JP2008242085A - Cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of securing stable contact between a main body side contact part and a cartridge side contact part with simple constitution, and a cartridge loaded in the image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: When a developing cartridge 28 is attached to a main body casing 2, and a detection gear 70 for detecting whether the developing cartridge 28 is new moves from a new article position to an old article position, the cartridge side contact part 92 provided at the abutting part 82 of the detection gear 70 comes into contact with the main body side contact part 111. The cartridge side contact part 92 is provided on the detection gear 70 rotating only when the developing cartridge 28 is new. Therefore, the cartridge side contact part 92 and the main body side contact part 111 do not rub each other to contact or separate periodically, thereby securing the stable contact between the main body side contact part 111 and the cartridge side contact part 92. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, and a cartridge equipped in the image forming apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus, a developing cartridge that accommodates toner or a process cartridge including a developing cartridge and a photosensitive drum is detachably attached to the apparatus main body. These cartridges are consumable parts and are appropriately replaced depending on the consumption of toner or the life of the photosensitive drum.

  As such an image forming apparatus, the cartridge is provided with a memory tag for storing information relating to the specifications and history of the cartridge, and information stored in the memory tag when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body is stored in the apparatus. It is known that an image forming process corresponding to the cartridge is performed by reading the data with the CPU of the main body.

For example, in a process cartridge, a memory tag is provided on the flange of a photosensitive drum, while a main body side contact portion made of a spring material and having a bent end is provided in the apparatus main body portion, and the tag side contact portion is rotated by rotation of the photosensitive drum. It has been proposed to bring the memory tag and the main body side contact portion into conduction by bringing the tip of the main body side contact portion into surface contact with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-58598 A

  However, in the above image forming apparatus, since the tag side contact portion is provided on the flange of the photosensitive drum, when the photosensitive drum rotates, the tag side contact portion also rotates, and the tag side contact portion, the main body side contact portion, Are rubbed so as to periodically contact or separate. Therefore, there is a possibility that the contact portions wear out and contact between the contact portions becomes unstable after that.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of ensuring stable contact between a main body side contact portion and a cartridge side contact portion with a simple configuration, and a cartridge equipped in the image forming apparatus. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus, comprising: an apparatus main body; and a cartridge that is detachable from the apparatus main body and contains a developer; The apparatus main body includes a driving means and a main body side contact portion. When the cartridge is new, the cartridge starts to rotate by receiving a driving force from the driving means, and rotates after a predetermined angle. A cartridge-side contact portion provided on the gear and capable of contacting the body-side contact portion, and a storage element connected to the cartridge-side contact portion and storing information on the cartridge. It is characterized by that.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion are arranged so as to contact each other at a position where the gear starts to rotate. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion are arranged so as to contact each other at a position where the gear stops rotating. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, at least one of the cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion moves according to the rotation of the gear. The cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion are arranged so as to extend in directions intersecting with each other.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge that is detachable from the apparatus main body and contains a developer. When the cartridge is new, driving from a driving means provided in the apparatus main body. A gear that starts rotating upon receiving force and stops rotating after rotating at a predetermined angle; a cartridge-side contact portion that is provided on the gear and that can contact a body-side contact portion provided on the apparatus body; and the cartridge side A contact portion is connected and a storage element for storing information of the cartridge is provided.

  According to the first and fifth aspects of the present invention, when a new cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the gear starts to rotate by receiving a driving force from the driving means, and stops rotating after a predetermined angle of rotation. Then, since the cartridge side contact portion provided in the gear comes into contact with the main body side contact portion, information relating to the cartridge is read from the storage element connected to the cartridge side contact portion in the apparatus main body.

  In this configuration, the cartridge-side contact portion is provided on a gear that rotates when the cartridge is new. Therefore, the cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion are not rubbed so as to periodically contact or separate from each other, and stable contact between the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion can be ensured. .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion come into contact with each other at a position where the gear starts to rotate. Therefore, immediately after the new cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the apparatus main body can reliably read information on the cartridge from the storage element.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion come into contact with each other at a position where the gear stops rotating. Therefore, after the new cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, and after the cartridge is detected as new, information on the cartridge can be reliably read from the storage element in the apparatus main body.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion is provided along the moving direction of the cartridge side contact portion and extends in a direction intersecting with each other. Is arranged. Therefore, reliable contact between the cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion can be ensured.

