CN220983721U - Drum unit and processing box - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a drum unit, which comprises a photosensitive drum and a drum coupler, wherein the drum coupler is arranged at one end of the photosensitive drum and is used for being matched with a drive transmission unit of imaging equipment to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, and the drive transmission unit comprises a driving force transmission member and a braking force application member; wherein the drum coupling includes a driving force receiving portion for engaging with the driving force transmitting member to receive the driving force, and a pressing portion for abutting with the braking force applying member to press the braking force applying member to move axially in a direction away from the photosensitive drum to eliminate the braking force of the braking force applying member. A process cartridge includes the above-described drum unit. According to the utility model, the pressing part is arranged to enable the braking force applying component not to receive driving at the driving transmission unit, so that the drum coupler is not used for receiving braking force, and the problems that the processing box is easy to generate unstable rotation, abnormal sound and insufficient driving force during operation are solved.

Description

Drum unit and processing box

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to the field of image forming apparatuses, and more particularly, to a drum unit and a process cartridge.

Background

A process cartridge is a consumable that is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, and the existing image forming apparatus is provided with a drive transmission unit that generally includes a drive force transmission assembly for transmitting a drive force to the process cartridge and a braking force application assembly for applying a load to the process cartridge; the photosensitive drum end portions on the corresponding process cartridges are provided with couplings provided with driving force receiving portions engaged with the driving force transmitting assemblies and braking force receiving portions engaged with the braking force applying assemblies.

In the process of the operation of the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge of the above-described structure is liable to suffer from a problem of insufficient driving force due to receiving the braking force, resulting in failure to provide more rotating members (such as a stirring frame for loosening toner, a cleaning member in contact with the photosensitive drum, etc.), and even affecting the developing work. On the other hand, because the braking force applying component is a movable component which can move relative to the driving force transmission component, the components are required to be combined with the braking force receiving part on the coupler and apply braking force to the braking force receiving part along with the rotation of the coupler, and the problems that abnormal sound easily occurs after long-time use, uneven braking force transmission and the like are caused, not only the user experience is affected, but also the rotation of the photosensitive drum is easily unstable.

Therefore, a technical solution to the above-mentioned problems is needed.

Disclosure of utility model

In order to solve the technical problems in the prior art, an object of the present utility model is to provide a drum unit to solve the above technical problems.

In order to achieve the purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical scheme:

A drum unit comprising:

A photosensitive drum and a drum coupling, the drum coupling being disposed at one end of the photosensitive drum for cooperating with a drive transmission unit of the image forming apparatus to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, the drive transmission unit including a drive force transmission member and a braking force application member;

The drum coupling includes:

a driving force receiving portion for engaging with the driving force transmitting member to receive the driving force; and

And a pressing portion for abutting against the braking force applying member to press the braking force applying member to move axially in a direction away from the photosensitive drum to eliminate braking force of the braking force applying member.

Preferably, the pressing portion has a pressing surface that abuts and presses the braking force applying member.

Preferably, the drum coupling further includes a guide portion for guiding the braking force applying member to move relative to the driving force transmitting member and moving the braking force applying member to the pressing surface.

Preferably, the guide portion is a spiral slope gradually approaching the photosensitive drum in the rotation direction of the drum coupling.

Preferably, the drum coupling further comprises a shielding portion for abutting against the braking force applying member to prevent the drive transmitting unit from entering the drum coupling in the axial direction.

Preferably, the shielding portion, the guide portion, and the pressing portion are provided in order along the rotation direction of the drum coupling.

Preferably, the driving force receiving portion, the guiding portion, the pressing portion and the shielding portion are all provided with two driving force receiving portions which are symmetrically arranged at 180 degrees relative to the axis of the drum coupling, the two guiding portions are symmetrically arranged at 180 degrees relative to the axis of the drum coupling, the two pressing portions are symmetrically arranged at 180 degrees relative to the axis of the drum coupling, and the two shielding portions are symmetrically arranged at 180 degrees relative to the axis of the drum coupling.

Preferably, the pressing portion is provided with an abutment portion for abutting against the braking force applying member to block movement of the braking force applying member relative to the pressing portion in the rotational direction of the drum coupling.

Preferably, the drum coupling has a top surface remote from the photosensitive drum, and the distance from the top surface to the pressing surface on the axis of the drum coupling is H.ltoreq.3.60 mm.

Preferably, the following relationship is satisfied: h is more than or equal to 2.80mm and less than or equal to 3.60mm.

Preferably, the drum unit further includes a rotary damper applying a damping force to the photosensitive drum, the rotary damper being attached to the photosensitive drum.

Preferably, the drum coupling further comprises an elastic member capable of preventing the drive transmission unit from being disengaged from the drum coupling when the drive transmission unit is engaged with the drum coupling.

Preferably, the pressing portion at least partially overlaps the elastic member in the drum coupling axis direction.

The utility model also provides a process cartridge comprising the drum unit.

According to the drum unit and the processing box, the pressing part is arranged to abut against the braking force applying component, so that the whole braking force applying component axially moves and does not receive driving force of imaging equipment, braking force between the braking force applying component and the drum coupler is eliminated, the drum coupler does not receive braking force, and the problems that in the prior art, the processing box is prone to unstable rotation, abnormal sound and insufficient driving force of a printer during operation due to the fact that the processing box receives the braking force are solved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of FIG. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the drive transmission unit of fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of the first engagement member and the braking force transmitting member in fig. 3;

fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the drive transmission unit of fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the drive transmission unit of fig. 3;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of the driving force transmission member in fig. 3;

fig. 8 is a schematic view of a part of the structure of the drive transmission unit in fig. 3;

fig. 9 is a schematic view showing a structure of a process cartridge according to the prior art;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a structure of a photosensitive drum of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model after being engaged with a drive transmission unit;

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural view of a drum coupling of a process cartridge provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 13 is a schematic view of the structure of a drum coupling of a process cartridge as seen in the axial direction thereof provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural view of a drum coupling of a process cartridge provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure after engagement of a drive transmission unit of a process cartridge and a drum coupling provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 16 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a drum coupling of a process cartridge and a drive transmission unit in an image forming apparatus in an initial position according to the first embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 17 is a block diagram showing a drum coupling of a process cartridge and a drive transmission unit in an image forming apparatus in a second position provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing a drum coupling of a process cartridge and a drive transmission unit in an image forming apparatus in a mated position provided in the first embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing the dimensions of a drum coupling of a process cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 20 is a schematic dimensional view of a drum coupling and drive transmission unit of a process cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model in a mated position;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing the structure of a drum unit in the third embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 22 is an exploded view of a drum unit in accordance with a third embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a drum unit in accordance with a third embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of a drum coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an assembled drum coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 26 is a front view of a drum coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 27 is a top view of a drum coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a drum coupling and a brake force engagement member of a drive force transmission unit in a mated position in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 29 is a schematic perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 30 is a schematic perspective view of a movable block in a fifth embodiment of the present utility model.

FIG. 31 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 32 is a rear elevational view of a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 33 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 34 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 35 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and a drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig. 36 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a drive transmission unit is coupled to a drum coupling in the fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 37 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 38 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 39 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 40 is a schematic perspective view of a drive transmission unit and a drum coupling according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model.

Detailed Description

The present utility model will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the embodiments described are some, but not all embodiments of the utility model. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implying a number of technical features being indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the present utility model, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and include, for example, either fixedly attached, detachably attached, or integrally formed; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly, through intermediaries, or both, may be in communication with each other or in interaction with each other, unless expressly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

In the present utility model, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" a second feature may be the first and second features in direct contact, or the first and second features in indirect contact via an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

In the above description, descriptions of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the utility model. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, there is an image forming apparatus M including a main assembly 170, a tray 171, and a door 160, the main assembly 170 having a receiving portion, a separating mechanism, a transfer unit, and the like provided therein, the tray 171 being capable of receiving the process cartridge 100 and moving relative to the main assembly 170 to mount the process cartridge 100 into the receiving portion of the main assembly 170. The door 160 is provided at an outer side of the main assembly 170, and is capable of opening or closing the receiving part of the main assembly 170.

Among them, the tray 171 can generally accommodate four detachably mounted process cartridges 100, namely, a first process cartridge 100Y, a second process cartridge 100M, a third process cartridge 100C, and a fourth process cartridge 100K, with the four process cartridges 100 being arranged substantially horizontally. The process cartridge 100 stores therein a consumable material (e.g., developer) that is capable of receiving a rotational driving force of the image forming apparatus M when the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the receiving portion of the main assembly 170, so that the image forming apparatus M can perform image formation using the developer in the process cartridge 100. Meanwhile, the image forming apparatus M supplies bias voltages (charging bias, developing bias, etc.) to the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K), respectively.

Specifically, the tray 171 is configured to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction in a state in which the image forming apparatus M is mounted on a horizontal surface. The tray 171 can be detached from or attached to the image forming apparatus M by opening the door 160 of the image forming apparatus M.

As shown in fig. 3 to 8, the main assembly 170 is provided with a drive transmission unit 203, and when the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the accommodating portion of the main assembly 170, the drive transmission unit 203 can be engaged with the drum coupling of the process cartridge 100 to rotate the photosensitive drum of the process cartridge 100. Wherein the drive transmission unit 203 comprises a drive force transmission assembly and a braking force application assembly.

As shown in fig. 3, the driving force transmission assembly includes a rotation member 201 and a driving force transmission member 180, the rotation member 201 is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 202, the support shaft 202 is fixed to the main assembly 170, and a motor (not shown) within the main assembly 170 can drive the rotation member 201 to rotate.

The driving force transmitting member 180 includes a cylindrical body portion 180c and a first flange portion 180a provided at an end portion thereof, the rotating member 201 having a fitting portion 201b, the first flange portion 180a being capable of being fitted with the fitting portion 201b and being supported by the fitting portion 201 b. The driving force transmission member 180 is further provided with a first protrusion 180b protruding from the first flange portion 180a, the rotation member 201 has a second protrusion 201a, and the first protrusion 180b can contact the second protrusion 201a, thereby transmitting driving force from the rotation member 201 to the driving force transmission member 180, and rotation of the driving force transmission member 180 by the rotation member 201 is achieved.

As shown in fig. 7, a protrusion 180d, a connecting frame 180e, a positioning boss 180i, and a first communication hole 180g are provided in a body portion 180c of the driving force transmission member 180, the two protrusions 180d are disposed radially opposite to each other on an inner wall of the body portion 180c in a radial direction of the body portion 180c, the connecting frame 180e connects the two protrusions 180d, the positioning boss 180i is fixed to the connecting frame 180e and is located at a center position of the body portion 180c, and the first communication hole 180g is a hole-like structure surrounded by the inner wall of the body portion 180c, the protrusion 180d, and the connecting frame 180 e.

As shown in fig. 3, the brake force application assembly includes a brake member 206, a first engagement member 204, a second engagement member 208, and a brake force transmitting member 207. Wherein the first engagement member 204, the second engagement member 208 together function as a braking force application member (204, 208). The braking member 206 includes a fixed side 206a and a rotating side 206b, the fixed side 206a being fixedly connected with the support shaft 202, the rotating side 206b being capable of rotating with respect to the fixed side 206a and generating a braking force, and a method of generating the braking force may be appropriately selected from those using friction and viscosity.

The first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 are used to apply a braking force to the process cartridge 100. The first engaging member 204 has a cylindrical first main body portion 204d, a stopper groove 204c is provided on the first main body portion 204d, the second engaging member 208 has a circular ring portion 208a, a stopper protrusion 208c is provided on the circular ring portion 208a, and the stopper groove 204c and the stopper protrusion 208c can be assembled together by a snap-fit manner so that the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 move synchronously.

Further, the first engaging member 204 has two first engaging portions 204b protruding in the form of claws with respect to the first main body portion 204d, the second engaging member 208 has two second engaging portions 208b protruding in the form of claws with respect to the annular portion 208a, and the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 apply braking forces through the first engaging portions 204b and the second engaging portions 208b, respectively. Specifically, the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 are provided inside the driving force transmission member 180, and the second engagement member 208 is located inside the first engagement member 204. Specifically, as shown in fig. 8, the first engaging portion 204b of the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging portion 208b of the second engaging member 208 can be exposed to the outside of the connection frame 180e through the first communication hole 180g, and the connection frame 180e does not interfere with the first engaging portion 204b and the second engaging portion 208b. The first engagement portion 204b of the first engagement member 204 is provided with a ramp 204f, and the second engagement portion 208b of the second engagement member 208 is provided with a ramp 208f and an inward projection 208d extending toward the positioning boss 180 i. Wherein, the first engaging portion 204b of the first engaging member 204 can be attached to or abut against the bump 180 d. In the radial direction of the driving force transmitting member 180, the two first engaging portions 204b are arranged diametrically opposite, and the two second engaging portions 208b are arranged diametrically opposite.

The brake transmitting member 207 includes a shaft portion 207b and a third flange portion 207a provided to the shaft portion 207b, the shaft portion 207b passing through holes in the middle of the first and second engaging members 204 and 208 and being connected to the rotation side 206b of the brake member 206 so as to be able to transmit braking force to the first and second engaging members 204 and 208. Specifically, the shaft portion 207b has a non-circular cross section, the brake member 206 has an engagement hole 206c, and the shaft portion 207b is engageable with the engagement hole 206c to integrally rotate the brake transmitting member 207 and the brake member 206.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the third protrusion 207e is provided on the third flange portion 207a of the brake transmitting member 207, and the corresponding first engaging member 204 has the fourth flange portion 204a, and the fourth protrusion 204e is provided on the fourth flange portion 204 a.

As shown in fig. 5, the third flange portion 207a is provided between the fourth flange portion 204a and the annular portion 208a with a play G between the fourth flange portion 204a and the annular portion 208a so that the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 can move on the axis M1 with respect to the brake transmitting member 207. The axis M1 is a rotation axis of the driving force transmission member 180. Among the directions of the axis M1, the direction from the driving force transmission member 180 toward the rotation member 201 is the direction M1A, and the direction from the rotation member 201 toward the driving force transmission member 180 is the direction M1B (also the direction M2 in the following partial figures).

When the third protrusion 207e is engaged with the fourth protrusion 204e, the brake transmission member 207 can transmit a braking force to the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208; when the third protrusion 207e is offset or separated from the fourth protrusion 204e on the axis M1, the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 do not receive the braking force from the brake transmitting member 207.

Further, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the braking force applying assembly further includes a first elastic member 211 and a second elastic member 210 capable of generating a pushing force. One end of the first elastic piece 211 abuts against the end surface 206d of the stopper member 206, and the other end abuts against the fourth flange portion 204 a. The first elastic piece 211 is in a compressed state, and applies an elastic force to the first engagement member 204 in the M1B direction, which can keep the third protrusion 207e engaged with the fourth protrusion 204 e. One end of the second elastic piece 210 abuts against the end surface 206d of the stopper member 206, and the other end abuts against the third flange portion 207 a. The second elastic piece 210 is also in a compressed state, and applies an elastic force to the brake transmitting member 207 in the M1B direction, which can bring the end 207f of the brake transmitting member 207 into abutment with the contact surface 180f of the driving force transmitting member 180.

Since the driving force transmitting member 180 can receive the pressing force from the first elastic piece 211 and the second elastic piece 210 through the brake transmitting member 207, the driving force transmitting member 180 has a tendency to move in the M1B direction. The drive transmission unit 203 is further provided with a restriction portion 212 to restrict the movement of the drive transmission member 180 in the M1B direction, thereby restricting the drive transmission member 180 from coming off.

Specifically, when the driving force transmitting member 180 moves a certain distance in the M1B direction, the first flange portion 180a contacts the restriction portion 212, thereby restricting movement and falling off of the driving force transmitting member 180; when the driving force transmitting member 180 receives a force in the M1A direction in this state, the driving force transmitting member 180 may move in the M1A direction while compressing the first and second elastic pieces 211 and 210.

Preferably, the first elastic member 211 and the second elastic member 210 may be compression coil springs.

Further, the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 can move and retract in the M1A direction with respect to the brake transmitting member 207 and the driving force transmitting member 180 while compressing the first elastic piece 211 and the second elastic piece 210.

When the movement of the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 in the M1A direction exceeds the width of the gap G, the brake transmission member 207, the driving force transmission member 180 can move in the M1A direction together with the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208.

