CN115079540A

CN115079540A - Driving assembly and processing box comprising same

Info

Publication number: CN115079540A
Application number: CN202210675915.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵明升; 敖仕平; 胡亮亮
Original assignee: Jiangxi Yibo Electronic Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Jiangxi Yibo Electronic Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-29
Filing date: 2017-09-29
Publication date: 2022-09-20
Also published as: CN109581846A

Abstract

A driving assembly for use in a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus having a driving head, the driving assembly comprising: a driving force receiving sleeve; a flange which can receive a driving force of the driving force receiving kit; a pawl provided in the driving force receiving kit, the pawl having an engagement tip engaged with the driving head, the engagement tip having an open position and a closed position, the pawl being engaged with the driving head and receiving a driving force of the driving head when the pawl is in the closed position; the pawl moves from an open position to a closed position and engages the drive head during installation of the drive assembly into the image forming device. The technical problems of complex structure and low universality of the driving assembly in the prior art are solved.

Description

Driving assembly and processing box comprising same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of electronic imaging, and more particularly, to a process cartridge detachably mountable in an image forming apparatus and a driving assembly provided to the process cartridge.

Background

The process cartridge is a cartridge which can be detachably loaded into a main body of an image forming apparatus, and includes at least one of a photosensitive unit including an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a charger, etc., and a developing unit including a developer, a cleaner, etc. Since the process cartridge is detachably mountable with respect to the apparatus main body, maintenance of the apparatus is facilitated. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus adopting an electrophotographic image forming method is operated as follows: an electrophotographic photosensitive member uniformly charged by a charger is selectively exposed by light of an image forming apparatus to form an electrostatic latent image, the latent image is developed with toner by a developer to form a toner image, and the formed toner image is transferred onto a recording medium by a transfer device to form an image on the recording material.

Chinese patent publication No. CN101568887A discloses an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, in which a power receiving portion of a deflectable gimbal structure is provided on the process cartridge for engaging with a driving head in the image forming apparatus to receive a driving force from the image forming apparatus, and there is a problem in that the power receiving portion in the process cartridge needs to be repeatedly pivoted when engaging with and disengaging from the driving head in the image forming apparatus, and after a long period of use, the gimbal may be unsmooth to pivot and affect the engagement of the gimbal with the driving head, and at the same time, a pivot center of the structure of the gimbal may be loosened due to excessive vibration during transportation to cause the gimbal to fail.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, some solutions have been proposed in the prior art, for example, chinese patent publication No. CN106610572A discloses a process cartridge provided with a power receiving portion engageable with a driving head in an image forming apparatus to receive a rotational driving force, the power receiving portion being movable in a direction of a rotation axis thereof, a control mechanism provided at one side end of the process cartridge to control the movement of the power receiving portion, and a holding member provided to adjust an engagement angle of the power receiving portion with the driving head so that the power receiving portion can be smoothly engaged with and disengaged from the driving head at the time of mounting and demounting of the process cartridge. This kind of process cartridge structure requires a control mechanism that controls the power receiving portion to occupy a large space on one side of the process cartridge, makes it difficult to make the size of the process cartridge smaller, and also makes the structure on the process cartridge complicated, while the control mechanism is limited to the specific structure of the image forming apparatus and also makes the process cartridge less versatile between different image forming apparatuses.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a driving assembly and a process cartridge including the same to further reduce the size of the process cartridge, to further simplify the structure of the process cartridge, and to improve the versatility of the process cartridge in different image forming apparatuses. In order to solve the technical problems, the invention is realized by the following technical scheme:

a drive assembly for use in a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus having a drive head, comprising:

a driving force receiving sleeve;

a flange which can receive a driving force of the driving force receiving kit;

a pawl provided in the driving force receiving kit, the pawl having an engagement tip engaged with the driving head,

the engaging tip has an open position and a closed position, engages with the driving head and receives a driving force of the driving head when the jaws are in the closed position;

the pawl moves from an open position to a closed position and engages the drive head during installation of the drive assembly into the image forming device.

