Intermediate Transfer Belt Meandering Correction and Cleaning Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The intermediate transfer belt in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses can meander due to axial shifts, leading to unstable cleaning performance as adjusting the roller alignment changes the contact angle between the cleaning blade and the belt.
Innovation Solution
A correction mechanism with an inclined bearing and main body guide is implemented at each end of a roller shaft to correct meandering, while a rotatable belt cleaning unit with a cleaning blade maintains constant contact with the belt, stabilizing cleaning performance without additional rollers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the roller alignment is adjusted to correct meandering of the intermediate transfer belt, then the meandering is corrected, but the contact angle between the cleaning blade and the intermediate transfer belt changes, resulting in unstable cleaning performance
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade is made rotatable about the rotation axis of the shaft, allowing it to dynamically adjust and maintain constant contact with the intermediate transfer belt even when the belt meanders. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by enabling the cleaning blade to adapt to alignment changes rather than being fixed, thus maintaining stable cleaning performance despite roller alignment adjustments for meandering correction.
2Reliability
If a second suspension roller is disposed between the tension roller and the secondary transfer opposing roller to stabilize cleaning performance, then the contact angle is kept constant, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade is given multiple functions: it not only cleans the intermediate transfer belt but also serves as a positional reference for the belt. By making the cleaning blade rotatable and positioning it to face the shaft, it simultaneously performs cleaning and provides alignment reference, eliminating the need for additional suspension rollers and reducing device complexity while maintaining cleaning stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning blade structure is designed to self-adjust through rotation about the shaft's rotation axis, automatically maintaining constant contact with the intermediate transfer belt. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for external control systems or additional rollers, allowing the system to self-correct alignment variations and maintain stable cleaning performance.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of rollers, a correction mechanism, and a belt cleaning unit. The intermediate transfer belt has an endless shape, and toner images respectively formed on the plurality of image carriers are sequentially overlaid and transferred thereto. The correction mechanism moves one end side in an axial direction of a tension roller along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, so as to correct meandering of the intermediate transfer belt with respect to the tension roller. The belt cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade that is disposed in such a manner that its tip portion contacts with an outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt at a position facing the tension roller via the intermediate transfer belt, so as to remove extraneous matter from the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt.