CN109031906B

CN109031906B - Developing box

Info

Publication number: CN109031906B
Application number: CN201810855509.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 闻艺俊
Original assignee: Zhuhai Tuojia Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhuhai Tuojia Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-31
Filing date: 2018-07-31
Publication date: 2021-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-31
Also published as: CN109031906A

Abstract

The invention relates to a developing box, which comprises a developing box shell, a power transmission device positioned at one tail end of the developing box shell, wherein the power transmission device comprises a power receiving part used for receiving driving force from the outside, and the power transmission device also comprises a first control mechanism and a second control mechanism which are both combined with the power receiving part, wherein the first control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving part to do curvilinear motion relative to the developing box shell, and the second control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving part to do telescopic motion relative to the developing box shell.

Description

Developing box

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of electrophotographic image forming, and more particularly, to a developing cartridge detachably mountable in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Background

Existing electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, such as laser printers, copiers, and the like, are commonly used, and generally, laser printers are classified into laser black printers in which one developing cartridge containing a black developer therein is detachably mounted and laser color printers in which four developing cartridges containing four color developers, respectively, are detachably mounted.

As is known, electrophotographic image forming is a process of supplying a developer to a photosensitive member formed with an electrostatic latent image using a rotary member mounted in a developing cartridge, developing the electrostatic latent image using the developer, and transferring the developed electrostatic latent image to an image forming medium; the driving force required for the rotation of the rotary member mounted in the developing cartridge is from the printer, and for the laser black printer, a power output member and a power receiving member are respectively arranged on the printer and the developing cartridge, and the power receiving member is combined with the power output member and receives the driving force from the power output member to drive the rotary member to rotate when the printer is operated; in the case of a laser color printer, since four developing cartridges each provided with a power receiving element are installed in the printer, it is preferable that only one power output element be provided in the laser color printer, and the developing cartridges each provided with the power receiving element be rotated about a central shaft, and the power receiving element be sequentially engaged with and disengaged from the power output element during rotation of the developing cartridges, from the viewpoint of cost reduction.

The power receiving element receiving the driving force from the power output element when the power receiving element is coupled with the power output element, and the power receiving element not receiving the driving force from the power output element when the power receiving element is decoupled from the power output element; therefore, the pto needs to be continuously engaged and disengaged from the pto in the developer cartridge during operation of the printer.

The conventional power receiving part is mounted on a developing box in a universal joint mode, in order to ensure that the power receiving part can be accurately combined with a power output part, the conventional developing box is also provided with a torsion spring which pushes the power receiving part to the direction of the power output part, the power receiving part and the power output part need to be combined and separated for thousands of times in the whole life cycle of the developing box, after high-frequency work, the torsion spring can loose, the power receiving part can be forced by the torsion spring to be out of position, and the combination and the separation of the power receiving part and the power output part are unsmooth.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a developing box, wherein a power receiving part in the developing box is not forced to be pushed by a torsion spring any more, the power receiving part moves along the rotation axis of the power receiving part in the direction away from a power output part along the movement of the developing box in the working process of a printer, and after the developing box rotates to a preset position, the power receiving part is combined with the power output part.

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

the developing box comprises a developing box shell and a power transmission device positioned at one tail end of the developing box shell, wherein the power transmission device comprises a power receiving part used for receiving driving force from the outside, the power transmission device also comprises a first control mechanism and a second control mechanism which are both combined with the power receiving part, the first control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving part to do curvilinear motion relative to the developing box shell, and the second control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving part to do telescopic motion relative to the developing box shell.

The developing cartridge is detachably mountable in the image forming apparatus, and is rotatable in a circular motion within the image forming apparatus in a state in which the developing cartridge is mounted, and a motion locus of the power receiving member coincides with a rotation locus of the developing cartridge as viewed along a rotation axis of the power receiving member.

The power receiver is movable in a direction toward and away from the developer cartridge housing under control of the second control mechanism.

The power receiver moves both curvilinearly and telescopically relative to the developer cartridge housing.

The developing box also comprises an end cover and a protecting cover which are positioned at one tail end of the developing box shell, the end cover is connected with the developing box shell and used for supporting the power transmission device, the protecting cover is positioned at the outermost side of the developing box and used for protecting the power transmission device, and the protecting cover is farther away from the developing box shell than the end cover.

