CN220626868U - Drum unit and consumable box - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a drum unit and a consumable cartridge, wherein the drum unit is detachably mounted on a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, and the main assembly comprises a drum driving unit; the drum unit includes: a photosensitive drum having opposite first and second ends; a coupling provided on a first end portion of the photosensitive drum; the first end or the second end of the photosensitive drum is provided with a propelling mechanism, and the propelling mechanism is used for driving the coupler to axially move a preset distance towards the direction close to the drum driving unit. Through being equipped with propulsion mechanism at first tip or second tip, can make the shaft coupling towards being close to the direction axial motion preset distance of drum drive unit reduces the distance between shaft coupling and the drive part, and the shaft coupling can be stabilized and drum drive unit looks fixed when rotatory, prevents effectively that the shaft coupling from moving the butt joint that leads to unstable in axial direction, prevents that the shaft coupling breaks away from drum drive unit at rotatory in-process.

Description

Drum unit and consumable box

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of electronic imaging equipment, in particular to a drum unit and a consumable box.

Background

Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses are increasingly used in the production and life of humans, and such apparatuses refer to apparatuses that form images on recording materials by using an electrophotographic image forming method, and examples of such apparatuses include copiers, facsimile machines, printers (laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.), and corresponding multifunction printers, etc. The consumable cartridge is detachable from a main assembly (apparatus main assembly) of the image forming apparatus, and when consumables in the consumable cartridge are used up, the consumable cartridge needs to be replaced.

There is a type of consumable cartridge as disclosed in chinese patent CN202080021684.7, in which a coupling is provided on a photosensitive drum of the consumable cartridge, and a drive transmission unit on a printer is engaged with the coupling through a plurality of members to drive and brake the same, thereby rotating the photosensitive drum. An existing drum coupling adapting such a drive transmission unit generally includes a driving force receiving portion, a braking force receiving portion, and a guide portion that guides a plurality of members of the drive transmission unit to engage with the driving force receiving portion and the braking force receiving portion, respectively, so as to transmit driving force and braking force.

However, such drum couplings and drive transmission units are positioned with each other only in the circumferential direction to ensure transmission of circumferential forces (braking forces and driving forces), and there is no interaction force in the axial direction, and the couplings are easily separated from the drive transmission units in the axial direction or unstable connection occurs during operation.

Disclosure of Invention

The drum unit and the consumable box can effectively solve the problems.

According to a first aspect of the present utility model, there is provided a drum unit detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, the main assembly including a drum driving unit;

the drum unit includes:

a photosensitive drum having opposite first and second ends;

the coupler is arranged on the first end part of the photosensitive drum and is used for abutting the drum driving unit to receive driving force so as to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate;

the first end or the second end of the photosensitive drum is provided with a propelling mechanism, and the propelling mechanism is used for driving the coupler to axially move a preset distance towards the direction close to the drum driving unit.

In some embodiments, the advancement mechanism comprises a slip-fit guide portion disposed on the first end of the photosensitive drum and a guided portion disposed on the coupling;

when the coupling receives a rotation of the driving force of the drum driving unit, the guided portion slides with respect to the guide portion to guide the coupling to axially move a preset distance with respect to the photosensitive drum in a direction approaching the drum driving unit.

In some embodiments, the guide portion is a guide protrusion, the guided portion is a spiral through groove fitted to the guide protrusion, the spiral through groove extends obliquely in such a manner as to gradually move away from the photosensitive drum with the rotation direction of the coupling, and the spiral through groove has a first end and a second end, the second end being closer to the photosensitive drum than the first end;

when the guide protrusion relatively slides from the first end to the second end of the spiral through groove, the coupling may be axially moved a predetermined distance with respect to the photosensitive drum in a direction approaching the drum driving unit.

In some embodiments, a first clamping position is formed at a first end of the spiral through groove, a second clamping position is formed at a second end of the spiral through groove, the first clamping position and the second clamping position can be clamped with the guide protrusion, the guide protrusion is abutted with the second clamping position, and the coupler can drive the photosensitive drum to rotate when rotating.

In some embodiments, the pushing mechanism comprises a pushing block, the pushing block is abutted against the second end of the photosensitive drum, the pushing block can be movably connected with the shell of the consumable cartridge, and the pushing block is used for applying an axial component force towards the drum driving unit to the photosensitive drum by receiving the pressure applied by the main assembly and perpendicular to the photosensitive drum.

In some embodiments, the second end of the photosensitive drum is provided with an annular abutting inclined surface, the pushing block is provided with an inclined surface abutting against the abutting inclined surface, and the photosensitive drum receives the axial component force through the abutting inclined surface.

In some embodiments, the inclined surface includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface being arranged in sequence in a direction from the second end to the first end;

when the pushing block does not receive the pressure from the main assembly, the abutting inclined plane abuts against the first inclined plane, and when the pushing block receives the pressure from the main assembly, the pushing block swings downwards so that the abutting inclined plane moves to the second inclined plane along the first inclined plane.