With continued reference to fig. 8, after the assembly of the components of the drive transmission unit 203 is completed, as shown in fig. 8, the second engagement member 208 is closer to the positioning boss 180i than the first engagement member 20g4 with the positioning boss 180i of the drive transmission member 180 as the axis. The first engaging portion 204b of the first engaging member 204 and the projection 180d are located within the same radius range as viewed in the direction of the axis M1 of the driving force transmitting member 180, and since the second engaging member 208 is located inside the first engaging member 204, the second engaging portion 208b of the second engaging member 208 and the projection 180d are located within different radius ranges. One of the first engaging portions 204b, one of the second engaging portions 208b, and one of the protrusions 180d constitute one set of force transmitting units, and the other of the first engaging portions 204b, the other of the second engaging portions 208b, and the other of the protrusions 180d constitute the other set of force transmitting units, which are disposed in an axisymmetric manner along the axis M1. In one set of the force transmitting units, a driving force transmitting surface 1806 is provided on a face of the projection 180d facing the first engaging member 204 along the rotational direction a of the driving force transmitting member 180. The driving force transmitting member 180 transmits driving force to the drum coupling of the process cartridge through the driving force transmitting surface 1806 of the projection 180 d. The first engaging portion 204b may be engaged with the engaging portion on the bump 180d to prevent the first engaging member 204 from moving too far along the M1A direction, that is, after the first engaging member 204 moves a preset distance along the M1A direction, the first engaging portion 204b may be engaged with the engaging portion on the bump 180d to prevent the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 from being embedded into the driving force transmission member 180 at a deeper position.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, there is a process cartridge 100 including a photosensitive unit 108 and a developing unit 109, the photosensitive unit 108 and the developing unit 109 being rotatably connected to each other. Wherein the photosensitive unit 108 includes a drum holding frame 115 (one of the process cartridge housings) and a drum unit rotatably supported on the drum holding frame 115, wherein the drum unit includes the photosensitive drum 104 and the drum coupling 14. Specifically, the drum unit is rotatably supported by a driving side cap member 116 and a non-driving side cap member 117 provided at opposite ends of the drum holding frame 115.

Specifically, the drum coupling 14 protrudes with respect to the driving side cap member 116, so that when the process cartridge 100 is mounted into the housing portion of the main assembly 170, the drum coupling 14 can be engaged with the driving force transmitting member 180 of the driving force transmitting unit 203 to receive the driving force from the driving force transmitting member 180, thereby driving the photosensitive drum 104 to rotate.

The developing unit 109 includes a developing frame 125 (one of the process cartridge housings) and a developing roller 106 rotatably supported on the developing frame 125, the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 facing each other to enable a developing operation.

Specifically, the developing unit 109 further includes a developing coupling member, and the main assembly 170 is provided with a developing drive coupling 185 engageable with the developing coupling member to receive a driving force from the image forming apparatus M to drive the developing roller 106 to rotate.

Further, when the door 160 is in the closed state, the driving force transmitting member 180 and the developing drive coupling 185 can protrude with respect to the side wall of the accommodating portion, thereby facilitating engagement with the drum coupling 14 and the developing coupling member. When the door 160 is in the opened state, the driving force transmitting member 180 and the developing driving coupling 185 can be retracted with respect to the side wall of the receiving portion, so that insertion or removal of the tray 171 is not hindered. It should be noted that, the specific structures and the operation manners of the photosensitive unit 109 and the developing unit 108 are related art, and the cooperation between the process cartridge 100 and the image forming apparatus M is related art, which will not be described herein.

In the related art, the drum coupling 14 is also capable of engaging with the braking force application members (i.e., the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208) of the drive transmission unit 203 to receive the braking force from the braking force application members, thereby applying a certain load to the photosensitive drum 104. The process cartridge 100 of the above-described structure is liable to have a problem of insufficient driving force due to receiving the braking force, resulting in failure to provide more rotating members (such as a stirring frame for loosening toner, a cleaning member in contact with the photosensitive drum, etc.), and even affecting the developing work. On the other hand, since the braking force applying assembly is a movable member movable relative to the driving force transmitting assembly, these members are required to be engaged with the braking force receiving portion on the drum coupling 14 and apply braking force thereto in accordance with the rotation of the drum coupling 14, and abnormal noise easily occurs after long-term use, and the braking force transmission is uneven, which not only affects the user experience, but also easily causes unstable rotation of the photosensitive drum.

Based on this, the present application proposes a drum unit provided with a drum coupling different in structure from the drum coupling 14 in the related art, and only the structure and operation of the cooperation driving of the drum coupling with the related art image forming apparatus 170 in the drum unit are disclosed in the present application. The cooperative driving of the drum coupling in the drum unit of the present application and the existing image forming apparatus M will be described below.

Example 1

As shown in fig. 11 to 18, the present embodiment provides a drum unit including a photosensitive drum 104 and a drum coupling 14, the drum coupling 14 being connected to the photosensitive drum 104, the drum coupling 14 being adapted to cooperate with a drive transmission unit 203 in an image forming apparatus M to receive a driving force for rotating the photosensitive drum 104 so that the photosensitive drum 104 can rotate in a rotation direction a.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, a drum coupling 14 is attached to one end of the photosensitive drum 104. Specifically, as shown in fig. 12, the drum coupling 14 includes a positioning portion 14i, a positioning rib 14h, and a supporting portion 14f, where the positioning portion 14i, the positioning rib 14h, and the supporting portion 14f are sequentially disposed in the axial direction of the drum coupling 14, the positioning portion 14i is a cylindrical member that can be inserted into the photosensitive drum 104 and fixed to the photosensitive drum 104 by means of adhesion, glue, or the like, the positioning rib 14h is used to limit the axial positions of the drum coupling 14 and the photosensitive drum 104, the positioning rib 14h abuts against an end portion of the photosensitive drum on which the drum coupling 14 is mounted, so that the drum coupling 14 is positioned at the end portion of the photosensitive drum 104, and the positioning rib 14h is in a ring-shaped rib structure.

Referring to fig. 11-14, it should be noted that for ease of viewing the structure of the drum coupling, the structure shown in fig. 12 is identical to that shown in fig. 14, except that fig. 14 shows the unlabeled portions of fig. 12. In the present embodiment, the supporting portion 14f has a stepped cylindrical structure, specifically, the supporting portion 14f includes a first cylinder 14f1 and a second cylinder 14f2 coaxially disposed, the second cylinder 14f2 is located on an end surface of the first cylinder 14f1 facing away from the positioning rib 14h, and a positioning hole 14a is provided at a center of the second cylinder 14f2, the positioning hole 14a being for engagement with a positioning boss 180i (positioning portion) of the drive transmission unit 203. The drum coupling 14 further includes two sets of protruding structures provided on the first cylinder 14f1, the two sets of protruding structures being circumferentially arranged on the outer periphery of the second cylinder 14f2 and being symmetrically provided 180 ° with respect to the axis of the drum coupling 14, the axis of the drum coupling 14 being the central axis of the positioning hole 14 a. Each of the protrusion structures is respectively matched with one of the force transmission units of the driving transmission unit 203, and the structures of the two protrusion structures are identical, and the description will be based on the structure of one protrusion structure, and the structure of the other protrusion structure is identical, so that the description is omitted.

Wherein the projection structure includes a transition projection 141, a driving projection 142 and a pressing portion 143 which are sequentially arranged in the rotation direction a, in the radial direction of the drum coupling, the width of the pressing portion 143 and the width of the transition projection 141 are the same, in other words, the width of the driving projection 142 is larger than the width of the transition projection 141 and the width of the pressing portion 143, in other words, as shown in fig. 13, the pressing portion 143 and the transition projection 141 are in the same radius range as viewed in the axial direction of the drum coupling 14, and the driving projection 142 is in a radius range larger than the pressing portion 143 and the transition projection 141. Wherein, as shown in fig. 14, the driving protrusion 142 has a driving force receiving surface 14b facing in a direction opposite to the rotational direction a, the driving force receiving surface 14b serves as a driving force receiving portion for engaging with the driving force transmitting surface 1806 of the boss 180d of the driving force transmitting member 180, thereby causing the drum coupling 14 to receive driving force.

The pressing portion 143 is a boss structure, and the pressing portion 143 is configured to abut on the braking force applying members (204, 208) to press the braking force applying members to move axially in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 104, so that the braking force applying members are separated from the braking force transmitting members 207, and the braking force of the braking force applying members is eliminated.