The protecting cover comprises a body, a through hole arranged on the body, and an inlet and an outlet which are arranged on the body and adjacent to the through hole.

The inlet and the outlet are located downstream and upstream of the through hole, respectively, in the rotational direction of the developing cartridge.

The first control mechanism includes a coupling member coupled with the power receiving member and a guide member guiding the coupling member.

The second control mechanism includes a slider engaged with the power receiver and an elastic member located between the developing cartridge housing.

The elastic piece is a conical compression spring.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the overall structure of a developing cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the overall movement locus of the developing cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the power transmission device according to the present invention, and the developing cartridge end cap and the protective cover.

Fig. 4A is a side view of the power receiving element according to the present invention.

Fig. 4B is an overall structural schematic view of another power receiving element according to the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a schematic view of the overall structure of the coupling member according to the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a top view of the coupling member according to the present invention.

Fig. 6A is a schematic view of the entire structure of the drive gear according to the present invention.

Fig. 6B is a schematic view of another angle of the drive gear according to the present invention.

Figure 7A is a schematic view of the overall structure of a protective cover according to the present invention.

Figure 7B is a general schematic view of another angle of a protective cover according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the overall structure of the end cap according to the present invention.

Fig. 9A is a schematic view of a state where the power receiving element is moved in a direction close to the power output element as viewed in the rotational axis direction of the power receiving element.

Fig. 9B is a perspective view of the power receiving element moving in a direction approaching the power output element as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover.

Fig. 10A is a schematic view of a state where the power receiving element is coupled with the power output element as viewed in the rotational axis direction of the power receiving element.

Fig. 10B is a perspective view of the power receiving element coupled with the power output element as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover.

Fig. 11A is a schematic view of the state where the power receiving element is disengaged from the power output element as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis of the power receiving element.

Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the power receiving element disengaged from the power output element as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover.

Fig. 12A is a positional relationship diagram between the inside of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention.

Fig. 12B is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the tip end of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention.

Fig. 12C is a positional relationship diagram between the outside of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention.

Detailed Description

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

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the overall structure of a developing cartridge according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic view of the overall movement locus of the developing cartridge according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the developing cartridge D includes a developing cartridge housing 10, an end cap 11 at one end of the developing cartridge housing 10, a protective cover 12, and a power transmission device 20; the developing cartridge housing 10 contains developer required for development, the developer is supplied outwards by a rotating member rotatably mounted in the developing cartridge housing 10, the power transmission device 20 is used for receiving driving force from the outside to drive the rotating member to rotate, the end cover 11 is connected with the developing cartridge housing 10 and used for supporting the power transmission device 20 or the rotating member, the protective cover 12 is positioned at the outermost side of the developing cartridge D and used for protecting the power transmission device 20, therefore, the end cover 11, the protective cover 12 and the power transmission device 20 are positioned at the same side of the developing cartridge housing 10, and a part of the power transmission device 20 is positioned between the developing cartridge housing 10 and the protective cover 12; as shown, the protective cover 12 is located farther from the developing cartridge housing 10 than the end cap 11; when the end cap 11 supports only the rotary member, the power transmission device 20 may be directly supported by the developing cartridge housing 10, or may be supported on the developing cartridge housing 10 through the end cap 11.

As shown in fig. 2, the power output member 30 is provided at a fixed position of the image forming apparatus, the developing cartridge D is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus, the developing cartridge D is rotatable in the image forming apparatus in a circular motion in a direction indicated by r about a point C on a central axis of the image forming apparatus as a center of the circle in a state where the developing cartridge D is mounted, and the power transmission device 20 is engaged with and disengaged from the power output member 30 with the rotation of the developing cartridge D. The power take-off 30 has a rotation axis L3, and includes a rotation shaft 31 and a power take-off lever 32 provided on the rotation shaft 31, the power take-off lever 32 being coupled to the power transmission device 20, the power take-off lever 32 transmitting a driving force to the power transmission device 20 with rotation of the rotation shaft 31.