A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus having a driving head,

the method comprises the following steps:

a driving force receiving sleeve;

a flange which can receive a driving force of the driving force receiving kit;

After the scheme is adopted, the driving assembly provided by the invention is simpler in structure, smaller in size and greatly improved in universality, and the technical problems of complex structure and low universality of the driving assembly in the prior art are solved. .

Description of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a driving side wall of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a driving assembly of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic structural view of a driving assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a process of mounting the driving unit into the image forming apparatus in the first mounting posture in the first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a process of mounting the driving unit into the image forming apparatus in the second mounting posture in the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a driving unit of the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the retaining ring of the present invention being retained by a bracket on the cartridge housing;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a driving force receiving kit for transmitting a driving force to a flange according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a driving unit of the process cartridge in the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a driving unit of a process cartridge according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a driving unit of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic view showing a process of mounting the driving unit in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge driving unit according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a partial schematic view showing a driving assembly of a process cartridge in a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a schematic view of an exploded structure at a force receiving part controlling the movement of the jaws in a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

The specific implementation mode is as follows:

in order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

First embodiment

As shown in fig. 1, a process cartridge B according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cartridge casing 1, at least one of rotary members such as a photosensitive drum or a developing roller is rotatably supported in the cartridge casing 1, and a driving unit 10 is provided at one side end of the casing 1 for receiving a driving force from an image forming apparatus and driving the rotary member such as the photosensitive drum or the developing roller to rotate.

As shown in fig. 2, a side plate 100 of the image forming apparatus a is provided with a mounting rail 101, the process cartridge B is mounted into the image forming apparatus along a mounting direction X in cooperation with the mounting rail 101, a driving head 50 providing a rotational driving force is disposed on a downstream side of the mounting rail 101 with respect to the mounting direction in which the process cartridge B is mounted into the image forming apparatus a, a pair of driving force output arms 50a are provided on the driving head 50, and the driving head 50 further has a front end cylindrical portion 50B provided at a front end of the driving head 50 adjacent to the driving force output arms 50 a.

As shown in fig. 3, which is an exploded schematic view of the driving assembly 10 of the process cartridge B according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the driving assembly 10 includes a driving force receiving sleeve 20, a flange 14, the driving force receiving sleeve 20 is operatively connected to the flange 14 and can drive the flange 14 to rotate, and the flange 14 is operatively connected to a rotating member such as a photosensitive drum or a developing roller in the process cartridge B and can drive the rotating member such as the photosensitive drum or the developing roller to rotate. The driving force receiving kit 20 includes a main body shank 12, the main body shank 12 being rotatable about an axis, and a rotational axis direction of the main body shank 12 is referred to as an axial direction of the main body shank for convenience of description. The main body shaft portion 12 has a first end connected to the flange 14 and is formed at the first end with a power transmitting portion 12c, and the main body shaft portion 12 is retained by an axial retaining member 16 after passing through the flange 14 and a flange cover 15 covering the bottom of the flange to prevent the driving force receiving sleeve member 20 from coming out of the flange 14. The axial limiting member 16 may be configured as a snap spring structure, but is not limited thereto, for example, a structure that a snap is provided on the main body rod portion 12 to cooperate with the flange cover 16 to prevent the driving force receiving member 20 from coming off, and in this embodiment, the axial limiting member 16 is specifically configured as a snap spring structure, and a snap spring groove 12d that cooperates with the snap spring may be provided on the main body rod portion 12. The power transmission portion 12c may be provided as a protruding block protruding in the radial direction of the main body shaft portion 12, but is not limited thereto, for example, a part of the main body shaft portion 12 may be formed into a D-shaped opening and also have a function of transmitting the driving force, and in this embodiment, specifically, the power transmission portion 12c is provided as a protruding block protruding in the radial direction of the main body shaft portion 12, and a transmission force receiving portion (not shown) that engages with the protruding block is provided in the flange 14. A mounting groove 12b is formed at a second end of the body shaft portion 20 opposite to the first end, a mounting hole 12a is formed at a side wall forming the mounting groove 12b, and the jaw 11 is movably mounted in the mounting groove 12b by a shaft pin 13. When the process cartridge B is mounted into the image forming apparatus a along the mounting rail 101, the above-described pawl 11 can be engaged with the driving force output arm 50a in the drive head 50 in the image forming apparatus a and can receive the rotational driving force from the drive head 50. The jaw 11 comprises a first jaw 11a and a second jaw 11b which are symmetrically arranged, a first shaft pin hole 11a3 is formed in the first jaw 11a, a second shaft pin hole 11b3 is formed in the second jaw 11b, and a shaft pin 13 penetrates through the first shaft pin hole 11a3 and the second shaft pin hole 11b3 to movably connect the first jaw 11a and the second jaw 11 b. The first and