Wherein, the side of the driving protrusion 142 and the transition protrusion 141 facing away from the first column 14f1 is provided with a spiral inclined surface 14d, the spiral inclined surface 14d is inclined in such a way as to gradually approach the first column 14f1 along the rotation direction a, and the spiral inclined surface 14d includes a first portion 14d1 provided on the transition protrusion 141 and a second portion 14d2 provided on the driving protrusion. The spiral inclined surface 14d serves as a guide portion capable of guiding the braking force application member (204, 208) such that the braking force application member (204, 208) moves (rotates and axially displaces) with respect to the driving force transmission member 180, and guides the braking force application member (204, 208) to the pressing portion 143 such that the first engaging portion 204b and the second engaging portion 208b are away from the boss 180d. Wherein the first portion 14d1 and the second portion 14d2 are offset with respect to each other due to the spatial position, the first portion 14d1 is only capable of guiding the second engagement member 208, the second portion 14d2 is capable of guiding the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208,

Wherein the protrusion structure further includes a shielding plate 14g, the shielding plate 14g being located at a side of the transition protrusion 141 remote from the driving protrusion 142, the shielding plate 14g being in contact with the first portion 14d1 of the spiral inclined surface 14d, the shielding plate 14g serving as a shielding portion for preventing the driving transmission unit 203 from entering in the axial direction.

The pressing portion 143 has a pressing surface 14e facing away from the first column, and the pressing surface 14e is a flat surface or an inclined surface, and preferably, the pressing surface 14e is a flat surface on the pressing portion 143, which is perpendicular to the axis of the drum coupling 14.

Further, in the rotational direction a, the shielding portion, the guide portion, and the pressing surface 14e are disposed in this order and are in contact, and in the rotational direction a, the driving force receiving portion is located on the upstream side of the pressing surface 14e, in this embodiment, the pressing surface 14e is capable of abutting and pressing the second engaging member 208 so as to move in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 104, and the first engaging member 204 is capable of moving in synchronization with the second engaging member 208, so that the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 can not continue to protrude by abutting the pressing surface 14e to eliminate the braking force of the braking force applying members (204, 208).

The shielding portion, the guide portion, and the pressing surface 14e can act on the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 of the drive transmitting unit 203, thereby suppressing braking action of the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208, that is, when the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 move from the shielding portion and the guide portion to the pressing surface 14e, the pressing portion 143 keeps the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 moving in the direction M1A, thereby avoiding the brake transmitting member 207 from transmitting braking force from the brake member 206, and it can also be understood that the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 are in a free unconstrained state in the circumferential direction following abutment of the pressing portion.

Still further, as shown in fig. 14, the pressing portion 143 is further provided with a straight-up surface 14k and an inclined surface 14l on the downstream side in the rotational direction a, the straight-up surface 14k and the inclined surface 14l being abutted against the inclined surface 208f of the second engagement member 208 of the drive transmission unit 203, so that the second engagement member 208 can be stably placed on the pressing surface 14e, the second engagement member 208 is prevented from rotating in the rotational direction a with respect to the pressing portion, and the straight-up surface 14k and the inclined surface 14l can collectively serve as an abutment portion.

Wherein the straight vertical face 14k, the inclined face 14l, the pressing face 14e, and the second portion 14d2 of the spiral inclined face 14d together form an accommodation space to accommodate the second engaging member 208, thereby achieving braking force control of the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208.

Next, a case will be described in which the state of engagement of the drum coupling 14 with the drive transmission unit 203 is set in which the drive transmission unit 203 is rotated in the rotational direction a as shown in fig. 15, with the drive force transmission member 180 of the drive transmission unit 203 omitted in fig. 16 to 18, for convenience in displaying the course of movement of the braking force application member.

Referring to fig. 16, the brake member 206, the first elastic piece 211, the first engaging member 204, and the second engaging member 208 in the drive transmitting unit 203 are disposed away from the drum coupling 14 in the M1A direction, respectively.

When the process cartridge 100 is mounted in the image forming apparatus M, the door 160 of the image forming apparatus M is closed, and with the closing action of the door 160, the pressing mechanism (not shown in the drawing) in the image forming apparatus M brings the drive transmitting unit 203 in the direction of M2 closer to the drum coupling 14, while the second engaging portion 208b of the second engaging member 208 first abuts against the shutter 14g of the drum coupling 14, the second engaging member 208 stops moving, and the driving force transmitting member 180 continues to move in the direction of M2, equivalent to the movement of the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 in the direction of M1A relative to the driving force transmitting member 180, until the movement of the drive transmitting unit 203 as a whole in the direction of M2 is stopped when the first engaging member 204 is engaged with the engaging portion of the projection 180d of the driving force transmitting member 180. At this time, the first elastic piece 211 is in a compressed state, and an elastic force in the M2 direction can be applied to the first engagement member 204. Then, the driving force transmitting member 180 rotates in the rotation direction a, the first engaging portion 204b of the first engaging member 204 is abutted by the projection 180d of the driving force transmitting member 180, so that the first engaging member 204 also rotates in the rotation direction a, and thus the second engaging member 208 also rotates in the rotation direction a, with this movement, the second engaging portion 208b of the second engaging member 208 moves to the spiral inclined surface 14d (as shown in fig. 17), and since the spiral inclined surface 14d is in an inclined state, and the first engaging member 204 is subjected to the elastic force of the first elastic piece 211 (as is known from the above, the second engaging member 208 also is subjected to the elastic force of the first elastic piece 211), at this time, the second engaging member 208 rotates around the drum coupling 14 in the rotation direction a in the direction M2 along the first portion 14d1 of the spiral inclined surface 14d, and the rotation speed of the second engaging member 208 is faster than that of the driving force transmitting member 180, whereby the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 are separated from the projection 180 d.

As shown in fig. 18, after the second engagement member 208 finally moves along the first portion 14d1 and the second portion 14d2 of the spiral inclined surface 14d and rotates in the rotation direction a, it first abuts on the pressing surface 14e of the pressing portion 143 and then abuts on the standing surface 14k and the inclined surface 14l, and at this time, the driving force transmitting surface 1806 of the projection 180d of the driving force transmitting member 180 may abut on the driving force receiving surface 14b, so that the drum coupling 14 receives the driving force to rotate, thereby effecting the driving force transmission between the driving force transmitting unit 203 and the drum coupling 14, and further driving the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104. Since the second engagement member 208 abuts against the pressing portion 143, the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 are rotatable about the a direction together with the driving force transmission member 180 without receiving the braking force.

Further, the pressing surface 14e acts on the second engagement member 208 of the drive transmission unit 203, the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 can move in the axial direction M1A relative to the brake force transmission member 207 and the brake member 206, the third protrusion 207e of the brake force transmission member 207 is separated from the fourth protrusion 204e of the first engagement member 204 in the axial direction M1A, the second engagement member 208 and the first engagement member 204 will not receive the brake force, and thus the brake force transmitted from the stopped brake member 206 to the first engagement member 204 and the second engagement member 208 through the brake transmission member 207 is eliminated, so that the engagement of the drive force transmission member 180 with the drum coupling 14 is more stable, the disengagement is less likely, and the power transmission is more stable.

Through the structure of this embodiment, the engagement of the drum coupling 14 and the driving force transmission member 180 is more stable, the disengagement is less likely, the power transmission is more stable, and the drum coupling 14 has a simple overall structure and a convenient processing technique.

As shown in fig. 12 to 14, preferably, in the present embodiment, the protrusion structure further includes a limit protrusion 144 disposed outside the transition protrusion 141 on the reverse rotation direction a side of the driving protrusion 142, the limit protrusion 144 having a limit surface 14n facing the driving protrusion 142, the limit surface 14n and the driving force receiving surface 14b being capable of sandwiching the protrusion 180d of the driving force transmitting member 180 together. The effect of driving force transmission is improved. Of course, in some embodiments, the stop tab 144 may not be present.

In a modified embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, the surface of the transition protrusion 141 facing away from the axis of the drum coupling 14 is brought into contact engagement with the surface of the projection 180d facing the positioning boss 180i, whereby the transmission of the force of the drum coupling 14 and the driving force transmission member 180 is achieved by friction.

Example two

As shown in fig. 19 to 20, this embodiment is described in further detail with respect to the relative position dimensions of the drum coupling 14 provided in the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 19, the second cylinder 14f2 of the drum coupling 14 has a top surface 15 facing the direction M1A, the top surface 15 being the surface of the drum coupling 14 farthest from the photosensitive drum 104 in the axial direction M1A, and a distance H from the top surface 15 to the pressing surface 14e in the axial direction is 3.60mm or less. Preferably, the distance from the top surface 15 to the pressing surface 14e in the axial direction ranges between 2.80mm and 3.60mm. Wherein the distance H from the top surface 15 to the pressing surface 14e in the axial direction may be one of 2.8mm, 3.20mm, or 3.6 mm.

Further, in some embodiments, the distance from the top surface 15 to the face of the pressing face 14e in the axial direction ranges between 3.00mm and 3.20 mm.

