Belt Contact Member Segmentation for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing belt devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges in maintaining belt tension and preventing wear due to uneven contact with rollers, particularly when switching between monochrome and full-color modes, leading to potential belt misalignment and increased wear on contact members.
Innovation Solution
A belt regulator system with a belt contact member having a flat portion and a separation portion is implemented, allowing the belt to rotate while minimizing contact stress and wear. The belt contact member is designed to move axially with the roller, featuring a flat portion perpendicular to the roller axis and a separation portion radially positioned to reduce friction and prevent belt edge interference, ensuring smooth operation across different operational modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a belt contact member is disposed at the end of a roller to contact the belt, then the belt can be guided and tension maintained, but the belt edge experiences increased wear and potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The belt contact member is segmented into two distinct portions: a flat portion and a separation portion. The flat portion contacts the belt edge to guide and tension the belt, while the separation portion prevents excessive contact and potential misalignment. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function optimally, resolving the contradiction between maintaining belt tension and preventing wear/misalignment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the belt contact member have different geometric properties tailored to their specific functions. The flat portion has a surface perpendicular to the roller axis for stable belt edge contact and tensioning, while the separation portion extends radially outward to limit contact and prevent misalignment. This local differentiation of geometric qualities allows the single contact member to simultaneously achieve reliable tensioning while minimizing harmful wear and alignment issues.
2Ease of manufacture
If the belt contact member has a simple flat structure, then manufacturing is easy, but the belt experiences uneven contact and increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member is divided into two easily manufacturable geometric portions: a flat portion and a separation portion. This segmentation creates a structure that is slightly more complex than a simple flat surface but remains straightforward to manufacture using conventional machining or molding processes. The segmented design effectively addresses uneven contact and wear without requiring complex manufacturing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact member incorporates local geometric variations - a flat portion for primary contact and a separation portion for limiting contact - that can be efficiently produced through standard manufacturing methods. These localized geometric features are designed to be simple enough for easy fabrication while providing the differentiated functionality needed to eliminate uneven contact and reduce wear on the belt.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the belt contact member contacts the belt edge extensively, then belt guidance is improved, but friction increases and wear accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The belt contact member is segmented into a flat portion that provides stable belt edge guidance and a separation portion that limits the extent of contact. This segmentation ensures sufficient guidance stability while preventing excessive friction and wear by restricting the contact area to only what is necessary for proper belt positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat portion of the contact member provides just enough contact with the belt edge to ensure proper guidance and alignment, without excessive contact that would increase friction and wear. The separation portion acts as a limiter, ensuring that the contact is partial rather than extensive, thereby maintaining guidance stability while minimizing energy loss to friction and wear.
Data Source
AI summary
A belt device includes a belt wound around a plurality of rollers, one of the plurality of rollers, and a belt contact member disposed on the one of the plurality of rollers. The belt rotates along with the plurality of rollers. The belt contact member faces an edge of the belt in an axial direction of the one of the plurality of rollers and includes a flat portion and a separation portion. The flat portion forms a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the one of the plurality of rollers. The separation portion is disposed outboard of the flat portion in a radial direction of the one of the plurality of rollers and has a surface located farther from the edge of the belt than the flat portion in the axial direction of the one of the plurality of rollers.