CN220933352U

CN220933352U - Protection piece and processing box suite

Info

Publication number: CN220933352U
Application number: CN202321883388.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范金石
Original assignee: Zhuhai Dinghe Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhuhai Dinghe Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-10-24
Filing date: 2023-07-17
Publication date: 2024-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2033-07-17

Abstract

The present utility model relates to a protector and a process cartridge assembly, the protector being detachably combined with a process cartridge, the process cartridge including a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive drum and a developing roller rotatably provided in the process cartridge housing, and a separation contact mechanism movable relative to the housing; the separation contact mechanism has an acting portion for receiving an acting force from outside for forcing the developing roller and the photosensitive drum toward or away from each other; the protector is provided with a protecting portion for accommodating the acting portion, and even if the process cartridge is bumped during transportation, the separation contact mechanism is caused to move downward, and the acting portion can be protected from damage by the protecting portion.

Description

Protection piece and processing box suite

The present utility model claims priority from chinese patent office filed by the inventor at 10 month 24 of 2022, application number 202222810125.3 of the utility model named "process cartridge", chinese patent office filed by the inventor at 06 month 30 of 2023, application number 202321711353.3 of the utility model named "process cartridge", chinese patent office filed by the inventor at 07 month 04 of 2023, application number 202321749685.0 of the utility model named "process cartridge", and chinese prior application filed by the inventor at 07 month 05 of 2023, application number 202321760289.8 of the utility model named "process cartridge assembly", all of which are cross-referenced in the present utility model.

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to the field of electrophotographic image forming, and more particularly, to a protector for use in combination with a process cartridge detachably mounted in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Background

A process cartridge is a consumable material detachably mounted in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (simply referred to as an "image forming apparatus"), in which a developing roller for conveying developer to the photosensitive drum to develop an electrostatic latent image is rotatably provided, and a photosensitive drum whose surface is to form an electrostatic latent image when the process cartridge is image-formed in the image forming apparatus.

In order to prevent the developing roller from being deformed by long-term pressing of the photosensitive drum or the developer carried by the developing roller from contaminating the surface of the photosensitive drum when the process cartridge is not image-formed in the image forming apparatus, there has been provided a separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge which can receive a separation force and a restoring force from the image forming apparatus, the developing roller and the photosensitive drum being separated from each other to be non-image-able when the separation contact mechanism receives the separation force, and the developing roller and the photosensitive drum being brought close to each other to be image-able when the separation contact mechanism receives the restoring force.

In order to prevent the separation contact mechanism from interfering with the attachment and detachment of the process cartridge, in a preferred manner, the separation contact mechanism is provided so as to be movable with respect to the process cartridge housing, for example, the separation contact mechanism is in a retracted state before the process cartridge reaches a predetermined attachment position in the image forming apparatus, and the separation contact mechanism is allowed to reach an extended state by an external force after the process cartridge reaches the predetermined attachment position in the image forming apparatus; or the separation contact mechanism is rotatable with respect to the cartridge housing.

However, after the process cartridge is assembled at the factory, it is generally necessary to transport the process cartridge over a long distance to reach the end user, and during transport, once the process cartridge is bumped, the separation contact mechanism may be damaged by substantial movement relative to the process cartridge housing.

Disclosure of utility model

The utility model provides a protecting piece and a processing box external member, before the processing box is used by an end user, a separation contact mechanism in the processing box can be effectively protected by the protecting piece to avoid being damaged, and the specific scheme is as follows:

A protective member detachably combined with the process cartridge, the process cartridge including a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive drum and a developing roller rotatably provided in the process cartridge housing, and a separation contact mechanism movable relative to the housing; the separation contact mechanism has an acting portion for receiving an acting force from outside for forcing the developing roller and the photosensitive drum toward or away from each other; the protector is provided with a protecting portion for restricting movement of the acting portion with respect to the process cartridge case, so that even if the process cartridge is bumped during transportation, the separation contact mechanism is caused to move downward, and the acting portion can be protected from damage by the protecting portion.

In some embodiments, the protection member is coupled to the cartridge housing by a snap fit or an abutment or a magnetic connection.

The protection piece includes interconnect's mainboard and extension piece, and wherein, the mainboard is used for protecting the sensitization drum in the below of sensitization drum, and protection part is for setting up dodging the groove or dodging the hole in the extension piece, and after protection piece and processing box combined, at least part of effect portion gets into protection part, perhaps effect portion gets into in the protection part under the exogenic action.

In some embodiments, the protection member includes a main plate and an extension member connected to each other, wherein the main plate is configured to protect the photosensitive drum below the photosensitive drum, and the protection portion is a prevention member disposed on the main plate or the extension member, and the prevention member is configured to abut against the action portion.

In some embodiments, the acting portion is provided rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the process cartridge housing, the acting portion including a rotation portion, and a force receiving portion and a force transmitting portion connected to the rotation portion, the force receiving portion being configured to receive a force, the force transmitting portion extending from the rotation portion and configured to transmit the force to the process cartridge housing, the preventing member being provided on a rotation path of the acting portion.

In some embodiments, the force transmitting portion is provided in an L shape, and an insertion space is formed between the force transmitting portion and the rotating portion, and the preventing member is for insertion into the insertion space.

In some embodiments, the action portion is provided with a plurality of downward facing prevention surfaces, the prevention piece being for abutment with the prevention surfaces; the acting portion is provided with an acting force receiving portion for receiving an acting force, the acting force receiving portion having a separating force receiving surface and a restoring force receiving surface which are disposed opposite to each other in a front-rear direction, wherein a side on which the restoring force receiving surface is disposed is a recess recessed toward the front, and in an up-down direction, the preventing surface is located above the recess.

In some embodiments, the recess is V-shaped, and the prevention element further includes a mating portion provided at the front for mating with the recess.

In some embodiments, the protection member further includes an extension portion provided at a rear of the protection portion, and a clamping space is formed between the protection member and the extension portion in a front-rear direction, and a portion of the process cartridge case enters the clamping space when the protection member is combined with the process cartridge.

The present utility model also provides a process cartridge kit including a process cartridge and a protector as described above, the protector being detachably coupled with the process cartridge.

Drawings

Fig. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a process cartridge according to the present utility model.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model after separating the separation contact mechanism and the drive end cap from the cartridge housing.

Fig. 3A is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in a retracted state.

Fig. 3B is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in an extended state.

Fig. 3C is a side view, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, of a separation contact mechanism in a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present utility model when receiving a force applied by a separation control mechanism in an image forming apparatus.

Fig. 3D is a side view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model as viewed from the top to the bottom.

Fig. 3E is a simplified schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present utility model after the developer roller and the photosensitive drum are separated from each other.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model after the separation contact mechanism and the drive end cap are separated from the cartridge housing.

Fig. 5A is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in a retracted state.

Fig. 5B is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in an extended state.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the drive end of the cartridge and the separation contact mechanism of the drive end cap of the cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present utility model after separation from the cartridge housing.

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the drive end of the cartridge and the separation contact mechanism of the drive end cap of the cartridge according to the fourth embodiment of the present utility model after separation from the cartridge housing.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model, with a first driving force receiving member, a protecting cover, and a driving end cap separated from each other.

Fig. 9A is a side view of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the right-left direction, when a developing roller and a photosensitive drum are brought close to each other.

Fig. 9B is a side view of the process cartridge according to the fifth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when the developing roller and the photosensitive drum are away from each other.

Fig. 10 is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, with a first driving force receiving member, a protecting cover, and a driving end cap separated from each other.

Fig. 11A is a side view of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the right-left direction, when a developing roller and a photosensitive drum are brought close to each other.

Fig. 11B is a side view of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when the developing roller and the photosensitive drum are away from each other.

Fig. 12 is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the seventh embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a process cartridge protecting cover according to a seventh embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 14 is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the eighth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a process cartridge assembly according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model, with a process cartridge separated from a protector.

Fig. 16 and 17 are perspective views of a protector according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 18A is a side view of a cartridge assembly according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model, as seen from left to right, taken along the BB direction in fig. 15.

Fig. 18B is a side view of the cartridge kit according to the ninth embodiment of the present utility model, as seen from the front and rear, taken along the direction GG in fig. 15.

Fig. 19 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge kit according to a tenth embodiment of the present utility model, with a process cartridge separated from a protector.

Fig. 20 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge and a protector in a process cartridge kit according to a tenth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 21 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model, with a process cartridge separated from a protector.

Fig. 22A and 22B are overall and partial perspective views, respectively, of a separation contact mechanism according to the present utility model.

Fig. 23 is a partial perspective view of a protector in a process cartridge according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 24 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge assembly according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 25 is a partial perspective view of a protector in a process cartridge according to a twelfth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 26 is a partial perspective view of a protector in a process cartridge set according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 27 is a partial perspective view showing a contact between a protector and a separation contact mechanism in a cartridge kit according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present utility model.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a process cartridge according to the present utility model.

The process cartridge C includes a first unit 100, a second unit 200, a first end cap 300, and a second end cap 400, the first rotary 11 is rotatably provided in the first unit casing 1 of the first unit 100, the second rotary 21 is rotatably provided in the second unit casing 2 of the second unit 200, and the developer is accommodated in the first unit casing 1; the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 may be combined with each other through the first end cover 300 and the second end cover 400, or may be combined through a manner such as a pin, a buckle, or the like, the first end cover 300 and the second end cover 400 may be used as a part of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200, or may be used as a component independent of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200, so long as the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 can be combined, the first end cover 300 is combined with the first unit housing 1 and the second unit housing 2, the second end cover 400 is combined with the first unit housing 1 and the second unit housing 2, and as a whole, the first unit housing 1, the second unit housing 2, the first end cover 300, the second end cover 400, and the protecting cover 14 and the gear mounting plate 15 described below may be regarded as a process cartridge housing; the first rotary 11 may be a developing roller rotatably provided in the first unit casing 1, and the second rotary 21 may be a photosensitive drum rotatably provided in the second unit casing 2, however, the first rotary 11 and the second rotary 21 may also be other members in the process cartridge that need to be rotated, for example, a charging member 24 for charging the photosensitive drum, a supplying member 102 for supplying the developing roller with developer, a stirring member for stirring the developer, and the like, that is, the photosensitive drum 21, the charging member 24, the developing roller 11, the supplying member 102, the stirring member, and the like rotatably mounted in the process cartridge C may be referred to as rotating members.

