Belt feeding device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043510-B2
Application number	US-202318324985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2023
Priority date	Sep 16, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A belt feeding device includes an endless belt, stretching rollers including a tension roller, a bearing member supporting the tension roller, a beating support member supporting the bearing member, an urging member urging the tension roller, a supporting member supporting the bearing supporting member, and a locking member. The locking member is movable between a first position where an engagement between the locking member and one of the bearing support member and the bearing member is released and the bearing member is permitted to move so as to apply the tension to the belt, and a second position where the locking member locks the bearing member by engaging with the bearing support member and the bearing member and the bearing member is restricted to move. The bearing member, the bearing support member, the urging member, and the locking member constitute a unit to be integrally dismountable from the supporting in the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming portion configured to form a toner image;
a belt unit provided with an endless belt to which the toner image formed by the image forming portion is transferred in a first transfer portion, the belt transferring the toner image transferred thereto from the belt to a recording material in a second transfer portion;
a fixing device disposed above the second transfer portion with respect to a vertical direction and configured to fix the toner image transferred to the recording material to the recording material; and
an upper feeding path configured to feed the recording material upward from an accommodating portion for accommodating the recording material to the fixing device via the second transfer portion,
wherein the belt unit comprises:
a plurality of stretching rollers, including a tension roller, configured to stretch the belt;
a first bearing member configured to rotatably support the tension roller in one end portion thereof with respect to a rotational axis direction of the tension roller;
a second bearing member configured to rotatably support the tension roller in the other end portion thereof with respect to the rotational axis direction;
a first bearing support member configured to movably support the first bearing member with respect to a direction crossing the rotational axis direction;
a second bearing support member configured to movably support the second bearing member with respect to a direction crossing the rotational axis direction;
a first urging member provided between the first bearing member and the first bearing support member and configured to urge the tension roller to apply tension to the belt;
a second urging member provided between the second bearing member and the second bearing support member and configured to urge the tension roller to apply tension to the belt;
a supporting member configured to support the first bearing support member and the second bearing support member;
a first locking member movably provided between a first locked position where the first bearing member is locked and a first unlocked position where the first bearing member is unlocked and capable of locking the first bearing member by engaging with the first bearing support member and the first bearing member; and
a second locking member movably provided between a second locked position where the second bearing member is locked and a second unlocked position where the second bearing member is unlocked and capable of locking the second bearing member by engaging with the second bearing support member and the second bearing member;
wherein the first locking member is movably provided between the first locked position and the first unlocked position in a state in which the second locking member is positioned in the second locked position.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first locking member includes a first hook portion configured to engage the first hook portion with one of the first bearing support member and the first bearing member when positioned in the first locked position, and to release an engagement between the first hook portion and one of the first bearing support member and the first bearing member when positioned in the first unlocked position.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first bearing support member includes a swingable shaft configured to swingably support the first locking member, and
wherein the first locking member includes a fitting portion configured to fit the swingable shaft and is swingably supported to the swingable shaft.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the swingable shaft is disposed on a side on which the first urging member is provided from a rotational axis of the first bearing member with respect to an urging direction of the first urging member.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the swingable shaft is disposed on a side on which the first urging member is provided from a rotational axis of the first bearing member with respect to a moving direction of the first bearing member.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first locking member is configured to be movable between the first locked position and the first unlocked position by manual operation of an operator.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first locking member is integrally provided with the first bearing member, the first bearing support member and the first urging member, and is dismountable from the belt unit.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second transfer portion is disposed above the first transfer portion with respect to the vertical direction.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the fixing device is disposed on a position higher than an upper surface of the belt with respect to the vertical direction.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nakajima Takao

Classifications

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title

• B65H2601/321

  Access · CPC title

• B65H5/021 Primary

  by belts · CPC title

• B65H2601/324

  Removability or inter-changeability of machine parts, e.g. for maintenance · CPC title

• G03G15/1615

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