1. Laser Printer FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in a main body casing 2 as an example of an apparatus main body, a paper feeding unit 4 for feeding paper 3 and an image forming unit 5 for forming an image on the fed paper. A paper discharge unit 6 for discharging the paper 3 on which the image is formed.
(1) Main Body Casing The main body casing 2 is formed in a box shape, and an opening is formed in a side wall on one side, and a front cover 7 that opens and closes the opening is provided. By opening the front cover 7, a process cartridge 17 (described later) can be attached to and detached from the main body casing 2.

  In the following description, the side on which the front cover 7 is provided is the front side (front side), and the opposite side is the rear side (back side). Further, the front side in the paper thickness direction in FIG. 1 is the left side, and the back side in the paper thickness direction in FIG. 1 is the right side. Moreover, the left-right direction and the width direction are synonymous.

In addition, directions relating to the process cartridge 17 (described later) and the developing cartridge 28 (described later) will be described as directions in a state where these are mounted on the main casing 2.
(2) Paper Feed Unit The paper feed unit 4 includes a paper feed tray 8, a paper feed roller 9, a separation pad 10, a transport roller 11, and a registration roller 12.

A paper pressing plate 13 is provided in the paper feed tray 8. The sheet 3 at the top of the sheet pressing plate 13 is rolled one by one by the sheet feeding roller 9 and the separation pad 10, passes through the conveying roller 11, and is then transferred to the image forming unit 5 by the registration roller 12. It is conveyed to a position (described later).
(3) Image Forming Unit The image forming unit 5 includes a scanner unit 16, a process cartridge 17, and a fixing unit 18.
(3-1) Scanner Unit The scanner unit 16 is provided in the upper part in the main body casing 2 and includes a laser light emitting unit (not shown), a polygon mirror 21, a plurality of lenses 22, and a plurality of reflecting mirrors 23.

The laser beam based on the image data emitted from the laser light emitting unit is reflected by the polygon mirror 21 as indicated by a chain line, and passes or reflects through the plurality of lenses 22 and the plurality of reflecting mirrors 23, and the photosensitive drum of the process cartridge 17. 25 surfaces are scanned.
(3-2) Process Cartridge The process cartridge 17 is disposed below the scanner unit 16 in the main body casing 2 and is detachably attached to the main body casing 2.

The process cartridge 17 includes a process frame 24 and a developing cartridge 28 as an example of a cartridge that is detachably attached to the process frame 24.
(A) Process Frame In the process frame 24, a photosensitive drum 25, a scorotron charger 26, and a transfer roller 27 are provided.

The photosensitive drum 25 is rotatably supported by the process frame 24. The scorotron charger 26 is supported by the process frame 24 above the photosensitive drum 25 and spaced from the photosensitive drum 25. The transfer roller 27 is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 25 from the lower side of the photosensitive drum 25 and is rotatably supported by the process frame 24.
(B) Developing Cartridge The developing cartridge 28 includes a developing frame 30 and a developing roller 33, a layer thickness regulating blade 34, and a supply roller 35 provided in the developing frame 30.

  The developing frame 30 is formed in a box shape that is long in the width direction where the rear side is opened (see FIG. 2). In the developing frame 30, the front is defined as a toner storage chamber 37 and the rear is defined as a developing chamber 38.

  In the toner storage chamber 37, positively charged nonmagnetic one-component toner is stored as a developer. An agitator 40 is provided in the toner storage chamber 37.

  The agitator 40 is disposed along the width direction at the center of the toner storage chamber 37 in a side view. The agitator 40 includes a rotating shaft 41 and a stirring blade 42 provided around the rotating shaft 41. The rotation shaft 41 is rotatably supported on both side walls 31 of the developing frame 30 that are arranged at intervals in the width direction. The left end portion of the rotation shaft 41 protrudes outward in the width direction from the left side wall 31.

  The supply roller 35 is disposed along the width direction on the front side of the developing chamber 38. The supply roller 35 includes a supply roller shaft 43 and a conductive sponge roller 44 that covers the periphery of the supply roller shaft 43. The supply roller shaft 43 is rotatably supported on both side walls 31. The left end portion of the supply roller shaft 43 protrudes outward in the width direction from the left side wall 31.