second jaws

11a and 11b are provided to be freely rotatable about the shaft pin 13, and inward-turning prevention portions 11a5, 11b5 are provided on the first and

second jaws

11a and 11b, and the inward-turning prevention portions 11a5, 11b5 may cooperate with the body rod portion 12 to prevent the first and

second jaws

11a and 11b from being excessively turned inward, which will be described later.

Fig. 4 is a partial schematic view of the drive assembly, and fig. a and b of fig. 4 show the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b in different positions. Fig. a shows the pair of

pawls

11a and 11b in the cocked position where the engagement tips 11a4 and 11b4 of the pair of

pawls

11a and 11b, which are engaged with the pair of drive force output arms 50a of the drive head 50, are in the cocked position, that is, the pair of

pawls

11a and 11b are in the closed position. Since the first and second pawls 11a and 11B can be moved without being turned over about the pivot pin 13, there is a possibility that the first and second pawls 11a and 11B are turned excessively inward so that the pair of pawls 11a and 11B are not normally engaged with the driving head 50 during the process cartridge B is mounted in the image forming apparatus a. In order to avoid this, in the closed position of the claws shown in fig. a, the inward-turning prevention portions 11a5, 11B5 (see fig. 3) are provided in contact with the body lever portion 12 to prevent the claws 11a and 11B from turning further inward, and it is to be understood that the inward-turning prevention portions 11a5, 11B5 (see fig. 3) are not indispensable conditions and that the take-out process cartridge B can be normally mounted by turning the excessively turned claws 11a or 11B outward when the user finds that there is an abnormality in mounting the process cartridge B into the image forming apparatus a. Fig. b shows the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b in an outwardly turned position, i.e., the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b in an open position, and since the first jaw 11a and the second jaw 11b can be respectively and independently turned freely around the shaft pin 13, the open state of the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b is understood to mean that at least one of the first jaw 11a or the second jaw 11b is in a turned state, in other words, when one of the first jaw 11a and the second jaw 11b is turned, or the first jaw 11a and the second jaw 11b are simultaneously turned, which is referred to as the open state of the jaws 11. When the process cartridge B is mounted in the image forming apparatus a with the pair of pawls 11a and 11B in the closed state, the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second pawl engagement tip 11B4 are engaged with the driving force output arm 50a of the driving head 50 and receive the rotational driving force of the driving head 50, which will be described later.

As shown in fig. 4, when the pair of

claws

11a and 11b are in the closed state, a recessed opening portion 11c is formed between the first claw engaging tip 11a4 and the second claw engaging tip 11b4, and for convenience of description, a direction passing through the pair of

claws

11a and 11b in the radial direction of the body shaft portion 12 is referred to as a line direction M, a shape of the opening portion 11c in the line direction M in the radial direction of the body shaft portion 12 is restricted by the pair of

claws

11a and 11b, a shape of the opening portion 11c in a direction N at approximately 90 ° from the line direction M in the radial direction of the body shaft portion 12 is not restricted by the pair of

claws

11a and 11b, and a direction in which the opening portion 11c is not restricted by the pair of

