End-Side Member Bearing for Photoreceptor Drum Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatus technologies face challenges in maintaining rotation stability of the photoreceptor drum during attachment and detachment processes, leading to instability in the delivery of rotation drive force.
Innovation Solution
An end-side member with a convex-shaped bearing member is designed to engage and disengage with a concave portion of the drive shaft, featuring a depression with specific geometric parameters to enhance engagement stability, including a hexagonal cross-section and inclined surfaces, ensuring stable rotation of the photoreceptor drum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a twisted hole with polygonal cross-sectional shape is formed at the drive shaft and a polygonal columnar projection is provided as a bearing member, then rotation accuracy of the photoreceptor drum is enhanced and drive force delivery is reliable, but rotation stability deteriorates in some cases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces asymmetric features through the depression geometry (different first and second inclined surfaces) and the offset between the depression center and bearing member center. This asymmetry creates a more stable engagement configuration that prevents rotation instability while maintaining accurate rotational positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The depression acts as an intermediary element between the bearing member and the drive shaft's twisted hole. It provides a transition zone that facilitates smooth engagement and disengagement while maintaining stable rotational connection, resolving the contradiction between accurate drive force delivery and rotation stability.
2Ease of operation
If the engagement between the drive shaft and bearing member is released and reengaged every time for process cartridge attachment and detachment, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of drive force delivery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The depression is pre-formed in the bearing member to align with the twisted hole's rim during engagement. This preliminary geometric configuration ensures that when the bearing member is inserted into the drive shaft, the engagement occurs at the optimal position immediately, maintaining reliable drive force delivery without requiring complex adjustment procedures.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a depression with specific geometric parameters is formed in the bearing member, then engagement stability is enhanced and rotation stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire bearing member complex, the invention applies the depression feature locally at the engagement interface. This localized modification provides the necessary engagement stability while keeping the rest of the bearing member structure simple and easy to manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an end-side member to be arranged at an end of a photoreceptor drum unit which is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus body, the image forming apparatus body including a drive shaft having a concave portion, the concave portion being a hole having a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape and twisted in an extending direction of an axial line of the drive shaft. The end-side member includes a convex-shaped bearing member which is engageable with and disengageable from the concave portion. A depression to be engaged with a rim of an opening of the concave portion is formed in at least a part of an outer circumferential surface of the bearing member.