WO2018107957A1 - Developing box, processing box, and image forming device using processing box - Google Patents

Abstract

A developing box (102), used for being detachably connected to a drum box (101). The drum box (101) is used for being detachably connected to an image forming main body (114). The drum box (101) comprises a connecting member (109). A triggering device (107) is disposed on the developing box (102). The triggering device (107) comprises an unlocking portion (104) and a locking portion (105). The locking portion (105) can cooperate with the connecting member (109) to lock and fix the connecting member (109). The unlocking portion (104) is used for being in contact with the image forming main body (114) and receives an acting force of the image forming main body (114) in a process in which the developing box (102) and the drum box (101) are integrally mounted to the image forming main body (114), so as to drive the locking portion (105) to release the locking and the fixing of the connecting member (109), so that the drum box (101) and the developing box (102) can separate. The convenience of the developing box (102) in use can be improved.

Description

Developing cartridge, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus using the same

This application is required to be submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on December 14, 2016, the application number is 201611155915.5, the Chinese patent application entitled "Processing Box, Image Forming Device and Developing Cartridge", and the Chinese Patent Application on December 14, 2016 The priority of the Chinese Patent Application No. 201611151594.1, entitled "Developing Cartridge, Process Cartridge, and Image Forming Apparatus Using the Process Cartridge", the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

The present invention relates to image forming apparatus technology, and more particularly to a developing cartridge, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus using the same, and a method of mounting a process cartridge into an image forming apparatus.

Background technique

An image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a copying machine, a multifunction peripheral or the like is generally provided with a process cartridge for forming an image on a sheet.

The conventional process cartridge generally includes a drum cartridge accommodating a photosensitive drum and a developing cartridge accommodating the developer. The developing cartridge is detachably mounted on the drum cartridge, and the drum cartridge is provided with a locking device, and the developing cartridge is provided with a connecting device and a lock The tightening device can cooperate with the connecting device to lock the connecting device to lock the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge relative to each other.

In the prior art, after the process cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus, if the user wants to take out the developing cartridge separately, the user needs to manually unlock the locking device to lock the connecting device, and then the developing cartridge can be separately taken out, which is inconvenient to operate. .

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a developing cartridge, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus using the same, and a mounting method thereof, to improve the convenience of use thereof.

The present invention provides a process cartridge detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including a developing cartridge and a drum cartridge, the developing cartridge being detachably mounted to the drum cartridge, the process cartridge further including a locking mechanism for relatively locking the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge or releasing relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge; a process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus The locking mechanism Contacting the main body of the image forming apparatus and receiving a force of the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to Separation.

Based on the above, the process cartridge provided by the present invention can be brought into contact with the main body of the image forming apparatus and subjected to the force of the main body of the image forming apparatus in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus due to the locking mechanism. Driving the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated, thereby automatically releasing the developing cartridge when the processing cartridge is coupled to the image forming apparatus main body The locking between the drum cartridge and the drum cartridge, when the developing cartridge needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus, the user can take out the developing cartridge without manually releasing the relative locking between the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge again, and the operation is convenient, and the processing cartridge is improved. Convenience of use. In particular, the locking between the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge is released during the mounting process, and when it is necessary to take out the developing cartridge separately, it is easy to remove without having to manually release the locking.

The present invention also provides a developing cartridge detachably mountable to a drum cartridge to form a process cartridge, the drum cartridge being detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus main body, the process cartridge further including a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism The connector includes a connecting member disposed on the drum cartridge, the triggering device is disposed on the developing cartridge, and the triggering device includes: a locking portion, the locking portion capable of being A connector cooperates to lock the connector to position the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge relatively; an unlocking portion, the unlocking portion being integrally mountable to the image in the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge Forming the apparatus main body in contact with the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a force of the image forming apparatus main body to drive the locking portion to release the locking positioning of the connecting member, thereby making the drum The cartridge and the developing cartridge can be separated.

Based on the above, the developing cartridge provided by the present invention can be brought into contact with the image forming apparatus main body and subjected to the image formation in the process in which the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body. The force of the main body of the device drives the locking portion to release the locking position of the connecting member, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated. Therefore, when the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally coupled to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the locking position of the locking portion can be automatically released. When the developing cartridge needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus, the user does not need to manually manually The developing cartridge can be taken out by releasing the locking of the locking portion, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the processing cartridge. In particular, during the installation process, the locking portion is unlocked by the locking portion, and when the developing cartridge needs to be taken out immediately, the manual locking can be removed without manual unlocking, and the operation is convenient.

The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus using the above process cartridge. In the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the locking mechanism automatically releases the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, and the user can take out the developing cartridge from the image forming apparatus without manually releasing the manual again, which is convenient to operate and improves the image. The convenience of using the device is formed.

The present invention also provides a method of mounting the above process cartridge into a main body of an image forming apparatus, first mounting the developing cartridge to the drum cartridge, the locking mechanism relatively locking the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge; Mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body and subjected to the image during mounting of the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body A force of the apparatus main body is formed to drive the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated.

Based on the above, after the process cartridge is mounted in the main body of the image forming apparatus according to the above-described mounting method, since the locking mechanism automatically releases the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge during the process of mounting the process cartridge, when the developing cartridge needs to be separately taken out It does not need to be manually removed again, which improves the convenience of operation.

DRAWINGS

1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic perspective view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a main body of an image forming apparatus;

3 is a schematic perspective view showing the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge not being installed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a drum cartridge frame according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

6 is a perspective view of a drum cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a main body of an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a side view of a developing cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a partial schematic view of a main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a state in which a process cartridge is mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Figure 11 is a schematic view showing the locking portion in an unlocked position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a schematic view showing the locking portion in a locked position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a manual unlocking state of a user according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Figure 14 is a schematic view of a main body of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 15 is a schematic view showing a triggering device and a main body of a pattern forming device according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a drum cartridge frame according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 17 is a schematic view showing the process of loading a developing cartridge into a drum cartridge according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 18 is a schematic view showing the process of loading a developing cartridge into a drum cartridge according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 19 is a schematic view showing the locking portion of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in a locked position;

Figure 20 is a schematic view showing the locking portion of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in an unlocked position;

Figure 21 is a plan view showing the connector of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 22 is a schematic structural view of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 23 is a schematic view showing the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge in a separated state according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 24 is a partial structural view showing the main body of an image forming apparatus of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

25 is a schematic structural view of a locking device and an unlocking device of a process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a partial schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Figure 27 is a schematic view showing the state in which the process cartridge of the fifth embodiment is in the locked position according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

28 is a schematic view showing a state in which a process cartridge of the fifth embodiment is in an unlocked position according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

29 is a schematic view showing a state in which a process cartridge of the sixth embodiment is in a locked position according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 30 is a schematic structural view of a locking device and an unlocking device of a process cartridge according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 31 is a schematic structural view of a locking device and an unlocking device of a process cartridge according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

32 is a schematic view showing a state in which the process cartridge of the eighth embodiment is in an unlocked position according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 33 is a plan view showing the process cartridge of the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including an image forming apparatus main body 114 in which a paper feed unit, an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a discharge unit, and the like are accommodated. As a specific embodiment of the image forming unit, it may be a process cartridge. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, in the present invention, it is agreed that the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge is the left-right direction, the width direction is the front-rear direction, and the thickness direction is the up-and-down direction. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the process cartridge is composed of a drum cartridge 101 and a developing cartridge 102 which is formed into a substantially hollow rectangular parallelepiped, and may of course have other shapes. The above process cartridge is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus main body 114, and the process cartridge includes a locking mechanism for relatively locking the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 or releasing the relative lock of the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101. Tightly, in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114, and the urging force drives the locking mechanism to release the developing cartridge. The relative locking between the 102 and the drum cartridge 101 enables the above-described developing cartridge and drum cartridge to be separated.