claws

11a and 11b in the radial direction of the body shaft portion 12 is referred to as a penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11 c.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the mounting process of the process cartridge B into the image forming apparatus a with the driving force receiving member in two postures is schematically illustrated. In fig. 5, the process cartridge B is mounted into the image forming apparatus in the first mounting posture, which is a posture in which the first claw 11a or the second claw 11B faces the drive head 50, that is, a posture in which the line direction M of the claws 11a and 11B is substantially parallel to the mounting direction X of the process cartridge. In fig. 6, the process cartridge B is mounted in the image forming apparatus in a second mounting posture in which the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c formed between the first and second claws 11a and 11B faces the drive head 50, that is, a posture in which the penetrating direction of the opening portion 11c is substantially parallel to the mounting direction X of the process cartridge. The process in which the process cartridge B is mounted in the image forming apparatus a in the first mounting posture and the second mounting posture is described in detail below with reference to fig. 3, 5, and 6. As shown in fig. 3, the guides of the first and

second jaws

11a and 11b include first guides 11a1 and 11b1 and second guides 11a2 and 11b2 adjacent to the first guides 11a1 and 11b1, and the first guides 11a1 and 11b1 and the second guides 11a2 and 11b2 are used to guide the first and

second jaws

11a and 11b to move in different directions when the driving assembly 20 is engaged with the driving head 50 in different postures. The first guide portions 11a1, 11b1 serve to guide the first and

second jaws

11a, 11b to move when the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c faces the drive head 50, and the second guide portions 11a2, 11b2 serve to guide the first and

second jaws

11a, 11b to move when the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c does not face the drive head 50. The guide portions of the first and

second claws

11a and 11b are not limited to the first and second guide portions 11a1 and 11b1 and the second guide portions 11a2 and 11b2, and the guide portions may have various shapes, and in the present embodiment, the guide portions are formed in a conical mountain shape surrounded by a plurality of inclined surfaces, or may have other shapes having a guide function, such as a conical surface, as long as the guide portions have a function of moving the

guide claws

11a and 11b when the respective surfaces of the guide portions are in contact with the drive head 50.

In the present embodiment, the operator operates the first and

second pawls

11a and 11b so that the

pawls

11a and 11b are in a completely outwardly-turned position in which the

pawls

11a and 11b are in a position lower than the first and second guides 11a1, 11b1 and 11a2, 11b2 in the axial direction of the body shaft 12, in other words, at least a part of the first and second guides 11a1, 11b1 and 11a2, 11b2 protrudes further away from the flange 14 in the axial direction of the body shaft 12 than the flange 14.

Fig. 5 shows the mounting posture of the second claw 11b facing the drive head 50, the highest point of the engaging tip 11b4 of the second claw 11b is lower than the lowest point of the drive head 50 in the axial direction of the body lever portion 12, the second claw 11b smoothly passes over the drive head 50, as the process cartridge is further advanced into the image forming apparatus portion, the second guide portion 11b2 provided on the second claw 11b is brought into contact with and pressed by the leading end cylinder portion 50b of the drive head 50, the second claw 11b is moved from the outwardly turned position to the cocked position, and then the leading end cylinder portion 50b presses the guide portion of the first claw 11a so that the first claw 11a is also moved from the outwardly turned position to the cocked position, and when the process cartridge is mounted to the predetermined position, the axis of the body lever portion 12 is substantially coaxial with the axis of the drive head 50, at which time the guide portions of the claws 11a and 11b are fully pressed by the leading end cylinder portion 50b of the drive head 50, the pawls 11a and 11B are in the cocked position, the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second pawl engagement tip 11B4 will engage with the driving force output arm 50a of the driving head 50, and the driving unit 20 receives the driving force of the driving head 50 and drives the rotary members in the process cartridge B to operate.

Fig. 6 shows an installation posture in which the opening portion 11c (see fig. 4) faces the drive head 50, and since in this posture the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c formed between the

