Belt Driving Device Tension Control for Image Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of belt running in image forming apparatuses is affected by temperature changes, leading to instability in the endless belt, which impacts the precision of image formation on the recording medium.
Innovation Solution
A belt driving device with a tension control roller that adjusts its position vertically to maintain a predetermined tension in the endless belt, using a position detector and pressure detector to control the tension applied, ensuring stable belt operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the position of the tension control roller is adjusted to maintain belt tension, then the running stability of the endless belt is improved, but the complexity of the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where a pressure detector continuously monitors the pressure between the endless belt and the tension control roller. The controller receives this pressure information and automatically adjusts the position of the tension control roller to maintain optimal belt tension. This closed-loop feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by automating the tension control process, improving running stability while managing system complexity through intelligent control rather than manual adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The tension control system operates autonomously by using the pressure detector to self-monitor belt tension conditions and the controller to self-adjust the tension control roller position accordingly. This self-service capability eliminates the need for external intervention or complex mechanical tensioning mechanisms, thereby improving reliability while keeping the control system relatively simple through automated self-regulation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the tension control roller position is continuously monitored and adjusted, then the precision of image formation is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system operates periodically rather than continuously, with the pressure detector sampling belt tension at specific intervals and the controller adjusting the tension control roller position only when necessary. This periodic operation maintains high image formation precision by ensuring proper belt tension while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring and adjustment mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If the pressure detector is used to detect belt tension, then the control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure detector serves as an intermediary device that indirectly measures belt tension by detecting the pressure between the endless belt and the tension control roller. This indirect measurement approach provides sufficient control precision without requiring complex direct tension sensing mechanisms, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity through the use of a simple pressure detection intermediary.
Data Source
AI summary
In an image forming apparatus, in which a belt driving device, provided in an image forming part, has: plural rollers including a driving roller; an endless belt; a driver, with one roller as a tension control roller to control tension applied to the endless belt, that moves the tension control roller in a vertical direction to an axis of another roller; a position detector that detects the position of the tension control roller; a pressure detector that detects pressure added with the endless belt to the tension control roller; and a controller that controls movement of the tension control roller. To set the tension applied to the endless belt as a predetermined value, the controller controls the driver to bring the detected pressure closer to a target pressure to be added to the tension control roller in the detected position of the tension control roller.