When the process cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking between the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 can be automatically released. When it is necessary to separately take out the developing cartridge from the image forming apparatus, the user does not need to manually release the developing cartridge again. The relative locking between the drum cartridges can take out the developing cartridge, which is convenient to operate and improves the use of the processing cartridge. Convenience. In particular, during the installation process, the locking between the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge is released, and when it is necessary to remove the developing cartridge separately, the manual removal can be performed without manual unlocking, and the operation is convenient.

Further, the locking mechanism described above may include a connector 109 and a triggering device 107, as will be described in more detail below. A pair of rotating shafts 106 are disposed opposite to both ends of the developing cartridge 102 in the left-right direction, and a triggering device 107 is disposed on the front side of the rotating shaft 106. The triggering device 107 includes an unlocking portion 104 and a locking portion 105. Of course, the above-mentioned triggering device 107 can also be located at the rear side or other position of the rotating shaft 106. The present invention does not limit the relative positional relationship between the triggering device 107 and the rotating shaft 106. The drum cartridge 101 is formed with a cavity accommodating the developing cartridge 102, and drum cartridge frames 1010, 1011 are provided at both ends of the drum cartridge 101 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, a sliding surface 1012 is provided on the drum cartridge frame 1010, and a receiving portion 110 is provided at one end of the sliding surface 1012 for accommodating the above-described rotating shaft 106 when the developing cartridge 102 is mounted. Upon reaching the drum cartridge 101, the rotating shaft 106 reaches the housing portion 110 along the sliding surface 1012. The drum box frame 1010 is further provided with a connecting member 109. Of course, the connecting member 109 may be disposed at other positions of the drum cartridge 101. The connecting member 109 is used to cooperate with the locking portion 105 to make the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102. In a relatively locked state. On the outer side of the drum cartridge frame 1010, a sliding front end portion 120 and a sliding rear end portion 121 are provided, and the sliding front end portion 120 is located on the front side of the sliding rear end portion 121. The right drum cartridge frame 1011 can be configured with reference to the structure of the left drum cartridge frame 1010. When the drum cartridge 101 is mounted into the image forming apparatus main body 114, the sliding rear end portion 121 first contacts the slide rail 116 and slides along the slide rail 116, and the rear sliding front end portion 120 also contacts the slide rail 116 and slides along the slide rail 116. The slide rail 116 may be a part of the image forming apparatus main body 114 described above, or may be separately molded and attached to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and the slide rail 116 may be used to guide the drum cartridge 101 or the process cartridge to be mounted in the image forming apparatus main body 114.

4 is a side cross-sectional view of the process cartridge. The developing cartridge 102 is formed with a developing cartridge cavity 1020. The developing cartridge cavity 1020 contains a developer. As a developer, it may be a one-component non-magnetic material. Toner, but not limited to this. The developer is conveyed to the developing roller 124 under the agitation of the stirring frame 125, and then the developer is transferred onto the charged photosensitive drum 119, and the photosensitive drum 119 is exposed to expose the developer to the sheet passing therethrough (not shown). The image forming process is completed by the fixing of the fixing unit. The drum cartridge 101 is formed with a drum cartridge chamber 1013 for containing waste developer.

The structure of the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 will be specifically described below with reference to Figs. The present invention provides a developing cartridge 102 that can be detachably mounted to a drum cartridge 101 that can be detachably mounted into the image forming apparatus main body 114. The drum cartridge 101 is provided with a connector 109, and the developing cartridge 102 is provided with a triggering device 107. The triggering device 107 includes a locking portion 105 and an unlocking portion 104. The locking portion 105 can cooperate with the connecting member 109 to lock the connecting member 109, so that the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are relatively locked. The unlocking portion 104 can be in the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 described above. The image forming apparatus main body 114 is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and is biased by the image forming apparatus main body 114 to drive the locking portion 105 to release the locking of the connecting member 109. The positioning is such that the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 described above can be separated.

As described above, since the unlocking portion 104 can come into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and receive the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 during the process in which the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the lock is driven. The tight portion 105 releases the locking positioning of the connecting member 109, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 to be separated. Therefore, the locking position of the locking portion 105 to the connecting member 109 can be automatically released during the process in which the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, when it is necessary to separately take out from the image forming apparatus main body 114. When the developing cartridge 102 is used, the user can remove the developing cartridge 102 without manually releasing the locking position of the locking portion 105 to the connecting member 109, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the developing cartridge. In particular, during the installation process, the locking portion 105 is unlocked by the locking portion 105, and when it is required to remove the developing cartridge 102 separately (for example, during the installation process), it is possible to take out without manually releasing the locking operation. Convenience. It should be understood that the unlocking portion 104 may be in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and subjected to the force applied by the image forming apparatus main body 114 without limiting the manner in which the contact portion 104 is applied. The applied force may also be mechanical. Direct application can also be applied in electrical or magnetic form or in other forms.

An example of applying a force in a magnetic form is shown in FIG. 15. As shown, the unlocking portion 127 is provided as a magnetic member, and the image forming apparatus main body 114 is also provided with a magnetic member 128 at a position corresponding to the unlocking portion 127, and the unlocking portion 127 The surface corresponding to the magnetic member 128 is magnetically identical, that is, when the unlocking portion 127 and the magnetic member 128 are close to each other, they repel each other. When the developing cartridge 102 and the above-described drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the unlocking portion 127 is in magnetic contact with the magnetic member 128 on the image forming apparatus main body 114 and is subjected to a repulsive force to drive the above lock. The tightening portion 105 releases the locking positioning of the above-described connecting member 109, thereby enabling the above-described drum cartridge 101 and developing cartridge 102 to be separated.

Preferably, the locking portion 105 can restore the locking positioning of the connector 109 in a state where the unlocking portion 104 is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 114. When the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are integrally taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking portion 105 automatically restores the locking positioning of the connecting member 109, thereby locking the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 relatively, thereby preventing the drum cartridge 101 and the drum cartridge 101 from being relatively locked. The accidental drop of the developing cartridge 102 improves the convenience of the operation.