pawls

11a and 11b faces the drive head 50, that is, the

pawls

11a and 11b do not directly interfere with the front end cylindrical body 50b of the drive head 50, and the opening size of the opening portion 11c is also larger than that of the front end cylindrical body 50b, in this case, in the axial direction of the body shaft portion 12, the highest points of the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second pawl engagement tip 11b4 may be higher than the lowest point of the drive head 50, as long as the driving force output arm 50a of the drive head 50 does not interfere with the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second highest point engagement tip 11b 4. As the process cartridge is advanced into the image forming apparatus section, the first guide portions 11a1, 11B1 on the pawls 11a and 11B are brought into contact with and pressed by the leading end cylindrical portion 50B of the drive head 50, the pawls 11a and 11B are moved from the outwardly turned positions to the cocked positions, the axis of the body lever portion 12 is substantially coaxial with the axis of the drive head 50 when the process cartridge is mounted to the predetermined position, the guide portions of the pawls 11a and 11B are fully pressed by the leading end cylindrical portion 50B of the drive head 50, the pawls 11a and 11B are both in the cocked positions, the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second pawl engagement tip 11B4 are to be engaged with the driving force output arm 50a of the drive head 50, and the drive unit 20 receives the driving force of the drive head 50 and drives the respective rotary members in the process cartridge B to operate. Referring to a diagram in fig. 4, since the opening 11c has a width H in the penetrating direction N, the fact that the penetrating direction N faces the driving head 50 in fig. 6 is to be understood that the penetrating direction N of the opening 11c faces the driving head 50 in the region of the width H of the penetrating direction N, and the boundary of the width H is defined such that the penetrating direction N of the opening 11c faces the driving head 50, that is, the penetrating direction N of the opening 11c is to be understood to cover a certain angular range.

In the present embodiment, the mounting postures of the drive assembly 20 are not limited to the first mounting posture and the second mounting posture shown in fig. 5 and 6, since the guide portions of the

claws

11a and 11b can be brought into contact with the front end cylindrical portion 50b of the drive head 50 in various directions and can guide the

claws

11a and 11b to move from the outwardly turned position to the cocked position.

When the process cartridge reaches the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced with a new one, the operator only needs to draw the process cartridge outward, and the disengagement of the driving assembly 20 from the driving head 50 can be achieved by the outward turning function of the

claws

11a and 11 b.

In this embodiment, the main body rod portion 12 can be directly and fixedly mounted in the flange 14, even the main body rod portion 12 can be directly and integrally formed with the flange 14, and then the

claws

11a and 11b are mounted on the flange 14, so that the structure is simple and compact, no additional control mechanism is needed to assist in mounting the driving assembly 20 and the driving head 50, and the universality of different imaging devices is greatly improved. In addition, since the second mounting posture of the process cartridge B shown in fig. 6 is compared with the first mounting posture of the process cartridge shown in fig. 5, since the first pawl engagement tip 11a4 and the second pawl engagement tip 11B4 do not have to be lower than the lowest point of the drive head 50, the requirement for the outwardly flipped position of the pawls 11a and 11B is lower, the second mounting posture shown in fig. 6 will be more stably engaged with the drive head 50 during mounting of the process cartridge B into the image forming apparatus a than the first mounting posture shown in fig. 5 does the drive assembly 20. Further, in this embodiment, the main body rod portion 12 may be arranged to be rotatable at a certain angle relative to the flange 14, so that the operator may rotate the main body rod portion 12 to adjust the

jaws

11a and 11b to the second installation posture at each installation to install into the molding apparatus to obtain a more stable installation effect.

Second embodiment

Referring next to fig. 7 to 9, a drive assembly according to a second embodiment is explained. The structure of the drive assembly of the present embodiment further develops the structure of the first embodiment, and only the structure different from the first embodiment will be described. Elements having corresponding functions are given the same reference numerals.

The driving assembly 1001 in this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the mounting postures of the claws 11a and 11B is added, the adjusting mechanism includes a positioning ring 17 mounted in the flange 1401 and rotatable with respect to the flange 1401, an adjusting member mounting portion 17B and a positioning groove 17a are provided on the positioning ring 17, a positioning portion 31a is provided on a bracket 31 provided on the cartridge case of the process cartridge B for assisting in mounting the driving assembly 1001, and the positioning portion 31a is inserted into the positioning groove 17a for restricting the rotation of the positioning ring 17. The adjusting member 18 is mounted on the adjusting member mounting portion 17b of the positioning ring 17, and the adjusting member 18 is specifically a pair of torsion spring structures. The main body rod portion 1201 of the driving force receiving kit 2001 is provided with an adjusted portion 1201e, the cross-sectional shape of the adjusted portion 1201e is approximately elliptical, and by abutment of the adjusting member 18 with the adjusted portion 1201e, a short side portion of the elliptical cross-section of the adjusted portion 1201e is clamped in the adjusting member 18 due to elastic force action of the adjusting member 18, thus defining the installation posture of the

claws

11a and 11b by restricting the stop position of the main body rod portion 1201. The adjustment mechanism in this embodiment defines the mounting posture of the drive assembly 2001 such that the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c (see fig. 4) formed between the

claws

11a and 11b faces the drive head 50, even if the penetrating direction N of the opening portion 11c formed between the

claws

11a and 11b is always maintained at a predetermined angle with respect to the cartridge housing of the process cartridge by the adjustment mechanism.