For convenience of description hereinafter, it is defined that the side of the process cartridge C on which the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 11 are mounted is directed upward toward the side on which the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 11 are not mounted, the side opposite to the upward direction is downward, the direction directed from the first unit 100 toward the second unit 200 is forward, the side opposite to the forward direction is rearward, the side receiving the driving force is left, the side receiving the driving force is right, the process cartridge C is mounted to the apparatus from top to bottom in the up-down direction, the left side is the driving end C1, the right is the non-driving end C2, the first end cap 300 is mounted at the driving end C1, the second end cap 400 is mounted at the non-driving end C2, and the first driving force receiving member 3 (which may also be referred to as "developing driving force receiving member 3") for receiving the driving force for the developing roller 11 and the second driving force receiving member 4 for receiving the driving force for the photosensitive drum 21 are exposed from the first end cap 300; the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 each extend in the left-right direction, and a rotation axis L11 of the developing roller 11 and a rotation axis L21 of the photosensitive drum 21 described below are each parallel to the left-right direction.

As shown in fig. 1A, a compression spring as an image forming holder C3 is installed between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, and the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are held in a state in which the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are brought into contact with each other by the compression spring C3, at which time the process cartridge C can perform an image forming operation.

Example one

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present utility model after separating the separation contact mechanism and the drive end cap from the cartridge housing; fig. 3A is a side view, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, of a separation contact mechanism in a process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model in a retracted state; fig. 3B is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in an extended state; fig. 3C is a side view, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, of a separation contact mechanism in a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present utility model when receiving a force applied by a separation control mechanism in an image forming apparatus.

As described in the background art, the process cartridge C further includes a separation contact mechanism 5 provided therein, and when the process cartridge C does not require operation/image formation in the image forming apparatus, the separation contact mechanism 5 receives a separation force from the image forming apparatus so that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are separated from each other, and preferably the process cartridge C includes a left contact separation mechanism 5L provided at the driving end C1 and a right contact separation mechanism 5R provided at the non-driving end C2, the left and right separation contact mechanisms 5L and 5R being identical in structure, and hereinafter, the left separation contact mechanism 5L is regarded as the separation contact mechanism 5.

In the present embodiment, the separation contact mechanism 5 is provided to include the pressing piece 5a and the force receiving piece 5b which are formed separately, the pressing force receiving portion 5a 2/pressed portion 57 in the pressing piece 5a for receiving the pressing force of the top plate 94 in the image forming apparatus, and thereby the force receiving piece 5b is forced from the retracted state to the extended state, and the force receiving piece 5b in the extended state can receive the force (including the separation force and the restoring force) applied by the separation control mechanism 93 in the image forming apparatus, thereby effecting the relative movement of the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 while the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are away from and close to each other.

When the process cartridge C is not operated/imaged in the image forming apparatus, the separation control mechanism 93 comes into contact with the separation contact mechanism 5 by moving backward and applies a separation force, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are away from each other, and then the separation control mechanism 93 returns to an intermediate position where it is not in contact with the separation contact mechanism 5; when the process cartridge C is required to be operated/imaged again in the image forming apparatus, the separation control mechanism 93 applies a restoring force by moving forward to come into contact again with the separation contact mechanism 5, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 come close to each other, and then the separation control mechanism 93 returns to the intermediate position again; in the intermediate position, the separation control mechanism 93 does not apply a force to the separation contact mechanism 5.

In general, the separation contact mechanism 5 includes a main body 52, and an acting portion 51 and a pressed portion 57 located at both ends of the main body 52, respectively, the acting portion 51 being a member for receiving the force applied by the separation control mechanism 93, and when the pressing piece 5a and the force receiving piece 5b are integrally formed, the pressing force receiving portion 5a2 may overlap with the pressed portion 57, and the force receiving piece 5b may be regarded as the acting portion 51; when the pressing piece 5a and the force receiving piece 5b are formed separately, the pressing force receiving portion 5a2 can still coincide with the pressed portion 57, the force receiving piece 5b can still be regarded as the acting portion 51, at least a part of the main body 52 is located in the pressing piece 5a, fig. 2 shows a structure in which the whole of the main body 52 is located in the pressing piece 5a, at this time, the main body 52 can also be regarded as an intermediate body 5a1 of the pressing piece, preferably, at least a part of the main body 52 is located between the first driving force receiving piece 3 and the second driving force receiving piece 4, so that the process cartridge C can be more compact in the front-rear direction, and accordingly, the size of the process cartridge C in the front-rear direction can also be effectively controlled; meanwhile, the pressing member 5a is also provided with a transmission member 5a3 for transmitting force by interaction with the force receiving member 5b, and preferably, the transmission member 5a3 and the force receiving member 5b abut against each other.

When the pressing piece 5a and the force receiving piece 5b are formed separately, the mounting position of the pressing piece 5a will have various choices, as long as the pressing force receiving portion 5a2 can receive the pressing force applied by the top plate 94, the transmitting piece 5a3 can interact with the force receiving piece 5b to transmit the force, the pressing piece 5a can be mounted on any one of the housing 1, the protecting cover 14 and the end caps 300/400, and particularly, the degree of freedom of mounting and the degree of freedom of design of the pressing piece main body 5a 1/main body 52 can be greatly improved, the space inside the process cartridge C can be fully utilized, the protecting cover 14 is fixedly connected with the first unit housing 1 for allowing the first driving force receiving piece 3 to be exposed outward in the left-right direction; the force receiving member 5b may be mounted on the protecting cover 14 or the end cover 300/400, or may be mounted on the casing 1, so long as the force receiving member 5b receives the force applied by the separation control mechanism 93, and can directly or indirectly drive the first unit 100 to move relative to the second unit 200/casing 2, so that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 approach each other or separate from each other.

Further, the separation contact mechanism 5 further includes a first elastic force applying member 59a (shown in fig. 4) combined with the pressing member 5a and/or the force receiving member 5b, and at least the force receiving member 5b is in a retracted state by the first elastic force applying member 59a, and interference that the process cartridge C may receive during the mounting and dismounting can be eliminated.

As an embodiment, the first elastic force applying member 59a is a compression spring, and as shown in fig. 4, a groove portion 142 for accommodating the compression spring 59a is provided on any one of the housing 1, the cover 14, and the end caps 300/400, one end of the compression spring 59a abuts against the groove portion 142, and the other end abuts against the force receiving member main body 510, so that the force receiving member 5b can be held in the retracted state, and thus, the first elastic force applying member 59a can also be referred to as a retracted state holding member of the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51.

In another embodiment, the first elastic force applying member 59a may be provided as a tension spring, one end of which may be connected to any one of the housing 1, the protective cover 14, and the end caps 300/400, and the other end of which is connected to the force receiving member 5b, and also functions to maintain the force receiving member 5b in the retracted state.

As shown in fig. 2, the image forming holder C3 in the present embodiment is provided as a tension spring, and the mounting manner of the tension spring C3 in the process cartridge C is various, for example, one end of the tension spring C3 is connected to the casing 1 or the protective cover 14, and the other end is connected to the end cap 300/400 or the casing 2, as long as it is ensured that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 can be brought close to each other to perform the image forming operation.

In some embodiments, the process cartridge C further includes a locking portion 53 and a locked portion (which may be collectively referred to as a locking mechanism), the locking portion 53 and the locked portion being locked to each other when the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are brought close to each other and image formation is possible, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are also brought close to each other, and the locking portion 53 and the locked portion being unlocked when the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are moved away from each other and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are also moved away from each other and image formation is not possible. It can be seen that the function of the locking mechanism is at least partially the same as that of the image forming holder C3, that is, the locking mechanism and the image forming holder C3 are provided only in one of them to hold the process cartridge C1 in a state in which the image forming operation can be performed.

The setting positions of the locking mechanism in the process cartridge C are also varied, and as shown in fig. 2, the locking portion 53 is provided on the housing 1 or the protective cover 14, and the locked portion is provided on the end cap 300/400, so that the locking portion 53 can move with the movement of the housing 1 or the protective cover 14, and as described above, when the force receiving member 5b is provided on the housing 1 or the protective cover 14, the locking portion 53 can move with the receiving force received by the force receiving member 5 b. Specifically, when the force receiving member 5b receives the separating force, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are shifted from the mutually locked state to the mutually unlocked state, and when the force receiving member 5b receives the restoring force, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are shifted from the mutually unlocked state to the mutually locked state; conversely, when the force receiving member 5b receives a separating force, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion may also be shifted from the mutually unlocked state to the mutually locked state, and when the force receiving member 5b receives a restoring force, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are shifted from the mutually locked state to the mutually unlocked state, the direction of the separating force and the direction of the restoring force being opposite in the front-rear direction.