On a horizontal plane parallel to an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, an inclination of the first inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane is larger than an inclination of the second inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane.

In some embodiments, the propelling mechanism further comprises a clamp spring, the pushing block is provided with a mounting hole and a clamping groove, a plug pin inserted into the mounting hole is arranged on the shell of the consumable box, the clamp spring is sleeved on the plug pin, one end of the clamp spring is clamped in the clamping groove, and the other end of the clamp spring is abutted to the shell of the consumable box.

In some embodiments, the drum unit further comprises a return elastic member having one end abutting the coupling and the other end abutting the outer structure.

In a second aspect, there is provided a consumable cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, including a developing unit and the drum unit of the first aspect.

Compared with the prior art, the drum unit and the consumable box have the following beneficial effects:

the drum unit and the consumable box are provided with the propelling mechanism at the first end part or the second end part, so that the coupler can axially move a preset distance towards the direction close to the drum driving unit, the distance between the coupler and the driving part is shortened, the coupler can be stably fixed with the drum driving unit when rotating, the coupler is effectively prevented from being unstable in butt joint caused by moving in the axial direction, and the coupler is prevented from being separated from the drum driving unit in the rotating process.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus in the related art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a drum drive unit in the prior art.

Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a drum drive unit of the prior art.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a consumable cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 5 is another schematic view of a consumable cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 6 is a structural view of a drum unit in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an end portion of a photosensitive drum in accordance with a first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 8 is an angle structure diagram of a coupling corresponding to a drum unit in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 9 is another angular structural view of the coupling corresponding to the drum unit in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a corresponding coupling of a drum unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a first state in which a drum unit is coupled to a photosensitive drum in accordance with the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a drum unit according to the first embodiment of the present utility model, with the corresponding coupling coupled to a photosensitive drum in a first state.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing a connection of the corresponding coupling to the second state of the photosensitive drum in the first embodiment of the drum unit of the present utility model.

Fig. 14 is a construction diagram of a housing of the coupling corresponding to the drum unit in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 15 is a structural view of a rotating member of the drum unit corresponding to the coupling in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 16 is a structural diagram of a drum driving unit corresponding to the second state of the drum unit in the first embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a fitting structure diagram of a coupling of a drum unit and a drum driving unit in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 18 is a view showing a fitting structure of the coupling of the drum unit and the drum driving unit in the other direction in the first embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 19 is a schematic view illustrating the cooperation between the pushing mechanism and the photosensitive drum in the second embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 20 is a schematic view of a propulsion mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 21 is a schematic view of another view of the propulsion mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of a state of the propulsion mechanism in the second embodiment of the present utility model when the propulsion mechanism is stressed.

Fig. 23 is a schematic diagram of a three-drum unit structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

FIG. 24 is a detailed schematic of the drive end of the three drum unit of the present utility model.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present utility model more apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present utility model, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present utility model, but not all embodiments of the present utility model. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implying a number of technical features being indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise.

The utility model is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example 1

Fig. 1 schematically shows a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus in the related art. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a drum drive unit in the prior art. Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a drum drive unit of the prior art. For the sake of clearer expression of the relationship between the components, a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system XYZ coordinate system is established, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis being perpendicular to each other, wherein the tray carrying the consumable cartridge 20 is omitted from fig. 1. The plumb direction at the time of normal use of the imaging apparatus 20 is the-Z axis direction, and the direction immediately above is the +z axis direction. The direction in which the front door 11 points to the main assembly is the +x-axis direction, and the direction in which the main assembly points to the front door 11 is the-X-axis direction. The direction in which the drum driving unit 180 and the developing driving unit 185 extend is the +y-axis direction, and the direction in which they retract is the-Y-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the image forming apparatus may be a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer (laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.), a multifunction printer, or the like, and the present utility model will be described taking the image forming apparatus as a laser beam printer as an example. The consumable cartridge 20 may also be referred to as a "process cartridge", "toner container", "toner cartridge", etc., in which developer (e.g., toner) is contained in the consumable cartridge 20, and the consumable cartridge 20 is detachable from a main assembly (apparatus main assembly) of the image forming apparatus, and when the consumable in the consumable cartridge 20 is used, it is necessary to detach the old consumable cartridge and then mount the new consumable cartridge. In the present utility model, it is also possible to detachable the drum unit 24, and when the drum unit is replaced, the drum unit 24 on the original consumable cartridge is detached, then a new drum unit 24 is mounted on the consumable cartridge 20, and then the consumable cartridge 20 is reinstalled on the tray of the main assembly.