  The developing roller 33 is disposed along the width direction behind the supply roller 35 in the developing chamber 38. The developing roller 33 is disposed such that a rear side portion thereof is exposed from the developing frame 30 (see FIG. 2) and a front side portion thereof is in contact with the supply roller 35. The developing roller 33 includes a developing roller shaft 45 and a conductive rubber roller 46 that covers the periphery of the developing roller shaft 45. The developing roller shaft 45 is rotatably supported on both side walls 31. The left end portion of the developing roller shaft 45 protrudes outward in the width direction from the left side wall 31.

The layer thickness regulating blade 34 includes a leaf spring member 47 made of a thin plate and a pressure contact rubber 48 provided at the lower end of the leaf spring member 47. The upper end of the leaf spring member 47 is supported by the developing frame 30 above the developing roller 33. The pressing rubber 48 is pressed against the front surface of the rubber roller 46 by the elastic force of the leaf spring member 47.
(C) Operation of Process Cartridge The toner in the toner storage chamber 37 is agitated by the rotation of the agitator 40, discharged into the developing chamber 38, and supplied to the supply roller 35.

  The toner supplied to the supply roller 35 is supplied to the developing roller 33 by the rotation of the supply roller 35. At this time, friction charging is performed between the sponge roller 44 and the rubber roller 46 to have a positive polarity. Subsequently, the toner supplied to the developing roller 33 enters between the pressure contact rubber 48 and the rubber roller 46 as the developing roller 33 rotates, and the layer thickness is regulated between them, and the toner is applied to the surface of the rubber roller 46. Supported as a thin layer.

As the photosensitive drum 25 rotates, the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 is first uniformly charged positively by the scorotron charger 26, and then exposed by the laser beam from the scanner unit 16, and electrostatically based on the image data. A latent image is formed. Next, when the developing roller 33 rotates, the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 33 is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 when it contacts the photosensitive drum 25. Is done. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed (visualized), and a toner image is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 25. The toner image is transferred onto the sheet 3 conveyed between the photosensitive drum 25 and the transfer roller 27 (transfer position).
(3-3) Fixing Unit The fixing unit 18 is provided behind the process cartridge 17. The fixing unit 18 includes a heating roller 51 and a pressure roller 52 that is pressed from below the heating roller 51.

In the fixing unit 18, the toner transferred to the paper 3 at the transfer position is thermally fixed while the paper 3 passes between the heating roller 51 and the pressure roller 52.
(4) Paper Discharge Unit The paper discharge unit 6 includes a paper discharge path 53, a paper discharge roller 54, and a paper discharge tray 55. The heat-fixed paper 3 is conveyed to a paper discharge path 53 and discharged onto a paper discharge tray 55 by a paper discharge roller 54.
2. IC Chip Connection Configuration FIG. 2 is a plan view of the developing cartridge. FIG. 3 is a side view of the developing cartridge (gear cover mounted state). FIG. 4 is a side view of the developing cartridge (gear cover detached state). FIG. 5 is a side view of the developing cartridge (immediately after being mounted on the main body casing). FIG. 6 is a side view of the developing cartridge (after the warm-up operation).

A gear mechanism portion 61 (see FIG. 4) and a gear cover 62 (see FIG. 3) covering the gear mechanism portion 61 are provided on the left side wall 31 of the developing frame 30.
(1) Gear Mechanism Portion The gear mechanism portion 61 is provided on the left side wall 31 of the developing cartridge 28 as shown in FIG.

  The gear mechanism 61 includes a coupling gear 63, a supply roller gear 64, a developing roller gear 65, a first intermediate gear 66, a second intermediate gear 67, a third intermediate gear 68, an agitator gear 69, and a detection gear 70 as an example of a gear. ing.

  The coupling gear 63 is rotatably provided on the left side wall 31 between the developing roller shaft 45 and the rotation shaft 41. When the developing cartridge 28 is attached to the main casing 2, a main body coupling 71 (see FIG. 2) as an example of driving means provided in the main casing 2 is fitted to the coupling gear 63 so as to be able to advance and retract. . A driving force from a motor (not shown) provided in the main body casing 2 is transmitted to the main body coupling 71, and the driving force is transmitted from the main body coupling 71 to the coupling gear 63.

  The supply roller gear 64 is provided at the left end portion of the supply roller shaft 43. The supply roller gear 64 meshes with the coupling gear 63 below the coupling gear 63.