Preferably, at least one of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion is provided to be movable with respect to the other to facilitate switching of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion between the mutually locked state and the mutually unlocked state. As shown in fig. 2, the locking portion 53 is a cantilever extending from the protective cover 14/housing 1, the first protrusion 531 is provided at a free end of the locking portion 53, the locked portion is a cantilever extending from the cap main body 301, the locked portion has the connecting body 22 and the second protrusion 23, the connecting body 22 is connected to the cap main body 301, and the second protrusion 23 is provided at a free end of the connecting body 22, so that one end of the locking portion 53 is fixedly connected to the protective cover 14/housing 1, the first protrusion 531 provided at the other end (free end) of the locking portion 53 is elastically deformable with respect to the protective cover 14/housing 1, one end of the connecting body 22 is fixedly connected to the cap main body 301, and the second protrusion 23 provided at the other end (free end) of the connecting body 22 is elastically deformable with respect to the cap main body 301.

With the above preferred mode, the overall structure of the locking mechanism will be simplified, the locking portion 53 will be formed integrally with the protective cover 14 or the housing 1, and the locked portion will be formed integrally with the cap main body 301.

More preferably, the lock portion 53 and the locked portion are each located below the process cartridge C in the up-down direction, that is, in the up-down direction, with respect to the rotation axis L3 parallel to the left-right direction, the lock portion 53 and the locked portion are disposed closer to the developing roller 11/the photosensitive drum 21, so that even if vibration is generated by the first driving force receiver 3 upon rotation, the combination of the lock portion 53 and the locked portion can cancel at least a part of the vibration.

The locking position LP of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion is located between the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 in the front-rear direction, so that the risk that the process cartridge C may affect the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 to be close to each other in the front-rear direction (e.g., the compression spring/tension spring C3 elastically deforms) during operation/image formation can also be effectively eliminated; further, in fig. 3A and 3B, taking an example in which the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are in contact at the image forming position DP at the time of the process cartridge C being operated/image forming, the distance s3 from the lock position LP of the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 to the image forming position DP is smaller than any one of s1 and s2, that is, the position LP at which the lock portion 53 and the locked portion are locked with each other is closer to the image forming position DP than any one of the rotation axis L11 of the developing roller 11 and the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 21 in the front-rear direction than the distance s1 from the rotation axis L21 of the photosensitive drum to the image forming position DP, which is more effective to ensure that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 remain in good contact.

In one embodiment, s3=0, at this time, the lock position LP coincides with the image forming position DP in the up-down direction, and the contact of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 can be more stably maintained.

Fig. 3A to 3C show a process from a predetermined position where the process cartridge C is mounted to the image forming apparatus until the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 reach a mutually separated state, as shown in fig. 3A, when the process cartridge C reaches the predetermined position of the image forming apparatus but the top plate 94 has not been moved downward, the force receiving member 5b is in a retracted state by the first elastic force applying member 59a, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are mutually locked, i.e., the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are engaged with each other at the locking position LP, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are brought into contact at the image forming position DP; as shown in fig. 3B, as the top plate 94 moves downward, the pressing force receiving portion 5a2 receives the pressing force, the pressing member 5a moves downward, the force receiving member 5B/acting portion 51 also moves downward to protrude through the transmission member 5a3, the first elastic force applying member 59a is elastically deformed, and finally, the force receiving member 5B/acting portion 51 enters the separation control mechanism 93, at which time the separation control mechanism 93 is in an intermediate position not in contact with the force receiving member 5B/acting portion 51.

When the image forming apparatus does not need to operate/image, the separation control mechanism 93 starts the backward movement to apply the separation force to the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51, and the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51 moves the first unit 100 including the protective cover 14/the casing 1 relative to the second unit 200/the casing 2, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 move from the mutually approaching state toward the mutually separating state. As shown in fig. 3C, the first unit 100 in the present embodiment is not rotated with respect to the second unit 200/housing 2 about an axis parallel to the left-right direction, but is translated with respect to the second unit 200/housing 2 in the front-rear direction, and the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are pressed against each other so that at least one of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion is elastically deformed until the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23, or the second protrusion 23 passes over the first protrusion 531.

During this separation, the contact area/contact position of the force receiving member 5 b/action portion 51 and the separation control mechanism 93 does not change in the up-down direction, that is, the disadvantage that the force receiving member 5 b/action portion 51 and the separation control mechanism 93 are separated from each other does not occur, that is, the process cartridge C can stably receive the separation force.

As further shown in fig. 3C, after the first unit 100 is translated relative to the second unit 200, a separation gap g is formed between the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are abutted against each other in the front-rear direction, the separation gap g can be maintained, and when the image forming holder C3 is provided, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 can also be maintained in a mutually abutted state, so that the cartridge C as a whole can be maintained in a state in which the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are separated from each other, or in a state in which the casing 1 and the casing 2 are separated from each other, or in a state in which the cartridge C is maintained in which the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are separated from each other.

The distance s6 between the abutment position AP of the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 and the midpoint Cg is smaller than either one of s4 and s5 with respect to the midpoint Cg of the separation gap g in the front-rear direction, that is, the abutment position AP between the lock portion 53 and the locked portion is closer to the midpoint Cg than either one of the rotation axis L11 of the photosensitive drum 11 and the rotation axis L21 of the photosensitive drum 21 in the front-rear direction than the distance s4 between the rotation axis L21 of the photosensitive drum 11 and the midpoint Cg are with respect to the midpoint Cg of the separation gap g in the front-rear direction, so that the separation gap Cg can be kept stable.

In one embodiment, s6=0, and in this case, the abutment position AP and the midpoint Cg overlap in the up-down direction, and the separation gap Cg can be more effectively maintained.

When the separation control mechanism 93 starts to come into abutment with the force receiving piece 5 b/the acting portion 51 rearward, the separation control mechanism 93 can be regarded as being in the separation force applying position, and after the separation control mechanism 93 moves rearward for a predetermined time/distance, the separation control mechanism 93 will move forward and return to the neutral position; when the process cartridge C needs to be operated/imaged again, the separation control mechanism 93 will move forward from the intermediate position to apply a restoring force to the force receiving member 5 b/acting portion 51, and when the separation control mechanism 93 starts to abut forward against the force receiving member 5 b/acting portion 51, the separation control mechanism 93 may be regarded as being in the restoring force applying position, and after the separation control mechanism 93 moves forward for a predetermined time/distance, the separation control mechanism 93 will move backward and return to the intermediate position.

When the separation control mechanism 93 applies a restoring force to the force receiving member 5 b/acting portion 51, the force receiving member 5 b/acting portion 51 drives the first unit 100 to translate again in the front-rear direction with respect to the second unit 200, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 return to the mutually approaching state again from the mutually separating state; or, the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51 drives the protecting cover 14, and then the protecting cover 14 drives the casing 1 to translate in the front-rear direction, so that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 return to the mutually approaching state again from the mutually separating state; alternatively, the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51 directly moves the casing 1 in the forward and backward direction so that the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 return to the mutually approaching state again from the mutually separating state.

In the process of moving the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 from the mutually separated state toward the mutually approaching state, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion also move from the abutment position AP toward the locking position LP, and as such, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 press against each other so that at least one of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion is elastically deformed until the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23 or the second protrusion 23 passes over the first protrusion, and then the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are locked with each other again.

As shown in fig. 2, the driving end cap 300 further includes a second exposing hole 305 provided on the end cap body 301, the first driving force receiving member 3 is exposed through the second exposing hole 305, and the second driving force receiving member 4 is exposed through the second exposing hole 302, and generally, the inner diameter of the first exposing hole 305 is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the first driving force receiving member 3, and the inner diameter of the second exposing hole 302 is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second driving force receiving member 4, so that both the first driving force receiving member 3 and the second driving force receiving member 4 can smoothly pass through the end cap body 301.

In this embodiment, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 is arranged to translate with respect to the second unit 200, unlike the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 which is arranged to rotate with respect to the second unit 200 about an axis parallel to the left-right direction, the first driving force receiver 3 located in the first unit 100 will move in a reference plane including the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, which intersects the left-right direction, preferably, the reference plane is perpendicular to the left-right direction, and thus, the first driving force receiver 3 will interfere with the movement of the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1, and for this reason, the present utility model also provides the following first solution.

The first driving force receiving member 3 includes an outer coupling portion 31 for receiving driving force from the image forming apparatus and an inner coupling portion 32 for coupling with a member in the process cartridge, the inner coupling portion 32 being for transmitting the driving force received by the outer coupling portion 31 to other members of the process cartridge C, and thus, the inner coupling portion 32 may be variously structured, either as a common gear or as a ratchet, a sheave, a rack, a belt, or the like, and the outer coupling portion 31 and the inner coupling portion 32 may be movably coupled to each other such that the inner coupling portion 32 may be moved in association with movement (translational movement) of the first unit 100/the cover 14/the housing 1 in the reference plane while the outer coupling portion 31 is kept stationary with respect to the driving end cap 300, when viewed in the right-left direction, so that the first driving force receiving member 3 does not interfere with the movement of the first unit 100/the cover 14/the housing 1 in the reference plane.

In some embodiments, the outer joint part 31 and the inner joint part 32 are connected by a cross chute, or the outer joint part 31 and the inner joint part 32 are connected by a combination body formed by combining at least one sphere and a rod body, and the at least one sphere is combined with the outer joint part 31 or the inner joint part 32, so long as the outer joint part 31 and the inner joint part 32 can move relatively and can transmit driving force.

The above description has been made of the fact that the first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 translates in the front-rear direction in the reference plane to bring the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 closer to or farther from each other when viewed in the left-right direction, it is possible that the first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 translates in the up-down direction in the reference plane to bring the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 closer to or farther from each other when viewed in the left-right direction, it is also possible that the first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 translates in the direction oblique to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction in the reference plane to bring the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 closer to or farther from each other when viewed in the left-right direction, for example, a guide groove is provided in the end cap 300/400, a guided projection is provided in the first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 that can be guided by the guide groove, the first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 moves rearward or rearward and downward in the reference plane to bring the developing roller 11 and the drum 21 away from each other, and the corresponding first unit 100/cover 14/casing 1 moves forward and downward in the reference plane to bring the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 closer to or farther from each other when viewed in the left-right direction.

