Photoconductor Drum Guide Member Prevents Gear Belt Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image forming apparatuses face issues with the photoconductor drums deteriorating over time, leading to reduced chargeability and image quality, and during maintenance, the drum units can get caught by the transfer belt's edge, potentially damaging it and affecting toner adhesion on the belt.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus includes a drum unit with a flange and guide member configuration that prevents the gear portion from contacting the transfer belt during pull-out, using a film member to cover the gear and a guide member to guide the belt edge upward, ensuring safe removal and maintaining image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drum unit is pulled out horizontally for maintenance, then the drum unit can be removed for replacement or cleaning, but the gear portion may contact and damage the transfer belt edge
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the drum unit and transfer belt. The guide member includes a guide surface that contacts the transfer belt edge and guides it upward during drum unit extraction, preventing direct contact between the gear portion and transfer belt edge, thus resolving the contradiction between easy removal and belt integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member is pre-positioned on the frame such that when the drum unit begins to extract, the guide surface immediately engages with the transfer belt edge and directs it upward before the gear portion can contact the belt. This preliminary action prevents potential damage before it can occur
2Reliability
If the gear portion outer diameter is made larger for better engagement, then the gear transmission is more reliable, but the risk of contacting the transfer belt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member acts as a mediator that allows the gear portion to maintain its larger outer diameter for reliable engagement while preventing it from contacting the transfer belt. The guide surface redirects the transfer belt edge upward, creating a safe operational space for the larger gear
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member utilizes the vertical dimension to resolve the horizontal conflict. By guiding the transfer belt edge upward in the vertical direction, the system allows the gear portion to have a larger horizontal diameter without increasing the risk of contact
Data Source
AI summary
A drum unit of an image forming apparatus including a flange that is integrally provided with the photoconductor drum. A frame rotatably supports the photoconductor drum and covers its side. A gear portion is integrally formed with an outer circumferential surface of the flange. An outer diameter of the gear portion is larger than a diameter size of the photoconductor drum. A guide member is provided on an upper surface of the frame and guides the edge portion upward when the drum unit is pulled out of the apparatus main body. An upper surface of the guide member includes first and second guide surfaces. The first guide surface is located more on a side of a center of the photoconductor drum than the edge position, and the second guide surface is located more on the side of the insertion direction than the edge position.