Removal Device With Slit Sealing For Intermediate Transfer Belt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in effectively removing waste toner and corona by-products from intermediate transfer belts, leading to inefficiencies and potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
A removal device with a scraping member and sealing members is employed, where the scraping member contacts the intermediate transfer belt to remove waste, and the sealing members, featuring protruding portions with diagonal slits, prevent lateral leakage of toner deposits, ensuring efficient waste collection and reduced friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a scraping member is used to remove waste toner and corona by-products from the intermediate transfer belt, then the cleanliness of the transfer belt is improved, but friction between the scraping member and transfer belt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping member features a localized protruding portion with a slit at its tip, concentrating the cleaning action at a specific point on the intermediate transfer belt. This localized approach allows effective waste removal while minimizing the contact area and overall friction between the scraping member and the transfer belt surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraping member is designed with a slit that divides the protruding portion into separate sections. This segmentation allows the structure to flex and adapt to the transfer belt surface, maintaining effective contact for waste removal while reducing continuous friction through the divided contact points.
2Productivity
If sealing members with protruding portions are used to prevent lateral leakage of toner deposits, then waste collection efficiency is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is integrated directly into the scraping member by adding protruding portions with slits to its structure. This merging of scraping and sealing functions into a single component achieves effective waste collection and lateral leakage prevention without increasing the overall number of separate components or device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraping member serves multiple functions: it removes waste toner and corona by-products through its main body, while the protruding portions with slits simultaneously seal the spaces between the scraping member and transfer belt to prevent lateral leakage. This multi-functionality improves waste collection efficiency without requiring additional dedicated sealing components.
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 scrapes off waste toner and corona by-products, suppresses lateral leakage, and reduces friction, enhancing the cleanliness and operational efficiency of the image forming process.
Implementation Method 1
the scraping member scraping waste off a surface of the cleaning object at a contact portion of the scraping member that is in contact with the surface
Implementation Method 2
a pair of sealing members disposed on both outer sides of the scraping member in the crossing direction and sealing the both outer sides by contacting the surface
Data Source
AI summary
A removal device includes a scraping member extending in a crossing direction that crosses a movement direction in which a cleaning object moves, the scraping member scraping waste off a surface of the cleaning object at a contact portion of the scraping member that is in contact with the surface; and a pair of sealing members disposed on both outer sides of the scraping member in the crossing direction and sealing the both outer sides by contacting the surface. Each of the sealing members includes a protruding portion that protrudes beyond the contact portion upstream in the movement direction of the cleaning object. The protruding portion has a slit that extends diagonally from an edge of the protruding portion outward in the crossing direction and upstream in the movement direction, the edge facing inward in the crossing direction.