  The developing roller gear 65 is provided at the left end portion of the developing roller shaft 45. The developing roller gear 65 meshes with the coupling gear 63 behind the coupling gear 63.

  The first intermediate gear 66 is rotatably provided on the left side wall 31 in front of the coupling gear 63. The first intermediate gear 66 includes external teeth that mesh with the coupling gear 63 and internal teeth that mesh with the second intermediate gear 67.

  The second intermediate gear 67 is rotatably provided on the left side wall 31 above the first intermediate gear 66. The second intermediate gear 67 meshes with the internal teeth of the first intermediate gear 66.

  The third intermediate gear 68 is rotatably provided on the left side wall 31 in front of the second intermediate gear 67. The third intermediate gear 68 includes external teeth that mesh with the detection gear 70 and internal teeth that mesh with the second intermediate gear 67.

  The agitator gear 69 is provided at the left end portion of the rotating shaft 41. The agitator gear 69 meshes with the internal teeth of the third intermediate gear 68 at a diagonally lower front side of the third intermediate gear 68.

  The detection gear 70 is provided at the left end of the rotating shaft 41 so as to overlap the agitator gear 69 in the width direction on the left side of the agitator gear 69.

  The detection gear 70 is integrally provided with a detection gear main body 73, a guide member 74, a missing gear 75, and a contact member 76.

  The detection gear main body 73 includes a side plate portion 77 that has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the side, and a substantially cylindrical tube portion 78 that is bent toward the right side from the peripheral edge of the side plate portion 77. The side plate portion 77 is provided with an insertion hole 79 that penetrates the side plate portion 77 in the thickness direction at the center thereof. The left end portion of the rotation shaft 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 79. The cylindrical portion 78 is formed with a notched portion 80 in which a part in the circumferential direction is notched.

  The guide member 74 is provided in the cylinder part 78 on the opposite side of the notch part 80 with respect to the insertion hole 79. The guide member 74 has a substantially arc shape in a side view having substantially the same width as the cutout width of the cutout portion 80, and is formed so as to bulge outward in the radial direction of the side plate portion 77 in the cylindrical portion 78.

  One end portion of the toothless gear 75 is continuous with one end portion of the cutout portion 80 of the cylindrical portion 78, and is formed in an arc shape from the one end portion along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 78 toward the other end portion. ing. The missing gear 75 is formed with a full length that meshes with the third intermediate gear 68 only when the detection gear 70 is in a power transmission position (described later). The other end portion of the toothless gear 75 is a free end that is not continuous with the other end portion of the notched portion 80 of the cylindrical portion 78.

  The contact member 76 is provided between the guide member 74 and the toothless gear 75 in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 78, and includes a support portion 81 and a contact portion 82 supported by the support portion 81. I have. The support portion 81 protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical portion 78. The contact portion 82 has a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view (see FIG. 2), and protrudes leftward from the free end portion of the support portion 81.

The detection gear 70 rotates so that the toothless gear 75 does not mesh with the third intermediate gear 68 and is disposed at a new position upstream of the rotation axis 41 with respect to the third intermediate gear 68. The shaft 41 is provided.
(2) Gear cover The gear cover 62 is provided in the left side wall 31 so that the gear mechanism part 63 may be covered, as shown in FIG. The gear cover 62 is integrally provided with a cover plate 83 facing the gear mechanism portion 63 from the left side and a leg portion 84 bent from the peripheral edge of the cover plate 83 toward the left side wall 31. .

  A connecting hole 85 for exposing the coupling gear 63 and the developing roller shaft 45 is formed on the rear side of the covering plate 83. An arc hole 86 is formed on the front side of the cover plate 83.

  One end of the arc hole 86 is disposed in the upper part on the rear side, and the other end is disposed in the lower part on the front side. The arc hole 86 is formed in a substantially arc shape in a side view along the movement locus of the contact part 82. One end portion of the arc hole 86 corresponds to the position of the contact portion 82 when the missing gear 75 is in the new position, and the other end portion of the arc hole 86 has the missing gear 75 in the old product position (described later). It is formed so as to correspond to the position of the contact portion 82 at a certain time. The arc hole 86 has a guide wall 87 that bulges leftward from the periphery of the arc hole 86, and a bulge that projects leftward from the guide wall 87 in a substantially U shape in a side view at the other end of the arc hole 86. A portion 88 is formed.

