KR20140067738A - Coupling member for rotating photoconductive drum, and photoconductive drum assembly including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An engaging member for rotating a photoconductive drum according to an embodiment is an engaging member for rotating a photoconductive drum which is engaged to an end of the photoconductive drum to be engaged to a main body of an image forming apparatus to be able to rotate. The engaging member includes a protruding part with a plurality of protruding portions protruding from a support unit. The protruding portions are formed to be spaced apart from each other, and are inclined in one direction as getting farther away from the support unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a rotation coupling member for a photosensitive drum, and a photosensitive drum assembly including the same,

The present invention relates to a rotary coupling member for a photosensitive drum and a photosensitive drum assembly including the same.

In an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a photosensitive drum and a process means acting on the photosensitive drum are integrated and used in the form of a cartridge. In this way, the process cartridge having a cartridge shape can be rotatably attached to and detached from the main body by a rotational engaging member, which is engaged with each end of the photosensitive drum.

Korean Utility Model Publication No. 1991-0008092 discloses a technique including a plurality of projections in which a passive clutch, which is a rotational coupling member positioned at an end portion of a photosensitive drum, is projected away from each other. A plurality of threads of the manual clutch and a plurality of threads of the drive clutch located in the main body are coupled to transmit the rotational force of the motor coupled to the drive clutch to the passive clutch. Whereby the photosensitive drum can be rotated.

However, since the plurality of screw threads described above have a uniform area and only have a shape protruding forward, it is difficult to effectively transmit the rotational force. For example, if the rotation continuously occurs, the problem may arise that the rotational axis of the manual clutch and the rotational axis of the drive clutch do not coincide precisely.

On the other hand, U.S. Patent No. 4,454,922 discloses a technique of automatically aligning a shaft by receiving a driving force in the axial direction by driving a main body using a helical-shaped drill and a helical groove conforming thereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotation coupling member for a photosensitive drum that can effectively transmit rotational force and a photosensitive drum assembly including the same.

The rotary coupling member for the photosensitive drum according to the present embodiment is a rotary coupling member for a photosensitive drum which is coupled to the end of the photosensitive drum and is rotatably coupled to the body of the image forming apparatus and includes a plurality of projecting portions projecting from the support Wherein the plurality of projecting portions are formed to be spaced apart from each other and are inclined in one direction.

Each of the plurality of projecting portions may be formed so that an inner surface thereof is rounded.

The photosensitive drum assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed by coupling the above-described rotary coupling member for the photosensitive drum to one end of the photosensitive drum.

In this embodiment, since the inclined protruding portion is inserted into the engagement hole, the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum is aligned with the rotation axis of the main body when the photosensitive drum rotates by the rotation axis of the main body. Accordingly, the rotational force by the rotational axis of the main body can be effectively transmitted to the photosensitive drum. Then, the print quality of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

1 is a schematic view showing an example of an image forming apparatus including a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing the process cartridge of FIG. 1;
3 is a perspective view showing a part of a photosensitive drum assembly and a rotation axis of a main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified into various forms.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar parts throughout the specification. In the drawings, the thickness, the width, and the like are enlarged or reduced in order to make the description more clear, and the thickness, width, etc. of the present invention are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

Wherever certain parts of the specification are referred to as "comprising ", the description does not exclude other parts and may include other parts, unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, when a portion of a layer, film, region, plate, or the like is referred to as being "on" another portion, it also includes the case where another portion is located in the middle as well as the other portion. When a portion of a layer, film, region, plate, or the like is referred to as being "directly on" another portion, it means that no other portion is located in the middle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, a rotary coupling member, a photosensitive drum assembly and a process cartridge including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, an image forming apparatus to which a process cartridge is applied will be described first, and then a process cartridge to which the process cartridge is applied will be described.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an image forming apparatus including a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the process cartridge of Fig.

Referring to the drawings, an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with a space in which a recording medium 110 can be supplied and discharged, and a part for forming an image on the recording medium 110 is embedded (Not shown), a plurality of rollers 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19, a process cartridge 20, and the like in the main body 10.

The image forming apparatus 100 is an apparatus for printing characters or images on a recording medium 110 such as paper, and includes a copier, a laser printer, an inkjet printer, a light emitting diode printer, a facsimile machine, and the like.

Here, the optical system provides light in accordance with image information input from the outside. The plurality of rollers 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 move the recording medium 110 in a predetermined direction (arrow direction in the figure). Various methods, materials, structures, and the like known to the optical system, the plurality of rollers 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 can be applied, and therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The process cartridge 20 includes a photosensitive drum 22, a cleaning unit (not shown), a conditioning unit (not shown), a developing unit (not shown), and the like can do.