The triggering device 107 further includes a main body portion 103. The main body portion 103 is rotatably coupled to the developing cartridge 102 via a rotating shaft 118. The main body portion 103 is rotatable relative to the developing cartridge 102 about the rotating shaft 118 to cause the locking portion 105 to reach the locking portion. Positioning or unlocking position, referring to FIG. 12, when the locking portion 105 reaches the locking position, the locking member 105 can cooperate with the connecting member 109 to lock the connecting member 109, thereby making the above The developing cartridge 102 and the above drum cartridge 101 are relatively locked. Referring to Fig. 11, when the locking portion 105 reaches the unlocking position, the locking position of the connecting member 109 can be released, so that the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 can be separated. An elastic member 111 is disposed between the main body portion 103 and the developing cartridge 102, and the elastic member 111 is configured to apply an elastic force to the main body portion 103 to drive the main body portion 103 to rotate forward so that the locking portion 105 can reach and The unlocking portion 104 is for contacting the image forming apparatus main body 114 and receiving the image formation during the process of integrally attaching the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 to the image forming apparatus main body 114. The urging force of the apparatus main body 114 causes the main body portion 103 to be reversed, so that the locking portion 105 can reach and remain at the unlocked position. In the present embodiment, the forward rotation of the main body portion 103 is counterclockwise rotation as shown in Fig. 12; the reverse rotation of the main body portion 103 is a clockwise rotation as shown in Fig. 11, it being understood that The above-mentioned forward rotation and reverse rotation are only for explaining the relative relationship between the locking position and the unlocking position, and the conversion of the locking portion 105 between the locking position and the unlocking position is not limited to the rotation mode, and may be other. Ways such as rising, falling, protruding, dent, etc. By providing the main body portion 103 and rotating it about the rotating shaft 118 relative to the developing cartridge 102 to bring the locking portion 105 to the locking position or the unlocking position, the structure is simple, and the locking or unlocking is performed by rotating, saving space and being convenient to operate. .

At the same time, the locking portion 105 may be disposed at the first end of the main body portion 103, the unlocking portion 104 is disposed at the second end of the main body portion 103, and the rotating shaft 118 is located at the first end of the main body portion 103 and Between the two ends. The triggering device 107 further includes a pressing portion 117, and the pressing portion 117 is located at the second end of the main body portion 103. Referring to FIG. 13, since the pressing portion 117 and the locking portion 105 are disposed at both ends of the rotating shaft 118 and at the same end as the unlocking portion 104, when the user needs to manually release the locking of the connecting member 109 by the locking portion 105, only Need to use less force, which improves the convenience of use.

Referring to Fig. 8, a plurality of restricting members (1081, 1082, 1083, and 1084) are further disposed on the developing cartridge 102. The restricting piece 1081 is disposed on the upper side of the main body portion 103, which restricts excessive forward rotation of the main body portion 103 even if the locking portion 105 can reach and remain in the above-described locking position. The main body portion 103 is also integrally formed with an arm 113, and the restriction member 108 is disposed on the rear side of the main body portion 103, which is in contact with the above-described arm 113 to restrict excessive forward rotation of the main body portion 103 even if the locking portion 105 can reach and Keep in the above locked position. The elastic member 111 may be a torsion spring, and the three members 1083 are disposed on the upper side of the main body portion 103, and are in contact with a projecting arm of the torsion spring to restrict the torsion spring from rotating clockwise about the rotation shaft 118. The restriction four pieces 1084 are provided on the lower side of the main body portion 103, and the main body portion 103 is restricted from being excessively reversed, even if the locking portion 105 can reach the above-described unlocked position. Since the above-mentioned restricting member is provided, the above-described locking portion 105 is more stably switched between the locked position and the unlocked position, thereby making the locking positioning and/or separation between the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 more stable and reliable.

In the embodiment, the locking portion 105 may be formed as a hook portion, and the connecting member 109 is formed as a protrusion. When the locking portion 105 is in the locking position, the hook portion hooks the protrusion, thereby locking the protrusion. Tight positioning. Thereby, the locking positioning is more stable. Further, the protrusion is formed in a cylindrical shape. When the developing cartridge 102 is mounted to the drum cartridge 101, the slope 1050 below the hook portion is in contact with the circular arc surface, so that the mounting process is smoother and the operation is convenient.

As shown in FIG. 8, a rib 112 is further provided on the developing cartridge 102. When the developing cartridge 102 is mounted on the drum cartridge 101, the above-described ribs 112 are located above the above-described connecting member 109. When an external force presses the developing cartridge 102 downward, the connecting member 109 can contact the rib 112 and at least partially overlap in the up and down direction, that is, the above rib 112 prevents the developing cartridge 102 from falling downward.

Meanwhile, the present invention provides a process cartridge for detachably connecting with the image forming apparatus main body 114. The process cartridge includes the above-described drum cartridge 101, the developing cartridge 102, and a locking mechanism, and the locking mechanism includes a connecting member 109 and a triggering device 107. The connector 109 is disposed on the drum cartridge 101, and the triggering device 107 is disposed on the developing cartridge 102. The triggering device 107 includes a locking portion 105 and an unlocking portion 104. The locking portion 105 can cooperate with the connecting member 109 to lock the connecting member 109, so that the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are relatively locked; The unlocking unit 104 is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 in the process of attaching the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and is biased by the image forming apparatus main body 114 to drive the locking portion 105 to release the pair. The above-described connecting member 109 is locked and positioned so that the above-described drum cartridge 101 and developing cartridge 102 can be separated.

The unlocking portion 104 can contact the image forming device main body 114 and be subjected to the force of the image forming device main body 114 during the process of attaching the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, to drive the locking portion 105 to release the above. The locking member 109 is locked and positioned to enable the above-described drum cartridge 101 and developing cartridge 102 to be separated. Therefore, the locking positioning of the connecting member 109 by the locking portion 105 can be automatically released during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and when the developing cartridge 102 needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the user It is not necessary to manually release the locking of the connecting member 109 by the locking portion 105 again, and the developing cartridge 102 can be taken out, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the image forming apparatus. It should be understood that the above process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114 includes the process cartridge just contacting the image forming apparatus main body 114, the process cartridge continuously contacting the image forming apparatus 114 and not being mounted in place, and the process cartridge continuously contacting the image forming apparatus 114. And just after it is installed, the above contact is not limited to physical contact, and may be an electrical form or a magnetic form of contact.

Preferably, the locking portion 105 can restore the locking positioning of the connector 109 in a state where the unlocking portion 104 is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 114. That is, when the unlocking portion 104 is in the separated state from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking portion 105 resumes the locking positioning of the above-described connecting member 109. Drum box 101 The developing position between the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 is relatively locked, thereby preventing the accidental dropping of the developing cartridge 102, and the convenience of the operation is improved.