More specifically, the distance from the top surface to the pressing surface 14e in the axial direction is 3.10mm.

In some embodiments, the pressing surface 14e is an inclined surface, and when it abuts against the second engagement member 208, the pressing surface and the second engagement member may be relatively stationary, and no relative friction force may be generated therebetween. After the pressing surface 14e presses, the first engaging member 204 is separated from contact with the braking force transmitting member 207 under the action of the second engaging member 208, that is, does not receive the braking force, so that abnormal sound is not generated, the technical problems that the connection between the drum unit and the main assembly 170 of the image forming apparatus M is unstable and the driving transmission is not smooth in the existing process cartridge are solved, the technical effects of stable driving connection and smooth driving transmission are improved, and the use quality of the process cartridge is enhanced.

Example III

As shown in fig. 21 to 23, the present embodiment provides a drum unit, which differs from the first embodiment in that: the conductive end (the end far from the drum coupling 14) of the photosensitive drum 104 is provided with a rotary damper 16 capable of applying a damping force, and the rotary damper 16 can apply a damping force opposite to the driving force to the photosensitive drum 104 so that the photosensitive drum 104 can be stopped in time when it does not receive the driving force.

Referring to fig. 21 to 23, the photosensitive drum 104 has both ends disposed in the directions M1A and M2, one end in the direction M1A is referred to as a driving end, and one end in the direction M2 is a conductive end of the photosensitive drum 104.

Referring to fig. 21, 22, the rotary damper 16 on the conductive end of the photosensitive drum 104 includes a fixing member 16a, a conductive sheet 16b, a conductive post 16c, and a rotary damper body 16d. The fixing member 16a is a cylindrical non-conductive member, and one end thereof can extend into the photosensitive drum 104 along the M1A direction, i.e., is fixedly connected with the photosensitive drum 104; the conductive sheet 16b is disposed in the middle of the fixing member 16a, the conductive sheet 16b extends in the radial direction of the photosensitive drum 104, and is electrically connected to the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 104 inside the photosensitive drum 104; one end of the conductive post 16c passes through the fixing member 16a to be electrically connected with the conductive sheet 16b, and one side of the conductive post 16c in the direction of M2 is electrically connected with the imaging device M; along the direction M2, the rotary damper body 16d is disposed on an end portion of the fixing member 16a, the rotary damper body 16d is provided with a rotary damper main body portion 16d1, a through hole portion 16d2 is further provided to facilitate the conductive post 16c to pass through along the direction M2, two protrusions 16d3 extending along the direction M1A are further provided, the protrusions 16d3 are engaged with two holes of the fixing member 16a, and further connection between the rotary damper body 16d and the fixing member 16a and connection between the conductive post 16c are achieved, and the rotary damper body 16d may be a damping member having frictional resistance.

By the arrangement of the rotary damper 16, the drum coupling 14 is prevented from immediately performing a corresponding rotation stopping action without braking force, so that a damping force opposite to the driving force can be applied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the rotary damper 16 arranged at the conductive end of the photosensitive drum 104, so that the photosensitive drum 104 can be stopped in time when not receiving the driving force.

The present embodiment solves the problem that when the braking force is not received, the rotation speed of the photosensitive drum 104 is too high and is not stopped in time until the last time in the printing process of the process cartridge 100, resulting in the overlapping development of the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 104 on the printing medium, thereby resulting in the occurrence of quality of the development printing. In addition, the rotary damper 16 is easy to replace, and abnormal sound is not easy to generate.

Example IV

As shown in fig. 24 to 28, another drum coupling 14 is provided in the present embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in that: the drum coupling 14 of the present embodiment further includes an elastic member 141, and the drum coupling 14 of the present embodiment is configured such that by adding a detachable and deformable elastic member 141, a portion of the deformable elastic member 141 is capable of limiting the drive transmission unit 203, and preventing the drive transmission unit 203 from being disengaged from the drum coupling 14 when the drum coupling 14 is engaged with the drive transmission member 180 of the drive transmission unit 203.

Specifically, the elastic member 141 includes a first bending portion 1411, an intermediate portion 1413, and a second bending portion 1412 that are symmetrically disposed, where the first bending portion 1411 is connected to the second bending portion 1412 through the intermediate portion 1413, and the first bending portion 1411 and the second bending portion 1412 each have an arc shape, but the arc diameter of the first bending portion 1411 is smaller than the arc diameter of the second bending portion 1412, and the first bending portion 1411, the intermediate portion 1413, and the second bending portion 1412 together enclose a closed loop structure, and the elastic member 141 is made of a linear metal material. Preferably, in the present embodiment, two first bending portions 1411, two intermediate portions 1413 and two second bending portions 1412 are provided, and the first bending portions 1411, the intermediate portions 1413, the second bending portions 1412 and the intermediate portions 1413 are connected in order from end to form a substantially circular elastic member.

Further, referring to fig. 25, a limiting groove 14X is further provided on the top of the second column 14f2 of the supporting portion 14f, preferably, the limiting grooves 14X are provided in two groups and symmetrically disposed 180 ° with respect to the axis of the drum coupling 14, the limiting grooves 14X are symmetrically disposed on both radial sides of the positioning hole (opening) 14a, the second bending portion 1412 of the elastic member 141 can be fixedly installed in the limiting groove 14X, only a portion of the first bending portion 1411 and the intermediate portion 1413 is exposed in the radial range of the drum coupling 14 after the elastic member 141 is installed in the limiting groove 14X, and the pressing portion 143 at least partially overlaps the elastic member 141 in the circumferential direction of the drum coupling 14, the elastic member 141 being located on the side of the pressing portion 143 away from the photosensitive drum 104 in the axial direction of the drum coupling 14.

Further, referring to fig. 26, the elastic member 141 is formed by a linear metal material forming an obtuse angle α between a center line Mm of the elastic member 141 and an end surface of the drum coupling 14 facing away from the photosensitive drum 104, and 100 _°＜α＜180_°, and a first curved portion 1411 and a portion of the intermediate portion 1413 radially exposed outside the drum coupling 14. Or in some other embodiments, the central line Mm of the elastic member 141 made of the linear metal material is approximately parallel to the inclined surface of the spiral inclined surface 14 d.

Referring to fig. 27 and 28, as is apparent from fig. 27, the first bending portion 1411 and a part of the intermediate portion 1413 are radially exposed outside the drum coupling 14, and the second bending portion 1412 is fixedly disposed in the limiting groove 14X, and the fixing of the deformable elastic member 141 in the limiting groove 14X may be an adhesive connection, a snap connection, or other manner that can be firmly fixed, so that the first bending portion 1411 radially exposed outside the drum coupling 14 cooperates with the second engaging portion 208b (fig. 28) of the second engaging member 208 of the drive transmitting unit 203, which can effectively prevent the drum coupling 14 from being separated from the drive transmitting unit 203 in the M1A direction; when the drum coupling 14 is engaged with the driving force transmitting member 180 of the driving force transmitting unit 203, the second engaging portion 208b can enter between the elastic piece 141 and the pressing portion, and the second engaging portion 208b can at least partially overlap with the first curved portion 1411 in the axial direction M1A, so that the drum coupling 14 can be effectively prevented from coming out of the driving force transmitting unit 203 in the direction M1A.

The working principle of this embodiment is: the driving force receiving surface 14b of the drum coupling 14 receives the driving force of the projection 180d on the driving transmission unit 203 in the direction M1A, the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 on the driving transmission unit 203 first come into abutment with the first curved portion 1411 and at least part of the intermediate portion 1413 of the deformable elastic member 141, and as the driving transmission unit 203 rotates, the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 continue to move along the spiral inclined surface 14d of the axial direction M2, and as the drum coupling 14 moves rotationally with the driving transmission unit 203, the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208 move from the spiral inclined surface 14d to the pressing portion 143 along the downstream side of the rotational direction a; at this time, however, since the engagement portion 208b at least partially overlaps the first curved portion 1411 in the axial direction M1A, the second engagement member 208 is disengaged from the drum coupling 14 on the downstream side in the rotational direction a, and the engagement portion 208b first abuts against at least a portion of the first curved portion 1411, so that retraction of the second engagement member 208 in the axial direction M1A is restricted only, thereby achieving a problem in that engagement of the driving force transmitting member with the driving force receiving member is stable and is not easily disengaged.

