Axially shifting a photoconductive drum using a cam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9904230-B2
Application number	US-201615168759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A photoconductor unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing and a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted on the housing. A cam is mounted on the housing and has a cam surface that is positioned to contact a corresponding locating surface. The cam surface has a variable height in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum such that as a position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the photoconductive drum shifts in the axial direction relative to the locating surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photoconductor unit for an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a housing;
a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted on the housing; and
a cam mounted on the housing and having a cam surface that is positioned to contact a corresponding locating surface, the cam surface having a variable height in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum such that as a position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the photoconductive drum shifts in the axial direction relative to the locating surface,
wherein the cam is positioned to contact a contact surface in the image forming device upon insertion of the photoconductor unit into the image forming device to change the position of the cam.

2. The photoconductor unit of claim 1 , wherein the cam is rotatable and as a rotational position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the cam shifts in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface causing the photoconductive drum to shift in the axial direction relative to the locating surface.

3. The photoconductor unit of claim 2 , wherein the cam is rotatable about an axis of rotation of the photoconductive drum.

4. The photoconductor unit of claim 1 , wherein the cam and the photoconductive drum have a fixed relationship to one another in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum.

5. The photoconductor unit of claim 1 , wherein as a position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the housing shifts in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface.

6. A photoconductor unit for an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a housing;
a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted on the housing; and
a cam mounted on the housing coaxial with the photoconductive drum and rotatable independent of the photoconductive drum, the cam and the photoconductive drum having a fixed relationship to one another in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum, the cam having a cam surface on an axial end of the cam that is positioned to contact a locating surface, the cam surface having a variable height in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum such that as a rotational position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the cam and the photoconductive drum shift in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface.

7. The photoconductor unit of claim 6 , wherein the cam is positioned to contact a contact surface in the image forming device upon insertion of the photoconductor unit into the image forming device to rotate the cam.

8. The photoconductor unit of claim 6 , wherein the cam includes a plurality of teeth radially extending outward therefrom that are positioned to contact a contact surface in the image forming device upon insertion of the photoconductor unit into the image forming device to rotate the cam.

9. The photoconductor unit of claim 8 , wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth sets a corresponding rotational position of the cam relative to the housing.

10. The photoconductor unit of claim 6 , wherein as the rotational position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the housing shifts in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface.

11. An image transfer assembly of an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a photoconductive drum rotatable about an axis of rotation within the image forming device;
a cam connected to the photoconductive drum and rotatable independent of the photoconductive drum, the cam having a cam surface that has a variable height in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum; and
a locating surface in contact with the cam surface,
wherein as a rotational position of the cam changes relative to the locating surface, the cam shifts in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface causing the photoconductive drum to shift in the axial direction relative to the locating surface,
wherein the cam and the photoconductive drum have a fixed relationship to one another in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum.

12. The image transfer assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a corresponding drive coupler of the image forming device operatively engaged with the drive coupler of the photoconductive drum to provide rotational and axial force to the drive coupler of the photoconductive drum for rotating and axially biasing the photoconductive drum in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum.

13. The image transfer assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cam is rotatable about the axis of rotation of the photoconductive drum.

14. A photoconductor unit for an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a housing;
a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted on the housing; and
a cam mounted on the housing and having a cam surface that is positioned to contact a corresponding locating surface, the cam surface having a variable height in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum such that as a position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the photoconductive drum shifts in the axial direction relative to the locating surface,
wherein the cam is rotatable and as a rotational position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the cam shifts in the axial direction of the photoconductive drum relative to the locating surface causing the photoconductive drum to shift in the axial direction relative to the locating surface,
wherein the cam includes a plurality of teeth radially extending outward therefrom that are positioned to contact a contact surface in the image forming device upon insertion of the photoconductor unit into the image forming device to rotate the cam.

15. The photoconductor unit of claim 14 , wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth sets a corresponding rotational position of the cam relative to the housing.

Assignees

• Lexmark Int Inc

Inventors

• Cavill Gregory Alan
• Noffsinger Christopher Hayden
• Thomas Daniel Lee

Classifications

• G03G15/751 Primary

  relating to drum (G03G15/757 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G21/1817 Primary

  having a submodular arrangement · CPC title

• G03G21/1821

  means for connecting the different parts of the process cartridge, e.g. attachment, positioning of parts with each other, pressure/distance regulation (G03G21/1825 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/757

  Drive mechanisms for photosensitive medium, e.g. gears · CPC title