The photosensitive drum 22 is a portion in which charges are removed only when the light such as a laser is irradiated (conversely, charges may be formed only in a region irradiated with light such as a laser). On both sides of the photosensitive drum 22, a rotational engaging member 24, which can be rotatably engaged with the main body 10, is positioned. The rotary coupling member 24 is engaged with the coupling hole 124 formed in the rotary shaft 122 of the main body 10 and transmits the rotational force of the rotary shaft 122 of the main body 10 to the photosensitive drum 22 do. This will be described later in more detail with reference to FIG.

The cleaning unit removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 in a physical and / or electrical manner before the printing operation. The cleaning unit may include, for example, a wiper blade for removing residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22, and a recovery blade for collecting the removed residual toner in a collection bin. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various configurations and systems can be applied to the cleaning unit.

The charging unit applies a voltage to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 with a uniform charge so that exposure can be performed. The developing unit includes a developing roller for supplying toner to a portion of the photosensitive drum 22 having a certain polarity. Various configurations and systems can be applied to the charging unit and the developing unit.

The photosensitive drum 22 is cleaned by the cleaning unit, and the photosensitive drum 22 is subjected to uniform charge (for example, negative charge) by the charging unit. When the light is supplied to the photosensitive drum 22 by the optical system, the portion of the photosensitive drum 22 on which the light is projected is removed or charged to a different polarity (for example, positive electric charge). The toner provided to the photosensitive drum 22 is transferred to the recording medium 110 by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 22, while the toner is supplied to a portion having a different polarity by the developing unit. Thereafter, heat or pressure is applied to fix the toner transferred to the recording medium 110 to complete image formation.

In the present embodiment, on both sides of the photosensitive drum 22, a rotation coupling member 24 for rotatably coupling to the main body 10 may be disposed. Hereinafter, the coupling hole 124 of the rotary coupling member 24 and the main body 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

3 is a perspective view showing a part of a photosensitive drum assembly and a rotation axis of a main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the rotary coupling member 24 according to the present embodiment includes a flange portion 241 fixed to one side of the photosensitive drum 20, a support portion 243 projecting from the flange portion 241, And protrusions 245 that protrude from the support portion 243 and engage with the engagement holes 124 of the main body 10.

The flange portion 241 is formed to be fixed to one side of the photosensitive drum 22 and the outer side surface of the flange portion 241 is provided with a developing roller of a process cartridge 20 A gear 241a that provides a driving force may be formed.

The support portion 243 may have a cylindrical shape having an area smaller than that of the flange portion 241, and may be coupled to a bearing (not shown) to function as a rotation shaft.

In the present embodiment, the protrusions 245 may include a plurality of protrusions 245a spaced apart from each other at regular intervals, and each protrusion 245a may be inclined in one direction away from the supporter 243 Lt; / RTI > That is, it may be formed to be inclined on the surface of the support portion. More specifically, each protruding portion 245a may be formed of a plurality of planes in which the inner surface IS is rounded and the outer surface OS is inclined to each other. At this time, the outer surface OS may be arranged to have an obtuse angle with respect to each other, and each outer surface OS may be formed to be inclined to the surface of the support portion 243. An upper surface US connecting the upper ends of the plurality of outer surfaces may be formed obliquely to the support portion 243.

The engaging hole 124 to which the protrusion 245 including the protrusion 24a is engaged may have a shape in which the protrusion 245 can be inserted corresponding to the protrusion 245. [

The inclined outer surface OS of the inclined protruding portion 24a is engaged with the engaging hole 124 so that the photosensitive drum 22 is rotated by the rotation shaft 122 of the main body 10 The rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 22 and the rotation axis 122 of the main body 10 coincide with each other. The rotating force of the rotating shaft 122 of the main body 10 can be transmitted to the photosensitive drum 22 effectively. Then, the print quality of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

The rotation coupling member 24 having the flange portion 241, the support portion 243 and the projecting portion 245 may be formed by injection molding using resin or the like and may have a structure integrated with it. As a result, the rotational force can be transferred more stably and the manufacturing process can be simplified to reduce the manufacturing cost.

10: Body
20: Process cartridge
22: photosensitive drum
24:
245:
245a: protruding portion

Claims (3)

A rotation coupling member for a photosensitive drum, which is coupled to an end of a photosensitive drum and is rotatably coupled to a main body of the image forming apparatus,
A protruding portion including a plurality of protruding portions protruding from the support portion
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the plurality of projecting portions are spaced apart from each other and are inclined in one direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the plurality of projecting portions is formed with an inner surface rounded. A photosensitive drum assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotary coupling member for the photosensitive drum is coupled to one end of the photosensitive drum.

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