Lubricant Supplying Device Spring Assembly Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lubricant supplying devices in image forming apparatuses often suffer from assembly defects due to buckled or slipping compressing springs, which impair their functionality and lead to cleaning defects on photosensitive drums.
Innovation Solution
A lubricant supplying device design where the casing has an opening portion to expose and allow adjustment of the compressing spring's end, with a removable cover member to determine the biasing force, preventing assembly defects and ensuring proper lubricant distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the compressing spring is attached to the casing in a hidden manner (not visible between holding member and casing), then the appearance is cleaner and the structure is more compact, but the assembly becomes defective due to buckling or slipping of the spring
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the compressing spring and the casing. The guide member has a guiding portion that restricts the compressing spring's movement direction, preventing buckling and slipping while allowing the spring to be attached in a compact manner. This mediator enables both structural compactness and assembly reliability to coexist.
2Reliability
If the compressing spring is made visible and accessible through an opening in the casing, then assembly reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is segmented into multiple portions, including a first casing portion and a second casing portion, with an opening formed between them. This segmentation allows the compressing spring to be partially accessible through the opening for reliable assembly, while the guide member integrated into the casing structure provides guidance without requiring additional external components, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 effectively reduces the occurrence of assembly defects in the compressing spring, enhancing the lubricant supplying device's functionality and maintaining the photosensitive drum's cleanliness by ensuring consistent lubricant application.
Implementation Method 1
a compressing spring with one end being brought into contact with the holding member, thereby biasing the solid lubricant toward the lubricant supplying roller
Implementation Method 2
a lubricant supplying roller that rotates in a predetermined direction and slides on the image carrier
Data Source
AI summary
A lubricant supplying device includes a compressing spring that has one end coming into contact with a holding member in order to bias a solid lubricant toward a lubricant supplying roller and a casing that covers the outside of the device. Then, the casing includes an opening portion that allows the other end of the compressing spring, having the one end coming into contact with the holding member, to be exposed therethrough, and the casing further includes a cover member that is installed in the opening portion in a removable manner so that the cover member comes into contact with the other end of the compressing spring.