As shown in fig. 9, which is an exploded schematic view of a driving force receiving kit 2001 and a flange 1401, a power transmission portion 1201c is provided on a main body rod portion of the driving force receiving kit, the power transmission portion 1201c protrudes outward in a radial direction of the main body rod portion, a transmission force receiving portion 1401a and a rotation gap portion 1401b are provided on the flange 1401, the power transmission portion 1201c falls into the rotation gap portion 1401b and is freely rotatable in the rotation gap portion 1401b, and when the power transmission portion 1401 c rotates to a position where the transmission force receiving portion 1401a abuts, a driving force of the driving force receiving kit 2001 can be transmitted to the flange 1401 and drives the flange 1401 to rotate. In the present embodiment, in order that the adjusting mechanism can adjust the mounting postures of the

claws

11a and 11b within a large angle, the rotation movable angle of the power transmitting portion 1201c in the rotation gap portion 1401b is set to 180 ° or more.

The adjusting mechanism in the present embodiment is only an exemplary embodiment, and it should be understood by those skilled in the art that other structures capable of achieving the adjusting function can also achieve the effect of adjusting the installation posture of the

jaws

11a and 11b in the present embodiment. For example, in the adjusting mechanisms disclosed in chinese patent publications CN205691944U, CN106773580A and CN105843008A, since the adjusting mechanism is a partial structure in the driving unit, the mounting postures of the adjusting

claws

11a and 11b in the present embodiment can also be achieved by partially using the adjusting mechanism already disclosed above, so that the penetrating direction of the opening portion 11c between the

claws

11a and 11b is at a predetermined angle with respect to the position of the cartridge housing.

Third embodiment

Referring next to fig. 10, a drive assembly according to a third embodiment is illustrated. The structure of the drive assembly of the present embodiment further develops the structure of the first embodiment, and only the structure different from the first embodiment will be described. Elements having corresponding functions are given the same reference numerals.

The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in that an elastic member 19 is provided between the flanges 14 of the driving force receiving kit 20, and in the first embodiment, the elastic member 19 is provided so that the driving force receiving kit can be moved relative to the flanges while bringing the driving force receiving kit 20 into an elastically engaged state with the driving head 50 in the image forming apparatus. The provision of the resilient member 19 therefore greatly reduces the required accuracy of fit between the drive receiving sleeve 20 and the flange 14 and the respective machining accuracy requirements, in other words can be compensated by the resilient member 19 even if there is a large error in the machining of the drive receiving sleeve 20 and the flange 14, or a large error in fit between the drive receiving sleeve 20 and the flange 14.

Fourth embodiment

Referring next to fig. 11, a drive assembly according to a fourth embodiment is illustrated. The structure of the drive assembly of the present embodiment further develops the structure of the third embodiment, and only the structure different from the first embodiment will be described. Elements having corresponding functions are given the same reference numerals.

The present embodiment differs from the third embodiment only in that an adjustment mechanism is added to adjust the installation postures of the

claws

11a and 11b, and the setting of the adjustment mechanism is the same as that in the second embodiment, and will not be described here again.

