CN214042016U - Counting device and developing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a counting assembly and have this counting assembly's development box, counting assembly is used for installing a vertical end at the development box, and counting assembly is including the counting member that is used for the count and being used for driving the rotatory application of force piece of counting member, and counting assembly before beginning work, under the exogenic action, application of force piece takes place elastic deformation and produces the elasticity power that resets, elasticity resets power drive counting member work, no longer through gear transmission drive power between each part among this counting assembly, not only can reduce each part required precision of counting assembly, still can effectively prevent the problem of counting assembly count failure.

Description

Counting device and developing cartridge

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a counting assembly that is arranged in developing box and is used for the developing box of electron photographic image forming apparatus.

Background

The developing box is one of the commonly used office supplies, and is detachably used in the laser printer, and when the toner contained in the developing box is consumed, a user needs to replace a new developing box, and the laser printer can continue to work.

In order to remind a user to replace the developing box in time, the conventional developing box is provided with a counting device, so that the laser printer can sense the service life of the carbon powder in the developing box and the consumed amount of the carbon powder. In a conventional counting device, a driving force is generally transmitted to a counting member by a gear transmission mode, when counting is completed, gears are disengaged, the transmission of the driving force is interrupted, and the rotation of the counting member is stopped.

Therefore, in the conventional counting device, in order to realize that the counting part rotates during counting and stops rotating after counting is finished, the matching precision requirement between the gears is high, and in the transportation process of the developing box, once the counting device is influenced by external force, the gears of the counting part and the gears for driving the counting part are possibly changed into mutual engagement from non-engagement, so that the counting failure of the developing box is caused when the developing box is actually used.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a counting assembly and developing box, no longer through gear transmission drive power between each part among this counting assembly, when reducing each parts required precision of counting assembly, still can prevent effectively that counting assembly from receiving uncertain external force and influencing, lead to the problem of count failure, it is concrete, the utility model discloses a following technical scheme:

the utility model relates to a counting assembly for install at a vertical end of developing box, counting assembly is including the counting member that is used for the count and being used for driving the rotatory application of force spare of counting member, and before counting assembly began to work, under the exogenic action, application of force spare takes place elastic deformation and produces elasticity power that resets, elasticity power drive counting member work that resets.

Furthermore, the counting device also comprises a control component for controlling the rotation speed of the counting component, and the rotation motion of the counting component in the counting process is alternately carried out between rotation and static under the control of the control component; before the counting device starts to work, the counting piece is locked by the control assembly and is kept static, when the counting device starts to work, the control assembly is driven by the driving component in the developing box to release the locking of the counting piece, and the counting piece starts to rotate; in the unlocking process, the counting piece is driven by the control assembly to rotate by a first angle, after the counting piece is unlocked, the counting piece is driven by the elastic resetting force of the force application piece to rotate by a second angle, and the directions of the first angle and the second angle are opposite.

The counting device further comprises a middle piece combined with the counting piece, the control component controls the counting piece through controlling the middle piece in the counting process, and the middle piece is not controlled by the control component any more after counting is finished.

The middle piece comprises a cylinder, a plurality of bulges and a vacant part, the bulges and the vacant part are arranged on the circumferential surface of the cylinder, the vacant part is not provided with the bulges, the bulges are combined with the control assembly in the counting process, and the vacant part is opposite to the control assembly when the counting is finished; along the circumference of cylinder, a plurality of projections interval are arranged, and two tip of every projection all are different from the rotation axis distance of middleware, and the tip far away from rotation axis distance forms the stress surface, and control assembly combines with the stress surface.

The cylinder and the plurality of protrusions collectively form a ratchet-like body of revolution, as a whole.

Preferably, the urging member is a coil spring having one end coupled to the counting member and the other end coupled to an end cap of the developing cartridge on the side of the counting means.

The utility model discloses in, counting assembly still includes electrically conductive piece, the one end and the count piece butt of electrically conductive piece for in with count piece from outside received power transmission to developing box, and count piece, middleware, application of force piece and the coaxial setting of electrically conductive piece.

The control assembly comprises a base, a locking piece and an urging piece, wherein the locking piece is rotatably arranged on the base, the urging piece is combined with the locking piece, the locking piece is used for locking the counting piece to be kept in a static state, and the urging piece is used for urging the locking piece to be reset; when the counting device works, the locking piece is driven by the driving component in the developing box to release the locking of the counting piece.

