Fixing Belt Skew Control via Elastic Bearing Slit Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face issues with the skewing of fixing belts due to parallelism degradation between support rollers, leading to improper conveyance of recording media, creasing, or jamming, which can result in belt damage and reduced lifespan.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a support roller with a gear train and an elastic bearing that includes a slit, where the slit is positioned upstream from the mesh point to create a circumferential angle of at least 20 degrees, ensuring proper alignment and preventing skewing of the fixing belt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional support roller without a slit in the bearing is used, then the structure is simpler, but the fixing belt skews due to parallelism degradation between support rollers
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing is divided into two separate bearings instead of using one bearing with an integrated slit. Each bearing supports one end of the shaft, and together they maintain the required parallelism without requiring a complex slitted bearing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A positioning member (such as a positioning pin or guide) is introduced as an intermediary element between the support rollers to maintain their parallelism. This positioning member ensures that the rollers remain aligned without requiring complex modifications to the bearings themselves.
2Manufacturing precision
If the inner diameter of the bearing is made smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft, then parallelism between support rollers is maintained, but the bearing experiences increased stress and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is distributed across two separate bearings rather than concentrating stress in a single slitted bearing. This segmentation allows each bearing to operate within its stress limits while collectively maintaining the required parallelism through the positioning member.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning member acts as a cushioning element that prevents excessive stress from being transmitted to the bearings. By maintaining parallelism through this intermediary, the system protects the bearings from damaging loads that would occur with forced tight-fit configurations.
3Reliability
If a slit is added to the bearing to prevent skewing, then fixing belt alignment is improved, but the bearing structure becomes more complex and vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment function is separated from the bearing structure itself. Instead of modifying the bearing with a slit, the system uses two bearings combined with a positioning member to achieve alignment, keeping the bearing structure simple and robust.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning member serves as an intermediary that provides the alignment function without requiring modifications to the bearing structure. This mediator maintains parallelism between support rollers while leaving the bearings in their simple, durable configuration.
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
This configuration stabilizes the fixing belt's conveyance, prevents skewing, and extends the belt's lifespan by maintaining parallelism between support rollers, thus ensuring efficient and reliable image fixing without creasing or jamming.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic bearing rotatably bears each of the plurality of shafts of the support roller and has an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the shaft of the support roller. The bearing includes a slit defining a part of the bearing in a circumferential direction thereof.
Implementation Method 2
A gear train is connected to the pressure rotator and the support roller to drive the pressure rotator and the support roller. The gear train includes a driven gear mounted on one of the plurality of shafts of the support roller and a driving gear meshing with the driven gear at a mesh position to transmit a driving force to the support roller through the driven gear to rotate the support roller.
Data Source
AI summary
A belt device includes a support and a support roller that support a belt. A driven gear is mounted on one of a plurality of shafts of the support roller. A driving gear meshing with the driven gear at a mesh position transmits a driving force to the support roller through the driven gear to rotate the support roller. An elastic bearing rotatably bearing each of the plurality of shafts of the support roller has an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the shaft of the support roller. The bearing includes a slit defining a part of the bearing in a circumferential direction thereof. The slit is disposed upstream from the mesh position in the direction of rotation of the support roller such that the mesh position and the slit define a circumferential angle not smaller than about 20 degrees.