Patent Application
20240264563
A known developing cartridge includes a storage medium, a holder, a holder cover, a gear cover, and a casing. The storage medium is held by the holder. The holder is held by the holder cover. The holder is movable with respect to the holder cover. The holder cover is fixed to the casing via the gear cover. The gear cover covers the gear. The casing is configured to store developer.
The holder includes a first member, a second member, and an elastic member. The elastic member is disposed between the first member and the second member. The holder is extendable and contractible by the elastic member. In a process of attaching the developing cartridge to an image forming apparatus, the holder is extended by the elastic member, so that an electrical contact surface of the developing cartridge is brought into contact with a main assembly electrical contact of the image forming apparatus.
To reduce rubbing of the electrical contact surface of a developing cartridge against the main body electrical contact of the image forming apparatus, a method different from a conventional technique has been awaited.
An object of the disclosure is to reduce rubbing the electrical contact surface of the developing cartridge against the image forming apparatus.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a developing cartridge includes a housing, a developing roller, a storage medium, a holder, and a roller. The housing accommodates a developer. The developing roller is rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction. The developing roller is located at one end portion of the housing in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The storage medium has an electrical contact surface. The holder is located at one end portion of the housing in the first direction. The holder holds the electrical contact surface. The holder is movable with respect to the housing between a first position and a second position different from the first position in a third direction intersecting the electrical contact surface. The roller is rotatable about a second axis extending in the first direction. The roller includes a first roller protrusion extending in the first direction. The first roller protrusion is contactable with the holder. The first roller protrusion is movable between a third position and a fourth position in accordance with rotation of the roller. The holder is movable in accordance with the movement of the first roller protrusion. As the first roller protrusion moves from the third position to the fourth position, the holder moves from the first position to the second position.
According to the developing cartridge of the first aspect, since the holder moves from the first position to the second position by the first roller protrusion of the roller moving from the third position to the fourth position, the movement of the electrical contact surface can be controlled by the rotation of the roller. This can reduce rubbing the electrical contact surface against the main assembly electrical contact of the image forming apparatus.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that components described in this embodiment are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited only to them. In the drawings, for ease of understanding, parts may be illustrated as simplified in size and number.
As illustrated in
In the following description, a direction in which a rotation axis, which is a developing roller axis A22 of a developing roller 22 in the developing cartridge 20, extends is referred to as a “first direction”. A direction in which the developing roller 22 and a handle 213 are arranged is referred to as a “second direction”. A direction intersecting an electrical contact surface 33 of the developing cartridge 20 will be referred to as a “third direction”. The first direction crosses the second direction and is preferably orthogonal to the second direction. The second direction crosses the third direction and is preferably orthogonal to the third direction.
The apparatus main body 10 includes a box-shaped main body frame 11. The main body frame 11 has an opening 110. The opening 110 is located at an end portion of the main body frame 11 in the second direction. The main body frame 11 includes a main body cover 113. The main body cover 113 is located at an end portion of the main body frame 11 in the second direction. The main body frame 11 includes a hinge 115. The hinge 115 is located at an end portion of the main body cover 113 in the third direction. The main body cover 113 is movable about the hinge 115 between a closed position for closing the opening 110 and an open position for opening the opening 110. The process unit U1 is attachable to the main body frame 11 in a state where the main body cover 113 is at the open position and the opening 110 is open.
The main body frame 11 includes a guide frame 13. The guide frame 13 has a main body electrical contact 15. When the process unit U1 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the guide frame 13 comes into contact with a holder 34 of the developing cartridge 20. The guide frame 13 guides the holder 34 so that the holder 34 moves along a predetermined path. In a state where the process unit U1 is attached to the main body frame 11, the main body electrical contact 15 is in contact with the electrical contact surface 33 of the developing cartridges 20. The main body electrical contact 15 is electrically connected to a main body controller of the image forming apparatus 100. When the main body electrical contact 15 is in contact with the electrical contact surface 33, the main body controller can read information from a development memory 31 of the developing cartridge 20 and write information to the development memory 31.
As illustrated in
The developing roller 22 is rotatable about a developing roller axis A22 extending in the first direction in a state where the developing cartridge 20 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100. The developing roller axis A22 is an example of a “first axis”. In a state where the developing cartridge 20 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the developing roller 22 supplies the developer in the casing 21 to a surface of a photosensitive drum 51 of the drum cartridge 50.
The developing cartridge 20 includes a gear cover 28. The gear cover 28 is positioned at one end portion of the casing 21 in the first direction. The gear cover 28 is fixed to one end portion of the casing 21 in the first direction. The gear cover 28 covers a gear of the developing cartridge 20.
