Driving force transmission apparatus, sheet conveyance apparatus, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857749-B2
Application number	US-201514688143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2015
Priority date	Apr 22, 2014
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

The conveyance apparatus includes a first engaging portion of a first planetary gear unit and a second engaging portion of a second planetary gear unit, and a stopping member movable to a first stop position to stop a first engaged gear, and to a second stop position to stop a second engagement gear, in which a pivot fulcrum of the stopping member is arranged at an intersection between an extension line of a vector of a force that the first engaging portion receives from the first engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the first stop position, and an extension line of a vector of a force that the second engaging portion receives from the second engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the second stop position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving force transmission apparatus, comprising:
a first planetary gear unit including a first engaged gear having a first engaged portion, and a first meshing gear;
a second planetary gear unit including a second engaged gear having a second engaged portion, and a second meshing gear configured to mesh with the first meshing gear; and
a stopping member, including a first engaging portion engageable with the first engaged portion, and a second engaging portion engageable with the second engaged portion, the stopping member being pivotally movable to a first stop position, at which the first engaging portion is engaged with the first engaged portion so that the first engaged gear is stopped, and to a second stop position, at which the second engaging portion is engaged with the second engaged portion so that the second engaged gear is stopped,
wherein the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear have the same cross-sectional shape when viewed in a direction of a pivot axis of the stopping member,
wherein a pivot fulcrum of the stopping member is arranged at an intersection between an extension line of a vector of a force that the first engaging portion receives from the first engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the first stop position, and an extension line of a vector of a force that the second engaging portion receives from the second engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the second stop position, and
wherein, when the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear are viewed in the direction of the pivot axis of the stopping member, (1) a first line passing through a rotation axis of the first engaged gear and a rotation axis of the second engaged gear, (2) a second line passing through the first engaged portion and the second engaged portion, and (3) a third line, parallel to the first line and to the second line and passing through the pivot axis of the stopping member, are positioned, in this order, in a direction perpendicular to the first line.

2. A driving force transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a rotation direction of the first engaged gear in the state in which the stopping member is at the second stop position and a rotation direction of the second engaged gear in the state in which the stopping member is at the first stop position are reverse to each other.

3. A driving force transmission apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear each comprise claw portions engageable with the stopping member, and
wherein each of the claw portions is formed into a symmetrical shape with respect to a straight line passing through the rotation axis of the corresponding one of the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear and a distal end of the corresponding claw portion.

4. A driving force transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator configured to cause the stopping member to be moved between the first stop position and the second stop position; and
an urging member configured to urge the stopping member toward the first stop position,
wherein the actuator is energized to cause the stopping member to be moved to the second stop position against an urging force of the urging member.

5. A driving force transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driven gear,
wherein the first engaged gear includes a sun gear of the first planetary gear unit, and the second engaged gear includes a sun gear of the second planetary gear unit,
wherein the first planetary gear unit includes:
first planetary gears configured to mesh with the first engaged gear,
a first carrier configured to support the first planetary gears so as to revolve about the first engaged gear, the first carrier comprising a first input gear portion formed along an outer periphery of the first carrier, and
a first internal gear including:
a first internal gear portion configured to mesh with the first planetary gears, and
a first output gear portion configured to mesh with the driven gear,

wherein the second planetary gear unit includes:
second planetary gears configured to mesh with the second engaged gear,
a second carrier configured to support the second planetary gears so as to revolve about the second engaged gear, the second carrier comprising a second input gear portion formed along an outer periphery of the second carrier, and
a second internal gear including:
a second internal gear portion configured to mesh with the second planetary gears, and
a second output gear portion configured to mesh with the driven gear,

wherein a driving force from a drive source is input to the first input gear portion so that the first input gear portion and the second input gear portion mesh with each other,
wherein when the stopping member is engaged with the first engaged portion, the driven gear is rotated in a first direction with a rotational force of the first output gear portion, and
wherein when the stopping member is engaged with the second engaged portion, the driven gear is rotated in a second direction reverse to the first direction with a rotational force of the second output gear portion.

6. A driving force transmission apparatus, comprising:
a first planetary gear unit including a first engaged gear having a first engaged portion, and a first meshing gear;
a second planetary gear unit including a second engaged gear having a second engaged portion, and a second meshing gear configured to mesh with the first meshing gear; and
a stopping member including a first engaging portion engageable with the first engaged portion, and a second engaging portion engageable with the second engaged portion, the stopping member being movable, by pivoting, to a first stop position, at which the first engaging portion is engaged with the first engaged portion so that the first engaged gear is stopped, and to a second stop position, at which the second engaging portion is engaged with the second engaged portion so that the second engaged gear is stopped,
wherein the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear have the same cross-sectional shape when viewed in a direction of a pivot axis of the stopping member,
wherein a pivot fulcrum of the stopping member is arranged at an intersection between an extension line of a vector in a direction opposite to a vector of a force that the first engaging portion receives from the first engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the first stop position, and an extension line of a vector in a direction opposite to a vector of a force that the second engaging portion receives from the second engaged portion under a state in which the stopping member is at the second stop position, and
wherein, when the first engaged gear and the second engaged gear are viewed in the direction of the pivot axis of the stopping member, (1) a first line passing through a rotation axis of the first engaged gear and a rotation axis of the second engaged gear, (2) a second line passing through the first engaged portion and the second engaged portion, and (3) a third line, parallel to the first line and to the second line and passing through the pivot axis of the stopping member, are positioned, in this order, in a direction perpendicular to the first line.

7. A driving force transmission apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a rotation direction of the first engaged gear in the state in which the stopping member is at the second stop position and a rotation direction of the second engaged gear in the state in which the stopping member is at the first stop position are reverse to each other.

8. A driving force transmission apparatus ac

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ochi Junichi

Classifications

• B65H2403/481

  Planetary · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

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

• B65H2601/324

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

• G03G15/6529 Primary

  Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G2215/00679

  Conveying means details, e.g. roller · CPC title