Specifically, the locking member comprises a rotating part with a through hole, and a force receiving part and an acting part which are connected with the rotating part, wherein the force receiving part is used for receiving the driving force of the driving part in the developing box, and the acting part is used for keeping the counting member in a static state; the base part comprises a base platform, a shaft extending from the base platform and a limiting part arranged at the tail end of the shaft, the locking piece and the forced pushing piece are sleeved on the shaft, one end of the forced pushing piece is abutted against the rotating part, and the other end of the forced pushing piece is abutted against the limiting part; the base station is provided with a bottom surface, a rising surface and a holding surface, a limiting surface is further arranged adjacent to the bottom surface, the locking piece further comprises a guiding block arranged on the rotating portion, before the counting device starts counting, the guiding block is limited by the limiting surface to enable the locking piece to lock the counting piece, and when the stress portion receives the driving force of the driving component in the developing box, the guiding block is guided by the rising surface, and meanwhile the pushing piece is forced to be compressed.

The utility model relates to a developing box, detachably install in being provided with the printer by the count piece, this developing box includes the casing and as above counting assembly, counting assembly is located a vertical end of casing, the count piece be used for with by the cooperation of count piece for developing box is discerned by the printer.

As mentioned above, the driving force is not transmitted between each component in the counting device through the gear, so that the precision requirement of each component of the counting device can be reduced, and the problem of counting failure of the counting device can be effectively prevented.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a developing cartridge according to the present invention as viewed from a drive end.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the developing cartridge according to the present invention as viewed from the conductive end.

Fig. 3A is an exploded schematic view of the counting device in the developing cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a perspective view of an intermediate member in the counting device according to the present invention.

Fig. 3C and 3D are perspective views of the restricting member of the counting device according to the present invention.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in the initial state of the counting device according to the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a plan view of the relative positional relationship between the respective members of the counting device according to the present invention in the initial state, as viewed from the developing cartridge housing outward along the rotational axis of the counting member.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members of the counting device according to the present invention during movement.

Fig. 5B is a plan view of the relative positional relationship between the respective members of the counting device according to the present invention when the counting device is moved, as viewed from the outside of the developing cartridge housing along the rotational axis of the counting member.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in the intermediate state of the counting device according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in the end state of the counting device according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a developing cartridge according to the present invention as viewed from a driving end; fig. 2 is a perspective view of the developing cartridge according to the present invention as viewed from the conductive end.

The developing cartridge C is mountable in the mounting direction a, and includes a casing 10, a developing member 11 rotatably mounted in the casing 10, a driving cap 13 and a conductive cap 12 respectively located at both longitudinal ends of the casing 10, a power receiving member 20 disposed on the same side as the driving cap 13, and a conductive bracket 14 disposed on the same side as the conductive cap 12. The power receiving part 20 is exposed from the driving end cap 13 for receiving a driving force from the laser printer to drive the developing member 11 to rotate, and the conductive bracket 14 for receiving power from the laser printer to supply to the developing member 11.

The developing cartridge C further includes a counting device 30 at one longitudinal end of the casing, the counting device 30 is configured to receive a driving force of the power receiving member 30 to operate, and when the developing cartridge C is mounted to the laser printer, the counting device 30 cooperates with a counted member in the laser printer to realize recognition and counting of the developing cartridge C by the laser printer. It is realized that the counting device 30 may be disposed on the same side as the driving end cap 13 or the conductive end cap 14, which is beneficial to reduce the overall size of the developing cartridge C when the counting device 30 and the power receiving part 20 are respectively disposed at the two longitudinal ends of the casing 10, that is, the counting device 30 is disposed on the same side as the conductive end cap 14, and the driving force received by the power receiving part 20 can be transmitted to the counting device 30 through the developing part 11, or can be transmitted through a powder feeding part or a stirring part (not shown) disposed in parallel with the developing part 11. It will be understood that the developing member 11, the powder feeding member and the stirring member may be collectively referred to as a rotating member, and the driving force of the power receiving member 20 is transmitted to the counting device 30 through the rotating member.

Hereinafter, the counting device 30 and the power receiving part 20 are respectively located at both longitudinal ends of the case 10, and the driving force of the power receiving part 20 is transmitted to the counting device 30 through the stirring member as an example.

Fig. 3A is an exploded schematic view of a counting device in a developing cartridge according to the present invention; fig. 3B is a perspective view of an intermediate member in the counting device according to the present invention; fig. 3C and 3D are perspective views of the restricting member of the counting device according to the present invention.

