Imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021389698-A1
Application number	US-201917282812-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 23, 2019
Priority date	Oct 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 16, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An imaging system includes an endless belt, a tensioning system that applies tension to the endless belt, a contact member that engages with the endless belt, and a detector that detects slack at a part of the endless belt. A controller causes the contact member to be separated from the endless belt so that the tensioning system reduces the slack of the endless belt in response to the detector detecting the slack.

First claim

1 . An imaging system comprising:
an endless belt; a tensioning system to apply tension to the endless belt; a contact member to engage with the endless belt; a detector to detect slack at a part of the endless belt; and a controller to cause the contact member to be separated from the endless belt, the tensioning system to reduce the slack of the endless belt in response to the detector detecting the slack.

2 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member includes a transfer roller.

3 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member includes a primary transfer roller.

4 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member includes a secondary transfer roller.

5 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact member includes a cleaning member that cleans a surface of the endless belt.

6 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the endless belt includes a first end edge and a second end edge that is opposite to the first end edge, and the detector includes a pair of optical sensors to detect a state of the first end edge and the second end edge in a non-contact manner.

7 . The imaging system according to claim 6 ,
the detector to detect the slack of the endless belt on the basis of a speed difference between a rotational speed of the first end edge and a rotational speed of the second end edge.

8 . The imaging system according to claim 7 ,
the detector to detect the speed difference on the basis of detection of a correction pattern that is formed at the first end edge and the second end edge of the endless belt.

9 . The imaging system according to claim 8 ,
the detector to detect the speed difference by deriving the speed difference on the basis of a detection timing of a plurality of the correction patterns which are formed along a rotational direction of the endless belt.

10 . The imaging system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the correction pattern is a correction pattern that is used in color registration control.

11 . The imaging system according to claim 10 ,
the controller to execute the color registration control on the basis of a state of the correction pattern that is detected by the detector.

12 . The imaging system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the endless belt comprises a transfer belt to receive a transferred toner image, the controller to cause the contact member to be separated from the endless belt in a case where the speed difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and the controller to adjust a right and left balance of the toner image when viewed from a movement direction of the transfer belt in a case where the speed difference occurs and the speed difference is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

13 . The imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tensioning system includes a drive roller and a tension roller, and a steering mechanism is disposed between the drive roller and the tension roller.

14 . The imaging system according to claim 13 ,
wherein the endless belt includes a first end edge and a second end edge that are located on opposite sides of the endless belt from each other, and the steering mechanism includes a steering roller to apply increased tension along the first end edge of the endless belt.

15 . An imaging system, comprising:
a rotational endless belt that includes a first end edge and a second end edge that are located on opposite sides of the endless belt from each other; a tensioning system that includes a drive roller and a tension roller, the tensioning system to apply tension to the endless belt; a steering roller that that is disposed between the drive roller and the tension roller to apply increased tension along the first end edge of the endless belt, the increased tension along the first end edge to cause slack to occur along the second end edge of the endless belt; a primary transfer roller to engage with the endless belt; a pair of sensors to detect a speed difference, which relates to the slack of the second end edge, between a rotational speed of the first end edge and a rotational speed of the second end edge; and a controller to control the primary transfer roller to be separated from the endless belt, in response to the detected speed difference, to reduce the slack of the endless belt.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Miyake Koji
• Hori Satoru

Classifications

• G03G2215/00143

  Meandering prevention · CPC title

• G03G15/0136

  transfer member separable from recording member or vice versa, mode switching · CPC title

• G03G15/01

  for producing multicoloured copies · CPC title

• G03G15/08

  using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer · CPC title

• G03G2215/00616

  Optical detector · CPC title