The image forming apparatus 10 has a main assembly including: a tray, an intermediate transfer belt 12, a drum driving unit 180, a development driving unit 185, and the like. When the consumable cartridge 20 is mounted to a tray (not shown in fig. 1) of the main assembly, the tray carrying the consumable cartridge 20 is mounted to the image forming apparatus 10. It can be understood that: the image forming apparatus 10 also has no development driving unit 185 if the consumable cartridge 20 has no development portion 20 b. The main assembly of the image forming apparatus 10 may be mounted with 4 consumable cartridges 20, and the 4 consumable cartridges 20 may be of the same color or of different colors. Preferably, the 4 consumable cartridges 20 are respectively 4 different colors (black, red, yellow, blue), and the image forming apparatus 10 can print color images on media (e.g., copy paper, photo paper). When the consumable cartridge 20 is mounted to the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus 10 can perform a printing operation. After the image forming apparatus 10 receives a print command, the developer in the consumable cartridge 20 reaches the intermediate transfer belt 12, and the developer on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is transferred to a medium by a secondary transfer device (not shown), and then passes through a fixing device (not shown), and an image to be printed is presented on the medium. The front door 11 is interlocked with the drum driving unit 180 and the developing driving unit 185, and when the front door 11 is closed, the front door 11 moves along the black arrow of fig. 1, and during the closing of the front door 11, the drum driving unit 180 and the developing driving unit 185 protrude and are engaged with the drum unit 24 and the developing shaft unit 21 of the consumable cartridge 20, thereby achieving the mounting of the main assembly and the consumable cartridge 20 in place. In the process of opening the front door 11, the drum driving unit 180, the developing driving unit 185 are retracted and disengaged from the drum unit 24, the developing shaft unit 21 of the consumable cartridge 20, and thus the tray, the consumable cartridge 20 can be smoothly taken out from the main assembly.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the drum driving unit 180 includes a drum driver 101, a braking member (not shown), a braking force transmitting member (not shown) connected to the braking member to transmit a braking force, a first moving member 104, a second moving member 108, and the like. The drum driver 101 is of a cylindrical structure, the brake force transmitting member is of a columnar structure, the brake member, the brake force transmitting member, the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are each built in the drum driver 101, and the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are fitted around the brake force transmitting member, the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are movable in the brake force transmitting member axial direction (Y direction) and rotatable in a part of the brake force transmitting member axial direction (so as not to receive the brake force applied by the brake member), and the other part of the brake force transmitting member axial direction is fixed (so as to receive the brake force applied by the brake member).

The first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are collectively referred to as a movable element, and of course, the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 may be individually referred to as movable elements.

The drum driver 101 includes: a cylindrical portion 109, a center post 107, a drive block 102, a disc portion 103, and a connecting beam 105. As can be seen from fig. 2 and 3, the connection beam 105 acts as a connection frame between the center post 107, which is arranged coaxially with the braking force transmission member, and the drive block 102. The driving block 102 is integrally formed with a cylindrical portion 109 of the edge of the drum driver 101 as a driving member, and the center column 107, the driving block 102 and the cylindrical portion 109 can be integrally moved in the Y-axis direction to perform the extending and retracting actions. The distance from the side of the driving block 102 close to the center post 107 to the axis of the center post 107 is smaller than the distance from the side of the first moving member 104 away from the center post 107 to the axis of the center post 107.

The first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are engageable with each other, specifically, by engaging a groove 104d provided on the first moving member 104 with a projection 108d provided on the second moving member 108, both move together in the Y-axis direction and rotate together with the axis of the braking force transmitting member as the central axis. There is no movement between the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108. A spring (not shown) is provided between the first moving member 104 and the braking member, and in an initial state, the spring urges the first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 to move axially along the braking force transmitting member to a position fixed to the braking force transmitting member. The first moving member 104 and the second moving member 108 are movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the drum driver 101.

The first moving member 104 includes a cylindrical portion 1041 and a coupling engaging portion 1042 protruding like a claw and engaging with the coupling 243. A groove 104d is provided on the cylindrical portion 1041, and the coupling engagement portion 1042 has a first end 104e on the upstream side in the rotational direction a, a slope 104b on the downstream side in the rotational direction a, and a connection surface 104g connecting the first end 104e and the slope 104 b. The direction of inclination of the inclined surface 104 b: along the rotation direction a, the inclined surface 104b gradually inclines in the-Y axis direction.

The second moving member 108 includes a disk-shaped portion 1081 and a coupling engaging portion 1082 protruding like a claw and engaging with the coupling 243, a boss 108d being provided on the disk-shaped portion, the coupling engaging portion 1082 having a boss 108a located on the +y axis side and protruding inward in the radial direction, a first end 108e on the boss 108a and located on the upstream side in the rotational direction a, a slope 108b located on the downstream side in the rotational direction a, and a connection surface 108g connecting the first end 108e and the slope 108 b. The direction of inclination of the inclined surface 108 b: along the rotation direction a, the inclined surface 108b gradually inclines in the-Y axis direction.