As shown, the driving member 15 is disposed on the same side as the counting device 30, and the driving member 15 is mounted at the end of the stirring member to rotate together with the stirring member, so that for clarity of description, only the part on the side of the conductive end cap 12 is shown in fig. 3A. The conductive end cap 12 includes an end cap body 121, an opening 122 provided on the end cap body, and a support column 123 arranged adjacent to the opening 122; the counting device 30 includes a counting member 31, an intermediate member 32, a force applying member 33, a conductive member 34 and a control assembly 35, wherein a portion of the counting member 31 passes through the opening 122 for cooperating with the counted member, the intermediate member 32 is simultaneously coupled with the counting member 31 and the control assembly 35, the control assembly 35 is used for controlling the rotation speed of the counting member 31 during the counting process, the force applying member 33 forces the counting member 31 to rotate around a rotation axis L3 by an elastic force generated by elastic deformation of the force applying member 33, during the rotation, the counting member 31 is coupled with and uncoupled from the counted member, and meanwhile, the counting member 31 also receives power applied by the laser printer, and the counting member 31 is also electrically connected with the conductive member 34 for transmitting the power to the conductive bracket 14, preferably, the conductive member 4 is a conductive spring, one end of which abuts against the counting member 31, and the other end of which abuts against the conductive bracket 14.

The counting member 31, the intermediate member 32, the force applying member 33 and the conductive member 34 are coaxially arranged, and along the rotation axis L3, the counting member 31 is respectively provided at two ends with a shift lever 311 for being matched with the counted member and a combining part 313 for being combined with the intermediate member 32, the shift lever 311 is exposed out of the end cover 12 through the opening 122; the force applying member 33 is an elastic member, the counting member 31 is driven by the elastic deformation force of the force applying member 33, that is, the driving force required by the rotation of the counting member 31 in the present invention is from the force applying member 33, each physical parameter of the force applying member 33 can be determined according to the rotation angle of the counting member 31, thereby improving the design freedom of the force applying member 33, and at the same time, the final rotation angle of the counting member 31 is precisely controlled, preferably, the force applying member 33 is a coil spring, one end of which is fixed in the groove 312 of the counting member 31, and the other end of which is fixed in the groove 124 of the electric conductor 121; the middle part 32 comprises a cylinder 321, a plurality of protrusions 324 arranged on the cylinder 321 and a combined part 323 arranged on the cylinder 321, wherein a hollow cavity 322 is formed in the cylinder 321, the conductive member 34 penetrates through the cavity 322 and is used for keeping the counting part 32 at a position exposed through the opening 122, the combining part 313 is combined with the combined part 323 to realize the fixed connection of the counting part 31 and the middle part 32, the plurality of protrusions 324 extend along the radial direction of the tail end of the cylinder 321, the plurality of protrusions 324 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the cylinder 321, the two tail ends of each protrusion 324 are different from the distance of the rotating axis L3, the tail end far away from the rotating axis L3 forms a stress surface 325, the cylinder 321 and the plurality of protrusions 324 form a rotating body similar to a ratchet wheel in a whole view, meanwhile, the protrusion 324 is not arranged on part of the circumferential surface of the cylinder 321, but is in a blank state, referred to herein as the void 326, the void 326 opposes the control assembly 35 when the counting device 30 completes counting.

As shown in fig. 3A, the driving member 15 can rotate with the stirring member along the rotation axis L1, the plurality of toggle protrusions 151 are arranged at intervals along the rotation direction of the driving member 15, the toggle protrusions 151 are used for triggering the control assembly 35 to work, and the control assembly 35 is discontinuously triggered by the plurality of toggle protrusions 151 due to the spaced arrangement of the plurality of toggle protrusions 151; the control assembly 35 is used for controlling the rotation speed of the intermediate member 32 and further controlling the rotation speed of the counting member 31, so that the counting member 31 can be combined with and separated from the counted member at a predetermined moment in the rotation process, the control assembly 35 comprises a base 351, a locking member 352 rotatably mounted on the base and a pushing member 353 combined with the locking member, as shown in fig. 3C and 3D, the locking member 352 comprises a rotating part 3523 with a through hole 3524, a force receiving part 3521 and an action part 3522 connected with the rotating part 3523, the force receiving part 3521 is used for receiving the poking force of the poking protrusion 151, the action part 3522 is used for limiting the rotation of the intermediate member 32, and when the force receiving part 3521 is subjected to the poking force, the limitation of the intermediate member 32 by the action part 3522 is gradually released.