[ Power Transmission device ]

As shown in fig. 3, the power transmission device 20 has a rotation axis L2, and includes the power receiving element 21, a first control mechanism and a second control mechanism, wherein the first control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving element 21 to make a curve motion relative to the developing cartridge housing 10, and the second control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving element 21 to make a telescopic motion relative to the developing cartridge housing 10 during the process of engaging and disengaging the power receiving element 21 with the power output element 30; the power receiver 21 has a rotation axis L21 for coupling with the power output element 30, the power receiver 21 receives the driving force output from the power output element 30 when the power receiver 21 is coupled with the power output element 30, and the rotation axis L21 is coaxial with the rotation axis L2; the power transmission device 20 rotates along with the rotation of the developing cartridge D, the first control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving piece 21 to make curvilinear motion relative to the developing cartridge shell 10, and when the developing cartridge D rotates, the motion track of the power receiving piece 21 is overlapped with the rotation track of the developing cartridge D as viewed along the rotation axis L21 of the power receiving piece 21; the second control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving element 21 to make telescopic movement relative to the developing cartridge housing 10, that is, under the control of the second control mechanism, the power receiving element 21 can move towards the developing cartridge housing 10 and away from the developing cartridge housing 10, and the power receiving element 21 makes telescopic movement relative to the developing cartridge housing 10 while making curvilinear movement relative to the developing cartridge housing 10.

The first control mechanism and the second control mechanism (collectively referred to as "control mechanism") are coupled to the power receiving member 21 in at least one of a mechanical coupling, a magnetic coupling, and an electromechanical coupling.

The first control mechanism includes a coupling member 22 coupled to the power receiving member 21 and a guide member for guiding the coupling member 22, when the power receiving member 21 is acted by an external force, the power receiving member 21 forces the coupling member 22 to be guided by the guide member, and the coupling member 22 drives the power receiving member 21 to make a curved movement relative to the developing cartridge casing 10 by the guide member.

The second control mechanism includes a slider 23 combined with the power receiving member 21 and an elastic member 24 between the power receiving member 21 and the developing cartridge housing 10, and as shown in fig. 3, preferably, the elastic member 24 is a conical compression spring, and more preferably, the elastic member 24 is a compression spring, and is installed between the end cap 11 and the slider 23, and the conical compression spring 24 can support the slider 23 or the power receiving member 21 more stably when the slider 23 slides. Further, the sliding member 23 is configured as a cross-link coupling, and when the sliding member 23 is coupled to the power receiving member 21, the power receiving member 21 is movable in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis L21.

As further shown in fig. 3, the power transmission device 20 further includes a driving gear 25 for receiving and transmitting the driving force, and the driving gear 25 is coupled to at least one of the power receiving member 21 and the slider 23 for receiving the driving force transmitted from the power receiving member 21 and transmitting the driving force.

FIG. 4A is a side view of a power receiving element according to the present invention; FIG. 4B is a schematic view of the overall construction of another power receiving element contemplated by the present invention; FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the overall structure of the bonding element according to the present invention; FIG. 5B is a top view of a coupling member according to the present invention; fig. 6A is a schematic view of the overall structure of a drive gear according to the present invention; fig. 6B is a schematic view of another angle of the drive gear according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, 4A and 4B, the power receiving member 21 includes a rod-shaped body 211, a power receiving claw 212 at one end of the rod-shaped body 211, the power receiving claw 212 extending from the one end of the rod-shaped body 211 in a direction away from the rod-shaped body 211 along the rotation axis L21 of the power receiving member 21, and preferably, the power receiving claw 212 is provided in two oppositely disposed states, as shown in the figure, the power receiving claw 212 has opposite inner and outer surfaces 212a and 212B and a power receiving claw top surface 214 intersecting with the rotation axis L21, wherein the inner surface 212a faces the rotation axis L21 and the outer surface 212B faces away from the rotation axis L21, that is, the inner surface 212a is closer to the rotation axis L21 than the outer surface 212B; the power receiving claw top surface 214 is located at the end of the power receiving member 21 in the rotation direction of the power receiving member 21 itself, and the two power receiving claws 212 form a space S therebetween, and the power output shaft 32 is engaged with the power receiving claw 212 when the power transmission device 20 is engaged with the power output member 30.