Fig. 3D is a side view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model viewed from the top to the bottom in the up-down direction; fig. 3E is a simplified schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present utility model after the developer roller and the photosensitive drum are separated from each other.

Based on the above-described inventive concept, the reference plane may also be a plane including the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, in which the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the casing 1 rotates in the Q direction in fig. 3D with the fulcrum P as the rotation point, thereby achieving mutual separation of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21.

In one embodiment, the fulcrum P is a contact point formed by contact of the circumferential surface of the developing roller 11 and the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 21, as shown in fig. 3D and 3E, the fulcrum P is located on the right of the developing roller 11/photosensitive drum 21, the right separation contact mechanism 5R can be dispensed with, when the separation contact mechanism 5 (left separation contact mechanism 5L) on the left of the process cartridge receives the separation force, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 will form a state shown in fig. 3E, an angle α of less than 90 ° will be formed between the circumferential surface of the developing roller 11 and the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 21, and the distance between the circumferential surface of the developing roller 11 and the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 21 gradually decreases from left to right in the front-rear direction; when the separation contact mechanism 5 receives the restoring force, the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the casing 1 rotates in the opposite direction to the Q direction in fig. 3D with the fulcrum P as the rotation point in the plane, thereby achieving mutual approaching of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21.

In one embodiment, the right separation contact mechanism 5R may remain, but when the separation force received by the left separation contact mechanism 5L is greater than the separation force received by the right separation contact mechanism 5R, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 may still be brought into the state shown in fig. 3E, for example, a force attenuation mechanism such as a reverse urging device, a separation force absorbing member, or the like for attenuating the separation force applied to the right separation contact mechanism 5R by the separation control mechanism 93 is provided in the process cartridge C.

It should be understood that the position of the fulcrum P should not be limited, and the fulcrum P may be formed by contact of the casing 1 with the first and second endcaps 300 and 400, or contact of the cover 14 with the first and second unit casings 300 and 2, or contact of the conductive holder with the second and second endcaps 400 and 2, or contact of the conductive holder with the power output member in the image forming apparatus, or the like, in addition to contact of the circumferential surface of the developing roller 11 and the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 21, and in the state shown in fig. 3E, the circumferential surface of the developing roller 11 and the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum may not contact in the left-right direction; the fulcrum P may be formed in the right or left direction of the process cartridge.

In the manner of achieving the approaching and separating of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 from each other described in the present embodiment, the movement pattern of the first unit 100/protective cover 14/casing 1 is still translational, and although the first unit 100/protective cover 14/casing 1 rotates about the fulcrum P, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/casing 1 itself in this manner does not rotate but translates in the reference plane including the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, as compared with the case where the first unit 100/protective cover 14/casing 1 itself rotates about the rotation axis passing through the casing 1 in the left-right direction, it is seen that the movement locus of the first unit 100/protective cover 14/casing 1 is always in the reference plane so that the movement process thereof is simplified.

Example two

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a cartridge housing after both the separation contact mechanism and the drive end cap are separated from the cartridge housing according to the second embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 5A is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in a retracted state; fig. 5B is a side view of the separation contact mechanism in the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, in an extended state.

Unlike the first embodiment, the locking portion 53 is provided on the force receiving member 5 b/the acting portion 51, and the locked portion is also provided on the end cap 300/400, and the same components as those of the first embodiment are not described here.

When the top plate 94 has not depressed the pressing piece 5A, the locking portion 53 will be in a retracted state with the force receiving piece 5 b/the acting portion 51, as shown in fig. 5A, the locking portion 53 being located above the locked portion; as the top plate 94 presses down the pressing piece 5a, the force receiving piece 5 b/the acting portion 51 is pressed by the transmitting piece 5a3 in the pressing piece 5a to move downward, the first elastic force applying piece 59a is elastically deformed, the force receiving piece 5 b/the acting portion 51 gradually enters the separation control mechanism 93, and the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are engaged in the front-rear direction to lock the locking portion 53 and the locked portion to each other.

When the process cartridge C is not provided with the image forming holder C3, the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are relatively movable only by the coupling of the end caps 300/400 before the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are locked to each other, which is advantageous in that the process cartridge C avoids interference during the mounting and dismounting, but in order to prevent the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 from being unnecessarily collided, it is preferable that the process cartridge C is still provided with the image forming holder C3.

Preferably, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion in the present embodiment also have the locking position LP and the abutment position AP described in embodiment one, and the advantageous effects thereof can be seen from the above description.

Example III

The present embodiment mainly replaces the structures of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion, and the structure of the separation contact mechanism 5 is not limited here.

As shown in fig. 6, one end of the locking portion 53 forms a first protrusion/locking force receiving portion 531, and the process cartridge C further includes a second elastic force applying member 59b coupled to the locking portion 53, and likewise, the second elastic force applying member 59b may be at least one of a compression spring, a rubber, a tension spring, or the like for forcing the locking portion 53 to move in the left-right direction, specifically, the second elastic force applying member 59b forces the locking portion 53 to move in a direction away from the housing 1 or a direction approaching the housing 1, and it is possible that the locking portion 53 may be mounted on the protective cover 14 or the housing 1.

The locked portion is provided on the cap 300/400, and as shown, the connector 22 in the locked portion is connected to the cap main body 301, the second protrusion/locked force receiving portion 23 is provided on the connector 22, and in this embodiment, the locked portion is fixedly provided on the cap main body 301 as a whole, and thus, the locked portion may be integrally formed with the cap main body 301, with the locking space 220 formed between the second protrusion 23 and the cap main body 301.

During the operation/image formation of the process cartridge C, the locking portion 53 reaches the locking space 220 by the second elastic force applying member 59b, and at the same time, the locking portion 53 is also locked in abutment with the second projection 23; when the separation contact mechanism 5 receives the separation force, the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the casing 1 moves in the reference plane with respect to the second unit 200, the second elastic force applying member 59b is elastically deformed, the locking portion 53/the first protrusion 531 moves toward the direction approaching the casing 1 until passing over the second protrusion 23, and then, the second elastic force applying member 59b releases the elastic force, the locking portion 53/the first protrusion 531 reaches the outside of the locking space 220 and again abuts against the second protrusion 23, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 can be maintained in the mutually separated state with the separation gap g.

When the separation contact mechanism 5 receives the restoring force, the locking portion 53/first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23 again to enter the locking space 220, and in the process, the second elastic force applying member 59b is elastically deformed again and releases the elastic force, and the locking portion 53/first protrusion 531 is held in the locking space 220.

In the case where the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are provided so as to translate in the front-rear direction, the lock portion 53/the first protrusion 531 reaches the mutually separated state with the separation gap g when the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 have not passed over the second protrusion 23, and at this time, the lock portion 53/the first protrusion 531 is still located in the lock space 220.

In addition, the present embodiment provides a second solution for preventing the first driving force receiver 3 from interfering with the movement of the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the housing 1.

As shown in fig. 6, the first driving force receiving member 3 further passes through the third exposing hole 143 provided in the protective cover 14, and as in the above-described embodiment, the movable connection between the outer coupling portion 31 and the inner coupling portion 32 in the first driving force receiving member 3 is made, further, the third exposing hole 143 is provided in an elliptical shape, thereby more effectively preventing the first driving force receiving member 3 from interfering with the movement of the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1; preferably, the major axis in the elliptical third exposure hole 143 extends in the moving direction of the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the housing 1.

Based on the structure of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion provided in the present embodiment, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 may also be moved in a rotational manner, that is, when the separation control mechanism 93 applies a separation force or a restoring force to the separation contact mechanism 5, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 rotates relative to the second unit 200, and the conversion between the mutual locking and unlocking of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion can also be achieved.

The locking portion 53 in the present embodiment is provided so as to be movable with respect to the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the housing 1, specifically, the locking portion 53 is provided so as to be telescopic with respect to the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the housing 1 in the left-right direction, and the locking portion 53 can obtain a more stable abutting effect with respect to the structure provided as the elastic arm.

Example IV

Unlike the third embodiment, the locking portion 53 in the present embodiment is provided so as not to be elastically deformed, but the locked portion is provided so as to be elastically deformed, as shown in fig. 7, the locking portion 53 is fixedly provided on the protective cover 14 or the housing 1, the first protrusion 531 is provided on the locking portion 53, the locked portion is provided on the cap main body 301 in a cantilever fashion, that is, one end of the connecting body 22 in the locked portion is connected to the cap main body 301, the second protrusion 23 is provided at the other end of the connecting body 22, and the locking space 220 is still formed between the second protrusion 23 and the cap main body 301. Preferably, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion in the present embodiment also have the locking position LP and the abutment position AP described in embodiment one, and the advantageous effects thereof can be seen from the above description.

Alternatively, the positions of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion in the present embodiment may also be interchanged, which allows the locking portion 53 and the locked portion to have a greater degree of freedom in design, and thus, the overall structure of the process cartridge C may be improved in rationality. However, the cantilever-shaped locked portion is provided in the cover main body 301 or the first unit 100/the cover 14/the housing 1, and the locked portion can move in the left-right direction of the process cartridge during the mutual locking and unlocking of the locked portion 53 and the locked portion, and the dimension of the process cartridge C in the left-right direction is maximized compared to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, so that there is more design margin in the left-right direction of the process cartridge C to ensure that the locked portion has a sufficient deformation amount in the left-right direction.

Example five

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of a first driving force receiver, a cover, and a driving end cap of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model, separated from each other; fig. 9A is a side view of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when a developing roller and a photosensitive drum are brought close to each other; fig. 9B is a side view of the process cartridge according to the fifth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when the developing roller and the photosensitive drum are away from each other.