Meanwhile, the present invention also provides an image forming apparatus using the above process cartridge, which includes an image forming apparatus main body 114 for accommodating the above-described process cartridge. In the image forming apparatus described above, after the above-described process cartridge is used, since the user does not need to manually cancel the relative locking between the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102, the developing cartridge 102 can be taken out, which improves the convenience of the operation of the image forming apparatus. Sex.

The image forming apparatus further includes a compression spring 115 that is in contact with the compression spring 115 of the image forming apparatus main body 114 and is biased by the compression spring 115 to drive the lock during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114. The tight portion 105 releases the locking positioning of the connecting member 109, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 to be separated. Since the compression spring 115 interacts with the unlocking portion 104, even if the user slightly deviates from the predetermined mounting path during the process of installing the process cartridge, the elastic force of the compression spring 115 is corrected to make the installation process smoother. The operation is more convenient.

As shown in FIG. 14, the image forming apparatus may further include a cylindrical projection 126 which is in contact with the cylindrical projection 126 of the image forming apparatus main body 114 in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114. The force of the cylindrical projection 126 is contacted and received to drive the locking portion 105 to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 109, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 to be separated. Since the cylindrical projection 126 is used in contact with the unlocking portion 104 and provides a force for reversing the main body portion 103, the structure is simple and the operation is convenient.

A method of mounting the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus main body 114 will be described below with reference to Figs. When the user needs to integrally mount the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 into the image forming apparatus main body 114, it is first necessary to mount the above-described developing cartridge 102 to the above-described drum cartridge 101 even if the locking mechanism will develop the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101. Relatively locked. The process cartridge is then mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114 described above, and in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking mechanism is in contact with the main body of the image forming apparatus and receives the force of the main body of the image forming apparatus. The force drive locking mechanism releases the relative locking between the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated.

Preferably, the locking mechanism further includes a connecting member 109 disposed on the drum cartridge and a triggering device 107 disposed on the developing cartridge. The triggering device 107 includes a locking portion 105 and an unlocking portion 104, and the developing cartridge 102 needs to be installed first. To the drum cartridge 101, even if the locking portion 105 is engaged with the connecting member 109 to lock the connecting member 109, the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are relatively locked. The drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are then mounted as an integral process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and the unlocking portion 104 is formed with the image in the process of attaching the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114. The device body 114 is in contact with and receives the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 described above, The locking portion 105 is driven to release the locking position of the connecting member 109, so that the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 can be separated. During the installation process, the locking portion 105 automatically releases the locking positioning of the connecting member 109. When the developing cartridge 102 needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the user does not need to manually release the locking portion 105 to the connecting portion. The locking of the member 109 can take out the developing cartridge 102 separately, which is convenient to operate.

Meanwhile, a method of mounting the developing cartridge 102 into the image forming apparatus main body 114 is also provided, and the above-described drum cartridge 101 is first detachably mounted in the above-described image forming apparatus main body 114. Then, the developing cartridge 102 is attached to the drum cartridge 101, and in the process, the unlocking portion 104 comes into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and receives the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114, thereby causing the drum cartridge 101. The developing cartridge 102 can be separated. In the process of mounting the developing cartridge 102, the user can connect the developing cartridge 102 to the drum cartridge 101 without manually pressing the triggering device 107, which is convenient to operate. When the developing cartridge 102 needs to be separately taken out, the developing cartridge 102 can be separately taken out without manually releasing the locking position of the locking portion 105 to the connecting member 109, which is convenient to operate.

There is also provided a method of taking out the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body 114, first, the user grasps the drum cartridge handle 123 in the middle of the drum cartridge 101 to slide the above-described process cartridge along the slide rail 116. When the unlocking portion 104 is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking portion 105 restores the locking positioning of the connecting member 109. Thereby, the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are again in a relatively locked state, and accidental dropping of the developing cartridge 102 from the drum cartridge 101 is prevented.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, a developing cartridge 102 is detachably mountable to the drum cartridge 101, and the drum cartridge 101 can be detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114. . The drum cartridge 101 is provided with a connecting member 133, and the developing cartridge 102 is provided with a triggering device 132. The triggering device 132 includes a locking portion 131 and an unlocking portion 130. The locking portion 131 can cooperate with the connecting member 133 to lock the connecting member 133, so that the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are relatively locked; The unlocking unit 130 can be brought into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 while the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally attached to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and The locking portion 131 is driven to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 133, so that the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 can be separated.

As described above, since the unlocking portion 130 can come into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 114 and receive the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 during the process in which the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the lock is driven to drive the lock. The tight portion 131 releases the locking positioning of the connecting member 133, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 to be separated. Therefore, the locking position of the locking portion 131 to the connecting member 133 can be automatically released during the process in which the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, when it is necessary to separately take out from the image forming apparatus main body 114. When the cartridge 102 is developed, the user does not need to hand the locking portion 131 The developing cartridge 102 can be taken out by the unlocking, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the developing cartridge. In particular, during the installation process, the locking portion 131 is unlocked by the locking portion 131. When it is necessary to separately take out the developing cartridge 102, the manual locking can be removed without manual unlocking, and the operation is convenient.

Preferably, the locking portion 131 can restore the locking positioning of the connecting member 133 in a state where the unlocking portion 130 is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 114. When the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 are integrally taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 114, the locking portion 131 automatically restores the locking positioning of the connecting member 133, thereby locking the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 relatively, thereby preventing the drum cartridge 101 and the drum cartridge 101 from being relatively locked. The accidental drop of the developing cartridge 102 improves the convenience of the operation.

The triggering device 132 further includes a main body portion 129. The main body portion 129 is slidably coupled to the developing cartridge 102 through the guiding portion 1087. The main body portion 129 can slide along the guiding portion 1087 to cause the locking portion 131 to reach the locking position or the unlocking position, and the locking portion is locked. When the portion 131 reaches the locking position, it can cooperate with the connecting member 133 to lock the connecting member 133, and when the locking portion 131 reaches the unlocking position, the locking position of the connecting member 133 can be released, and the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge can be released. 102 can be separated. An elastic member 134 is disposed between the connecting member 133 and the drum cartridge 101, and the elastic member 134 is used to apply an elastic force to the connecting member 133 to drive the connecting member 133 to rotate, so that the main body portion 129 slides in the first direction and the locking portion 131 reaches. And keep it in the locked position. The unlocking portion 130 is for contacting the image forming apparatus main body 114 in the process of integrally mounting the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 to the image forming apparatus main body 114, and is subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 to drive the main body portion 129 along The second direction slides to enable the locking portion 131 to reach and remain in the unlocked position, the second direction being opposite to the first direction. In the present embodiment, the first direction is a downward direction as shown in FIG. 19, and the second direction is an upward direction.