After the drum driving unit is mounted, the coupling engagement portions 1042, 1082 are exposed from the holes in the side of the connection beam 105. The number of the coupling engagement portions 1042, 1082 and the driving block 102 may be one, and the three may form one set of force transmission units, and in the prior art, there are typically two sets of force transmission units, and the two sets are arranged in an axisymmetric manner. The driving block is used to apply driving force to the coupling, and the coupling engagement portions 1042, 1082 are used to apply braking force to the coupling.

Fig. 4 is a diagram of a consumable cartridge according to the present utility model. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a consumable cartridge according to another embodiment. Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the drum unit of the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 4 to 6, the three-dimensional coordinate system of the consumable cartridge 20 coincides with the coordinate system of the image forming apparatus with reference to the position where it is mounted on the image forming apparatus 10. The consumable cartridge 20 includes a drum portion 20a, a developing portion 20b, a right cover member 20c, and a left cover member 20d. The drum portion 20a includes a drum unit 24, a drum supporting unit. The developing portion 20b includes a developing cartridge containing developer, a developing unit 21, and a handle 22. The developing unit 21 includes a developing coupling 211, and the developing coupling 211 is engaged with the developing driving unit 185 when the consumable cartridge 20 is mounted to the main assembly. At this time, the developing coupling 211 is rotated by the driving of the developing driving unit 185, and thus drives the developing unit 21 to rotate.

The consumable cartridge 20 is detachably mountable to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 10, and the drum unit 24 is detachably mountable to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 10 when the drum unit 24 is as a replaceable piece.

The drum unit 24 includes a rotatable photosensitive drum 241, a coupling 243 movably connected to the photosensitive drum 241 and capable of receiving a driving force applied by the driving block 102, and a reset elastic member 25 provided outside the coupling 243. The photosensitive drum 241 has opposite first and second ends 24a, 24b, and during normal use, the photosensitive drum 241 transfers developer onto the intermediate transfer belt 12. When the drum unit 24/consumable cartridge 20 is mounted to the main assembly, the first end 24a is located closer to the drum driving unit than the second end 24b, and a coupling 243 is provided on the first end 24a for interfacing the drum driving unit to receive a driving force to rotate the photosensitive drum 241 in the rotational direction a.

Referring to fig. 2 and 7 to 18, at least one guide protrusion 241a1 is provided at the outer periphery of the first end portion 24a of the photosensitive drum 241, and one groove 241a2 is provided at the end face of the first end portion 24 a.

The coupling 243 is provided with a spiral through groove 243a20, the spiral through groove 243a20 is capable of being matched with a guide protrusion 241a1 on the first end 24a of the photosensitive drum 241, the guide protrusion 241a1 is capable of sliding in the spiral through groove 243a20, the spiral through groove 243a20 is inclined to extend in a manner gradually away from the photosensitive drum 241 along with the rotation direction a of the coupling 243, the spiral through groove 243a20 is provided with a first end and a second end, the second end is closer to the photosensitive drum 241 than the first end, wherein the first end of the spiral through groove 243a20 is provided with a first clamping position 243a21, the second end of the spiral through groove 243a20 is provided with a second clamping position 243a22, and the first clamping position 243a21 and the second clamping position 243a22 are capable of being clamped with the guide protrusion 241a1, that is, the guide protrusion 241a1 is capable of sliding between the first end and the second end and clamped at the first end or the second end.

As shown in fig. 11 to 13, when the coupling 243 receives the driving force of the drum driving unit to rotate in the rotation direction a, the spiral through groove 243a20 slides with respect to the guide projection 241a1 to guide the coupling 243 to axially move a preset distance with respect to the photosensitive drum 241 in a direction approaching the drum driving unit. Specifically, when the guide projection 241a1 is relatively slid from the first end to the second end of the spiral through groove 243a20, the coupling 243 can be axially moved a preset distance with respect to the photosensitive drum 241 in a direction approaching the drum driving unit. The preset distance depends on the axial distance of the first end and the second end. In an initial state, that is, when the coupling 243 is not docked with the drum driving unit, the guide projection 241a1 is in the first click 243a21 (as shown in fig. 11), and when the coupling 243 is axially moved by a preset distance, the guide projection 241a1 is in the second click 243a22 (as shown in fig. 13).

When the coupling 243 rotates in the rotation direction a, the guide protrusion 241a1 slides from the first catch 243a21 to the second catch 243a22, and at this time, the coupling 243 moves in the-Y direction and approaches the drum driving unit, so that the entire drum driving unit moves in the-Y direction and is pressed to a limited position, thus stably fixing the drum driving unit from moving in the Y direction, and also preventing the coupling 243 from being separated from the drum driving member 101 during rotation, which is equivalent to applying an axial force to the coupling 243, so that the coupling 243 can be connected with the drum driving unit more tightly and stably without easy separation.