As shown in fig. 8, the first driving force receiver 3 passes through the third exposing hole 143 of the cover 14 first and then passes through the second exposing hole 305 of the cover 300 in the left-right direction, and the cover 14 is further provided with a neck portion 144 provided around the third exposing hole 143, the neck portion 144 passing through the second exposing hole 305.

The locking portion 53 and the locked portion in the present embodiment are provided such that one of them is rotated with respect to the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are switched between a locked state and an unlocked state with each other, and the locking portion 53 or the locked portion is provided in a circumferential direction in which the first unit 100 is rotated or a circumferential direction in which the second unit 200 is rotated, which does not require additional space of the process cartridge C nor additional parts to be provided in the process cartridge C, thereby simplifying the structure of the process cartridge C.

The locking portion 53 includes a first catching portion 53a and a second catching portion 53b provided adjacently to the neck portion 144, wherein the combination of the locked portion and the first catching portion 53a keeps the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 in a state of being close to each other, and the combination of the locked portion and the second catching portion 53b keeps the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 in a state of being distant from each other.

In one embodiment, the first catch 53a and the second catch 53b are both provided as a catch, and at this time, the locking portion 53 further includes a first protrusion 531 located between the first catch 53a and the second catch 53b, and the locked portion includes the connection body 22 connected to the cap main body 301 and the second protrusion 23 provided on the connection body 22, wherein the connection body 22 is provided on the cap main body 301 in a cantilever manner, the locking portion 53 is fixedly provided on the neck 144, specifically, the connection body 22 is provided around the circumferential direction of the second exposure hole 305, the locking portion 53 is provided along the circumferential direction of the neck 144, and thus the locked portion will be elastically deformable with respect to the cap main body 301, and the locking portion 53 is fixedly provided with respect to the first unit 100/14/the housing 1.

At the time of the process cartridge C operation/image formation, the second protruding portion 23 enters the first catching groove 53a, and thus, the second protruding portion 23 and the first protruding portion 531 can abut against each other to lock, and further, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are locked, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 can be kept in a state of being close to each other; when the separation control mechanism 93 applies a separation force to the separation contact mechanism 5, the first unit 100/the cover 14/the casing 1 rotates about a rotation axis (for example, a rotation axis L3 of the first driving force receiving member 3) with respect to the second unit 200 in a direction r2 in fig. 9A, as shown in fig. 9B, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are separated from each other to form a separation gap g, during which the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are pressed against each other with the rotation of the cover 14, the locked portion is elastically deformed until the second protrusion 23 passes over the first protrusion 531, or, until the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23, and is then restored by the locked portion, the second protrusion 23 enters into the second clamping groove 53B, and the separation gap g is maintained between the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 by the second protrusion 23 being brought into abutment with each other again with the first protrusion 531.

When the separation control mechanism 93 applies a restoring force to the separation contact mechanism 51, the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the casing 1 rotates about the rotation axis L3 in the opposite direction to the direction indicated by r2 with respect to the second unit 200, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are pressed against each other again, and the locked portion is elastically deformed again until the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23, or until the second protrusion 23 passes over the first protrusion 531, and is then reset by the locked portion, the second protrusion 23 enters the first catching groove 53a, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are locked again, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are kept in a mutually approaching state.

The locking portion 53 and the locked portion may also be provided such that the locking portion 53 is elastically deformable and the locked portion is fixedly provided, and the above-described locking and unlocking processes may also be achieved, based on the inventive concept of the present embodiment.

In another embodiment, one of the first and second catching portions 53a and 53b is provided as a catching groove, and the other is provided as a protrusion/radial protrusion, i.e., one of the first and second catching portions 53a and 53b is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the neck portion 144 to form a catching groove, and the other extends radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the neck portion 144 to form a radial protrusion.

For example, when the first catching portion 53a is provided as a radial protruding portion and the second catching portion 53b is provided as a catching groove, the second protruding portion 23 abuts against the downstream surface of the radial protruding portion 53a in the rotation direction r2 during the operation/image formation of the process cartridge C, the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are kept in a mutually approaching state, and when the separation control mechanism 93 applies a separation force to the separation contact mechanism 5, the first unit 100/the cover 14/the casing 1 rotates in the direction indicated by r2, the second protruding portion 23 passes over the radial protruding portion and enters the catching groove 53b, and the separation gap g is maintained between the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 by the mutual abutment of the second protruding portion 23 and the catching groove 53 b.

When the separation control mechanism 93 applies a restoring force to the separation contact mechanism 51, the first unit 100/the protective cover 14/the housing 1 rotates in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by r2, and the second protruding portion 23 passes over the radial protruding portion 53a again, and returns to a state of abutting against the downstream surface of the radial protruding portion 53a, and the locking portion 53 is locked again with the locked portion. It can be seen that in this manner, the radial protrusion can be regarded as a first protrusion 531.

When the first clamping portion 53a is configured as a clamping groove and the second clamping portion 53b is configured as a protrusion, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion still have the above-mentioned movement process, which is not described herein.

Based on the inventive concept of the present embodiment, in another embodiment, the locking portion 53 includes a radial protrusion formed to extend radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the neck portion 144, and in the rotation direction r2, a downstream region and an upstream region adjacent to the radial protrusion will be formed with the first catching portion 53a and the second catching portion 53b, respectively, in such a manner that only one radial protrusion needs to be provided at the outer circumferential surface of the neck portion 144, the structure of the locking portion 53 will become simpler.

Preferably, both the locking portion 53 and the locked portion can be modified based on the existing components in the process cartridge C, and no additional components are required to be installed in the process cartridge C, which is advantageous in reducing the number of components of the process cartridge C and thus reducing the difficulty in assembling the process cartridge C.

Preferably, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion in the present embodiment also have the locking position LP and the abutment position AP described in embodiment one, and the advantageous effects thereof can be seen from the above description. As shown in fig. 9A, the distance from the rotational axis L21 of the photosensitive drum to the image forming position DP is s1, the distance from the rotational axis L11 of the developing roller 11 to the image forming position DP is s2, the distance from the lock position LP to the image forming position DP is s3, and s3 is smaller than any one of s1 and s 2; as shown in fig. 9B, the distance from the rotational axis L21 of the photosensitive drum to the midpoint Cg in the front-rear direction is s4, the distance from the rotational axis L11 of the developing roller 11 to the midpoint Cg is s5, and the distance from the abutment position AP to the midpoint Cg is s6, which is smaller than any one of s4 and s 5.

Example six

Fig. 10 is an exploded view of a first driving force receiver, a cover, and a driving end cap of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, separated from each other; fig. 11A is a side view of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when a developing roller and a photosensitive drum are brought close to each other; fig. 11B is a side view of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model, as viewed from left to right in the left-right direction, when the developing roller and the photosensitive drum are away from each other.

Based on the inventive concept of the fifth embodiment, the present embodiment describes a deformed structure of the locked portion, the locked portion in the fifth embodiment is provided as a cantilever such that a movement locus thereof is arc-shaped, and the movement locus of the locked portion in the present embodiment is a straight line.

The locked portion in the present embodiment is movably mounted on the end cap body 301, as shown in fig. 10, the end cap body 301 is provided with a restricting space 306 accommodating the locked portion, a third elastic force applying member 59c is mounted in the restricting space 306 together with the locked portion, the restricting space 306 communicates with the second exposure hole 305, and the third elastic force applying member 59c is used to urge the locked portion toward the second exposure hole 305; meanwhile, the adjacent first and second catching portions 53a and 53b are still provided on the circumference of the neck 144, and thus, the second protruding portion 23 will enter the first or second catching portion 53a or 53b by the third elastic force applying member 59 c.

As shown in fig. 11A, at the time of operation/image formation of the process cartridge C, the lock portion is located in the first catching portion 53a, and the lock portion abuts against the first projecting portion 531 to be in a locked state, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 come close to each other; when the separation control mechanism 93 applies a separation force to the separation contact mechanism 5, as shown in fig. 11B, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 rotates about the rotation axis L3 with respect to the second unit 200, the second projection 23 is elastically deformed in the process of passing over the first projection 531, and then, after the second projection 23 passes over the first projection 531, the second projection 23 enters the second catching portion 53B by the elastic force released by the third elastic force applying member 59c, and the separation gap g between the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 can be maintained by the second projection 23 again abutting against the first projection 531.

The positions of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion may also be interchanged based on the inventive concept of the present embodiment, and the above-described locking and unlocking processes may also be realized.

Example seven

Fig. 12 is an exploded view of part of the components in the process cartridge according to the seventh embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 13 is a perspective view of a process cartridge protecting cover according to a seventh embodiment of the present utility model.

In this embodiment, the first unit 100/protective cover 14/housing 1 can still achieve the approaching or separating of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 from each other by the above-described translational movement or rotation about the rotational axis (e.g., rotational axis L3), and the locking portion 53 is also cantilevered, as shown in fig. 12, similarly to the first embodiment, the locking portion 53 includes a locking base 530 and a first protrusion 531 provided on the locking base 530, and the locking base 530 may be formed integrally with the protective cover 14/housing 1 or formed separately, as long as at least one of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion provided on the end cap 300 can achieve the mutual locking and unlocking by being elastically deformed.

Similar to the above-described embodiment, the locked portion in this embodiment is provided on the end cap 300/400, the connector in the locked portion is connected with the end cap main body 301 or the second unit case 2, the second protrusion 23 is provided as the locked force receiving portion on the connector, and in some embodiments, the locked force receiving portion 23 may also be provided as a groove, at which time the locked portion will be provided with only the locked force receiving portion 23 formed as a groove; preferably, the process cartridge C further includes the second elastic force applying member 59b, and likewise, the second elastic force applying member 59b may be at least one of a compression spring, a rubber, a tension spring, and the like for forcing the locking portion 53 to move in the left-right direction in a direction away from the casing 1 or a direction toward the casing 1; in the case where the second elastic force applying member 59b is not provided, the lock portion 53 can be moved in a direction away from the housing 1 or in a direction toward the housing 1 by its own elasticity.