The developing cartridge 20 includes a development memory unit 30. As illustrated in
The development memory 31 stores various kinds of information related to the developing cartridge 20. The development memory 31 stores, for example, identification information and lifetime information. The identification information is information for identifying the developing cartridge 20, and is, for example, its serial number. The life information includes, for example, a cumulative number of rotations obtained by accumulating the number of rotations of the developing roller 22, a cumulative number of printed pages obtained by accumulating the number of printed sheets using the developing roller 22, and a cumulative number of dots obtained by accumulating the number of dots printed on sheets using the developing roller 22. In other words, the cumulative number of rotations is a cumulative value of the number of rotations of the developing roller 22 from a brand-new condition. The development memory 31 is an example of a “storage medium”.
The development memory 31 includes a development substrate 32, an electrical contact surface 33, and a storage element 310. The development substrate 32 is a plate-like member. The electrical contact surface 33 is located at one end portion of the development substrate 32 in the third direction. The electrical contact surface 33 is electrically connected to the storage element 310. As illustrated in
The holder 34 is located at one end portion of the casing 21 in the first direction. The holder 34 is between the developing roller 22 and the handle 213 in the second direction. The holder 34 holds the electrical contact surface 33 by holding the development substrate 32 of the development memory 31. The developing memory 31 is located at one end portion of the holder 34 in the third direction.
The holder 34 is movable with respect to the casing 21 and the gear cover 28 between a first position P1 illustrated in
The holder 34 includes a holder protrusion 341 extending in the first direction. The holder protrusion 341 is located at one end portion of the holder 34 in the first direction.
The holder cover 35 is located at one end portion of the gear cover 28 in the first direction. The holder cover 35 is fixed to the gear cover 28 by screws. The holder cover 35 holds the holder 34 to be movable between the first position P1 and the second position P2.
While the first roller protrusion 41 moves from the third position P3 to the fourth position P4, the holder 34 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 such that the electrical contact surface 33 moves away from the holder cover 35.
The holder cover 35 has a groove 351. The groove 351 includes a through-hole that passes through the holder cover 35 in the first direction. The groove 351 extends in the third direction. The length of the holder protrusion 341 in the second direction is less than the length of the groove 351 in the second direction. The holder protrusion 341 is inserted into the groove 351 such that there is play between the holder protrusion 341 and the groove 351 in the second direction. Therefore, the holder protrusion 341 is movable in the third direction with respect to the holder cover 35. When the holder 34 moves in the third direction with respect to the holder cover 35, the holder protrusion 341 moves in the third direction inside the groove 351. The holder protrusion 341 inserted into the groove 351 regulates the direction of movement of the holder 34.
The developing cartridge 20 includes a roller 40. The roller 40 is located at one end portion of the gear cover 28 in the first direction. The roller 40 is rotatable with respect to the casing 21 and the gear cover 28 about a roller axis A40 extending in the first direction. The roller axis A40 is an example of a second axis. The roller 40 includes a circular plate having a thickness in the first direction. The roller 40 may have a shape different from a circular shape, such as an elliptical shape or a fan shape. The roller 40 is an example of a “roller”.
As illustrated in
The gear cover 28 holds the roller 40 to be rotatable about the roller axis A40. The gear cover 28 has a gear cover protrusion 281. The gear cover protrusion 281 is located at one end portion of the gear cover 28 in the first direction. The gear cover protrusion 281 extends in the first direction. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first roller protrusion 41 extends in the first direction. The first roller protrusion 41 is contactable with the holder 34. As the roller 40 rotates, the first roller protrusion 41 moves between a third position P3 illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The main body frame 11 has a frame protrusion 14. The frame protrusion 14 extends in the second direction. The frame protrusion 14 protrudes from the guide frame 13 in the third direction. The thickness of the frame protrusion 14 in the first direction is less than the thickness of the roller 40 in the first direction. In the process of inserting the process unit U1 into the main body frame 11, the rubber 43 on the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40 comes into contact with the frame protrusion 14.
When the process unit U1 is further inserted into the main body frame 11 with the rubber 43 of the roller 40 in contact with the frame protrusion 14, the roller 40 rotates while the rubber 43 is in contact with the frame protrusion 14. At this moment, the rubber 43 is elastically deformed such that a frictional force between the rubber 43 of the roller 40 and the frame protrusion 14 causes the roller 40 to properly rotate.
When the roller 40 starts to rotate with the first roller protrusion 41 of the roller 40 at the third position P3 (refer to
When the holder 34 is located at the second position P2, the electrical contact surface 33 of the development memory 31 held by the holder 34 is in contact with the main body electrical contact 15 of the image forming apparatus 100. Thus, the development memory 31 and the main body controller of the image forming apparatus 100 are electrically connected to each other. When the holder 34 is located at the second position P2, the first roller protrusion 41 of the roller 40 pushes the holder 34 in the third direction, so that the electrical contact surface 33 is pressed against the main assembly electrical contacts 15. Thus, the electrical contact surface 33 remains in stable contact with the main body electrical contact 15.