The outside of the coupler 243 is provided with a return elastic member 25, one end of the return elastic member 25 abuts against the coupler 243, and the other end abuts against the right cover member 20c, and the return elastic member 25 is compressed during normal use. When the front door 11 is opened, the return elastic member 25 presses the coupling 243 by elastic force to be rotatably returned under the guide of the guide protrusion 243a1 and the screw thread groove 243a20, and the drum unit is separated from the drum driving unit, facilitating the removal of the process cartridge.

The coupling 243 has a first state in which the guide projection 241a1 is positioned at the second engagement 243a22 and a second state (initial state) in which the coupling 243 is away from the first end 24a of the photosensitive drum 241 during the abutting process with the drum driving unit, and the coupling 243 is abutted against the second engagement 243a22 by the guide projection 241a1, so that the coupling 243 can rotate the photosensitive drum 241 when rotating.

In the second state, the return elastic member 25 moves the coupling 243 toward the first end 24a near the photosensitive drum 241 by the elastic force, and the guide projection 241a1 slides to the first click 243a21, and the drum unit is separated from the drum driving unit.

It is noted that, in the present embodiment, the guiding protrusion 241a1 and the spiral through groove 243a20 may be used as a pushing mechanism, and the shaft coupling 243 may be driven to move axially by a predetermined distance in a direction approaching the drum driving unit when the shaft coupling 243 starts to rotate. The guide protrusion 241a1 may be an example of a guide portion, the spiral through groove 243a20 may be an example of a guided portion, and in other embodiments, the guide portion may be configured as a groove structure, and the guided portion may be configured as a protrusion structure as long as a guide function can be achieved, thereby moving the coupling 243 in the-Y direction.

In summary, by providing the pushing mechanism at the first end 24a of the photosensitive drum 241, when the coupling 243 starts to rotate after docking, the coupling 243 can move axially by a predetermined distance in a direction approaching the drum driving unit, so as to effectively prevent the occurrence of unstable docking and detachment of the coupling 243 from the drum driving unit.

In this embodiment, the first end of the spiral through groove 243a20 is closed, and the second end is open, so that the guide protrusion 241a1 can be conveniently inserted during installation.

The structure of the coupling 243 for abutting against the drum driving unit may be the same as the structure of the prior art, or may be different, for example, as shown in fig. 8-18, the present embodiment provides a coupling, where the coupling 243 includes a hollow housing 243a, the housing 243a includes a driving end 243a1 for mating with the drum driving unit and a main housing 243a8 below the driving end 243a1, at least one driving block 243b is axially protruding from an outer wall of the driving end 243a1, an outer diameter of the main housing 243a8 is larger than an outer diameter of the driving end 243a1, and a spiral through groove 243a20 is disposed on a sidewall of the main housing 243a 8.

The coupling 243 further includes a rotation mechanism for pushing the movable member to rotate relative to the driving block 102, the rotation mechanism includes a rotation member 243c, the rotation member 243c is disposed at a transmission end in a penetrating manner, the rotation member 243c includes an engaging portion 243c1 (as shown in fig. 15) located outside the housing 243a, the engaging portion 243c1 is configured to engage with the movable member and drive the movable member to rotate, a distance from an inner side of the transmission block 243b to an axis of the housing 243a is greater than a distance from an outer side of the engaging portion 243c1 to the axis of the housing 243a, the rotation member 243c is provided with a guide pin 243c2 protruding from an outer side, the transmission end 243a1 is provided with a guide groove 243a2 cooperating with the guide pin 243c2, the guide groove 243a2 is configured to guide the rotation member to rotate around the axis of the housing 243a, and an end of the guide groove 243a2 close to the drum driving unit is a stop end 243a3.

The rotating member 243c is provided with a trigger portion protruding near one end of the drum driving unit and engaged with the center post 107, the housing 243a is provided with a avoiding portion in a region corresponding to the trigger portion, and the rotating mechanism further includes a reset member 243d for urging the rotating member 243c to rotate to the guide pin 243c2 back to the cut-off end 243a3.

As can be seen from the above, the coupling 243 has a first state and a second state during coaxial docking with the drum drive unit. In the first state, the guide pin 243c2 is located at the cut-off end 243a3; in the second state, the center post 107 abuts against the triggering portion, the engaging portion 243c1 engages with the movable member, the movable member rotates along with the rotating member 243c in the rotating direction a and forms an access gap L (as shown in fig. 16) with the driving block 102, and in the rotating direction a, at least one transmission block 243b coincides with the access gap L, so that the transmission block 243b can receive the driving force applied by the driving block 102, and the rotating member 243c can receive the braking force applied by the movable member, thereby rotating the coupling.

The rotating member 243c further includes a cylindrical main body portion 243c3, an engaging portion 243c1 is provided at one end of the main body portion 243c3 near the drum driving unit, a relief hole 243a4 is provided in the housing 243a for engaging with the engaging portion 243c1, the engaging portion 243c1 is a plate-like member extending in the housing axial direction, a side bayonet 243c4 for engaging with the movable member is provided at the downstream side of the end of the engaging portion 243c1 in the rotating direction a, and the guide pin 243c2 is provided on the main body portion 243c 3.