Further, the lock portion 53 in the present embodiment further includes a pressed portion 532 provided on the lock base 530, and when the separation contact mechanism 5 receives the restoring force, the separation contact mechanism 5 obtains a larger amount of elastic deformation of the lock portion 53 by pressing the pressed portion 532, thereby ensuring that the first protrusion 531 can go over the second protrusion 23, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 return from each other and remain in a state of being close to each other; when the locked force receiving portion 23 is provided as a groove, the first protrusion 531 passes over the highest point of the groove 23 in the left-right direction, thereby achieving mutual locking and unlocking of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion.

In the case where the pressed portion 532 is not provided, in order for the locking portion 53 to obtain a sufficient amount of elastic deformation, the hardness of the locking portion 53 needs to be set small, but the locked state of the locking portion 53 and the locked portion in this case will become unstable enough, conversely, when the hardness of the locking portion 53 is set large, the locking portion 53 will have difficulty in obtaining a sufficient amount of elastic deformation; however, when the pressed portion 532 is provided, even if the hardness of the locking portion 53 becomes large, the locking portion 53 will be able to easily obtain a sufficient amount of elastic deformation with the pressing of the pressed portion 532 by the separation contact mechanism 5.

As in the above-described embodiment, the process cartridge C further includes the supporting body 13 extending in the left-right direction on the cartridge case or cover, and the separation contact mechanism 5 is movable in the up-down direction and rotatable around the supporting body 13 by the cooperation of the supporting body 13 with the elongated hole/groove 55 on the separation contact mechanism 5.

When the process cartridge C is operated/image-formed, the photosensitive drum 21 is brought into contact with the developing roller 11, the locking portion 53 and the locked portion are locked to each other in the front-rear direction, specifically, the second protrusion portion 23 is located behind the first protrusion portion 531, the first protrusion portion 531 and the second protrusion portion 23 are brought into contact with each other to be locked, and in some embodiments, the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 may be held in a state where the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are brought close to each other by the image forming holder C3, and at this time, the second protrusion portion 23 is located behind the first protrusion portion 531, but both may not be necessarily brought into contact/abutted with each other.

When the separation contact mechanism 5/the acting portion 51 receives the separation force, the separation contact mechanism 5 will rotate around the supporting column 13 in the direction indicated by r7 in fig. 12, and by providing the stopper 145 for abutment with the separation contact mechanism 5 in the protecting cover 14/the casing 1, the rotation of the separation contact mechanism 5 in the direction indicated by r7 is suppressed, so that the separation force is applied to the protecting cover 14/the casing 1, and the first unit 100/the protecting cover 14/the casing 1 can realize the mutual separation of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 by the above-described translational movement or rotation around the rotation axis. In this process, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are pressed against each other, the first protrusion 531 alone or the first protrusion 531 drives the lock base 530 to move toward the casing 1, the second elastic force applying member 59b is elastically deformed, when the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23, the second elastic force applying member 59b releases the elastic force, the lock base 530 drives the first protrusion 531 to move away from the casing 1, and finally, the first protrusion 531 reaches the rear of the second protrusion 23, the image forming holder C3 is elastically deformed, the first protrusion 531 abuts against the second protrusion 23 in the front-rear direction, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are kept in a state of being separated from each other.

In contrast, when the separation contact mechanism 5/the acting portion 51 receives the restoring force, the separation contact mechanism 5 will rotate around the supporting column 13 in the opposite direction to the direction r7 in fig. 12, at this time, the separation contact mechanism 5 will start to press the pressed portion 532, the lock base 530 moves toward the direction approaching the casing 1, the second elastic force applying member 59b is elastically deformed again, when the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23, the first unit 100/the cover 14/the casing 1 can achieve the approaching of the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 to each other by the above-mentioned translational motion or rotation around the rotation axis, and at the same time, the first protrusion 531 reaches the front of the second protrusion 23, the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are held in the mutually approaching state by the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23, or the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are held in the mutually approaching state by the image forming holder C3 by the image forming roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21, or the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are simultaneously held in the mutually approaching state by the mutually abutting direction C3.

In the above-described embodiment, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are provided below the process cartridge, and in some embodiments, when the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are brought close to each other, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are in a state of abutting each other in the front-rear direction, and at this time, the first protrusion 531 is located behind the second protrusion 23. When the separation contact mechanism 5/the acting portion 51 receives the separation force, the first protrusion 531 passes over the second protrusion 23 to reach the front of the second protrusion 23 as the first unit 100/the cover 14/the casing 1 is translated or rotated about the rotation axis, and at this time, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are locked to each other, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 reach a state distant from each other from a state close to each other; preferably, the first protrusion 531 and the second protrusion 23 are provided above the process cartridge.

Example eight

In this embodiment, the separation contact mechanism 5 is simplified into an action part 51, the structures of the locking part 53 and the locked part, and the movement process of locking and unlocking the two are the same as those of the seventh embodiment, and the description of the structure and the movement process of the action part 51 will be mainly described below.

The acting portion 51 is provided rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis, and specifically, at least one of the cover 300/400, the cover 14 and the housing 1 is fitted with the acting portion 51 through a shaft hole so that the acting portion 51 is rotatably mounted, as shown in fig. 14, the acting portion 51 includes a rotating portion 513, and a force receiving portion 514 and a force transmitting portion 515 connected to the rotating portion 513.

Preferably, the acting portion 51 is provided as a gravity block, so that it is unnecessary to additionally provide a reset member for forcing the acting portion 51 to reset in the process cartridge C, and when the separating force or the restoring force applied to the acting portion 51 is canceled, the acting portion 51 can naturally sag under its own gravity.

As in the above embodiment, the locking portion 53 may be mounted on the housing 1 or the protective cover 14 as a separate component or may be integrally formed with the housing 1 or the protective cover 14.

When the force receiving portion 514 receives the separating force, the acting portion 51 will rotate in the opposite direction to the direction indicated by r5 in fig. 14, and when the force transmitting portion 515 abuts against the regulating member 145 in the casing 1 or the cover 14, the separating force will be directly or indirectly transmitted to the casing 1, and then the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are brought away from each other in such a manner that the first unit 100 translates relative to the second unit 200 or rotates about the rotation axis (e.g., the rotation axis L3), the image forming holder C3 is elastically deformed, the first projecting portion 531 reaches the rear of the second projecting portion 23, and the two abut in the front-rear direction, and the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 are held in a mutually separated state, as described in the seventh embodiment.

When the force receiving portion 514 receives the restoring force, the acting portion 51 will rotate in the direction indicated by r5 in fig. 14, and at the same time, the acting portion 51 presses the pressed portion 532 such that the first projecting portion 531 passes over the second projecting portion 23 again, and the first unit 100 is brought closer to each other by the image forming holder C3 in a manner of translating or rotating the developing roller 11 and the photosensitive drum 21 about the rotation axis (e.g., the rotation axis L3) with respect to the second unit 200.

Example nine

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a process cartridge set according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model, with a process cartridge separated from a protective member; fig. 16 and 17 are perspective views of a protector according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 18A is a side view of a cartridge assembly according to a ninth embodiment of the present utility model, as seen from left to right, taken along the direction BB in fig. 15; fig. 18B is a side view of the cartridge kit according to the ninth embodiment of the present utility model, as seen from the front and rear, taken along the direction GG in fig. 15.

The present embodiment provides a process cartridge including the process cartridge 100 according to any one of the above embodiments and a protector 33 detachably coupled to the process cartridge 100, the protector 33 at least protecting the photosensitive drum 21 from damage to the photosensitive drum 21 before the process cartridge 100 is used, and the detailed structure of the process cartridge 100 is described above with reference to the structure of the protector 33 as will be described below.

As shown in fig. 15, the protecting cover 14 further includes a tail portion 146 located behind the acting portion 51, and the stopper 145 may be provided on the tail portion 146 so that the acting portion 51 and the tail portion 146 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction.

The protector 33 includes a protection main body 34, and a left guard plate 35 and a right guard plate 36 connected to the protection main body 34, the left guard plate 35 being located at the left side of the protection main body 34 for protecting at least part of the driving side C1 at the left side of the process cartridge 100, the right guard plate 36 being located at the right side of the protection main body 34 for protecting at least part of the non-driving side C2 at the right side of the process cartridge 100; further, the protector 33 further comprises a grip portion 37, by means of which grip portion 37 the user can easily effect the detachment of the protector 33, preferably the grip portion 37 is provided on at least one of the left guard 35 and the right guard 36.

The protection member 33 and the process cartridge 100 may be coupled by at least one of a snap, an abutment, a magnetic connection, etc., and when the protection member 33 and the process cartridge 100 are coupled by the abutment, the protection member 33 is coupled to the process cartridge housing by a static friction force generated between the protection member 33 and the process cartridge housing.

In some embodiments, the left guard 35 and the right guard 36 may also be dispensed with, in which case the protector 33 is coupled to the process cartridge housing by means provided on the protective body 34.

As shown in fig. 16 and 17, the left guard 35 is formed by extending upward from the main body 34/main plate 341 and includes a left plate 350 and a left engaging portion, the left plate 350 is connected to the main body 34/main plate 341, the left engaging portion protrudes rightward from the left plate 350 and is configured to engage with or abut against the process cartridge case, and the left engaging portion is at least one, in this embodiment, the left engaging portion includes a first left engaging portion 351 and a second left engaging portion 352 that are disposed at intervals in the front-rear direction, and the dimensions of the first left engaging portion 351 and the second left engaging portion 352 in the left-right direction may be the same or different depending on the specific structure of the process cartridge case, and the shapes of the first left engaging portion 351 and the second left engaging portion 352 may be adjusted depending on the design requirements, and the first left engaging portion 351 and the second left engaging portion 352 abut against the process cartridge case, respectively.

