Belt Mark Groove Depth Variation for Toner Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in maintaining high-quality printing due to toner accumulation in position detection marks on the belt, leading to registration displacement and print medium damage, as the current design of position detection marks with linear grooves results in local depressions that are difficult to clean and detect accurately.
Innovation Solution
A belt device with a mark part featuring grooves that extend in a specific direction, having a middle portion with a greater depth than the edge portion, and a deepest portion positioned away from the border, designed to prevent toner accumulation and facilitate accurate detection by a sensor, while allowing for effective cleaning by a blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If linear grooves are formed by laser irradiation to create position detection marks, then the mark detection function is achieved, but toner accumulates in the grooves causing cleaning difficulty and registration displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The groove depth is varied along its length, with the middle portion having a greater depth than the edge portions. This local variation in depth creates different functional zones: the deeper middle portion for detection and the shallower edge portions for easy cleaning, resolving the contradiction between detection accuracy and cleaning ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove is segmented into distinct depth zones (edge portions with lesser depth and middle portion with greater depth), allowing each segment to serve a different function. This segmentation enables the groove to simultaneously achieve detection capability and cleaning ease without compromising either function.
2Measurement precision
If the groove depth is increased to improve detection signal, then detection accuracy improves, but cleaning difficulty increases and toner accumulates
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the groove have different depths tailored to their specific functions. The middle portion has greater depth to provide strong detection signals, while the edge portions have lesser depth to facilitate easy cleaning by blades, thus resolving the contradiction between detection signal strength and cleaning ease.
3Device complexity
If the groove extends close to the border for compact design, then space is saved, but toner accumulation occurs at the border causing print medium damage
Solution Approach 1:
The groove depth varies locally along its length, with edge portions near the border having lesser depth. This prevents toner from accumulating at the border where it could damage the print medium, while the middle portion maintains greater depth for detection purposes, resolving the contradiction between compactness and prevention of print medium damage.
4Ease of manufacture
If uniform groove depth is used for simplicity, then manufacturing is easier, but detection accuracy and cleaning effectiveness are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The groove depth is intentionally made non-uniform, with the middle portion having greater depth than the edge portions. This local variation optimizes both detection accuracy (deeper middle portion) and cleaning effectiveness (shallower edge portions), while still maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through laser irradiation with controlled parameters.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures high-quality printing by preventing toner accumulation in position detection marks, enhancing detection accuracy, and maintaining belt cleanliness, thus avoiding registration displacement and print medium damage.
Implementation Method 1
The position detection mark may be formed, for example, by irradiating, with laser light, a portion, of the belt, where the position detection mark is to be formed. The irradiation of the laser light described above alters a surface of the belt
Data Source
AI summary
A belt device includes a belt, a driving roller, and driven roller. The belt is endless and includes a flat outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface, and a mark part provided on the outer peripheral surface and depressed toward the inner peripheral surface. The mark part has grooves extending in the first direction. Two or more of the grooves each include a middle portion away from a border between the outer peripheral surface and the corresponding groove, and an edge portion coupling the middle portion to the border, and each have a middle-portion depth, a depth of the middle portion from the outer peripheral surface, greater than an edge-portion depth, a depth of the edge portion from the outer peripheral surface, and each have a deepest portion at a position away from the border by 0.2 millimeters or more from the border toward the middle portion.