Since the main body portion 129 is provided and slidably coupled to the developing cartridge 102 by the guiding portion 1087, when the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted into the image forming apparatus main body 114, the image forming apparatus main body 114 is in contact with and provided with the unlocking portion 130. The force causes the main body portion 129 to slide upward, thereby causing the locking portion 131 to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 133. When the user needs to separately take out the developing cartridge 102, it is not necessary to manually release the locking position of the locking portion 131 to be taken out, and the operation is convenient, and the convenience is improved.

Preferably, the guide portion 1087 is formed as a guide groove, and the unlocking portion 130 is formed as a rod portion, and the rod portion slides in the first direction or the second direction in the guide groove. The structure is simple, stable and reliable.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the connecting member 133 includes a force receiving portion 1330 and a strip portion 1333. The force receiving portion 1330 is integrally formed with the strip portion 1333. The force receiving portion 1330 includes a flat surface 1331 and a circular arc surface 1332. . A hole is formed in the middle of the force receiving portion 1330, and the rotating shaft 135 passes through the hole to rotate the connecting member 133 about the rotating shaft 135. When the arm of the elastic member 134 is pressed onto the flat surface 1331, the connecting member 133 does not rotate. When the arm of the elastic member 134 is pressed onto the circular arc surface 1332, the elastic member 134 causes the connecting member 133 to rotate to the elastic member 134. The arm is crimped to the state of the flat surface 1331. The locking portion 131 is formed with a groove, the strip portion 1333 and the concave portion The slots cooperate to lock the strip 1333. Restricting members 1085, 1086 are also disposed on the developing cartridge 102. The restricting member 1085 is located above the main body portion 129 for restricting the upward sliding of the main body portion 129. The restricting member 1086 is located below the main body portion 129 for restricting the sliding of the main body portion 129 downward. A pressing portion 136 is further provided on the right side of the main body portion 129. When the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally positioned outside the image forming apparatus main body 114, the user can pull the pressing portion 136 upward to release the locking portion 131. The locking position of the connecting member 133 allows the developing cartridge 102 to be detached from the drum cartridge 101. The process of attaching the developing cartridge 102 to the drum cartridge 101 and the unlocking process in the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs.

17 is a schematic view showing that the developing cartridge 102 has not been loaded into the drum cartridge 101, and the drum cartridge 101 shows only the connecting member 133 and the elastic member 134. After the rotating shaft 106 reaches the aforementioned accommodating portion 110, the user grasps the developing cartridge handle 122 and rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft 106, so that the unlocking portion 130 contacts the connecting member 133 and presses the connecting member 133 downward, and the connecting member 133 Rotating around the rotating shaft 135 in the clockwise direction as shown, further reaching the position shown in FIG. 18, continuing the clockwise direction M to rotate the developing cartridge 102, when the connecting member 133 contacts the locking portion 131 and is relatively locked and positioned, as shown in FIG. As shown, the developing cartridge 102 is mounted in position relative to the drum cartridge 101. Referring to Fig. 20, in a process in which the developing cartridge 102 and the drum cartridge 101 are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the unlocking portion 130 contacts the image forming apparatus main body 114 and is subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 114 at the force Under the action, the unlocking portion 130 slides upward along the guiding portion 1087, thereby causing the locking portion 131 to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 133. When it is necessary to separately take out the developing cartridge 102 from the image forming apparatus main body 114, it is not necessary to release the locking positioning of the locking member 131 again to remove the locking member, and the operation is convenient, and the convenience of using the developing cartridge 102 is improved. The strips 1333 described above may also be provided in two or more. When the stem of the unlocking portion 130 has a large stroke, the two or more strips 1333 may ensure the grooves of the locking portion 131. The locking position is opposite to the strip 1333.

Of course, the portion of the image forming apparatus main body 114 that is in contact with the unlocking portion 130 and provides the above-described urging force may also be the slide rail 116. In the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 114, the unlocking portion 130 and the image forming apparatus main body The slide rails 116 of the 114 are in contact with and are biased by the slide rails 116 to drive the locking portions 131 to be in contact with the lock members 133, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 101 and the developing cartridge 102 to be separated. At the same time, the slide rail 116 can be mounted as a process cartridge to the track in the main body 114 of the image forming apparatus, which simplifies the structure and reduces the cost.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be given below, and it should be understood that the image forming processes of the various embodiments of the present invention are the same and will not be described herein. Referring to Figures 22 through 26, an embodiment of the present invention provides a process cartridge that is detachably mountable into an image forming apparatus main body 208, the process cartridge including a drum cartridge 201, a developing cartridge 202, and a locking mechanism for the locking mechanism In the process of relatively locking the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 or releasing the relative locking between the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202, the process of attaching the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus The locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body and receives a force of the image forming apparatus main body, and the urging force drives the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201, thereby causing the drum cartridge 201 and The developing cartridge 202 can be separated. Since the locking mechanism has automatically released the relative locking between the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus, when the user needs to separately take out the developing cartridge, it is not necessary to manually release the developing cartridge and the drum again. The locking between the boxes makes the operation more convenient.

As shown in FIG. 23, the drum cartridge 201 may further include a drum cartridge main body 203, and the locking mechanism may include a receiving portion 204, a locking device 205 and an unlocking device 206, and a connecting member 207, and the receiving portion 204 is disposed at the drum cartridge main body. 203, the receiving portion 204 accommodates the connecting member 207, the connecting member 207 is disposed on the developing cartridge 202; the locking device 205 can cooperate with the receiving portion 204 to lock the connecting member 207 Tightly positioned to relatively lock the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201; the unlocking device 206 is for use in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208 with the image forming apparatus The main body 208 is in contact with and subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 208 to drive the locking device 205 to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 207, thereby enabling the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201 to be separated. .

In the present embodiment, since the unlocking device 206 can be in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208 in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208 and receives the force of the image forming apparatus main body 208, the driving locking device 205 is released. The locking member 207 is locked and positioned to enable the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201 to be separated, thereby automatically releasing the locking of the connecting member 207 by the locking device 205 during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208. When the developing cartridge 202 needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus, the user can take out the developing cartridge 202 without manually unlocking the locking device 205, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the image forming apparatus.

Preferably, the locking device 205 is capable of restoring the locking positioning of the connecting member 207 in a state where the unlocking device 206 is separated from the image forming device body 208, so that the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge are 201 is relatively locked. When it is necessary to take out the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge can be separated from the image forming apparatus main body 208, since the locking device 205 can restore the pair of connecting members 207 in a state where the unlocking device 206 is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 208. The lock positioning is such that the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 can be automatically locked when the process cartridge is separated from the image forming apparatus main body 208, so that the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 can be prevented from being separated during the process of taking out the process cartridge, Dropped.