Fifth embodiment

Referring next to fig. 12 and 13, a drive assembly according to a fifth embodiment is explained. The structure of the drive assembly of the present embodiment further develops the structure of the first embodiment, and only the structure different from the first embodiment will be described. Elements having corresponding functions are given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the pawl 1101 is formed of a one-piece member, the pawl 1101 is formed of a resilient steel sheet or other material, and an arcuate deformation portion 1101b is formed between a pair of engagement tips 1101a of the pawl 1101 which engage with the output arm 50a of the driver head 50, the deformation portion 1101b being reversibly deformable into an arcuate shape having an opposite direction of curvature when an external force is applied to the deformation portion 1101 b. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the mounting of the pawl 1101, the main body shaft portion in the driving force receiving kit in the driving assembly 1004 is composed of two parts, and a click groove 12021f for clicking the side of the pawl 1101 so that the pawl is freely deformable is mounted on the main body shaft portion and an arcuate receiving portion 1202g for receiving the deformed portion 1101b of the pawl 1101 are formed in the first main body shaft portion 12021. The second body rod 12022 is symmetrically disposed, and has a corresponding engaging groove and an arcuate receiving portion. The first and second

body shaft portions

12021 and 12022 clamp the pawl 1101 and are fixed by a fastener such as a screw 41. It should be understood that the body shank portion may not be provided in two parts, and that the above-described configuration of the open-close slot and arcuate receiving portion may be provided directly on a single body shank portion to achieve the technical effect of the receiving pawl 1101 in the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 13, which is a schematic view of the process of engaging the driving unit 1004 with the driving head 50 in the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment, when the process cartridge is advanced into the image forming apparatus, first the pair of engaging tips 1101a on the pawl 1101 is in the open position, while the deformed portion 1101b of the pawl 1101 is in the shape of an upwardly projecting arcuate shape in the shape of an inverted V, and then the deformed portion 1101b of the pawl 1101 will come into contact with the driving head 50 and be pressed by the driving head 50, and the deformed portion 1101b is deformed into the arcuate shape of a V by the arcuate portion in the shape of an inverted V by the pressing of the driving head 50, while the pair of engaging tips 1101a is in the closed position and engages with the driving force output arm 50a of the driving head 50 to receive the driving force. Likewise, in order to achieve a good mounting effect, an adjusting mechanism similar to that in the second embodiment may be added to the driving assembly of the present embodiment to adjust the mounting posture of the pawl 1101.

Sixth embodiment

Referring next to fig. 14 to 16, a drive assembly according to a sixth embodiment is explained. The structure of the drive assembly of the present embodiment further develops the structure of the first embodiment, and only the structure different from the first embodiment will be described. Elements having corresponding functions are given the same reference numerals.

The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a control mechanism is added to control the turning movement of the jaws 11, and the control mechanism in this embodiment includes a first link 42, a second link 44, an elastic member 45, a flexible member 46, and a force receiving member 48 capable of receiving an external force.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, a pair of

jaws

11a and 11b are mounted on the first link 42 via pivot pins, and the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b are controlled to move between an outwardly flipped open position and an erected closed position when the first link 42 is moved in the axial direction. An elastic member 45 is provided between the first link 42 and the flange 1402 for urging the first link 42 to move outward along the axis to bring the pair of

jaws

11a and 11b into the open position. Similarly, for the convenience of installation, the first link 42 is made into two parts 42a and 42b which can be spliced, the second link 44 is connected with the first link in a relatively rotatable manner, the flexible member 46 is connected to the second link 44, and when the first link 42 rotates along with the pair of

claws

11a and 11b, the second link 44 can rotate relative to the first link 42, so that the flexible member 46 is prevented from being damaged by over-rotation. The flexible member 46 passes through the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge and is connected to a force receiving part on the process cartridge on the opposite side of the driving assembly.

As shown in fig. 16, the cartridge case 1 of the process cartridge is provided with a mounting post 1a, and the force receiving member 48 is mounted in the mounting post 1a and rotatable about the mounting post 1 a.

In the present embodiment, when the process cartridge is in a free body not mounted in the image forming apparatus, the elastic member 45 urges the first link 42 to project outward along the axis, and the

pawls

11a and 11b are in the open state. The process cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus with the

claws

11a and 11b in an open state, and after the process cartridge is mounted in a predetermined printing position, the door of the image forming apparatus is closed, the force receiving member 48 is pressed by the inner wall of the image forming apparatus or the door to rotate the force receiving member 48 about the mounting post 1a and pull the flexible member 46, and the first link 42 is pulled by the flexible member 46 to retract in the axial direction and bring the

claws

11a and 11b into a closed position to engage with the driving head 50 in the image forming apparatus. When it is necessary to take out the process cartridge, the pressing force to the force receiving member 48 is canceled, and the process cartridge can be taken out smoothly also by the action of the

claws

11a and 11b being turned outward.

