Pivoting Secondary Transfer Unit for Jam Clearance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in ensuring a sufficient working space for removing jammed recording materials due to interference from the secondary transfer unit, which restricts access and visibility during jam clearance operations.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a secondary transfer unit pivotally supported by a rotation center hole, which disengages from the rotation center in the opening process and is completely held by the exterior door in the opened state, allowing a wider working space and improved accessibility by separating the secondary transfer roller from the intermediate transfer belt, utilizing an urging member, lock lever, and guide mechanisms for precise positioning and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the supporting member of the secondary transfer roller is pivotally supported on the image forming apparatus side using a fixed rotation shaft, then the secondary transfer roller can be positioned to form a nip portion with the intermediate transfer belt, but the supporting member interferes with access to the working space between the secondary transfer roller and the intermediate transfer belt, preventing a sufficiently large working space for jam removal
Solution Approach 1:
The door member acts as an intermediary carrier that holds the supporting member during opening operations. When the door member opens, it carries the supporting member and secondary transfer roller away from the intermediate transfer belt, creating working space without requiring the supporting member itself to be the pivot element. This mediates between the need for roller positioning and the need for accessible working space.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation shaft is positioned in the door member rather than in the image forming apparatus body, changing the spatial dimension of rotation. This allows the supporting member to rotate outward away from the intermediate transfer belt when the door opens, creating working space in a direction perpendicular to the belt surface, thereby eliminating interference with the working space between the roller and belt.
2Ease of operation
If the door member is opened to create working space for jam removal, then accessibility is improved, but the secondary transfer unit must be repositioned to maintain proper nipping pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting member is made rotatable relative to the door member via the urging member mechanism. During door opening, the supporting member rotates outward to create working space. During door closing, the urging member automatically rotates the supporting member back to the correct position, ensuring stable nipping pressure is restored without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The urging member automatically performs the function of repositioning the supporting member to the correct angular position relative to the door member. This self-adjusting mechanism ensures that after the door is opened and closed for jam removal, the secondary transfer roller automatically returns to its proper position with correct nipping pressure, without requiring user adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
While providing an easy access to a working space between a secondary transfer roller and an intermediate transfer belt, an image forming apparatus is capable of ensuring a working space wider than a rotation radius of the secondary transfer roller in a state that the rotation center portion is pivotally supported on the image forming apparatus side. In a state that a rotation center portion engages with a rotation center hole provided in a housing frame, a secondary transfer unit is rotated on the rotation center hole to position the secondary transfer roller with respect to a secondary transfer counter roller. When the rotation center portion, which is engaged with the rotation center hole, is disengaged accompanying the opening operation of the exterior door, the exterior door supporting the secondary transfer unit is capable of opening widely outward.