  The cover plate 83 is provided with a support shaft 89 that fits into the insertion hole 79 of the detection gear 70.

The front portion of the leg portion 84 is formed in an arc shape and guides the guide member 74.
(3) Cartridge-side contact portion and IC chip As shown in FIG. 4, the detection gear 70 is provided with an IC chip 91 as an example of a storage element and a cartridge-side contact portion 92.

  The IC chip 91 is formed in a thin plate shape having a substantially arc shape when viewed from the side. The IC chip 91 stores information about the developing cartridge 28, for example, the number of printable sheets. The IC chip 91 is provided between the insertion hole 79 and the contact portion 82 in the side plate portion 77.

The cartridge side contact portion 92 is provided along the radial direction of the detection gear 70 on the left end surface of the contact portion 82. The support portion 81 is provided with a wiring 93 so as to connect the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the IC chip 91. The cartridge side contact portion 92 is electrically connected to the IC chip 91 by a wiring 93.
(4) New / Old Discrimination Member The main body casing 2 is provided with an old / new discriminator 101 for discriminating between the new and old of the developing cartridge 28. The old / new discriminating unit 101 is provided on the left wall of the main casing 2 and includes an actuator 102, a spring 103, and a sensor 104 as shown in FIG.

  The actuator 102 is formed in a bowl shape extending in the front-rear direction, and the rear half portion is connected to the upper side of the front half portion. A guide groove 105 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the rear half portion. A guide protrusion 106 that fits into the guide groove 105 is formed on the main body casing 2. The actuator 102 is supported by the main casing 2 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction by fitting the guide groove 105 to the guide protrusion 106.

  The spring 103 is a compression spring and is arranged in the front-rear direction. The front end portion of the spring 103 is fixed to the rear end portion of the front half portion of the actuator 102. A rear end portion of the spring 103 is fixed to the main body casing 2.

  The actuator 102 is urged forward by the urging force of the spring 103 and is located at the first position.

The sensor 104 includes a detection lever 107 that is provided above the rear end of the actuator 102 and can swing in the front-rear direction. The detection lever 107 is locked in the guide groove 105 and moved in the front-rear direction as the actuator 102 slides in the front-rear direction. The sensor 104 detects a new developer cartridge 28 when the detection lever 107 swings forward, and an old product of the developer cartridge 28 swings rearward.
(5) Main Body Electrode Unit The main body casing 2 is provided with a main body electrode portion 110 including a main body side contact portion 111 that contacts the cartridge side contact portion 92 as shown in FIG.

  The body electrode part 110 includes a fixing plate 112, a fitting cylinder part 113, a spring 114, and a body side contact part 111.

  The fixing plate 112 is provided on the inner surface of the left wall of the main casing 2 so as to face the other end of the arc hole 86 of the developing cartridge 28 attached to the main casing 2 in the width direction.

  The fitting cylinder portion 113 has a cylindrical shape, and two fixing plates 112 are provided in parallel in the front-rear direction. Each fitting cylinder 113 is provided so as to protrude rightward toward the other end of the arc hole 86.

  The springs 114 are made of conductive compression springs and are inserted into the respective fitting tube portions 113. The left end of the spring 114 is fixed to the fixing plate 112.

  The main body side contact portion 111 is accommodated in each fitting tube portion 113. The right end portion of the spring 114 is fixed to the main body side contact portion 111. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body side contact portion 111 has an elliptical shape that is long in the vertical direction when viewed from the side, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the width direction where the right end is curved as viewed in plan. Has been. The main body side contact portion 111 is supported by the spring 114 so that the right end portion is exposed from the fitting tube portion 113. Thereby, the main body side contact portion 111 is accommodated in the fitting tube portion 113 so that it can be elastically deformed in the width direction by the spring 114.

A CPU (not shown) provided in the main body casing 2 is electrically connected to the spring 114.
(6) New article detection operation When the process cartridge 17 to which the developing cartridge 28 is attached is attached to the main body casing 2, or when the developing cartridge 28 is attached to the process cartridge 17 attached to the main body casing 2, As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 82 of the detection gear 70 is pressed against the front end portion of the actuator 102. Then, the contact part 82 moves away from the one end part of the circular arc hole 86 and moves slightly forward. Then, the missing gear 75 of the detection gear 70 is arranged from a new position where it does not mesh with the third intermediate gear 68 to a power transmission position where it meshes with the third intermediate gear 68.

