Roller unit, belt device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11269271-B2
Application number	US-202117147536-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2021
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A roller unit includes a roller, an arm, a holder, a tension spring, and a restriction member. The arm rotatably holds the roller. The holder swingably holds the arm. The tension spring includes a first hook at one end of the tension spring and a second hook at another end of the tension spring. The first hook is hooked on an arm-side hook of the arm. The second hook is hooked on a holder-side hook of the holder. The restriction member is configured to restrict movement of the tension spring in a state in which the first hook or the second hook is unhooked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A roller unit comprising:
a roller;
an arm rotatably holding the roller;
a holder swingably holding the arm;
a tension spring including:
a first hook at one end of the tension spring; and
a second hook at another end of the tension spring,
the first hook being hooked on an arm-side hook of the arm, the second hook being hooked on a holder-side hook of the holder; and

a restriction member configured to restrict movement of the tension spring in a state in which the first hook or the second hook is unhooked.

2. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is disposed at a position at which the restriction member is configured to restrict the movement of the tension spring such that the first hook is not disengaged from the arm-side hook in a state in which the second hook is unhooked from the holder-side hook.

3. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is disposed at a position overlapping a movement trajectory drawn by the tension spring when the first hook is assumed to be disengaged from the arm-side hook or the second hook is assumed to be disengaged from the holder-side hook.

4. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is disposed at a position closer to the first hook than the second hook.

5. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tension spring includes a grip at an end extending further from the second hook of the tension spring.

6. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is a sheet-shaped flexible member.

7. The roller unit according to claim 6 ,
wherein the sheet-shaped flexible member is cantilevered by the holder, and
wherein a free end of the sheet-shaped flexible member is provided in a vicinity of the tension spring.

8. The roller unit according to claim 6 ,
wherein a free end of the sheet-shaped flexible member is provided at a position at which the free end of the sheet-shaped flexible member does not contact the tension spring in a state in which the first hook of the tension spring is hooked on the arm-side hook of the arm and the second hook is hooked on the holder-side hook of the holder.

9. The roller unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of arms rotatably holding the roller, the pair of arms including the arm,
wherein the holder includes a pair of side plates and a stay,
wherein each of the pair of side plates swingably holds a corresponding one of the pair of arms,
wherein the stay is provided between the pair of side plates, and
wherein the restriction member is disposed on the stay.

10. The roller unit according to claim 9 ,
wherein the stay is disposed at a position at which the stay is configured to restrict a swing range of the arm.

11. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is disposed at a position at which the restriction member is surface-contactable with the tension spring.

12. The roller unit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the restriction member is a sheet-shaped flexible member,
wherein the sheet-shaped flexible member is cantilevered by the holder, and
wherein a surface of a free end side of the sheet-shaped flexible member faces the tension spring.

13. A belt device comprising:
a belt configured to travel in a predetermined direction; and
the roller unit according to claim 1 detachably attached to the belt device,
wherein the roller is a tension roller configured to apply tension to the belt.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the belt device according to claim 13 ;
an image forming device configured to form a toner image on an outer circumferential surface of the belt provided in the belt device; and
a belt facing member configured to form a nip to sandwich a sheet between the belt facing member and the belt.

Assignees

• Goto Yutaka
• Kogure Seiichi
• Nakamoto Atsushi
• Hamada Daisuke
• Akiyama Takuya
• Aoki Yuuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Goto Yutaka
• Kogure Seiichi
• Nakamoto Atsushi
• Hamada Daisuke
• Akiyama Takuya
• Aoki Yuuki

Classifications

• G03G15/1615 Primary

  relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning · CPC title