Referring to FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, preferably, the locking device 205 includes a body member 210 and a holding portion 211. The body member 210 is rotatably coupled to the drum box main body 203 via a rotating shaft 212. The portion 211 and the unlocking device 206 are disposed on the main body member 210, and the main body member 210 is rotatable relative to the drum cartridge main body 203 about the rotating shaft 212 to cause the engaging portion 211 to reach the lock. Tight position or unlock position When the latching portion 211 reaches the locking position, the connecting member 207 can be locked and positioned in cooperation with the receiving portion 204, and the latching portion 211 can be released when the unlocking position is reached. The locking position of the connecting member 207 enables the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 to be separated; between the main body member 210 and the drum cartridge main body 203, an elastic member 213 is provided, and the elastic member 213 is used for The body member 210 applies an elastic force to drive the body member 210 to rotate forward so that the catch portion 211 can reach and remain in the locked position; the unlocking device 206 is used to mount in the process cartridge In the process of the image forming apparatus main body 208, the image forming apparatus main body 208 is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208, and the main body member 210 is reversed by the force of the image forming apparatus main body 208, thereby causing the holding The portion 211 can reach and remain in the unlocked position. Thus, when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 208, the unlocking device 206 is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208 and is subjected to the force of the image forming apparatus main body 208 to drive the main body member 210 to reverse. Thereby, the catching portion 211 can be reached and held in the unlocked position to release the locking positioning of the connecting member 207 by the engaging portion 211, and when the developing cartridge 202 needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus, the user does not need to lock the locking device The 205 is manually unlocked to take out the developing cartridge 202, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the image forming apparatus. When it is necessary to take out the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge can be separated from the image forming apparatus main body 208, thereby separating the unlocking device 206 from the image forming apparatus main body 208, and the unlocking device 206 is no longer subjected to the image forming apparatus main body 208. The force of the body member 210 cannot be reversed. At this time, the body member 210 rotates forward under the action of the elastic member 213 to reach and remain in the locked position, thereby engaging the receiving portion 204 to lock the connecting member 207. The drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 are relatively positioned to prevent the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 from being separated and dropped during the process of taking out the process cartridge, and the locking device 205 and the unlocking device 206 are simple in structure and reliable in use. Wherein, the unlocking device 206 can be a slider or an arm, and the slider or the arm can be in contact with the guide rail 209 or other convex portion of the image forming apparatus main body 208 to be subjected to the force of the guide rail 209 or other convex portions, thereby The body member 210 applies a force that can cause reverse rotation, and of course, the unlocking device 206 can be brought into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208 and subjected to the force applied by the image forming apparatus main body 208. It should be understood that the above process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208 includes the process cartridge just contacting the image forming apparatus main body 208, the process cartridge continuously contacting the image forming apparatus 208 and not being mounted in place, and the process cartridge continuously contacting the image forming apparatus 208. And just after it is installed, the above contact is not limited to physical contact, and may be an electrical form or a magnetic form of contact.

In addition, the unlocking device 206 can also be a touch switch, and the image forming device body 208 is provided with a touch head, and the touch device is unlocked by the touch head touching the touch switch. The unlocking device 206 can also be a magnetic switch, and the image forming device body 208 is provided with a magnetic member, and the magnetic switch activates the magnetic switch to unlock the locking device 205.

Preferably, the holding portion 211 is disposed at the first end of the body member 210, and the unlocking device 206 is disposed. At the second end of the body member 210, the rotating shaft 212 is located between the first end and the second end of the body member 210. Thereby, when the unlocking device 206 comes into contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208 and is subjected to the force applied by the image forming apparatus main body 208, the main body member 210 can be more easily reversed, and the holding portion 211 can be reached and held. In the unlocked position.

Preferably, the elastic member 213 is a torsion spring, and the torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft 212. The first arm of the torsion spring is connected to the main body member 210, and the second arm of the torsion spring is The drum cartridge main body 203 is connected. Thereby, the urging force of the elastic member 213 to the main body member 210 is made more stable and reliable.

Preferably, the main body member 210 is provided with a handle 214 for the user to hold to force the main body portion 210 to drive the main body member 210 to reverse, so that the holding portion 211 The unlocked position can be reached. After the process cartridge is taken out of the image forming apparatus, the user can drive the main body member 210 to reverse by the handle 214 to bring the catching portion 211 to the unlocked position, thereby achieving separation of the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202.

Preferably, the handle 214 is provided with a plurality of anti-slip protrusions 215. Thereby, the frictional force between the user's hand and the handle 214 can be increased, and the user can easily apply force to the main body member 210.

Preferably, the top surface of the holding portion 211 is provided with a guiding inclined surface 216, and the drum main body 203 is provided with a resisting portion 217, and the guiding inclined surface 216 is in a state where the holding portion 211 is located at the locking position. The abutting portions 217 are oppositely and spaced apart to form an opening portion, the connecting member 207 can be loaded into the receiving portion 204 by the opening portion, and the connecting member 207 is configured to be loaded into the receiving portion 204 During the process, the guiding inclined surface 216 is in contact with and sliding relative to drive the main body member 210 to reverse, so that the holding portion 211 can reach the unlocking position. Thus, in the process of assembling the developing cartridge 202 to the drum cartridge 201, the main member 210 can be reversed by the relative sliding between the connecting member 207 and the guide bevel 216 and the guiding action of the guiding bevel 216, thereby causing the connecting member 207 It is possible to directly fit the inside of the accommodating portion 204 by the opening portion, and it is not necessary to separately reverse the main body member 210, and the operation of assembling the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 is simplified.

Preferably, the connecting member 207 is a cylinder, and the circumferential surface of the cylinder is used for contacting and sliding relative to the guiding slope 216 and the abutting portion 217 during the loading of the cylinder into the receiving portion 204. To drive the body member 210 to reverse, so that the holding portion 211 can reach the unlocked position. Thereby, by the circumferential surface of the cylinder contacting the guide slope 216 and the abutting portion 217 and sliding relative to each other, the body member 210 can be more easily reversed, and the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 can be assembled more labor-savingly.

Preferably, the bottom surface of the holding portion 211 is provided with a holding surface 218, and the top of the cylindrical body is provided with a contact surface 219, the contact surface 219 is parallel to the axis of the cylinder, and the holding portion 211 is used for The contact surface 219 is biased by the engaging surface 218 to engage the contact surface 219 to lock the connecting member 207. Thereby, the contact between the catching portion 211 and the connecting member 207 is made more stable, and the biasing force is more reliable.

Preferably, the drum box main body 203 is provided with a limiting portion 220 for resisting the main body The member 210 is configured to hold the catch portion 211 in the locked position. The limiting portion 220 can limit the locking portion 211 to the locking position, and prevent the locking portion 211 from further abutting against the connecting member 207 by the elastic member 213, so that the locking portion 211 locks the connecting member 207 more. Stable and reliable.

Referring to FIG. 29, preferably, the connecting member 207 is provided with a recess 221 for extending into the recess 221 and applying force to the connecting member 207, thereby connecting the connecting member. 207 lock positioning. Thereby, the contact between the catching portion 211 and the connecting member 207 is made more stable, and the biasing force is more reliable.