  At this time, the actuator 102 slides backward against the urging force of the spring 103 by the reaction force in contact with the contact portion 82 and is disposed at the second position. Then, the detection lever 107 of the sensor 104 is swung to the rear side, and a new product of the developing cartridge 28 is detected.

  Thereafter, the warming-up operation of the laser printer 1 is started, the driving force is transmitted from the main body coupling 71 to the coupling gear 63, and the coupling gear 63 is rotated. Then, a driving force is transmitted to the supply roller gear 64 and the developing roller gear 65 that mesh with the coupling gear 63, and the supply roller 35 and the developing roller 33 are rotated. When the coupling gear 63 is rotated, the driving force is transmitted to the agitator gear 69 via the first intermediate gear 66, the second intermediate gear 67, and the third intermediate gear 68, and the agitator 40 is rotated. Further, when the coupling gear 63 is rotated, the driving force is transmitted to the toothless gear 75 through the first intermediate gear 66, the second intermediate gear 67, and the third intermediate gear 68, and the detection gear 70 starts to rotate. Is done.

  Thereafter, the detection gear 70 is engaged with the third intermediate gear 68 from one end to the other end and rotated by a predetermined angle, and then, as shown in FIG. The gear 68 is moved to the position of the old product that does not mesh with the third intermediate gear 68 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 41, and the rotation of the detection gear 70 is stopped. At this time, with the movement of the contact portion 82 of the detection gear 70, the actuator 102 is again moved to the front side by the urging force of the spring 103, and is disposed at the first position. Then, the detection lever 107 of the sensor 104 is swung forward, and an old product of the developing cartridge 28 is detected.

  When the detection gear 70 is arranged at the position of the old product, the cartridge side contact portion 92 provided in the contact portion 82 comes into contact with the main body side contact portion 111. At this time, the cartridge side contact portion 92 moves from the upper side to the lower side and comes into contact with each main body side contact portion 111 that is long in the vertical direction. In the old product position, the cartridge side contact portion 92 extends in the front-rear direction, and comes into contact with each main body side contact portion 111 extending in the up-down direction.

  When the cartridge side contact portion 92 comes into contact with the main body side contact portion 111, information on the developing cartridge stored in the IC chip 91 is transferred from the IC chip 91 via the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the main body side contact portion 111. 2 is read by the CPU provided in 2.

  Since the agitator 40 is rotated only in one clockwise direction, the detection gear 70 rotated to the old product position does not rotate again to the new product position thereafter, that is, The detection gear 70 is irreversibly rotated from the new position to the old position. Further, when the detection gear 70 is disposed at the position of the old product, the detection gear 70 is slid with respect to the rotation shaft 41 so as to allow the rotation of the rotation shaft 41. Therefore, the abutting portion 82 and the actuator 102 abut only when the developing cartridge 28 is new, so that it is possible to determine whether the developing cartridge 28 is new or old.

Thereafter, when the warm-up operation is completed, the above-described image forming operation is performed.
3. Effects of Embodiment (1) As described above, in the laser printer 1, the cartridge side contact portion 92 is provided on the detection gear 70 that rotates only when the developing cartridge 28 is new. Therefore, the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the main body side contact portion 111 are not rubbed so as to periodically contact or separate from each other, and a stable contact between the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 is ensured. can do.
(2) Specifically, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 are in contact with each other at an old product position where the detection gear 70 stops rotating. Therefore, after the development cartridge 28 is detected as being new, the CPU provided in the main body casing 2 can reliably read the information related to the development cartridge 28 from the IC chip 91.
(3) Further, the main body side contact portion 111 is formed long in the vertical direction along the moving direction of the cartridge side contact portion 92 that moves downward from above. In addition, at the position of the old product, the cartridge side contact portion 92 extends in the front-rear direction, and comes into contact with the main body side contact portion 111 extending in the up-down direction. Therefore, reliable contact between the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the main body side contact portion 111 can be ensured.
4). Other Embodiments (1) FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of a laser printer as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 5, the same members as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the above description, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 are brought into contact with each other at the position of the old product after the development cartridge 28 is detected as new, but as shown in FIG. The cartridge side contact portion 92 can be brought into contact with each other at a new position immediately after the developing cartridge 28 is mounted.

