Intermediate Transfer Belt Meandering Control via Downstream Pressure Roller
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, intermediate transfer belts tend to meander due to reduced grip from smaller-diameter drive rollers, leading to image quality issues, and existing solutions like pressure rollers with misaligned shafts cause bias and increased meandering.
Innovation Solution
An intermediate transfer belt device with a pressure member, such as a roller, positioned downstream in the contact region with the drive roller, where the intermediate transfer belt is wound at a predetermined angle, and the pressure member is driven to rotate faster to suppress meandering by enhancing frictional forces and maintaining shaft parallelism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drive roller diameter is reduced to improve sheet peeling performance, then sheet peeling performance is improved, but the grip on the intermediate transfer belt is reduced causing increased slip and meandering
Solution Approach 1:
A pressure roller is introduced as an intermediary component between the drive roller and the intermediate transfer belt. The pressure roller applies additional pressing force to enhance the grip on the belt, compensating for the reduced grip capacity of the smaller drive roller while maintaining improved sheet peeling performance
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure is not applied uniformly along the entire contact region. Instead, the pressure roller is positioned to apply localized pressure at specific regions of the intermediate transfer belt, optimizing the grip where most needed while maintaining overall system performance
2Reliability
If a pressure roller is provided opposite to the drive roller to suppress slip, then slip is suppressed to some extent, but axial force causes the intermediate transfer belt to be biased resulting in increased meandering
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure roller is positioned asymmetrically within the contact region rather than at the center. Specifically, it is located downstream from the center of the contact region, which creates a pressure distribution that suppresses slip while minimizing the generation of axial biasing forces that cause meandering
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a single central pressure point to a distributed pressure application along the contact region. By positioning the pressure roller at a specific location downstream in the contact region, the pressure is applied in a way that addresses slip prevention while controlling the lateral force distribution to reduce meandering
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 effectively reduces meandering of the intermediate transfer belt, ensuring good image quality even with reduced-diameter drive rollers, and alleviates the load on meandering correction mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure member presses the intermediate transfer belt from an outer surface of the intermediate transfer belt toward the drive roller
Data Source
AI summary
An intermediate transfer belt device has an intermediate transfer belt, a drive roller that drives the intermediate transfer belt, and a pressure roller that presses from an outer surface of the intermediate transfer belt toward the drive roller. The pressure roller is disposed at a position corresponding to a downstream end in a rotating direction C in a contact region between the intermediate transfer belt and the drive roller. The intermediate transfer belt is provided in contact with the pressure roller and such that the outer surface of the intermediate transfer belt is wound around an outer surface of the pressure roller at a predetermined winding angle.