From the viewpoint of reducing the difficulty of assembling the power transmission device 20 and the manufacturing process of the power receiving member 21, it is preferable that the power receiving member 21 further includes a coupling portion 215 for coupling with the coupling member 22 when the power receiving member 21 is subjected to the external force, for example, the coupling portion 215 is a protrusion protruding in a direction away from the rotation axis L21 along the outer surface of the rod-shaped body 211, and the coupling portion 215 may be a groove provided on the rod-shaped body 211 in which a snap spring is snapped.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the coupler 22 includes a moving body 221, a through hole 222 penetrating the moving body 221, and a guide portion 223 provided on the moving body 221, the power receiving part 21 penetrates the through hole 222, specifically, the rod-shaped body 211 penetrates the through hole 222, the guide portion 223 is for coupling with a guide, as shown, the guide portion 223 is a guide groove provided on the moving body 221, and the guide is a guide protrusion 126 coupled with the guide groove 223 (as shown in fig. 7A and 7B).

Returning to fig. 3, the slider 23 includes a slider 231 and a support rod 232 which are loosely fitted, the slider 231 being slidable along the support rod 232, as shown, along the rotation axis L2, the slider 231 having a top surface 234 and a bottom surface 235, the top surface 234 facing the power receiving member 21 and the bottom surface 235 facing away from the power receiving member 21.

As described above, the slider 23 is constructed as the oldham coupling structure, and thus, the slider 231 is further provided with one of the slider groove 233 and the slider protrusion 213, and preferably, the slider groove 233 is provided on the slider 231, and as shown in the drawing, the slider groove 233 is formed to penetrate the slider 231 in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L2, and the slider groove 233 is recessed from the top surface 234 into the slider 231 along the rotation axis L2, and more preferably, the slider groove 233 is formed as a dovetail groove; the sliding protrusion 213 is formed in a shape matching the sliding groove 233 and the sliding protrusion 213 is combined with the power receiving part 21, and preferably, the sliding protrusion 213 is formed integrally with the rod-shaped body 211, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, and the sliding protrusion 213 and the power receiving pawl 212 are respectively located at both distal ends of the rod-shaped body 211.

In order to fix the conical compression spring 24, the slider 23 further includes a fixing portion 236 provided on the bottom surface 235, as shown in fig. 3, the fixing portion 236 is a projection projecting from the bottom surface 235 along the rotation axis L21 away from the slider 231, and a small diameter portion of the conical compression spring 24 is engaged with the projection 236, whereby the conical compression spring 24 is fixed.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the driving gear 25 includes a cylinder 251, a cavity 252 defined by the cylinder 251, first and second driving

teeth

253 and 254 on the outer surface of the cylinder 251, and a power receiving portion 258 provided on the inner surface of the cylinder 251, so that the power receiving portion 258 is located in the cavity 252, and preferably, the power receiving portion 258 is a protrusion extending from the inner surface of the cylinder 251 into the cavity 252 and has a power receiving surface 255 for coupling with the supporting rod 232; as shown in the drawings, the cylinder 251 has opposite upper and lower openings, that is, the cavity 252 communicates with the outside, and the power receiving portion 258 is circumferentially disposed on the inner surface of the cylinder 251, and in order to prevent the support rod 232 from being removed from the cavity 252, the drive gear 25 further includes a movable groove 256 provided on the power receiving portion 258, and a portion of the support rod 232 is located in the movable groove 256.

Further, the first drive tooth 253 and the second drive tooth 254 have different diameters, wherein the diameter of the first drive tooth 253 is larger than the diameter of the second drive tooth 254, and the power receiving portion 258 has a lower surface 257, as shown in fig. 6B, and the lower surface 257 is disposed adjacent to the second drive tooth 254.