According to the developing cartridge 20, as the first roller protrusion 41 of the roller 40 rotates from the third position P3 to the fourth position P4, the holder 34 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. This movement of the holder 34 causes the electrical contact surface 33 of the development memory 31 to move in the third direction.
The electrical contact surface 33 moves in the third direction and comes into contact with the main body electrical contact 15. Therefore, rubbing the electrical contact surface 33 against the main body electrical contact 15 can be reduced as compared with the case where the electrical contact surface 33 comes into contact with the main body electrical contact 15 without moving in the third direction.
While the first roller protrusion 41 moves from the third position P3 to the fourth position P4 due to the rotation of the roller 40, the first roller protrusion 41 lifts the holder 34 from the first position P1 to the second position P2. As a result, the electrical contact surface 33 of the development memory 31 can be lifted without another device, such as a spring, which would be incorporated into the holder.
The first roller protrusion 41 of the roller 40 lifts the holder 34 to bring the electrical contact surface 33 of the development memory 31 into contact with the main body electrical contact 15. As a result, in the process of attaching the process unit U1 to the image forming apparatus 100, the interference of the development memory 31 with the guide frame 13 and other portions located in front of the main body electrical contact 15 may be prevented, thereby the operation load for attaching the process unit U1 to the image forming apparatus may be decreased.
Since the rubber 43 is elastically deformed, the friction between the rubber 43 and the frame protrusion 14 can be increased. Thus, the roller 40 can be rotated. In addition, since the rubber 43 is elastically deformed, the force with which the first roller protrusion 41 lifts the holder 34 can be adjusted to an appropriate magnitude. Thus, the electrical contact surface 33 can be brought into contact with the main body electrical contact 15 with an appropriate force.
The roller 40 is rotatably held by the gear cover protrusion 281. When the process unit U1 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the first roller protrusion 41 of the roller 40 comes into contact with the cover protrusion 353 due to the own weight of the roller 40. The first roller protrusion 41 can be thus stably at the third position P3.
Further, before the process unit U1 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the first roller protrusion 41 is at the third position P3. The movement amount of the first roller protrusion 41 during attachment can be thus maintained constant. Even when the process unit U1 is attached and detached many times, the electrical contact surface 33 can be appropriately brought into contact with the main body electrical contact 15 every time.
In the process of detaching the process unit U1 from the image forming apparatus 100, the first roller protrusion 41 moves down by the reverse rotation of the roller 40. As a result, the electrical contact surface 33 of the development memory 31 is separated from the main body electrical contact 15 by the weight of the development memory 31 and the holder 34.
Preferably, the weight of the first roller protrusion 41 is greater than the weight of the second roller protrusion 42. By making the weight of the first roller protrusion 41 greater than the weight of the second roller protrusion 42, the second roller protrusion 42 can be away from the cover protrusion 353 while the first roller protrusion 41 is in contact with the cover protrusion 353. In order to make the weight of the first roller protrusion 41 greater than the weight of the second roller protrusion 42, the volume of the first roller protrusion 41 may be greater than the volume of the second roller protrusion 42. In order to make the volume of the first roller protrusion 41 greater than the volume of the second roller protrusion 42, as illustrated in
Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the specific embodiment thereof, the present disclosure may not be limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be applied.
The roller 40 may not have the rubber 43 on its outer peripheral surface. For example, the roller 40 may include a fiber member having a large frictional force, instead of the rubber 43. Alternatively, the roller body 400 made of resin may be brought into direct contact with the guide frame 13 to rotate the roller 40 by the frictional force between the roller body 400 itself and the guide frame 13.
The groove 351 may not be a through hole but may be a recess into which the end portion of the holder protrusion 341 can be inserted.
It may not be essential that the cover protrusion 353 is a part of the holder cover 35. For example, the cover protrusion 353 may be a part of the gear cover 28. Further, the cover protrusion 353 may be a member fixed to the gear cover protrusion 281.
In the above-described embodiment, the development memory 31 having the electrical contact surface 33 is held on the outer surface of the holder 34. However, the electrical contact surface 33 may be held on the outer surface of the holder 34, and the storage element 310 may be disposed at another position of the developing cartridge 20.
In the embodiment described above, the second position P2 is a position away from the first position P1 in the vertically upward direction. However, the second position P2 may be a position away vertically downward from the first position P1. Further, the second position P2 may be the same position as the first position P1 in the vertical direction and may be a position horizontally away from the first position P1. Further, the second position P2 may be a position horizontally and vertically away from the first position P1.
Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is understood that numerous non-illustrated variations may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications may be combined or omitted as long as they do not contradict each other.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-114289 | Jul 2022 | JP | national |
| 2022-195455 | Dec 2022 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/192,041, filed Mar. 29, 2023, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-195455 filed on Dec. 7, 2022, and from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-114289 filed on Jul. 15, 2022. The entire contents of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18192041 | Mar 2023 | US |
| Child | 18640847 | US |