The adjusting mechanism in the above embodiments of the present invention is only described as an exemplary embodiment, and it should be understood by those skilled in the art that other structures capable of realizing the adjusting function can also achieve the effect of adjusting the installation postures of the

jaws

claws

The present invention in the first and second embodiments, the connection between the main body rod portion and the flange in the driving force receiving kit in the driving assembly is set in such a manner that the main body rod portion does not move in the axial direction with respect to the flange, which makes the transmission of the driving force between the main body rod portion and the flange more stable and makes it possible to make the driving assembly smaller in the axial direction. Similarly, after limiting the axial movement between the body shaft and the flange, the corresponding jaws may be moved telescopically in the axial direction of the body shaft to engage or disengage the drive head in the image forming apparatus.

The driving assembly and the processing box provided by the invention have the advantages that the structure is simple, the size of the processing box can be smaller, the processing and manufacturing cost is obviously reduced, and the universality of the processing box is greatly improved.

The above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, but not to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drive assembly for use in a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus having a drive head,

the drive assembly includes:

a driving force receiving sleeve;

a flange which can receive a driving force of the driving force receiving kit;

wherein the first and second jaws move from an open position to a closed position and engage the drive head during installation of the drive assembly into the image forming apparatus, and wherein the first and second jaws are provided with an inward-flip prevention portion, the first and second jaws further comprising a first guide portion and a second guide portion adjacent the first guide portion, the first and second guide portions being configured to guide the first and second jaws in different directions to move when the drive assembly engages the drive head in different attitudes.

2. The drive assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving force receiving kit includes a body rod portion, the first jaw is provided with a first shaft pin hole, the second jaw is provided with a second shaft pin hole, a shaft pin penetrates the first shaft pin hole and the second shaft pin hole to movably connect the first jaw and the second jaw, the first jaw and the second jaw are disposed to be freely rotatable about the shaft pin, and an inward-turning preventing portion is provided on the first jaw and the second jaw, and the inward-turning preventing portion is engageable with the body rod portion to limit an extent to which the first jaw and the second jaw are turned inward.

3. The driving assembly according to claim 2, wherein an opening portion is formed between the first and second jaws, the first guide portion is configured to guide the first and second jaws to move when a penetrating direction of the opening portion is parallel to the mounting direction of the process cartridge, and the second guide portion is configured to guide the first and second jaws to move when the penetrating direction of the opening portion is perpendicular to the mounting direction of the process cartridge.

4. The drive assembly of claim 2, wherein the first and second jaws are positioned lower than the first and second guides in an axial direction of the body shaft when the first and second jaws are in a fully outwardly flipped position.

5. A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus having a driving head,

the method comprises the following steps:

a driving force receiving sleeve;

a flange which can receive a driving force of the driving force receiving kit;

6. A process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said driving force receiving kit includes a main body lever portion, said first claw is provided with a first shaft pin hole, said second catch is provided with a second shaft pin hole, a shaft pin passes through said first shaft pin hole and said second shaft pin hole to movably connect said first claw and said second claw, said first claw and said second claw are disposed to be freely rotatable about said shaft pin, and said first claw and said second claw are provided with an inward-turning prevention portion engageable with said main body lever portion to limit an extent to which said first claw and said second claw are turned inward.

7. A process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein an opening portion is formed between said first and second pawls, said first guide portion is adapted to guide movement of said first and second pawls when a penetrating direction of said opening portion is parallel to a mounting direction of said process cartridge, and said second guide portion is adapted to guide movement of said first and second pawls when the penetrating direction of said opening portion is perpendicular to the mounting direction of said process cartridge.

8. A process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein when said first claw and said second claw are in the completely outwardly turned position, said first claw and said second claw are in a position lower than said first guide portion and said second guide portion in an axial direction of said main body lever portion.