[ protective cover ]

FIG. 7A is a schematic view of the overall construction of a protective cover according to the present invention; figure 7B is a general schematic view of another angle of a protective cover according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the protective cover 12 is rotatable with the developing cartridge housing 10 in a direction indicated by r, and includes a body 121, a through hole 122 provided on the body 121, and an inlet 123 and an outlet 124 provided on the body 121 adjacent to the through hole 122; the power transmission device 21 passes through the through hole 122, and the inlet 123 and the outlet 124 are located downstream and upstream of the through hole 122 in the rotational direction r, respectively, and due to the provision of the inlet 123 and the outlet 124, when the protective cover 12 rotates in the direction indicated by r with the cartridge case 10, the pto 30 can be engaged with and disengaged from the power receiving member 21 without being hindered by the protective cover 12, that is, the protective cover 12 does not interfere with the pto 30 in the rotational trajectory of the protective cover 12.

As described above, the guide 126 serves to guide the engaging member 22 during the rotation of the developing cartridge housing 10, thereby ensuring the movement locus of the power receiving member 21 to be stable; in the embodiment of the present invention in which the guide member 126 is fixed to the protective cover 12, preferably, the guide member 126 is fixed in the through hole 122, more preferably, the guide member 126 is fixed in the through hole 122 by the fixing portion 128, as shown in fig. 7B, the fixing portion 128 may be regarded as a projection radially inward from the inner surface of the through hole 122 and has a radial end surface 125 from which the guide member 126 projects further inward; the radial distal end surface 125 is preferably curved to accommodate the circumferential movement of the developing cartridge D, while the guide piece (guide projection) 126 is non-linear as a whole, as shown in fig. 7B, in which the guide piece 126 is twisted as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis L2, and the direction of twist of the guide piece 126 is opposite to the rotation direction r, in order to ensure the curved movement of the power receiving piece 21, more specifically, the rotation of the power receiving piece 21 about the point C along with the developing cartridge casing 10, thereby preventing the interference of the power receiving piece 21 with the protective cover 12 during the movement.

As further shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the guide 126 has a first end 126a and a second end 126B, the first end 126a is located downstream of the second end 126B in the rotational direction r, the first end 126a is farther from the cartridge housing 10 than the second end 126B, and the first end 126a is closer to the inlet 123 than the second end 126b, in other words, the second end 126b is closer to the outlet 124 than the first end 126a, and, thus, the coupling 22 is slidable from the first end 126a to the second end 126b by the guide of the guide 126, and the power receiving member 21 is moved simultaneously in the directions indicated by the arrows d1 and d2 in fig. 7A, that is, the power receiving member 21 is moved closer to the developing cartridge casing 10 in the direction of the rotational axis L2 in the direction indicated by d1, also moves away from the cartridge casing 10 in the direction indicated by d2 in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis L2; in order to prevent the engaging member 22 from falling off the guide 126, in the embodiment of the present invention, the developing cartridge D further includes the restriction member 127 disposed adjacent to the second distal end 126b of the guide.

[ end caps ]

As shown in the figure, the end cap 11 includes an end cap body 110 combined with the developing cartridge housing 10, a first cylinder 111 and a second cylinder 112 coaxially protruding from the end cap body 110, wherein the first cylinder 111 and the end cap body 115 enclose to form an accommodating cavity 116, the second cylinder 112, the first cylinder 111 and the end cap body 115 enclose to form an annular cavity 113, a large diameter portion of the compression spring 24 is accommodated by the accommodating cavity 116, a lower surface 257 abuts against a distal end surface 114 of the first cylinder 111, and the cylinder 251 enters the annular cavity 116; further, to ensure that the driving force of the driving gear 25 is transmitted, the second cylinder 112 is provided with a notch 115, that is, the annular chamber 113 communicates with the outside through the notch 115 in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 112.

[ engagement and disengagement of Power Transmission device with Power output Member ]

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of the state where the power receiving element is moved in a direction close to the power output element as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis of the power receiving element; fig. 9B is a perspective view of the power receiving member moving in a direction approaching the power output member as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover; FIG. 10A is a schematic view of the state where the power receiving element is coupled to the power output element as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis of the power receiving element; fig. 10B is a perspective view of the power receiving element coupled with the power output element, as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover; FIG. 11A is a schematic view of the state where the power receiving element is disengaged from the power output element as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis of the power receiving element; fig. 11B is a perspective view of the power receiving element disengaged from the power output element as viewed from the outlet of the protective cover.