The plate-like engaging portion 243c1 is not likely to interfere with a member other than the rotating member 243c, and the side bayonet 243c4 can simultaneously urge the moving member in the axial and circumferential directions of the center post 107 during the coaxial abutment of the drum driving unit with the coupling 243, the axial force being for releasing the rotational lock of the moving member with respect to the drum driving member 101 (i.e., axially moving the moving member to a position where it moves with respect to the braking force transmitting member), and the circumferential force urging the moving member away from the driving block 102 (i.e., circumferentially rotating the moving member with respect to the braking force transmitting member).

The outside of the driving end 243a1 is in a stepped column shape, as shown in fig. 14, the driving end 243a1 comprises a first driving section 243a5 and a second driving section 243a6, the outer diameter of the second driving section 243a6 is smaller than that of the first driving section 243a5, the second driving section 243a6 is closer to the drum driving unit than the first driving section 243a5, the driving block 243b and the avoiding hole 243a4 are both positioned on the end face of the first driving section 243a5, the guide groove 243a2 is arranged on the side wall of the first driving section 243a5, the rotating member 243c is at least partially positioned in the first driving section 243a5, the triggering part is an abutting column 243c5 arranged on the main body part 243c3, the abutting column 243c5 is coaxially arranged with the outer shell 243a, the abutting column 243c5 is at least partially positioned in the second driving section 243a6, and the avoiding part is an end hole 243a7 which is arranged at the end of the second driving section 243a6 and is penetrated by the center column 107.

The stepped cylindrical driving end 243a1 facilitates coaxial docking with the drum driving unit, and during docking, the center post 107 directly abuts against the abutment post 243a5 serving as the trigger portion, so as to ensure a stable effect between the rotating member 243c and the main assembly.

The second transmission section 243a6 is provided with a positioning portion 243a11 protruding from the side wall and engaged with the protruding portion 108a, and the positioning portion 243a11 is used for guiding the movable member to rotate into engagement with the engaging portion 243c1 during coaxial abutting of the coupling 243 with the drum driving unit.

During the coaxial docking of the drum driving unit with the coupling 243, the rotating member 243c can be separated from the driving block 102 only after being engaged with the movable member by the engaging portion 243c1, and the aligning portion 243a11 can guide the movable member to be engaged with the engaging portion 243c1 by rotating itself when the movable member does not correspond to the position of the engaging portion 243c1 in the circumferential direction of the center post 107.

In this embodiment, the alignment portion 243a11 is a circular arc protrusion on the outer side of the second transmission section 243a6, the circular arc protrusion is adjacent to the engaging portion 243c1 in the circumferential direction of the abutment post 243c5, and the length of the circular arc protrusion needs to ensure that, in the coaxial abutting process of the drum driving unit and the coupling 243, one protrusion 108a abuts against the alignment portion 243a11 and rotates in the rotation direction a until the protrusion slides off the alignment portion 243a11, and the other protrusion 108a just falls into the side bayonet 243c4 and engages with the engaging portion 243c1, so that the alignment portion 243a11 can perform an alignment function on the movable member. The length of the circular arc-shaped projection in the radial direction of the abutment post 243c5 should be controlled so as not to interfere with the engaging portion 243c 1.

The reset member 243d is a compression spring, and the main body portion 243c3 is provided with a ring protrusion 243c6 abutting against a first end of the compression spring 243d on a side wall at one end far from the drum driving unit, and a second end of the compression spring 243d abuts against a bottom of the groove 241a2 on the first end 24a of the photosensitive drum 241. The pressing spring 243d presses the rotating member 243c as a restoring member to return it under the guide of the guide pin 243c2 and the guide groove 243a 2.

In addition, the main housing 243a8 is provided at an end portion with an access hole 243a9 engaged with the guide pin 243c2, and the access hole 243a9 communicates with the guide groove 243a2, so that the installation of the rotating member 243c can be facilitated.

In summary, the coupling 243 changes the relative positions of the movable member and the driving block 102 by using a simple rotation mechanism of the rotation member 243c and the reset member 243d, so that an access gap L for inserting the transmission block 243b is formed between the movable member and the driving block 102, and the implementation cost is low. And after the main assembly is separated from the drum unit through the reset elastic piece 25, the rotating mechanism can be automatically reset, so that the consumable box is convenient to disassemble, assemble, overhaul and maintain.

Example two

The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in most of the structures, except that the propulsion mechanism of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the threaded through groove and the guide protrusion are not provided on the coupling and the photosensitive drum, but the propulsion mechanism is provided as separate members, as shown in fig. 19, the propulsion mechanism of the present embodiment is provided at the second end 24b, and includes a push block 244, the push block 244 abuts against the second end 24b of the photosensitive drum, and the push block 244 is movably connected with the casing (for example, may be the left cover member 20 d) of the consumable cartridge 20, so as to be capable of swinging downward (-Z direction).

