Drive transmitter, driving device incorporating the drive transmitter, and image forming apparatus incorporating the driving device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423726-B2
Application number	US-201514868751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A drive transmitter, which can included in a driving device and an image forming apparatus, includes a drive transmitter including a drive coupling and a driven coupling. The drive coupling is mounted on a drive output shaft to which a driving force is transmitted and includes a drive claw projecting in an axial direction. The driven coupling is mounted on a driven shaft, faces the drive coupling in the axial direction, and includes a driven claw projecting in the axial direction. A height of at least one of the drive claw and the driven claw in the axial direction gradually decreasing from one end to the other end in a rotation direction of at least one of the drive coupling and the driven coupling. The drive claw and the driven claw come into either one of line contact and point contact with each other in the axial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive transmitter comprising:
a drive coupling being mounted on an end of a drive output shaft to which a driving force of a drive source is transmitted and including a drive claw projecting in an axial direction; and
a driven coupling being mounted on an end of a driven shaft, facing the drive coupling in the axial direction, and including a driven claw projecting in the axial direction,
a height of at least one of the drive claw and the driven claw in the axial direction decreasing from one end to the other end in a rotation direction of at least one of the drive coupling and the driven coupling,
the drive claw and the driven claw coming into one of line contact and point contact, but not plane contact, with each other in the axial direction.

2. The drive transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein respective heights of the drive claw and the driven claw decrease from one end to the other end in the rotation direction of the drive coupling and the driven coupling,
wherein the drive claw includes an opposing face opposed to the driven coupling and has an inclination angle inclined with respect to a virtual vertical plane normal to the axial direction of the drive claw,
wherein the driven claw includes an opposing face opposed to the drive coupling and has an inclination angle inclined with respect to a virtual vertical plane normal to the axial direction of the driven claw, and
wherein the inclination angle of the drive claw is different from the inclination angle of the driven claw.

3. The drive transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the drive claw includes a drive transmission portion to transmit the driving force to the driven claw in contact with the driven claw upon drive transmission,
wherein the driven claw includes a driven transmission portion to contact the drive transmission portion of the drive claw upon drive transmission, and
wherein the drive transmission portion of the drive claw and the driven transmission portion of the driven claw are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction.

4. A driving device comprising:
a drive source; and
the drive transmitter according to claim 1 to transmit the driving force of the drive source to a drive target rotator.

5. The driving device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the drive source is a stepping motor,
wherein the drive target rotator is a cam to linearly and reciprocally move a cam contact member coming into contact therewith by a biasing force applied by a biasing member, and
wherein a play between the drive claw and the driven claw is set to 2 mm or smaller.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body; and
the driving device according to claim 4 included in the apparatus body.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an image bearer to form an image on a surface thereof;
a transfer device including a transfer body onto which the image formed on the surface of the image bearer is transferred, a transfer member disposed facing the image bearer with the transfer body interposed therebetween, and a support shaft; and
an adjuster including:
a swing member to hold the transfer member, swing while being swingably supported by the support shaft, and bring the transfer member into contact and separation by being swingably supported and swung by the support shaft,
a cam to rotate by being driven by the drive device, and
a slide assembly having one end contacting the cam by a biasing force applied by a biasing member, reciprocally moving with rotation of the cam, and swing the swing member.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the image bearer includes multiple color image bearers to form respective color toner images in corresponding colors and a special color image bearer to form a special color toner image in either one of white and clear color, and the transfer member includes multiple color image transfer members and a special color image transfer member,
wherein the image forming apparatus further includes:
a color image forming unit including multiple image forming units having the multiple color image bearers; and
a special color image forming unit including the special color image bearer, and

wherein the adjuster brings the special color image transfer member into contact and separation with the special color image bearer.

9. A drive transmitter comprising:
a drive coupling being mounted on an end of a drive output shaft to which a driving force of a drive source is transmitted and including a drive claw projecting in an axial direction; and
a driven coupling being mounted on an end of a driven shaft, facing the drive coupling in the axial direction, and including a driven claw projecting in the axial direction,
wherein respective heights of the drive claw and the driven claw decrease from one end to the other end in a rotation direction of the drive coupling and the driven coupling,
wherein the drive claw includes an opposing face opposed to the driven coupling and has an inclination angle inclined with respect to a virtual vertical plane normal to the axial direction of the drive claw,
wherein the driven claw includes an opposing face opposed to the drive coupling and has an inclination angle inclined with respect to a virtual vertical plane normal to the axial direction of the driven claw, and
wherein the inclination angle of the drive claw is different from the inclination angle of the driven claw.

10. The drive transmitter according to claim 9 ,
wherein the drive claw includes a drive transmission portion to transmit the driving force to the driven claw in contact with the driven claw upon drive transmission,
wherein the driven claw includes a driven transmission portion to contact the drive transmission portion of the drive claw upon drive transmission, and
wherein the drive transmission portion of the drive claw and the driven transmission portion of the driven claw are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction.

11. A driving device comprising:
a drive source; and
the drive transmitter according to claim 9 to transmit the driving force of the drive source to a drive target rotator.

12. The driving device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the drive source is a stepping motor,
wherein the drive target rotator is a cam to linearly and reciprocally move a cam contact member coming into contact therewith by a biasing force applied by a biasing member, and
wherein a play between the drive claw and the driven claw is set to 2 mm or smaller.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body; and
the driving device according to claim 11 included in the apparatus body.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising:
an image bearer to form an image on a surface thereof;
a transfer device including a transfer body onto which the image formed on the surface of the image bearer is transferred, a transfer member disposed facing the image bearer with the transfer body interposed therebetween, and a support shaft; and
an adjuster including:
a swing member to hold the transfer member, swing while being swingably supported by the support shaft, and bring the transfer member into contact and separation by being swingably supported and swung by the support shaft,
a cam to rotate by being driven by the drive device, and
a slide assembly having one end contacting the cam by a biasing force applied by a biasing member, reciprocally moving with rotation of the cam, and swing the swing member.

15. The image formi

Assignees

• Morita Yoshiaki
• Hasegawa Ryo
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morita Yoshiaki
• Hasegawa Ryo

Classifications

• G03G2221/1657

  transmitting mechanical drive power · CPC title

• G03G21/1647

  Mechanical connection means · CPC title

• G03G15/1615 Primary

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

• F16D7/044

  the axially moving part being coaxial with the rotation, e.g. a gear with face teeth · CPC title

• G03G15/0131

  for transferring a pattern to a second base · CPC title