As shown in fig. 9A and 9B, the power receiving element 21 is located at a first position relative to the power output element 30, in which the power receiving element 21 is not coupled to the power output element 30 with the rotational axes L2 and L3 thereof parallel to each other, and the rotational axis L2 is located upstream of the rotational axis L3 in the rotational direction r.

As the power transmission device 20 rotates in the direction indicated by r as the developing cartridge casing 10 rotates, the power transmission device 20 gradually approaches the power output member 30, and as shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the power receiving member 21 gradually engages with the power output member 30, and two cases may occur during the engagement of the two:

in the first case, the arc line of the rotational direction r passes through the space S, the power receiving element 21 can be smoothly coupled with the power output element 30;

in the second case, the arc in which the rotational direction r does not pass through the space S, the power receiving pawl 212 interferes with the coupling of the power receiving member 21 and the power output member 30.

When the second condition occurs, the power receiving element 21 receives the force from the power output element 30, and the force forces the power receiving element 21 to move toward the developing cartridge casing 10 with the further rotation of the developing cartridge D, and at the same time, the power receiving element 21 drives the engaging element 22 to be guided by the guiding element 126, the engaging element 22 starts to move from the first end 126a to the second end 126b of the guiding element 126, and the moving track of the engaging element 22 is a twisted curve due to the twisting shape of the guiding element 126, and further, the engaging element 22 forces the power receiving element 21 to move in a curve while approaching the developing cartridge casing 10.

When the power receiving pawl 212 no longer interferes with the power output element 30 as the cartridge D rotates, the power receiving element 21 completes engagement with the power output element 30, as shown in fig. 10B, the rotational axis L21 of the power receiving element 21 is collinear with the rotational axis L3 of the power output element 30, and the power receiving element 21 is in the second position with respect to the power output element 30; thus, during the movement of the power receiving element 21 from the first position to the second position, the power receiving element 21 makes a curvilinear movement under the action of the first control mechanism, and the direction of the curvilinear movement of the power receiving element 21 is opposite to the rotation direction of the developing cartridge D.

As described above, the sliding member 23 is constructed as the oldham coupling, and the power receiving member 21 coupled with the sliding member 23 can move in the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis L2, so that the movement of the power receiving member 21 can be always performed by the sliding member 23 regardless of the curved movement of the power receiving member 21. In the second case, after the power receiving element 21 receives the force from the power output element 30, the power receiving element 21 gradually approaches the outlet 124 in the rotating direction r under the guiding action of the guiding element 126, and at the same time, the compression spring 24 is forced to be compressed by the movement of the power receiving element 21 approaching the developing cartridge housing 10.

As shown in fig. 11A and 11B, the power receiving element 21 is in a third position relative to the power output element 30, in which the power receiving element 21 is disengaged from the power output element 30. During the process of gradually disengaging the power receiving element 21 from the power output element 30, the power receiving element 21 gradually no longer receives the acting force from the power output element 30, and under the elastic resetting force of the compression spring 24, the power receiving element 21 drives the engaging element 22 to gradually reset under the guiding action of the guiding element 126, so that during the process of moving the power receiving element 21 from the second position to the third position, the power receiving element 21 makes a curve motion under the action of the first control mechanism, and the direction of the curve motion of the power receiving element 21 is the same as the rotating direction of the developing cartridge D; when the power receiver 21 is completely disengaged from the power output element 30, as shown in fig. 11B, the power output element 30 moves to the outlet 124, and the rotation axis L21 is located downstream of the rotation axis L3 along the rotation axis r.

As a variation of the embodiment of the present invention, the guide (guide protrusion) 126 and the guide groove 223 may be interchanged, that is, the guide groove 223 is disposed on the fixing portion 128 and the guide 126 is disposed on the coupler 22.

[ shape of Power receiving claw ]

Fig. 12A is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the inside of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention; fig. 12B is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the tip end of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention; fig. 12C is a positional relationship diagram between the outside of the power receiving pawl and the power output member in the power receiving member relating to the present invention.

