove is penetrated without being blocked by the blocking member in the mounting direction of the process cartridge.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the direction of movement of at least a portion of the shutter member intersects the mounting direction of the process cartridge.

3. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the coupling groove has a first end located upstream and a second end located downstream in a mounting direction of the process cartridge,

in the first position, the first end, the second end, and at least one of the regions between the first end and the second end are shielded by the shielding assembly.

4. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a first surface and a second surface disposed in the same direction, the second surface being at least a part of a bottom surface of the coupling groove, the second surface being closer to a side where the driving force receiving member is not disposed than the first surface along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member;

in the first position, at least a portion of the shield member has a surface facing away from the second surface which is not lower than the first surface in the direction of the axis of rotation of the drive force receiver.

5. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a first surface and a second surface disposed in the same direction, the second surface being at least a part of a bottom surface of the coupling groove, the second surface being closer to a side where the driving force receiving member is not disposed than the first surface along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member;

at least the second surface is provided to be inclined with respect to the driving force receiver rotation axis.

6. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the driving force receiving member is retractable with respect to the housing, and the process cartridge further comprises a control mechanism for controlling the retraction of the driving force receiving member.

7. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the shielding member comprises a movable member and a return member which are combined with each other, the movable member comprising a shielding portion and a force receiving portion;

the shielding part is used for shielding the combining groove;

the force-receiving part is used for receiving the acting force exerted by the force-exerting part arranged in the imaging device or the processing box to force the shielding part to move from the first position to the second position;

the reset element is used for forcing the movable element to return to the first position from the second position.

8. A process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the shielding portion moves upstream from downstream in the mounting direction by the urging member.

9. A process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the shielding portion moves downstream of the driving force receiving member from a position away from the driving force receiving member toward a position close to the driving force receiving member under the action of the urging member.

10. A process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the shielding portion moves toward a side near which the driving force receiving member is not provided, along the rotation axis of the driving force receiving member, under the action of the urging member.