Further, in order to prevent the drum coupling 14 from performing a corresponding rotation stopping action immediately without braking force when the drive transmission unit 203 stops rotating during the developing operation, it is also possible to combine the implementation of three, by providing the rotary damper body 16d at the conductive end 16 of the photosensitive drum, to make the photosensitive drum 104 generate a reaction force for damping the external force of the driving force, and to delay the damping of the force in the rotary motion state (developing operation state) of the photosensitive drum 104, thereby ensuring that the developing of the developed latent image on the photosensitive drum 104 on the printing medium is performed normally.

In this embodiment, the structure of the other driving transmission unit 203 is similar to that of the previous embodiment, and redundant description is omitted here.

Example five

As shown in fig. 29 to 40, another drum coupling is provided in the present embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in that: in the present embodiment, the drum coupling 14 is structured differently from the drum coupling 14 of the first embodiment, and the drum coupling 14 is engageable with the driving force transmitting member 180 and the first engaging member 204 and/or the second engaging member 208, thereby achieving the function of the driving force transmitting member 180 to transmit the driving force to the drum coupling 14.

As shown in fig. 29 to 32, the supporting portion 14f of the drum coupling 14 is rotatably supported by the driving side cap member 116 supporting the photosensitive drum 104 and the drum coupling 14, and the drum coupling 14 is further provided with a protruding portion protruding axially outwardly from an end portion of the first cylinder 14f1 of the supporting portion 14f, the protruding portion being a part of the acting portion 143 a. The protrusion further includes a braking force receiving portion 143x and a driving force receiving surface 143m for receiving braking force (load) and driving force from the driving transmission unit 203.

The protruding portion of the drum coupling 14 further has a spiral inclined surface 143g, a shutter portion 143k, and a circular hole portion 143q.

Specifically, the spiral inclined surface 143g is a portion of the protruding portion facing in the M1 direction in the axial direction, the spiral inclined surface 143g is inclined to be outward in the axial direction M1 toward the upstream side in the rotational direction a, that is, the spiral inclined surface 143g extends from the upstream to the downstream in the rotational direction toward the non-driving side ends of the drum unit 109 and the process cartridge 100, the spiral inclined surface 143g being capable of guiding the engaging members (collectively referred to as the first engaging member 204 and the second engaging member 208) so that the braking force applying assembly (204, 208) moves in the rotational direction of the driving force transmitting member 180 with respect to the driving force transmitting member 180; and the spiral bevel 143g has an inclined start portion 143f upstream of the rotation direction a.

The shutter portion 143k serves as an extension portion that comes into contact with the second engagement member 208 to block the driving force transmission member 180 from entering in the axial direction, i.e., the shutter portion 143k can prevent the driving force transmission unit 203 from entering the drum coupling 14 in the axial direction during engagement of the driving force transmission unit 203 with the drum coupling 14 so that the engagement members (204.208) cannot be properly engaged.

The circular hole portion 143q is for engaging with the positioning boss 180i of the driving force transmitting member 180 and positioning the axes of each other, the protruding portion of the drum coupling 14 includes a shaft portion 143p (also the second cylinder 14f2 in the first embodiment) formed in the axial direction, and the circular hole portion 143q is formed inside the shaft portion 143p, the diameter of the shaft portion 143p is smaller than the above-described supporting portion 14f, the diameter of the shaft portion 143p is larger than the diameter of the positioning boss 180i, and the positioning boss 180i can be inserted into the shaft portion 143p when the driving force transmitting member 180 is in driving connection with the drum coupling, so that the driving force transmitting member 180 is more stably in driving connection with the drum coupling.

As shown in fig. 29, 31, the drum coupling 14 has an axisymmetric shape, and the braking force receiving portions 143x and the spiral inclined surfaces 143g are each arranged in two and separated by 180 ° in the circumferential direction on the side of the supporting portion 14f, that is, the protruding portions have an axisymmetric shape. And in addition to the arrangement position of the protruding portions in the inner circumferential range of the supporting portion 14f, there are also provided axially-directed openings 143o, the openings 143o being likewise axially-symmetrically distributed, and in the rotational direction a, the spiral inclined surface 143g and the braking force receiving portion 143x are located upstream of the openings 143 o. Likewise, the opening 143o also belongs to the supporting portion f; and, in the rotation direction a, the protruding portion is provided with an abutment surface 143h downstream of the opening 143o, the abutment surface 143h being for abutment with a second restriction surface 143d2 (described in detail later), the abutment surface 143h being a vertical surface provided on the protruding portion, which is located downstream of the opening 143o in the rotation direction a, and thus the range of the opening 143o is restricted by a spiral inclined surface 143g located upstream thereof in the rotation direction a and the abutment surface 143h located downstream thereof.

Referring to fig. 29, 30, the drum coupling 14 further includes a movable action block 143d, the movable action block 143d being disposed in the opening 143o, and when the movable action block 143d is disposed in the opening 143o, both ends of the movable action block 143d in the radial direction are respectively abutted against the outer diameter of the shaft portion 143p and the inner diameter of the supporting portion 14f, and the movable action block is allowed to move circumferentially along the inner wall of the supporting portion 14f within the opening 143o within the opening range, and in the rotational direction a, the abutment surface 143h on the protruding portion serves to restrict the position of the movable action block 143 d.

As shown in fig. 29, the movable action block 143d includes a first restriction surface 143d1 and a second restriction surface 143d2. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first restriction surface 143d1 is inclined to face outward in the rotational direction a, i.e., the first restriction surface 143d1 extends from the upstream to the downstream in the rotational direction toward the non-driving side away from the process cartridge 100 and the drum unit 109, the second restriction surface 143d2 is a vertical plane in the axial direction located at the downstream end of the first restriction surface 143d1, and the second restriction surface 143d2 is capable of abutting against the abutment surface 143h, blocking the movable acting block 143d from continuing to move in the circumferential direction within the range of the opening 143 o.

Further, in order to better exert the restriction effect of the first restriction surface 143d1, the first restriction surface 143d1 is provided with a horizontal restriction surface 143d7 and an inclined restriction surface 143d8 in the rotation direction, and the inclined restriction surface 143d8 is located downstream of the horizontal restriction surface 143d7 in the rotation direction a. Wherein the number of the inclined limiting surfaces 143d8 is at least one, and there may be a height difference between the plurality of inclined limiting surfaces 143d 8.

The movable action block 143d further includes a main body portion 143d3, and the main body portion 143d3 extends in the axial direction. Specifically, the main body portion 143d3 has cambered surfaces at both ends in the radial direction, and the cambered surfaces at both ends in the radial direction of the main body portion 143d3 are respectively in contact with the outer diameter of the shaft portion 143p and the inner diameter of the supporting portion 14f, and the first regulating surface 143d1 is formed as an end surface of the main body portion 143d3 in the axial direction, which is away from the non-driving side end of the process cartridge 100 and is located on the upstream side in the rotational direction a.

As shown in fig. 30, a radially extending flange 143d4 is provided at one end of the main body portion 143d3 near the support portion 14f, the main body portion is divided into upper and lower portions in the axial direction, the first and second restricting surfaces 143d1 and 143d2 are provided at the upper portion of the main body portion, the flange 143d4 is provided between the upper and lower portions of the main body portion, the flange 143d4 and the lower main body portion have a larger extension in the rotational direction than the upper main body portion, the flange 143d4 is further radially spaced from the axis of the main body portion 143d3, and when the movable block 143d is provided in the opening 143o, the flange 143d4 overlaps the wall thickness portion of the support portion 14f in the axial direction for restricting the movement of the movable block 143d in the direction away from the photosensitive drum 104 and preventing the movable block 143d from being separated from the protruding portion.

The movable action block 143d further includes an end portion 143d5 located near one end of the non-driving side in the axial direction, the end portion 143d5 being a lower portion of the main body portion 143d3, and an end surface of the end portion 143d5 axially near the driving side is in contact with the end surface portion 104b of the photosensitive drum 104 for restricting movement of the movable action block 143d toward the non-driving side in the axial direction. Alternatively, the presence of the gap distance between the flange 143d4 and the supporting portion 14f and between the end portions 143d5 and the photosensitive drum end 104b allows the movable action block 143d to move within the gap distance range in the axial direction; and the end portion 143d5 further has a receiving recess 143d6, the receiving recess 143d6 penetrating the main body portion 143d3 in the radial direction, the receiving recess 143d6 for receiving an elastic engagement portion 143c (described in detail later).