  In FIG. 7, the cartridge side contact portion 92 is provided along the radial direction of the detection gear 70 on the rear end surface of the contact portion 82. The support portion 81 is provided with a wiring 93 so as to connect the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the IC chip 91. The cartridge side contact portion 92 is electrically connected to the IC chip 91 by a wiring 93.

  The main body side contact portion 111 is formed of a leaf spring material and is provided on the front end surface of the actuator 102. The main body side contact portion 111 is formed in a V-shaped side view projecting forward so that the contact portion 116 with the cartridge side contact portion 92 can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction.

  When the developing cartridge 28 is attached to the main casing 2, the contact portion 82 of the detection gear 70 is pressed against the front end portion of the actuator 102. At the same time, the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the main body side contact portion 111 come into contact with each other.

  When the cartridge side contact portion 92 comes into contact with the main body side contact portion 111, information on the developing cartridge stored in the IC chip 91 is transferred from the IC chip 91 via the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the main body side contact portion 111. 2 is read by the CPU provided in 2.

  Thereafter, when the warming-up operation is started and the detection gear 70 is moved to the old product position, the cartridge side contact portion 92 is separated from the main body side contact portion 111.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 contact each other at a new position where the detection gear 70 starts to rotate. Therefore, immediately after the new developing cartridge 28 is mounted on the main body casing 2, the information on the developing cartridge 28 can be reliably read from the IC chip 91 in the CPU provided in the main body casing 2.
(2) Other Modifications In the above description, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 are brought into contact with each other at the position of the old product, and the embodiment shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 are brought into contact with each other at the new position. However, in one embodiment, the main body side contact portion 111 and the cartridge side contact portion 92 are moved to the new position and the old position. Both can also be brought into contact with each other.

  In the above description, the developing cartridge 28 is attached to and detached from the process frame 24. However, the process frame 24 and the developing frame 30 can be integrally formed. In that case, the process cartridge 17 corresponds to the cartridge of the present invention.

  Furthermore, in the above description, a monochrome laser printer is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a tandem type color laser printer that directly transfers images from a plurality of color photoreceptors to paper, or Also, the present invention can be applied to an intermediate transfer type color laser printer in which each color toner image is once transferred from each photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer member and then transferred to a sheet at once.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the cartridge side contact portion 92 and the IC chip 91 are electrically connected by the wiring 93. However, the cartridge side contact portion 92 is formed integrally with the IC chip 91 and provided in the detection gear 70. It may be.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a developing cartridge. It is a side view of a developing cartridge (gear cover mounted state). It is a side view of a developing cartridge (gear cover detached state). FIG. 6 is a side view of the developing cartridge (immediately after being mounted on the main body casing). FIG. 6 is a side view of the developing cartridge (after a warm-up operation). FIG. 6 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing another embodiment of the laser printer as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser printer 2 Main body casing 28 Developing cartridge 70 Detection gear 71 Main body coupling 91 IC chip 92 Cartridge side contact part 111 Main body side contact part

Claims (5)

An apparatus main body and a cartridge that is detachable from the apparatus main body and contains a developer;
The apparatus main body includes a driving means and a main body side contact portion,
When the cartridge is new, the cartridge is provided with a gear which starts rotating upon receiving a driving force from the driving means, stops rotating after a predetermined angle rotation, and the main body side contact An image forming apparatus, comprising: a cartridge-side contact portion that can contact the cartridge portion; and a storage element that is connected to the cartridge-side contact portion and stores information on the cartridge.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion are arranged so as to contact each other at a position where the gear starts to rotate.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body side contact portion and the cartridge side contact portion are arranged so as to contact each other at a position where the gear stops rotating. At least one of the cartridge side contact part and the main body side contact part is provided along the moving direction of the cartridge side contact part that moves according to the rotation of the gear,
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge side contact portion and the main body side contact portion are arranged so as to extend in directions intersecting each other. 5. A cartridge that is detachable from the apparatus main body and contains a developer,
When the cartridge is new, it receives a driving force from a driving means provided in the apparatus main body, starts rotating, rotates after a predetermined angle, and stops rotating, and provided in the gear. A cartridge comprising: a cartridge-side contact portion that can come into contact with a main-body-side contact portion; and a storage element that is connected to the cartridge-side contact portion and stores information on the cartridge.

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