Since a pressing mechanism is further included in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus in the related art, the pressing mechanism presses downward (-Z direction) when the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus is closed, thereby separating the photosensitive drum 241 and the developing roller of the consumable cartridge. In this embodiment, by providing a pushing block 244 at the second end 24b of the photosensitive drum 241, as shown in fig. 22, the pushing block 244 can make the pushing block 244 swing downward (-Z direction) by receiving the pressure Fa applied by the pressing mechanism of the main assembly, and the pushing block 244 further abuts against the photosensitive drum 241 when swinging, so that the axial component force Fb toward the drum driving unit is applied to the photosensitive drum 241, so that the drum unit as a whole moves toward the-Y direction, that is, the coupling 243 can be driven to move axially toward the direction approaching the drum driving unit by a preset distance.

The second end 24b of the photosensitive drum 241 in this embodiment is arranged in a stepped manner to form a first step 241e and a second step 241e2 having a smaller diameter than the first step 241e, the end edge of the first step 241e has an annular abutment inclined surface 241e1, and the second step 241e2 is arranged at the end center of the first step.

Referring to fig. 19 to 22, the pushing block 244 is provided with an inclined surface that abuts against the abutment inclined surface 241e1, and the inclined surface of the pushing block 244 abuts against the abutment inclined surface 241e1, and the photosensitive drum 241 receives the axial component force Fb through the abutment inclined surface 241e 1. Specifically, the inclined surface includes a first inclined surface 244a1 and a second inclined surface 244a2, and the first inclined surface 244a1 and the second inclined surface 244a2 are sequentially arranged in the direction from the second end 24b to the first end 24 a.

When the pushing block 244 does not receive the pressure Fa from the main assembly (pressing mechanism), that is, when the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus is not closed, the abutment inclined surface 241e1 abuts against the first inclined surface 244a1, and when the pushing block 244 receives the pressure Fa from the main assembly, the pushing block 244 swings downward, the abutment inclined surface 241e1 receives the axial component force Fb to axially move the photosensitive drum 241 in the-Y direction, so that the abutment inclined surface 241e1 moves to the second inclined surface 244a2 along the first inclined surface 244a1, and the first inclined surface 244a1 and the second inclined surface 244a2 make the above-described movement process smoother.

Specifically, on a horizontal plane parallel to the axial direction (Y axis) of the photosensitive drum, the inclination of the first inclined surface 244a1 with respect to the horizontal plane is larger than the inclination of the second inclined surface 244a2 with respect to the horizontal plane.

Preferably, the pushing mechanism further comprises a clamp spring (not shown), the pushing block 244 is provided with a mounting hole 244a3 and a clamping groove 244a6, a plug pin (not shown) inserted into the mounting hole is arranged on the outer shell of the consumable box, the clamp spring is sleeved on the plug pin, one end of the clamp spring is clamped in the clamping groove 244a6, and the other end of the clamp spring is in butt joint with the outer shell of the consumable box. The snap spring can enable the whole pushing block 244 to automatically reset when no force is applied in the Z direction.

The pushing block 244 also has a pressure receiving surface 244a4, and when the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus is closed, a pressure Fa is applied to the pressure receiving surface 244a4 to swing the pushing block 244.

The pushing block 244 has a first state in which the consumable cartridge 20 is mounted in the printing apparatus when the drum unit 24 is engaged, i.e., when the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 is not closed, and a second state in which the first inclined surface 244a1 of the pushing block 244 abuts against the abutment inclined surface 241e1 on the second end 24b of the photosensitive drum 241; in the second state, when the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 is closed, the pressing mechanism of the main assembly moves in the-Z direction, generating a pressure Fa to the pushing block 244, which is applied to the pressure receiving surface 244a4, at which time the pushing block 244 swings downward so that the second inclined surface 244a2 of the pushing block 244 abuts the abutment inclined surface 241e1 on the second end 24b of the photosensitive drum 241, at which time the drum unit 24 receives an axial component force Fb of Fa in the-Y direction so that the entire drum unit 24 moves in the-Y direction (the first end 24a direction of the photosensitive drum) so that the coupling 243 approaches the drum driving unit.

When the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 is opened again, the pressure Fa disappears, the push block 244 is reset by the clamp spring so that the axial component force Fb also disappears, at this time, the reset elastic member 25 is restored from the compressed state to the uncompressed state so that the drum unit 24 moves in the +y direction, the second state in which the push block 244 is abutted by the abutment inclined surface 241e1 from the second inclined surface 244a2 becomes the first state in which the abutment inclined surface 241e1 is abutted by the first inclined surface 244a1, and the drum unit 24 is reset.

