Drive Transmission Device with Spherical Link for Image Formers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive transmission devices for image forming apparatuses face challenges in efficiently transmitting driving force while accommodating shaft center gaps and maintaining constant angular speed, leading to misregistration and speed variations.
Innovation Solution
A drive transmission device comprising a first drive transmitter, a second drive transmitter, a link device, and a releasing device, where the link device includes spherical inserting bodies and projections that align and adjust to absorb shaft center gaps, and a releasing mechanism to disengage the link, allowing for precise alignment and constant speed transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a rigid link device is used to transmit driving force, then the transmission structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate shaft center gaps and causes misregistration and speed variations
Solution Approach 1:
The link device incorporates spherical inserting bodies that can dynamically adjust their orientation and position. The spherical shape allows the link to incline and adapt to shaft center gaps while maintaining continuous driving force transmission, thereby accommodating misregistration without causing speed variations
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical inserting bodies change their spatial parameters (orientation and position) in response to shaft center gaps. This parameter adjustment allows the link device to absorb misalignment while maintaining constant angular speed transmission to the rotary body
2Manufacturing precision
If the link device is made adjustable to absorb shaft center gaps, then misregistration is reduced, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The inserting bodies are given a spherical shape, which provides geometric adaptability to accommodate shaft center gaps. The spherical geometry naturally absorbs misalignment through inclination without requiring additional adjustment mechanisms, thus reducing structural complexity while improving alignment precision
3Ease of operation
If the drive side coupling is moved against the coil spring biasing force to disengage couplings, then the link is released for rotary body removal, but additional force and control complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The coil spring provides a biasing force that automatically maintains engagement between the drive side coupling and driven side coupling during normal operation. The spherical inserting bodies act as a mechanical advantage system, allowing the release operation to overcome the spring force efficiently through a single pressing action on the release projection
Data Source
AI summary
A drive transmission device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a first drive transmitter having a first hollow body, a second drive transmitter having a second hollow body, a link device, and a releasing device. The link device links the first and second drive transmitters and includes a first inserting body with a projection, a second inserting body with a projection, and a link body. The first and second drive transmitters have respective grooves in the first and second hollow body in an axial direction. The second drive transmitter is disposed at an end portion of a shaft of a rotary body detachably attached to a housing of an image forming apparatus. The releasing device relatively moves the link device to the second drive transmitter in the axial direction and releases a link of the driving force between the rotary body and the image forming apparatus.