Referring to fig. 29, in the rotational direction of the driving force transmitting member 180, the braking force receiving portion 143x is located on the upstream side of the movable action block 143d, and the braking force receiving portion 143 can engage the braking force applying assemblies (204, 208) so that the drum unit receives the braking force of the driving force transmitting unit 203. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the braking force receiving portion 143x extends from the upstream to the downstream in the drum coupling rotation direction toward the non-driving side of the process cartridge, which at least partially coincides with the spiral slope 143g in the radial direction and the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 104. The braking force applying assembly (204, 208) moves under the guiding action of the spiral inclined surface 143g and provides the force downstream in the rotation direction to the movable acting block 143d, so that the movable acting block 143d moves downstream against the elastic force of the elastic engagement portion, and when the braking force applying assembly (204, 208) moves to a position where the spiral inclined surface 143g is downstream in the rotation direction of the driving force transmitting member 180, the movable acting block 143d moves upstream in the rotation direction and provides the elastic force upstream in the rotation direction to the braking force applying assembly (204, 208), so that the braking force applying assembly (204, 208) rebounds and is engaged with the braking force receiving portion 143 x. The braking force applying assemblies (204, 208) are restrained by the braking force receiving portions 143x and the elastic engagement portions upstream and downstream in the rotational direction, so that the braking force applying assemblies (204, 208) bring the drum unit 109 into rotation more stably.

Further, the movable acting block 143d, the braking force receiving portion 143x, and the spiral inclined surface 143g, the opening 143o are provided in two, and are disposed axisymmetrically on the acting portion 143 a. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the movable acting block 143d, the braking force receiving portion 143x, and the spiral inclined surface 143g, the opening 143o are axisymmetrically arranged at two positions of the supporting portion f, thereby providing the first drum coupling portion and the second drum coupling portion. Alternatively, the number of the movable action blocks 143d, the braking force receiving portions 143x, the spiral inclined surfaces 143g, and the openings 143o on the drum coupling 14 may be one, or may be adjusted accordingly according to the structure of the drive transmission unit 203, or only the functions of the above parts may be retained in the different coupling portion setting areas to finally achieve the drive transmission function by the cooperation between the different coupling portions, which is not particularly limited.

As shown in fig. 32, the drum coupling 14 further includes a pressing portion 143b, the pressing portion 143b is provided at a position of the drum coupling 14 closer to the non-driving side of the process cartridge 100 than the acting portion 143a, the pressing portion 143b is connected to the photosensitive drum 104, and the pressing portion 143b includes a support column 143b1 and an abutment 143b2, and the support column 143b1 and the abutment 143b2 are connected to the acting portion 143 a. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the support column 143b1 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the abutment portion 143b2 is formed in a rectangular block. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the support column 143b1 and the abutment portion 143b2 may be formed in other geometric shapes, such as a pyramid, or the like, or the abutment portion 143b2 may be provided in the form of an insertion hole, which is not particularly limited.

As shown in fig. 29 to 32, the drum coupling 14 further includes an elastic engagement portion 143c, the elastic engagement portion 143c for engaging the acting portion 143a with the pressing portion 143b. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the elastic engagement portion 143c is provided in a torsion spring structure, the elastic engagement portion 143c includes the mounting portion 143c1, the first abutting portion 143c2, and the second abutting portion 143c3, the mounting portion 143c1 is fitted around the support column 143b1, the first abutting portion 143c2 abuts against the abutting portion 143b2, and the second abutting portion 143c3 abuts against the accommodating recess 143d6 of the movable acting block 143d at the end portion 143d5, and therefore, the elastic force of the elastic engagement portion 143c brings the protruding portion of the movable acting block 143d upstream in the rotation direction a closer, preferably, the movable acting block 143d approaches the upstream brake engagement portion 143x under the elastic force of the elastic engagement portion 143 c. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the arrangement form and the arrangement number of the elastic engagement portions 143c may be adjusted and changed accordingly according to the movable action block 143d and the pressing portion 143b.

Further, as shown in fig. 11, 33 to 34, in the present embodiment, a drive restriction surface 1806 of the drive force transmitting member 180 on the upstream side of the drive force transmitting portion in the first embodiment is also required at the time of drive transmission between the drive transmitting unit 203 and the drum coupling 14. The drive restricting surface 1806 is a flat surface on the drive transmitting portion 180d of the drive transmitting member 180, and the drive restricting surface 1806 is adapted to abut against the second restricting surface 143d2 in the rotational direction a to ensure that the drum coupling 14 can stably receive the drive force from the drive transmitting unit 203 of the image forming apparatus.

As shown in fig. 11, the second engagement portion 208b of the second engagement member 208 has a portion of the protruding portion 208d protruding radially inward and a slope 208f located downstream of the protruding portion 208d in the rotational direction a, and the first engagement member 204 has a first slope 204f. Alternatively, both the first inclined surface 204f and the inclined surface 208f may be used as a drive transmitting portion, or both may be used as a drive force applying portion, the specific operation of which will be described in detail later.

Fig. 33 and 34 will describe a process in which the drum coupling 14 and the drive transmission unit 203 are engaged with each other in the present embodiment, the drum coupling 14 and the drive transmission unit 203 have two engagement modes, a part of the structure of the drive force transmission member 180 is omitted for better explanation, and the internal shape is not covered.

First engagement mode

As shown in fig. 34, after the process cartridge 100 is mounted inside the main body of the image forming apparatus M and the door 160 of the image forming apparatus M is closed in the non-engaged phase state relationship shown in fig. 33, the driving force transmitting member 180 of the driving force transmitting unit 203 and the engaging members 204, 208 are in a mutually approaching position state at this time, and the inclination start portion 143f of the drum coupling 14 is located on the upstream side of the protruding portion 208d in the rotation direction a, the driving force transmitting unit 203 will move in the direction of arrow M2 along the extending direction of the spiral inclined surface 143g as the driving force transmitting unit 203 receives the driving force from the image forming apparatus M to rotate in the a direction, i.e., the second engaging member 208 moves in the direction of arrow M2 as shown in fig. 34.

The spiral inclined surface 143g opposes and contacts the inward protruding portion 208d of the approaching second engagement member 208, and the drive transmission unit 203 and the drum coupling 14 are relatively close to each other until they contact each other, but the state inside the drive transmission unit 203 is not changed. Fig. 35 shows a state in which the drive transmission unit 203 is further rotated, and the second engagement member 208 is further moved in the arrow M2 direction from the state shown in fig. 34.

As shown in fig. 35, the spiral inclined surface 143g and the movable action block 143d stop the second engagement member 208 approaching in the axial direction, and specifically, the protrusion 208d of the second engagement member 208 is pushed by the spiral inclined surface 143g and the horizontal restriction surface 143d7 of the first restriction surface 143d1 to restrict further movement of the second engagement member 208 in the axial direction M1. At this time, the second engaging member 208 is in a position pushed in the arrow M1 direction with respect to the driving force transmitting member 180, in which state, as described in relation to fig. 11, the second engaging member 208 disconnects the first mover 204 from the brake transmitting member 207 from the brake member 206, and thus the second engaging member 208 is in a state of rotating without receiving a load from the brake member 206.

At this time, as the drive transmission unit 203 approaches the drum coupling 143 along the spiral inclined surface 143g, the second engagement member 208 first contacts the horizontal restricting surface 143d7 of the movable action block 143d, and as the drive transmission unit 203 further rotates, the second engagement member 208 gradually starts to contact the inclined restricting surface 143d8, i.e., the second engagement member 208 starts to exert a force on the movable action block 143d in the rotation direction, so that the elastic engagement portion 143c also receives a force in the rotation direction a through the movable action block 143 d. Fig. 36 shows that the drive transmission unit 203 is further rotated, the movable action block 143d is further moved in the circumferential direction from the state shown in fig. 35, and the drive force transmission member 180 is further engaged with the drum coupling 14.

As shown in fig. 37, when the second engagement member 208 moves further in the rotational direction a, the second engagement member 208 does not move any more in the M2 direction with respect to the drum coupling 14 under the restriction of the horizontal restriction surface 143d7, but pushes the movable action block 143d and moves circumferentially only in the rotational direction a with respect to the drum coupling 14. When the movable action block 143d moves circumferentially until the second limiting surface 143d2 contacts the abutment surface 143h, the second engagement member 208 and the movable action block 143d end up moving relative to the other portion of the drum coupling 14.

Meanwhile, as the drum driving unit 203 is further rotated from the state of fig. 35, the drive transmitting portion 180d of the drive force transmitting member 180 gradually rotates closer to the drive force receiving surface 143m until the drive restricting surface 1806 contacts the drive force receiving surface 143m. And at this time, the engagement members 204, 208 are no longer moved relative to the driving force transmission member 180, so that the drum coupling 14 and the driving force transmission unit 203 complete the driving engagement process. In the drive engaged state, the drive restriction surface 1806 contacts the drive force receiving surface 143M, and the second engagement member 208 contacts the spiral inclined surface 143g and the first restriction surface 143d1, thereby transmitting the drive force to the process cartridge 100 through the drum coupling 14 during rotation of the drive transmission unit 203 upon receiving the power of the image forming apparatus M.

Or in some other embodiments, the inclination angle of the spiral bevel 143g in the rotation direction may be adjusted, that is, the inclination angle of the spiral bevel 143g is set to be smaller, and the protrusion is connected with the spiral bevel 143g, and the inclination angle of the spiral bevel 143g in the rotation direction is opposite to that of the spiral bevel 143g, and the inverted bevel overlaps with the spiral bevel 143g in the axial direction. During the rotation of the drive transmission unit 203, when the second engagement member 208 moves in the M2 direction with respect to the drum coupling 14, the second engagement member 208 moves along the spiral inclined surface 143g until the protruding portion 208d of the second engagement member engages with the back-off inclined surface, and the second engagement member 208 starts to contact the first restriction surface 143d1 of the movable action block 143 d. At this time, the second engagement member 208 is also in a disconnected state from the brake member 206, i.e., the second engagement member 208 cannot receive the rotational load from the brake member 206 during the rotational driving.

Second engagement mode

In this mode, the phase of the inclination start portion 143f of the drum coupling 14 and the inward protrusion 208d of the second engagement member 208 satisfies the relationship that the inclination start portion 143f of the drum coupling 14 is on the downstream side in the rotational direction a with respect to the inward protrusion 208 d. In the state of fig. 38, the driving force transmitting member 180 and the second engaging member 208 are in a state of being close to each other.

Referring to fig. 39, after the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the main body of the image forming apparatus M and the door 160 is closed, the drive transmission unit 203 approaches the drum coupling 14 in the M2 direction, and the shutter portion 143k approaches and contacts the second engagement member 208, because the second engagement member 208 has the projection 208d in the radial direction and thus interferes with and contacts the shutter portion 143k, in which state the shutter portion 143k prevents the second engagement member 208 from continuing to advance in the M2 direction. At this time, since the shutter portion 143k and the driving force transmission member 180 are different in position in the radial direction, the shapes of the two do not interfere.

By the movement of the driving force transmitting member 180 in the M2 direction, the second brake engagement member 208 moves in the M1 direction relative to the driving force transmitting member 180. As described above, by the relative movement, the second brake engagement member 208 is shifted to a state that can be rotated without receiving the rotational load.

As shown with reference to fig. 39, in the course of the rotation direction a of the drive transmission unit 203, first, when the drive transmission member 180 starts to rotate in the a direction, the second engagement member 208 also starts to rotate in the a direction due to the pushing of the drive transmission member 180. That is, the phase relation between the second engagement member 208 and the drum coupling 14 is changed, and the projection 208d is moved to a position contacting the inclination start portion 143f with respect to the drum coupling 14; after the projection 208d passes the point of the inclination start portion 143f, the second engagement member 208 moves in the direction of arrow C along the spiral inclined surface 143g of the drum coupling 14, that is, the second engagement member 208 moves toward the downstream side of the rotation direction a and the M2 direction.

As the drive transmission unit 203 further moves in the rotational direction a, the engagement process is the same as the first engagement mode engagement process, and the engaged state is completed as shown in fig. 36. In the present embodiment, the shutter portion 143k is connected to the spiral bevel 143g, the shutter portion 143k is located on the upstream side of the spiral bevel 143g in the rotational direction, and the inclination start portion 143f is a boundary portion between the shutter portion 143g and the spiral bevel 143 g.

In the above two engagement modes, only the engagement process of the second engagement member 208 with the drum coupling 14 is shown, however, in the above engagement process, the first engagement member 204 is always moved integrally with the second engagement member 208.

In the above-described engagement process, the driving force transmitting member 180 and the second engagement member 208 are in a phase state of being close to each other, however, as shown in fig. 40, there is a state in which the driving force transmitting member 180 and the second engagement member 208 are separated from each other during the actual operation of the image forming apparatus M and the process cartridge 100. In the state shown in fig. 40, after the process cartridge 100 is mounted to the image forming apparatus M and the door is closed, the drive transmission unit 203 starts to receive the driving force in the rotation direction a, and if the protrusion 208d of the second engaging member 208 is in the phase state of contacting the shutter portion 143k at this time, the second engaging member 208 cannot itself receive the driving force to rotate. Thus, first, the driving force transmitting member 180 receives the driving force to rotate in the rotational direction a so as to approach the second engagement member 208, and is converted into a phase relationship in which the two approach. The joining process as described above, in which the first joining member and the second joining member 208 are uniformly moved, occurs next.

In the present embodiment, the movement of the engagement members 204, 208 is guided and restricted by the action of the movable action block 143d and the elastic engagement portion 143c, and the stable driving force transmission between the drive transmission unit 203 and the drum coupling 14 is ensured by the reaction force of the movable action block 143d and the elastic engagement portion 143 c. And the dimensions of the movable action block 143d and the elastic engagement portion 143c are easily adjusted, so as to be adapted to the drive transmission unit 203 structure of different image forming apparatuses M.

In this embodiment, the other structures of the process cartridge 100 and the drive transmission unit 203 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and will not be described here.

The coupling is more stable in joint with the drive transmission unit 203, is not easy to separate, is more stable in power transmission, and is simple in integral structure and convenient in processing technology.

What has been described above is merely some embodiments of the present utility model. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the utility model.

Claims (14)

1. A drum unit, comprising:

The device comprises a photosensitive drum and a drum coupler, wherein the drum coupler is arranged at one end of the photosensitive drum and is used for being matched with a drive transmission unit of imaging equipment to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate, and the drive transmission unit comprises a drive force transmission member and a braking force application member;

The drum coupling includes:

A driving force receiving portion for engaging with the driving force transmitting member to receive a driving force;

And a pressing portion for abutting against the braking force applying member to press the braking force applying member to move axially in a direction away from the photosensitive drum, thereby eliminating braking force of the braking force applying member.

2. A drum unit according to claim 1, wherein said pressing portion has a pressing surface that abuts and presses said braking force applying member.

3. A drum unit according to claim 2, wherein said drum coupling further comprises a guide portion for guiding movement of said braking force applying member with respect to said driving force transmitting member and moving the braking force applying member to said pressing surface.

4. A drum unit according to claim 3, wherein said guide portion is a spiral slope gradually approaching said photosensitive drum in a rotation direction of said drum coupling.

5. A drum unit according to claim 4, wherein the drum coupling further comprises a shielding portion for abutting with the braking force applying member to prevent the drive transmitting unit from entering the drum coupling in the axial direction.

6. A drum unit according to claim 5, wherein the shielding portion, the guide portion, and the pressing portion are provided in this order in the rotational direction of the drum coupling.

7. A drum unit according to claim 5, wherein the driving force receiving portion, the guide portion, the pressing portion and the shielding portion are provided in two, the two driving force receiving portions are provided 180 ° symmetrically with respect to the axis of the drum coupling, the two guide portions are provided 180 ° symmetrically with respect to the axis of the drum coupling, the two pressing portions are provided 180 ° symmetrically with respect to the axis of the drum coupling, and the two shielding portions are provided 180 ° symmetrically with respect to the axis of the drum coupling.

8. A drum unit according to claim 1, wherein said pressing portion is provided with an abutting portion for abutting against said braking force applying member, blocking movement of said braking force applying member with respect to said pressing portion in a rotational direction of said drum coupling.

9. A drum unit according to any one of claims 2-7, wherein said drum coupling has a top surface remote from said photosensitive drum, and wherein said top surface is spaced from said pressing surface by a distance h.ltoreq.3.60 mm on the axis of said drum coupling.

10. A drum unit according to claim 9, wherein the following relation is satisfied: h is more than or equal to 2.80mm and less than or equal to 3.60mm.

11. A drum unit according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising a rotary damper for applying a damping force to said photosensitive drum, said rotary damper being attached to said photosensitive drum.

12. A drum unit according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the drum coupling further comprises an elastic member capable of preventing the drive transmission unit from being disengaged from the drum coupling when the drive transmission unit is engaged with the drum coupling.

13. A drum unit according to claim 12, wherein said pressing portion at least partially overlaps said elastic member in the axial direction of said drum coupling.

14. A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, comprising the drum unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13.