Preferably, the unlocking device 206 is configured to be in contact with the guide rail 209 of the image forming apparatus main body 208 and be driven by the force of the guide rail 209 during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208. The body member 210 is reversed to enable the holding portion 211 to reach and remain in the unlocked position, and the process cartridge is slid along the guide rail 209 to slide into the image forming apparatus main body 208. Thereby, the contact with the unlocking device 206 can be realized by the existing guide rail 209 in the image forming apparatus main body 208, and the contact between the image forming apparatus main body 208 and the unlocking device 206 can be more convenient and reliable.

Preferably, the unlocking device 206 is a slider, and the slider is slidable along the guide rail 209. Thus, during the sliding of the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus main body 208 along the guide rail 209, the slider can slide along the guide rail 209, which is advantageous for reducing the friction between the unlocking device 206 and the guide rail 209, so that the process cartridge is along the guide rail 209. Sliding more smoothly.

Preferably, the slider is rotatably coupled to the second end of the body member 210 by a pin 222 that is parallel to the rotating shaft 212. Thus, during the reverse rotation of the unlocking device 206 by the contact with the guide rail 209 to drive the body member 210, the slider can be rotated relative to the body member 210 about the pin 222 to ensure stable contact with the guide rail 209.

Preferably, the pin 222 is disposed on the slider, and the second end of the body member 210 is provided with an elongated hole 223. The pin 222 is disposed in the long hole 223 and is opposite to the long hole. 223 sliding connection. Since the pin 222 can slide along the long hole 223, the range in which the slider moves relative to the body member 210 is increased, thereby facilitating stable contact of the slider with the guide rail 209.

Referring to FIG. 30, preferably, the slider is integrally formed with the body member 210, and the slider is further provided with a curved surface 224 for contacting the guide rail 209. Thereby, the friction between the slider and the guide rail 209 is reduced, and the sliding of the slider along the guide rail 209 is smoother.

Referring to FIG. 31 to FIG. 33, in another embodiment, the unlocking device 225 is located at one side of the main body member 210 and protrudes from the side wall 2033 of the drum cartridge main body 203, and the image forming device main body 208 is provided with a protruding portion 226. . Thus, when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 208, the unlocking device 225 is in contact with the protruding portion 226 and is subjected to the force of the protruding portion 226 to drive the main body member 210 to reverse, thereby causing the latching The portion 211 can reach and remain in the unlocked position to release the lock of the connecting member 207 by the engaging portion 211 Tightly positioned, when the developing cartridge 202 needs to be separately taken out from the image forming apparatus, the user can take out the developing cartridge 202 without manually unlocking the locking device 205, which is convenient to operate and improves the convenience of use of the image forming apparatus. When it is necessary to take out the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge can be separated from the image forming apparatus main body 208, thereby separating the unlocking device 225 from the protruding portion 226, and the unlocking device 206 is no longer subjected to the force of the protruding portion 226. The main body member 210 cannot be reversed. At this time, the main body member 210 rotates forward under the action of the elastic member 213 to reach and remain in the locked position, thereby engaging the receiving portion 204 to lock the connecting member 207 to the drum cartridge. 201 and the developing cartridge 202 are relatively positioned to prevent the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 from being separated and dropped during the process of taking out the process cartridge, and the locking device 205 and the unlocking device 225 are simple in structure and reliable in use.

Preferably, the locking device 205 is located on both sides of the drum cartridge main body 203. When it is necessary to take out the developing cartridge 202 or the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body 208, the user can conveniently grasp the developing cartridge 202 or the middle of the drum cartridge 201 to take out the developing cartridge 202 or the process cartridge, and the locking device 205 does not. The user's grip on the developing cartridge 202 or the drum cartridge 201 is hindered. In addition, a middle portion of the drum cartridge main body 203 and the developing cartridge 202 may be provided with a handle to facilitate the grip of the user.

Preferably, the rotating shaft 212 is disposed along the longitudinal direction AA of the drum cartridge main body 203. Thereby, it is advantageous to save space occupied by the rotation of the body member 210. Of course, the rotating shaft 212 can also be disposed along the width direction or the height direction of the drum cartridge main body 203.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus using the process cartridge of any of the above embodiments, comprising an image forming apparatus main body (114, 208) for accommodating the above-described process cartridge. After the above-described process cartridge is used in the image forming apparatus described above, since the user does not need to manually cancel the relative locking between the drum cartridge (101, 201) and the developing cartridge (102, 202), the developing cartridge can be taken out (102). 202), which improves the convenience of the operation of the image forming apparatus.

Of course, as described in the foregoing embodiment, the method of mounting the process cartridge into the main body of the image forming apparatus is to first mount the developing cartridge 202 to the drum cartridge 201 even if the locking mechanism will move the developing cartridge 202 and the drum The box 201 is relatively locked.

Next, the above process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus main body 208, and in the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body 208, the locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body 208 and subjected to The force of the image forming apparatus main body 208 that drives the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201, thereby enabling the drum cartridge 201 and the developing cartridge 202 to be separated. When it is necessary to separately take out the developing cartridge 202 from the image forming apparatus main body 208, the user can separately take out the developing cartridge 202 without manually releasing the lock between the developing cartridge 202 and the drum cartridge 201, which is convenient to operate.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that Still The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or substitutions do not deviate from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. .

Claims (25)