As can be seen from the above description, both the first and second embodiments are provided with the propulsion mechanism, so that the coupler 243 can move axially for a predetermined distance in a direction approaching the drum driving unit, so that the two are more firm after being abutted, and are not easy to separate.

Example III

As shown in fig. 23. The difference between the present embodiment and the second embodiment is that the photosensitive drum 241 and the coupling 243 are integrally provided. That is, the coupling 243 is integrally molded or three-dimensionally printed as the drum main body 2411 of the photosensitive drum 241. The drum main body 2411 and the coupling 243 are a one-piece cylindrical structure made of the same material.

Referring to fig. 24, a drum main body 2411 includes an integral casting 2041a-2 and at least one photosensitive development coating 2041a-1 disposed outside the integral casting 2041a-2, and by the disposition of the photosensitive development coating 2041a-1, laser light of an image forming apparatus can be received to thereby generate an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum 241.

Through this kind of novel photosensitive drum structure of shaft coupling 243 and drum main part 2411 that an organic whole set up, with drum drive unit's joint process is simpler and more simple, and overall structure is simple, effectively reduces the assembly process, through adopting integrated into one piece's photosensitive drum structure, more effectively avoids traditional mode photosensitive drum aluminum pipe and the likely error of shaft coupling assembly process, and then the assembly or the installation that lead to become flexible or the production of the poor problem of printing development that rocks in the high-speed rotation arouses.

In the foregoing, only the preferred embodiments of the present utility model have been described, and all possible combinations of the technical features of the embodiments are not described, but rather are not limited to any form, so that any modifications, equivalent variations and modifications made to the embodiments according to the technical principles of the present utility model fall within the scope of the technical aspects of the present utility model.

Claims (10)

1. A drum unit detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, said main assembly including a drum driving unit, characterized in that:

the drum unit includes:

a photosensitive drum having opposite first and second ends;

the coupler is arranged on the first end part of the photosensitive drum and is used for abutting the drum driving unit to receive driving force so as to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate;

the first end or the second end of the photosensitive drum is provided with a propelling mechanism, and the propelling mechanism is used for driving the coupler to axially move a preset distance towards the direction close to the drum driving unit.

2. The drum unit according to claim 1, wherein the urging mechanism includes a guide portion provided on the first end portion of the photosensitive drum and a guided portion provided on the coupling;

when the coupling receives a rotation of the driving force of the drum driving unit, the guided portion slides with respect to the guide portion to guide the coupling to axially move a preset distance with respect to the photosensitive drum in a direction approaching the drum driving unit.

3. A drum unit according to claim 2, wherein said guide portion is a guide projection, said guided portion is a spiral through groove fitted to said guide projection, said spiral through groove extending obliquely in such a manner as to be gradually distant from said photosensitive drum with the rotation direction of said coupling, said spiral through groove having a first end and a second end, said second end being closer to said photosensitive drum than said first end;

when the guide protrusion relatively slides from the first end to the second end of the spiral through groove, the coupling may be axially moved a predetermined distance with respect to the photosensitive drum in a direction approaching the drum driving unit.

4. A drum unit according to claim 3, wherein a first end of the spiral through groove is formed with a first detent, a second end of the spiral through groove is formed with a second detent, both the first detent and the second detent can engage the guide projection, the guide projection abuts against the second detent, and the coupling can drive the photosensitive drum to rotate when rotating.

5. A drum unit according to claim 1, wherein the pushing mechanism comprises a pushing block abutting against the second end of the photosensitive drum, the pushing block being movably connected with the outer casing of the consumable cartridge, the pushing block exerting an axial component force on the photosensitive drum towards the drum driving unit by receiving the pressure exerted by the main assembly perpendicular to the photosensitive drum.

6. A drum unit according to claim 5, wherein the second end portion of the photosensitive drum is provided with an annular abutment slope, the pushing block is provided with an inclined surface abutting against the abutment slope, and the photosensitive drum receives the axial component force through the abutment slope.

7. The drum unit according to claim 6, wherein the inclined surface includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, which are sequentially arranged in a direction from the second end to the first end;

the pushing block is in abutting connection with the first inclined plane when not receiving pressure from the main assembly, and swings downwards when receiving pressure from the main assembly, so that the abutting inclined plane moves to the second inclined plane along the first inclined plane;

on a horizontal plane parallel to an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, an inclination of the first inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane is larger than an inclination of the second inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane.

8. The drum unit according to claim 5, wherein the pushing mechanism further comprises a clamp spring, the pushing block is provided with a mounting hole and a clamping groove, a plug pin inserted into the mounting hole is arranged on the outer shell of the consumable box, the clamp spring is sleeved on the plug pin, one end of the clamp spring is clamped in the clamping groove, and the other end of the clamp spring is abutted against the outer shell of the consumable box.

9. Drum unit according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising a return spring having one end abutting the coupling and the other end abutting the outer structure.

10. A consumable cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, comprising a developing unit and the drum unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.