The right guard plate 36 is formed by extending upward from the protective main body 34, and includes a right plate body 360 and a right coupling portion, wherein the right plate body 360 is connected to the protective main body 34/main board 341, the right coupling portion protrudes from the right plate body 360 to the left for engagement or abutment with the process cartridge housing, at least one right coupling portion is provided, in this embodiment, the right coupling portion includes a first right coupling portion 361 and a second right coupling portion 362 that are disposed at intervals in the front-rear direction, the dimensions of the first left coupling portion 351 and the second left coupling portion 352 in the left-right direction may be the same or different depending on the specific structure of the process cartridge housing, the shapes of the first right coupling portion 361 is disposed to abut with the process cartridge housing, and the second right coupling portion 362 is disposed to engage with the process cartridge housing.

The protection main body 34 is for protecting the photosensitive drum 21 in a direction intersecting the rotation axis L21 of the photosensitive drum 21, and the protector 33 is located below the photosensitive drum 21 in the up-down direction. The protector body 34 includes a main plate 341 and an extension member 342 connected to each other, the main plate 341 being opposite to the photosensitive drum 21 in the up-down direction, a protecting space 348 accommodating at least a portion of the photosensitive drum 21 is formed above the main plate 341, the extension member 342 being formed to extend rearward from the main plate 341 for being opposite to at least a portion of the separation contact mechanism 5 in the up-down direction, preventing the acting portion 51 from being damaged by an external force impact or exceeding the process cartridge case during transportation of the process cartridge set, and preferably, the main plate 341 and the extension member 342 are integrally formed.

Further, the protection main body 34 further includes a front side plate 346 and a rear side plate 347 extending upward from the main plate 341, the front side plate 346 and the rear side plate 347 being disposed opposite to each other in the front-rear direction of the main plate 341, the left and right protection plates 35 and 36 being disposed opposite to each other in the left-right direction of the main plate 341, the protection space 348 being located between the front side plate 346 and the rear side plate 347, and the front side plate 346 extending upward from the main plate 341 by a distance greater than the rear side plate 347 extending upward from the main plate 341, that is, the front side plate 346 being higher than the rear side plate 347, according to the specific structure of the process cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment.

As described above, the drive end C1 and the non-drive end C2 of the process cartridge 100 are provided with the separation contact mechanism 5L and the separation contact mechanism 5R, respectively, and the separation contact mechanism 5L and the separation contact mechanism 5R are each provided with the acting portion 51, and therefore, the extending members 342 are also provided on both sides of the protecting member 33 in the left-right direction, respectively, and the structures of the two extending members 342 are the same, and the extending member 342 on the left side will be described as an example. The extension member 342 includes an extension plate 343 and a protection portion 345 provided at the extension plate 343, the protection portion 345 being for restricting movement of the acting portion 51 with respect to the process cartridge housing, thereby functioning as a protection for the acting portion 51.

Specifically, the protecting portion 345 in the present embodiment is formed as a relief groove or a relief hole for accommodating the acting portion 51, and when the pressed portion 57 is accidentally pressed before the process cartridge 100 is used, the acting portion 51 protrudes downward into the protecting portion 345 without protruding from below the protector 33, and the large movement of the acting portion 51 with respect to the process cartridge case is restricted by the protecting portion 345, so that the acting portion 51 can be protected.

In some embodiments, a portion of the acting portion 51 may also protrude from the protecting portion 345 toward below the protecting member 33, but the protecting portion 345 can still restrict the large movement of the acting portion 51 relative to the process cartridge case, and thus, the acting portion 51 can still be protected.

In the inventive concept of the present embodiment, when the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, the bottom surface 519 (shown in fig. 22B) of the acting portion 51 does not abut against the protector 33, and when the separation contact mechanism 5 is accidentally pressed, the acting portion 51 enters the escape groove/escape hole 345, but the bottom surface 519 does not abut against the protector 345, or the acting portion 51 passes through the protector 345, and the bottom surface 519 does not abut against the protector 33, so that the acting portion 51 does not collide with the protector 345 to be damaged; in an extreme case, when the separation contact mechanism 5 is accidentally pressed, the acting portion 51 enters the protecting portion 345 and makes the bottom surface 519 abut against the protecting portion 345, and then, a large movement of the acting portion 51 with respect to the process cartridge case is restricted by the protecting portion 345, in the course of which downward movement of the acting portion 51 can be buffered, the impact force to which the acting portion 51 in the present embodiment is subjected is smaller with respect to the structure in which the bottom surface 519 abuts against the protecting portion 345 after the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, and thus, the acting portion 51 can be more effectively protected.

As shown in fig. 18A, after the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, the photosensitive drum 21 is positioned in the protective space 348, the front side plate 346 protects the photosensitive drum 21 in front of the photosensitive drum 21, the rear side plate 347 protects the photosensitive drum 21 in rear of the photosensitive drum 21, the main plate 341 protects the photosensitive drum 21 below the photosensitive drum 21, and a first protective space t1 is also formed between the main plate 341 and the photosensitive drum 21 in the up-down direction, which can prevent the main plate 341 from being pressed against the photosensitive drum 21 after being pressed, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is damaged, and the front side wall 346 and the rear side plate 347 are also spaced from each other in the front-rear direction, respectively, so that the photosensitive drum 21 can be protected more effectively.

As described above, the first left coupling portion 351, the second left coupling portion 352, the first right coupling portion 361, and the second right coupling portion 362 may be provided so as to be in contact with the cartridge case, or may be provided so as to be engaged with the cartridge case, or may be provided so as to be partially in contact with the cartridge case, or partially engaged with the cartridge case. As shown in fig. 18B, the first left engaging portion 351 abuts against the first end cap 300, and at least a portion of the second driving force receiving member 4 is opposite to the left plate body 350 in the left-right direction, that is, the left plate body 350 may protect the second driving force receiving member 4 on the left side of the second driving force receiving member 4, preferably, the second driving force receiving member 4 is not in contact with the left plate body 350, and a second protection interval t2 is formed therebetween, and it is also possible to prevent the second plate body 350 from being pressed against the second driving force receiving member 4 after being pressed, so that the second driving force receiving member 4 is damaged.

As further shown in fig. 18B, the process cartridge 100 further includes a conductive pin 29 mounted on the non-drive end C2, the conductive pin 29 being electrically connected to the photosensitive drum 21, the conductive pin 29 receiving power from the image forming apparatus to supply power to the photosensitive drum 2 electricity 1 when the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the image forming apparatus, at least a portion of the conductive pin 29 being opposed to the right plate 360, whereby the conductive pin 29 can be protected, preferably, the guide pin 29 is abutted against the right plate 360, and a possible risk of falling off of the conductive pin 29 is eliminated before the process cartridge 100 is used.

Further, the protector 33 further includes an extension 344 provided at the extension 342, and the extension 344 is located behind the protection 345 in the front-rear direction, as shown in fig. 18A, so that the extension 344 is located behind the tail 146 when the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, and thus the tail 146 of the cover 14, which is more likely to be broken, can be protected, and preferably, the extension 344 abuts the tail 146 in the front-rear direction, so that possible rattling of the cover 14 or the extension 344 can be suppressed.

Example ten

Fig. 19 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge kit according to a tenth embodiment of the present utility model, with a process cartridge separated from a protector; fig. 20 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge and a protector in a process cartridge kit according to a tenth embodiment of the present utility model.

Similar to the eighth embodiment, the acting portion 51 in the present embodiment is provided rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis, and when the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, at least a part of the acting portion 51 directly enters the protecting portion 345, and even if the acting portion 51 rotates about its rotation axis, the rotation is suppressed by the protecting portion.

The acting portion 51 includes a rotating portion 513, a force receiving portion 514 connected to the rotating portion 513, and a force transmitting portion 515, wherein the force receiving portion 514 is configured to receive a force, and the force transmitting portion 515 is configured to extend from the rotating portion 513 to form an L shape for transmitting the force to the cartridge housing, and thus, an insertion space 517 is formed between the force transmitting portion 515 and the rotating portion 513, preferably, the insertion space 517 is located at the rear of the rotating portion 513 in the front-rear direction, and the insertion space 517 may be configured to form a through hole in the up-down direction, or may be configured to form a blind hole.

The protector 33 in this embodiment further includes a prevention member 349 for preventing the action portion 51 from moving relative to the cartridge case before the cartridge 100 is used, that is, the action portion 51 is allowed to move largely relative to the cartridge case by the prevention member 349, and thus the prevention member 349 may be regarded as an embodiment of the protector 345, and the above-described escape grooves/escape holes as the protector 345 and the below-described prevention member 349 may be provided at the same time or only one of them may be provided.

In the present embodiment, the prevention piece 349 prevents the rotation of the acting portion 51 by entering the insertion space 517, and as shown in fig. 19 and 20, the prevention piece 349 is preferably a protrusion formed on the protection piece 33, and the prevention piece 349 is preferably formed to extend upward from the extension plate 343, more specifically, the prevention piece 349 is provided between the protection portion 345 and the extension portion 344 in the front-rear direction, and at least a part of the prevention piece 349 is located within the range of the protection portion 345 in the left-right direction.

Further, the separation contact mechanism 5 in the present embodiment may be further decomposed into the pressing piece 5a and the force receiving piece 5b as described in embodiment one, wherein the pressing piece 5a is for receiving the pressing force, and the force receiving piece 5b is for receiving the acting force, and thus the acting portion 51 may be regarded as a part of the force receiving piece 5b, preferably, the acting portion 51 is equivalent to the force receiving piece 5 b; when the pressing piece 5a receives the pressing force, the pressing piece 5a forces the force receiving piece 5b from the retracted state to the extended state.