A process cartridge detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including a developing cartridge and a drum cartridge, the developing cartridge being detachably mounted to the drum cartridge, wherein The process cartridge further includes a locking mechanism for relatively locking the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge or releasing relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge; In the process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body and subjected to a force of the image forming apparatus main body to drive the locking mechanism to be released. The developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are relatively locked so that the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge can be separated. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said locking mechanism comprises a connecting member and said triggering means, said connecting member being disposed on said drum cartridge, said triggering means being disposed on said developing cartridge, The trigger device includes: a locking portion, the locking portion being capable of cooperating with the connecting member to lock the connecting member, so that the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are relatively locked; An unlocking portion capable of contacting the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a force of the image forming apparatus main body to drive the lock in a process in which the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus main body The tight portion releases the locking positioning of the connecting member, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated. The process cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the locking portion is capable of restoring the locking positioning of the connecting member in a state where the unlocking portion is separated from the image forming apparatus main body. The process cartridge according to Claim 1, wherein said drum cartridge comprises a drum cartridge main body, and said locking mechanism comprises: a connecting member disposed on the developing cartridge; a receiving portion disposed on the drum cartridge main body, the receiving portion receiving the connecting member; a locking device capable of cooperating with the receiving portion to lock the connecting member to position the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge relatively locked; An unlocking device for contacting the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a force of the image forming apparatus main body in a process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body to drive the The locking device releases the locking positioning of the connecting member, thereby enabling the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge to be separated. The process cartridge according to Claim 4, wherein said locking means is capable of restoring the locking positioning of said connecting member in a state where said unlocking means is separated from said image forming apparatus main body The developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are relatively locked. A process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said locking means comprises a body member and a catching portion, said body member being rotatably coupled to said drum cartridge main body via a rotating shaft, said holding portion and said The unlocking device is disposed on the body member, and the body member is rotatable relative to the drum cartridge body about the rotating shaft to cause the latching portion to reach a locking position or an unlocking position, the latching When the portion reaches the locking position, the connecting member can be locked and positioned in cooperation with the receiving portion, and when the locking portion reaches the unlocking position, the locking position of the connecting member can be released, so that the The drum cartridge and the developing cartridge can be separated; An elastic member is disposed between the main body member and the drum box main body, and the elastic member is configured to apply an elastic force to the main body member to drive the main body member to rotate forward, so that the holding portion can reach And remaining in the locked position; The unlocking device is configured to contact the main body of the image forming apparatus during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is driven by the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the main body Turning so that the catch can reach and remain in the unlocked position. A process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein said catching portion is provided at a first end of said body member, said unlocking means is provided at a second end of said body member, said axis of rotation being located Between the first end and the second end of the body member. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein a top surface of the holding portion is provided with a guiding slope, and the drum case body is provided with a resisting portion, and the guiding inclined surface is located at the holding portion a state in which the locking portion is opposed to and spaced apart from the abutting portion to form an opening portion into which the connecting member can be fitted, the connecting member for loading the receiving portion The portion of the portion is in contact with the guide ramp and relatively slid to drive the body member to reverse, so that the latch portion can reach the unlocked position. The process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said unlocking means is adapted to be in contact with and received by a guide rail of said image forming apparatus main body during installation of said process cartridge to said image forming apparatus main body The force of the guide rail drives the main body member to reverse, so that the holding portion can reach and remain in the unlocked position, and the process cartridge is configured to slide along the guide rail to slide into the image forming device Inside the subject. The process cartridge according to claim 9, wherein said unlocking means is a slider, and said slider is slidable along said guide rail. The process cartridge according to Claim 10, wherein said slider is rotatably coupled to said second end of said body member via a pin, said pin being parallel to said axis of rotation. The process cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the pin shaft is disposed on the slider, and the second end of the body member is further provided with a long hole, and the pin shaft is disposed at the length Inside the hole and slidingly connected to the long hole. The process cartridge according to Claim 10, wherein said slider is integrally formed with said body member, said slider further comprising a curved surface for contacting said guide rail . A developing cartridge detachably mountable to a drum cartridge to form a process cartridge, the drum cartridge being detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein The process cartridge further includes a locking mechanism including a connecting member and a triggering device, the connecting member is disposed on the drum cartridge, and the triggering device is disposed on the developing cartridge, the triggering device includes: a locking portion, the locking portion being capable of cooperating with the connecting member to lock the connecting member, so that the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are relatively locked; An unlocking portion capable of coming into contact with the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a force of the image forming apparatus main body in a process in which the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body, The locking portion is driven to release the locking position of the connecting member, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated. The developing cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the locking portion is capable of restoring the locking positioning of the connecting member in a state where the unlocking portion is separated from the image forming apparatus main body. A developing cartridge according to claim 14 or 15, wherein said triggering means further comprises a main body portion rotatably coupled to said developing cartridge via a rotating shaft, said main body portion being rotatable relative to said rotating shaft The developing cartridge is rotated to cause the locking portion to reach a locking position or an unlocking position, and the locking portion can cooperate with the connecting member to lock the connecting member when the locking portion reaches the locking position, When the locking portion reaches the unlocking position, the locking position of the connecting member can be released, so that the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge can be separated; An elastic member is disposed between the main body portion and the developing device, and the elastic member is configured to apply an elastic force to the main body portion to drive the main body portion to rotate forward, so that the locking portion can reach and hold In the locked position; The unlocking portion is configured to contact the main body of the image forming apparatus during the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is driven by the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the main body Turning to enable the locking portion to reach and remain in the unlocked position. A developing cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said locking portion is provided at a first end of said main body portion, said unlocking portion is provided at a second end of said main body portion, said rotating shaft being located at said Main body Between the first end and the second end, the triggering device further includes a pressing portion disposed at the second end of the main body portion. A developing cartridge according to claim 17, wherein said developing cartridge is further provided with a restricting member that restricts said main body portion to allow said locking portion to reach said unlocked position or lock position. The developing cartridge according to claim 18, wherein said main body portion further comprises an arm, said arm engaging said restricting member to restrict forward rotation of said main body portion. The developing cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said locking portion is formed as a hook portion, said connecting member being formed as a projection, said hook portion hooking said projection to lock said projection Positioning. The developing cartridge according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the triggering device further comprises a main body portion slidably coupled to the developing cartridge by a guiding portion along which the main body portion can be guided Sliding to cause the locking portion to reach a locked position or an unlocked position, the locking portion being capable of cooperating with the connecting member to lock the connecting member when the locking portion reaches the locking position, the locking When the portion reaches the unlocked position, the locking position of the connecting member can be released, so that the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge can be separated; An elastic member is disposed between the connecting member and the drum cartridge, and the elastic member is configured to apply an elastic force to the connecting member to drive the connecting member to rotate, thereby sliding the main body portion in the first direction And causing the locking portion to reach and remain in the locked position; The unlocking portion is configured to contact the main body of the image forming apparatus and be subjected to the force of the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the main body along the process of mounting the process cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus The second direction slides to enable the locking portion to reach and remain in the unlocked position, the second direction being opposite the first direction. The developing cartridge according to claim 21, wherein the guide portion is formed as a guide groove, and the unlocking portion is formed as a rod portion, the rod portion being capable of being in the first direction in the guide groove or Slide in the second direction. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming apparatus main body and the process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the image forming apparatus main body is for accommodating the process cartridge. A method of installing a process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 13 into a main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising: First mounting the developing cartridge to the drum cartridge, the locking mechanism relatively locking the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge; Secondly, the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus main body, and in a process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the locking mechanism is in contact with the image forming apparatus main body and subjected to the The force of the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the locking mechanism to release the relative locking of the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated. A method of mounting a process cartridge according to claim 24 into a main body of an image forming apparatus, wherein said locking mechanism comprises a connecting member and a triggering device, said connecting member being disposed on said drum cartridge, said triggering device Provided on the developing cartridge, the triggering device includes a locking portion and an unlocking portion, First mounting the developing cartridge to the drum cartridge, the locking portion cooperates with the connecting member to lock the connecting member, so that the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are relatively locked; Next, the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge are integrally mounted to the image forming apparatus main body, and in the process of integrally mounting the developing cartridge and the drum cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body, the unlocking portion and the The main body of the image forming apparatus is in contact with and subjected to a force of the main body of the image forming apparatus to drive the locking portion to release the locking positioning of the connecting member, thereby enabling the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge to be separated.

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