Asymmetric Image Former Spacing for Transfer Belt Misregistration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, the image former positioned on the downstream side of a circulating belt often experiences increased image misalignment due to uniform spacing of adjacent image formers, leading to higher cumulative variations in speed and adjacency distance.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a transfer belt with straight portions where the adjacency distance between image formers is an integral multiple of the outer peripheral length of the driving roller, with shorter distances at the downstream end compared to the upstream end, and the second distance being shorter than the first distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all adjacent image formers are positioned at equal intervals, then the arrangement is simple and uniform, but the image former positioned on the downstream side experiences larger image misalignment amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning image formers at non-uniform intervals along the transport direction. Specifically, the distance between adjacent image formers varies, with the downstream image former being positioned closer to its upstream neighbor compared to equal spacing. This asymmetric arrangement compensates for cumulative speed variations in the circulating belt, reducing image misalignment at the downstream position while maintaining overall arrangement simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the adjacency distance at downstream end is reduced, then image misalignment is suppressed, but the spacing between image formers becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the spacing configuration position-dependent. The adjacency distance is specifically reduced only at the downstream end where image misalignment occurs due to cumulative speed variations, while upstream image formers maintain larger spacing. This localized adjustment optimizes image registration accuracy at the critical downstream position without unnecessarily complicating the overall spacing configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming target looped around plural rotators including a driving roller, having at least one straight portion that is shaped straight when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, and transported by the driving roller and the rotators, and three or more image formers arranged along the straight portion and configured to form images on the image forming target. An adjacency distance along the straight portion between the image formers adjacent to each other on the straight portion is an integral multiple of an outer peripheral length of the driving roller. The adjacency distance at a downstream end is shorter than the adjacency distance at an upstream end, and one of the adjacency distances is equal to or shorter than the adjacency distance that is relatively on an upstream side.