Further, the lock 352 further includes a rib 3525 provided at an inner wall of the through hole 3524, the rib 3525 being in contact with the base 351 to increase friction between the rib 3525 and the base 351 when the lock 352 is mounted on the base 351; the locking member 352 further includes a guide block 3526 provided on the rotating portion 3523, the guide block 3526 extends along a circumferential direction of the rotating portion 3523 and a rotation axis L2 of the locking member 352, and a slant 3526c is provided between a first end 3526a and a second end 3526b of the guide block 3526, a distance from the first end 3526a to the rotating portion 3523 is greater than a distance from the second end 3526b to the rotating portion 3523 along the circumferential direction of the rotating portion 3523, and a restricted surface 3526d is further provided adjacent to the first end 3526 a; as shown in fig. 3A, the base 351 includes a base 3510, a shaft 351e extending from the base 3510, and a stopper 351d provided at a distal end of the shaft 351e, the base 3510 is provided with a bottom surface 351a, a rising surface 351b, and a holding surface 351c which are adjacent in this order, the holding surface 351c is closer to the housing 10 than the bottom surface 351a, a restricting surface 351f is provided adjacent to the bottom surface 351a, the lock 352 and the pusher 353 are fitted to the shaft 351e, the first distal end 3526a abuts against the bottom surface 351a, the inclined surface 3526c abuts against the rising surface 351b, the restricting surface 351f abuts against the restricted surface 3526d, one end of the pusher abuts against the rotating portion 3523, and the other end abuts against the stopper 351d, and therefore, the lock 352 is held stationary by the restricting surface 351f abutting against the restricted surface 3526 d.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in an initial state of the counting device according to the present invention; fig. 4B is a plan view of the relative positional relationship between the respective members of the counting device according to the present invention in the initial state, as viewed from the developing cartridge housing outward along the rotational axis of the counting member; fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the components of the counting device according to the present invention during movement; fig. 5B is a plan view of the relative positional relationship between the respective members of the counting device according to the present invention when the counting device is moved, as viewed from the outside of the developing cartridge housing along the rotational axis of the counting member; fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in the intermediate state of the counting device according to the present invention; fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a relative positional relationship between the respective members in the end state of the counting device according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, in an initial state before the counting device 30 starts counting, the restricted surface 3526d of the lock member 352 abuts against the restricting surface 352f, the force receiving portion 3521 is in a free state, the acting portion 3522 abuts against the force receiving surface 325 of one of the protrusions 324 of the intermediate member 32, the coil spring 33 is in an elastically deformed state, and has a tendency to drive the counting member 31 to rotate in the reverse direction r 3' (as shown in fig. 5A) of r3 in fig. 4A, but the rotation tendency of the intermediate member 32 is restrained and kept stationary due to the abutment of the lock member 352 against the intermediate member 32.

In the initial state, the coil spring 33 is adjusted to the elastic deformation state, the force receiving portion 3521 is located between the two toggle projections 151 (the first toggle projection 151a and the second toggle projection 151b), and the acting portion 3522 abuts against the force receiving surface 325 of one projection 324 closest to the vacancy portion 326; when the developing cartridge C is mounted to the laser printer and starts to operate, the driver 15 receives the driving force to start rotating in the direction indicated by r1 about the rotation axis L1, when the second toggle protrusion 151b approaches the force receiving portion 3521, the locking member 352 starts to be driven to rotate in the direction indicated by r2 about the rotation axis L2, and the acting portion 3522 pushes the intermediate member 32 to rotate in the direction indicated by r3 about the rotation axis L3 via the force receiving surface 325; as the lock member 352 rotates, the inclined surface 3526c gradually rises under the guidance of the rising surface 351b, and at the same time, the lock member 351 gradually moves away from the base 3510 along the rotation axis L2, the urging member 353 elastically deforms, and the acting portion 3522 gradually moves toward the housing 10 along the rotation axis L3, so that the contact area between the acting portion 3522 and the force receiving surface 325 becomes smaller and smaller, but the two do not come out of contact.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, when the highest point of the second toggle protrusion 151B is opposite to the force-receiving portion 3521, the rotation angle of the locking member 352 in the direction r2 is maximized, and at the same time, the rotation angle of the intermediate member 32 in the direction r3 is also maximized, once the second toggle protrusion 151B is out of contact with the force-receiving portion 3521, the locking member 352 is no longer driven by the driving member 15, and under the returning force of the urging member 353, the locking member 352 is forced to approach along the rotation axis L2, and because the inclined surface 3526c is engaged with the ascending surface 351B, the locking member 352 moves toward the base 3510, and at the same time, the locking member 352 rotates along the rotation axis L2 in the direction r 2' opposite to the rotation direction r2 to return; with the intermediate member 32, when the force receiving portion 3521 is out of contact with the second toggle projection 151b, the locking between the locking member 352 and the intermediate member 32 is released, and the acting portion 3522 is no longer in abutment with the force receiving surface 325, the counter member 31 starts to rotate about the rotation axis L3 in the direction r 3' opposite to the rotation direction r3 under the action of the coil spring 33.