As described above, the power receiving pawl 212 has opposing inner and

outer surfaces

212a, 212b, and as shown in fig. 4A, both the inner and

outer surfaces

212a, 212b are curved and have inner and outer vertices P1, P2, respectively, the inner vertex P1 being the point on the inner surface 212a closest to the axis of rotation L21 and the outer vertex P2 being the point on the outer surface 212b furthest from the axis of rotation L21, such that the inner vertex P1 is closer to the axis of rotation L21 than the outer vertex P2, and in the present embodiment, the inner and outer vertices P1, P2 are at different distances from the rod 211 along the axis of rotation L21, and as shown, the inner vertex P1 is farther from the rod 211 than the outer vertex P2, or the inner vertex P1 is closer to the top surface 214 of the power receiving pawl than the outer vertex P2.

As shown in fig. 12A, the rotary shaft 31 includes a first portion 31a and a second portion 31b integrally formed, the first portion 31a having a diameter larger than that of the second portion 31b, and having an outermost point P3 farthest from the rotary axis L3 on an intersection of the first portion 31a and the second portion 31 b. When the power receiver 21 is coupled to the power output element 31, the outermost point P3 is farther from the rod-shaped body 211 than the inner apex point P1 along the rotation axis L3, and as shown in fig. 12B, the power receiving pawl top face 214 does not exceed the power output lever 32 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L21, and preferably, the power receiving pawl top face 214 is flush with the power output lever 32.

When the power receiving element 21 needs to be disengaged from the power output element 30, the power receiving element 30 more easily applies a force to the power receiving element 21 that forces the power receiving element 21 away from the power output element 30, i.e., the power receiving element 21 moves in a direction closer to the cartridge housing 10, and thus, the power receiving element 21 is more easily disengaged from the power output element 30.

The outermost point P3 is further away from the rod-shaped body 211 than the outer vertex P2 along the rotation axis L3, and thus the positional relationship of the outermost point P3, the inner vertex P2, and the outer vertex P3 described above can be summarized as: the outermost point P3 is farther from the rod-shaped body 211 than either of the inner apex P1 and the outer apex P2 along the rotation axis L3/L21; as shown in fig. 12C, when the power receiver 21 gets closer to the power output element 30, the power output element 30 more easily applies a force to the power receiver 21 to force the power receiver 21 away from the power output element 30, i.e., the power receiver 21 moves in a direction closer to the developing cartridge casing 10, and thus, the power receiving claw 212 less interferes with the power output element 30 during the coupling of the power receiver 21 with the power output element 30, which is more advantageous for the faster coupling of the power receiver 21 with the power output element 30.

Claims

1. A developing cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, the developing cartridge being rotatable in a circular motion in the image forming apparatus in a state in which the developing cartridge is mounted, the developing cartridge including a developing cartridge housing, a power transmission device at one end of the developing cartridge housing, the power transmission device including a power receiving member for receiving a driving force from an outside, characterized in that,

the power transmission device further includes a first control mechanism and a second control mechanism both combined with the power receiving member,

wherein the first control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving piece to do curvilinear motion relative to the developing box shell,

the second control mechanism is used for controlling the power receiving piece to do telescopic movement relative to the developing box shell;

the locus of motion of the power receiver coincides with the locus of rotation of the developer cartridge, as viewed along the rotational axis of the power receiver.

2. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the power receiver is movable in a direction toward and away from the cartridge housing under control of the second control mechanism.

3. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the power receiver moves both curvilinearly and telescopically relative to the cartridge housing.

4. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising an end cap and a protective cover at one end of the developing cartridge housing, the end cap being connected to the developing cartridge housing for supporting the power transmission device, the protective cover being located at an outermost side of the developing cartridge for protecting the power transmission device, the protective cover being farther from the developing cartridge housing than the end cap.

5. A developing cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the protective cover includes a body, a through hole provided on the body, and an inlet and an outlet provided on the body adjacent to the through hole.

6. A developing cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the inlet and the outlet are located downstream and upstream of the through hole, respectively, in a rotational direction of the developing cartridge.

7. A developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first control mechanism includes a engaging member which engages with the power receiving member and a guide member which guides the engaging member.

8. A cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the second control mechanism includes a slide member engaged with the power receiving member and an elastic member located between the cartridge housing.

9. A developing cartridge according to claim 8, wherein said elastic member is a tapered compression spring.