In other embodiments, the pressing member 5a may also be configured such that the force receiving member 5b is not controlled by the pressing member 5a, and other components in the process cartridge 100 are controlled by the pressing member 5a when the pressing member 5a receives the pressing force, but regardless of how the pressing member 5a is configured, the preventing member 349 may also abut against the pressing member 5a when the protecting member 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, so that the pressing member 5a does not move downward to trigger the force receiving member 5b or other components even if accidentally pressed before the process cartridge 100 starts to be used.

In other embodiments, the force transmitting portion 515 may not be provided in an L shape without forming the insertion space 517, but as long as the preventing member 349 is provided on the rotational path of the acting portion 51, the possible rotation of the acting portion 51 may be restrained as well.

Example eleven

Fig. 21 is a partial perspective view showing a process cartridge separated from a protector in a process cartridge kit according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 22A and 22B are perspective views of the entirety and a part of a separation contact mechanism according to the present utility model, respectively; fig. 23 is a partial perspective view of a protective member in a process cartridge set according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 24 is a partial perspective view of a process cartridge assembly according to an eleventh embodiment of the present utility model.

The prevention piece 349 in the present embodiment is in contact with other portions of the acting portion 51, and as shown in fig. 22A and 22B, the force receiving portion 514 has a separation force receiving surface 514a and a restoring force receiving surface 514B which are disposed opposite to each other in the front-rear direction, wherein the side of the restoring force receiving surface 514B is provided as a recess 516 recessed toward the front, and a plurality of prevention surfaces 518 facing downward are further provided above the recess 516 in the up-down direction, and preferably the recess 516 is provided as a V-groove to receive the restoring force more effectively.

The prevention piece 349 extends from the extension piece 342/main plate 341 toward the protection space 348, includes a first prevention portion 3491 connected to the extension piece 341/main plate 341, and a second prevention portion 3492 extending from the first prevention portion 3491, and forms a sandwiching space 3493 between the second prevention portion 3492 and the extension portion 344 in the front-rear direction, and in one embodiment, the first prevention portion 3491 is located rearward of the protection portion 345.

When the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, a part of the prevention piece 349 enters the groove 516, and the upper surface of the prevention piece 349 abuts against the at least one prevention face 518, so that the tendency of the acting portion 51 to continue downward movement can be restrained, i.e., the large movement of the acting portion 51 relative to the process cartridge case can be restricted by the prevention piece 349. In this structure, the preventing member 349 does not contact the bottom surface 519, which is not only advantageous in reducing wear of the bottom surface 519, but also prevents breakage of the portion where the recess 516 is formed when the acting portion 51 receives a large impact force; preferably, the tail 146 enters the holding space 3493 so that the protective cover 14 is also protected, and further, in the front-rear direction, the tail 146 abuts against the extension 344 so that possible rattling of the protective cover 14 or the extension 344 is suppressed.

In a preferred manner, the portion of the preventing member 349 that enters the V-shaped groove 516 is also provided in a V-shape, as shown in the figure, the front end of the preventing member 349 forms a mating portion 3494 that mates with the V-shaped groove 516, the mating portion 3494 is V-shaped when viewed in the left-right direction, and the mating portion 3494 extends in the left-right direction, and thus the preventing member 349 and the acting portion 51 can be mated more stably.

Example twelve

Unlike the eleventh embodiment, the prevention piece 349 in the present embodiment is formed by extending from the extension plate 343, and as shown in fig. 25, the prevention piece 349 in the present embodiment includes a first prevention portion 3491 extending from the extension piece 342/main plate 341 and a second prevention portion 3492 extending from the first prevention portion 3491, a part of the prevention piece 349 overlaps the protection portion 345 in the up-down direction, at least a part of the prevention piece 349 is located within the range of the protection portion 345 in the front-back direction, specifically, at least a part of the second prevention portion 3492 overlaps the protection portion 345 in the up-down direction, at least a part of the second prevention portion 3492 is located within the range of the protection portion 345 in the front-back direction, and the first prevention portion 3491 is located left of the protection portion 345 in the left-right direction; when the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, the second preventing portion 3492 enters into the V-shaped groove 516 while the upper surface of the second preventing portion 3492 abuts against the at least one preventing surface 518, and thus the downward movement tendency of the acting portion 51 can be restrained, i.e., the large movement of the acting portion 51 relative to the process cartridge housing can be restricted by the preventing member 349.

Also, in order to make the second preventing portion 3492 form a stable fit with the V-shaped groove 516, the preventing member 349 in this embodiment further includes a mating portion 3494 provided at the front, specifically, the mating portion 3494 is provided on the second preventing portion 3492, the mating portion 3494 is V-shaped when viewed in the left-right direction, and the mating portion 3494 extends in the left-right direction.

As shown in fig. 25, it is understood that the preventing member 349 in the present embodiment is not connected to the extending portion 344, but the holding space 3493 is still formed between the preventing member 349 and the extending portion 344 in the front-rear direction, and the tail portion 146 can enter the holding space 3493 when the protecting member 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, so that possible rattling of the protecting cover 14 or the extending portion 344 can be suppressed.

[ Embodiment thirteen ]

Fig. 26 is a partial perspective view of a protector in a process cartridge set according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 27 is a partial perspective view showing a contact between a protector and a separation contact mechanism in a cartridge kit according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present utility model.

The prevention piece 349 in the present embodiment is also provided to be formed extending upward from the extension 344/extension plate 343/main plate 341, with at least a portion of the prevention piece 349 being located within the range of the protection portion 345 in the front-rear direction, and with the prevention piece 349 being located to the right of the protection portion 345 in the left-right direction; when the protector 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, the prevention piece 349 abuts against one of the prevention faces 518, and thus, the tendency of the acting portion 51 to move downward can be restrained, i.e., the large movement of the acting portion 51 relative to the process cartridge case can be restricted by the prevention piece 349.

As in the twelfth embodiment, the preventing member 349 is not connected to the extending portion 344, and the holding space 3493 is still formed between the preventing member 349 and the extending portion 344 in the front-rear direction, and when the protecting member 33 is mounted to the process cartridge 100, the tail 146 can enter the holding space 3493, so that possible rattling of the protecting cover 14 or the extending portion 344 can be suppressed.

As described above, the above-mentioned protecting portion 345 serves to prevent the operating portion 51 from being damaged when the separation contact mechanism 5 is accidentally pressed before the process cartridge 100 is used, at least one of the escape groove/escape hole as the protecting portion 345 and the prevention piece 349 provided in the protecting member 33, the escape groove/escape hole provided in the extending member 342, and the prevention piece 349 provided in either the extending member 342 or the main plate 341, as shown in fig. 16, 17, 21, 23, 26 and 27, the extending member 342 being in direct communication with the main plate 341, specifically, the extending plate 343 being in direct communication with the main plate 341, so that not only the overall structure of the protecting member 33 becomes simple, but also the design freedom of the prevention piece 349 is advantageously improved, and more specifically, the upwardly facing surface of the extending plate 343 is coplanar with the upwardly facing surface of the main plate 341.

Claims

1. A protective member detachably combined with the process cartridge, the process cartridge including a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive drum and a developing roller rotatably provided in the process cartridge housing, and a separation contact mechanism movable relative to the housing;

The separation contact mechanism has an acting portion for receiving an acting force from outside for forcing the developing roller and the photosensitive drum toward or away from each other;

the protective member is provided with a protective portion for restricting movement of the acting portion with respect to the process cartridge case.

2. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the protector is coupled to the cartridge housing by means of a snap fit or an abutment or a magnetic connection.

3. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the protector comprises a main plate and an extension member connected to each other, wherein the main plate is configured to protect the photosensitive drum below the photosensitive drum, and the protecting portion is a relief groove or a relief hole provided in the extension member, and at least a part of the acting portion enters the protecting portion when the protector is combined with the process cartridge, or the acting portion enters the protecting portion under the action of an external force.

4. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the protector comprises a main plate and an extension member connected to each other, wherein the main plate is configured to protect the photosensitive drum below the photosensitive drum, and the protecting portion is a preventing member provided on the main plate or the extension member, and the preventing member is configured to abut against the acting portion.

5. The protector according to claim 4, wherein the acting portion is provided rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis with respect to the process cartridge case, the acting portion includes a rotating portion, and a force receiving portion and a force transmitting portion connected to the rotating portion, the force receiving portion is configured to receive a force, the force transmitting portion extends from the rotating portion and is configured to transmit the force to the process cartridge case, and the preventing member is provided on a rotation path of the acting portion.

6. The protector according to claim 5, wherein the force transmitting portion is provided in an L shape, and an insertion space is formed between the force transmitting portion and the rotating portion, and the protector is for insertion into the insertion space.

7. The protector according to claim 4, wherein the acting portion is provided with a plurality of downward facing prevention surfaces, and the prevention piece is adapted to abut against the prevention surfaces.

8. The protector according to claim 7, wherein the acting portion is provided with a force receiving portion for receiving the force, the force receiving portion having a separation force receiving surface and a restoring force receiving surface which are disposed opposite in the front-rear direction, wherein a side on which the restoring force receiving surface is disposed is a recess recessed toward the front, and the preventing surface is located above the recess in the up-down direction.

9. The protector of claim 8, wherein the recess is V-shaped, and the protector further comprises a mating portion provided at the front for mating with the recess.

10. The protector according to any one of claims 4 to 9, further comprising an extension portion provided behind the protector portion, wherein a holding space is formed between the protector and the extension portion in the front-rear direction, and a portion of the process cartridge case enters the holding space when the protector is combined with the process cartridge.

11. A process cartridge kit including a process cartridge and a protector according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the protector being detachably combined with the process cartridge.