In the counting device 30, when the locking between the locking member 352 and the intermediate member 32 is released, the counting member 31 can rotate around the rotation axis L3 in the direction of r 3' under the action of the coil spring 33 until the elastic force stored by the elastic deformation of the coil spring 33 is consumed, at this time, the gap 326 is opposite to the locking member 352, but the locking member 352 cannot touch the gap 326 at this time, that is, the intermediate member 32 is out of contact with the locking member 352, and the counting is completed; during the rotation of the counting member 31 along r 3', the shift lever 311 is engaged with and disengaged from the counted member, so as to realize the counting function of the counting device 30.

However, the urging force released by the coil spring 33 may cause the counting member 31 to rotate at a fast speed along r 3', and in the case of the developing cartridge, the counting member 31 will rotate at a fast speed to cause the counting to fail, and thus it can be seen that the urging force released by the coil spring 33 needs to be controlled, or in other words, the rotational speed of the counting member 31 needs to be controlled; in the present invention, the plurality of protrusions 324 are provided to achieve this function.

As described above, when the second toggle protrusion 151b is out of contact with the force receiving portion 3521, the locking member 352 is reset by the urging action of the urging member 33, and at the same time, the intermediate member 32 rotates along r 3' with the counter member 31, the other protrusion 324 adjacent to the above-mentioned unlocked protrusion rotates to abut against the action portion 3522, and the counter member 31 stops rotating with the intermediate member 32; as shown in fig. 6, the force receiving portion 3521 is located between the second toggle protrusion 151b and the third toggle protrusion 151c of the driving member 15, the limiting surface 351f abuts against the limited surface 3526d, the intermediate member 32 is kept stationary, when the third toggle protrusion 151c is rotated to be in contact with the force receiving portion 3521, the locking member 352, the middle member 32 and the counter member 31 repeat the above-mentioned rotation process, i.e. the intermediate member 32 is first pushed by the locking member 352 to rotate a first angle in the direction indicated by r3, when the third toggle protrusion 151c is out of contact with the force receiving portion 3521, the acting portion 3522 is out of abutment with the intermediate member 32, under the action of the coil spring 33, the counter 31 is again rotated by a second angle along r 3' as the intermediate member 32 is driven, until the next projection 324 abuts against the action portion 3522, said first angle being opposite to the direction of the second angle, and the rotation direction of the counting member 31 when rotating by the second angle is the same as the rotation direction of the counting member 31 when counting.

When the gap 326 of the intermediate member 32 is opposed to the lock member 352 as shown in fig. 7, the urging force of the coil spring 33 is released completely, and the lock member 352 will not touch the intermediate member 32, and even if the driving member 15 continues to rotate in the direction indicated by r1 and the lock member 352 is driven to continue to rotate in the direction indicated by r2, the lock member 352 will not contact the intermediate member 32 any more, and at this time, the counting device 30 finishes counting, and the counting member 31 remains stationary; in general, the rotational movement of the counting member during the entire counting process can be seen as alternating between rotational and stationary movement, and further, the rotational movement comprises the above-mentioned movement of a first angle and a second angle. When the counting device 30 needs to be reset, the user rotates the counting member 31 to elastically deform the coil spring 33 again to store the urging force, and the protrusion 324 closest to the void part 326 abuts against the action part 3522, so that the counting member 31 is kept stationary as the intermediate member 32 is locked, and the counting device 30 returns to the initial state shown in fig. 4A and 4B.

As described above, the utility model provides a no longer transmit drive power through the gear between each part among the counting assembly 30, when reducing each parts required precision of counting assembly 30, still can prevent effectively that counting assembly 30 from receiving uncertain external force influence, leading to the problem of count failure.

Claims (20)

1. Counting assembly for install at a vertical end of developing cartridge, counting assembly is including the count piece that is used for the count and be used for driving the rotatory application of force piece of count piece, its characterized in that, before counting assembly began to work, under the exogenic action, application of force piece takes place elastic deformation and produces the elasticity power that resets, elasticity power drive count piece work that resets.

2. The counting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the counting device further comprises a control assembly for controlling the rotational speed of the counting member, the rotational movement of the counting member during counting alternating between rotating and stationary under the control of the control assembly.

3. The counting device according to claim 2, wherein the counting member is locked by the control unit and is kept stationary before the counting device starts operating, and when the counting device starts operating, the control unit is driven by the driving member in the developing cartridge to unlock the counting member, and the counting member starts rotating.

4. The counting device of claim 3, wherein the counting member is driven by the control assembly to rotate a first angle during unlocking, and the counting member is driven by the elastic reset force of the force applying member to rotate a second angle after unlocking, wherein the first angle is opposite to the second angle.

5. A counting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the counting device further comprises an intermediate member associated with the counting member, the control member controlling the counting member by controlling the intermediate member during the counting process, the intermediate member no longer being controlled by the control member after the counting is completed.

6. The counting device according to claim 5, wherein the intermediate member comprises a cylindrical body, a plurality of protrusions provided on a circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, and a cutout portion which is not provided with the protrusions, the protrusions are combined with the control assembly during counting, and the cutout portion is opposed to the control assembly when counting is completed.

7. The counting device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of protrusions are spaced along the circumference of the cylinder, the two ends of each protrusion are spaced from the rotation axis of the intermediate member, the end farther from the rotation axis forms a force-bearing surface, and the control member is coupled to the force-bearing surface.

8. Counting device according to claim 6, characterized in that the cylinder and the plurality of protrusions together form a ratchet-like body of revolution, viewed as a whole.

9. The counting device according to claim 6, wherein the urging member is a coil spring having one end combined with the counting member and the other end combined with an end cap on a side of the developing cartridge where the counting device is located.

10. The counting device according to claim 9, further comprising a conductive member having one end abutting against the counting member for transmitting the electric power received from the outside of the counting member into the developing cartridge.

11. The counting device of claim 10, wherein the counting member, the intermediate member, the force applying member and the conductive member are coaxially disposed.

12. The counting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control assembly comprises a base, a locking member rotatably mounted on the base for locking the counting member in a rest state, and an urging member coupled to the locking member for urging the locking member to return.

13. The counting device according to claim 12, wherein the locking member is driven by the driving member in the developing cartridge to unlock the counting member when the counting device is operated.

14. The counting device according to claim 12, wherein the locking member includes a rotation portion having a through hole, and a force receiving portion for receiving a driving force of the driving member in the developing cartridge and an acting portion for keeping the counting member in a stationary state, which are connected to the rotation portion.

15. The counting device of claim 14, wherein the base includes a base, a shaft extending from the base, and a position-limiting portion provided at a distal end of the shaft, the locking member and the urging member being fitted over the shaft, one end of the urging member abutting against the rotating portion, and the other end abutting against the position-limiting portion.

16. The counting device according to claim 15, wherein the base is provided with a bottom surface, a raised surface and a holding surface, and a restricting surface is provided adjacent to the bottom surface, and the locking member further includes a guide block provided on the rotating portion, and wherein the guide block is restricted by the restricting surface before the counting device starts counting so that the locking member locks the counting member, and wherein when the force receiving portion receives the driving force of the driving member in the developing cartridge, the guide block is guided by the raised surface while the urging member is urged to be compressed.

17. A developer cartridge detachably mountable to a printer provided with a counted member, wherein the developer cartridge comprises a housing and a counting device according to any one of claims 2 to 16, the counting device being located at one longitudinal end of the housing, the counting member being adapted to cooperate with the counted member so that the developer cartridge is recognized by the printer.

18. A cartridge according to claim 17, further comprising a rotary member rotatably mounted in the housing, and a power receiving member for receiving a driving force from the printer, the rotary member rotating and triggering the control assembly to operate under the driving force of the power receiving member.

19. A cartridge according to claim 18, wherein the cartridge further comprises a driving member rotatable with the rotary member, and wherein the plurality of toggle projections are arranged in a rotational direction of the driving member, and the toggle projections discontinuously activate the control assembly as the rotary member rotates.

20. A cartridge according to claim 19, wherein the counting device and the power receiving member are respectively located at both longitudinal ends of the casing.

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