JP-7855398-B2 - Contact/separation device and image forming apparatus

JP7855398B2JP 7855398 B2JP7855398 B2JP 7855398B2JP-7855398-B2

Inventors

竹澤宏章
小林勇輝

Assignees

キヤノン株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20220513

Claims (3)

A rotatable roller member, A bearing member that rotatably holds the roller member and is movable between a contact position in which the roller member is in contact with the member to be contacted and a separation position in which the roller member is separated from the member to be contacted, A biasing member that biases the bearing member to the contact position, A separating member that, by engaging with the bearing member, holds the bearing member in the separated position against the biasing force of the biasing member, and rotates in a first direction about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the roller member, thereby disengaging from the bearing member and moving the bearing member from the separated position to the contact position by the biasing force of the biasing member, It has, The bearing member is At the separated position, a rotational force is applied to the separating member in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The aforementioned separation member is, The device includes a restricting part that contacts the main body of the device and restricts rotation in the second direction, thereby preventing the bearing member from moving to the contact position. A device for approaching and separating, characterized by the following features.
The aforementioned separation member is, It comprises a rotating cylindrical portion having a notch cut radially from the outer circumferential surface, The bearing member is As the rotating cylindrical portion rotates in the first direction, the engagement with the separating member is released by the notch, and the member moves through the notch to the contact position. The contact/separation device according to feature 1.
The approach/disconnection device according to claim 1 or claim 2, An image forming unit that forms an image on the recording material, An image forming apparatus characterized by having the following features.

Description

This invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a multifunction device, that includes a contact/separation device and an electrophotographic fax machine and printer equipped with this contact/separation device. Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses widely known utilize an intermediate transfer belt and a transfer roller that presses against the intermediate transfer belt. Such image forming apparatuses are often unused for long periods between shipment and delivery to the end user, and are frequently subjected to harsh environments, particularly high temperatures and humidity, during transportation. In environments like this, if an image forming apparatus is not used for an extended period, the transfer roller may remain pressed against the intermediate transfer belt for a long time, potentially causing substances to seep onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt and disrupt the image. Furthermore, the transfer roller may deform locally, leading to transfer defects. Therefore, a shipping method may be adopted that involves inserting a sheet-like material between the intermediate transfer belt and the transfer roller, or inserting a separating member on the transfer roller side to create a state of light pressure or separation between the intermediate transfer belt and the transfer roller. Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that, from the viewpoint of improving serviceability and preventing erroneous operation due to forgetting to remove sheet-like members, uses a drive gear that transmits driving force to the secondary transfer outer roller to release the separation between the intermediate transfer belt and the transfer roller during initial startup. In the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, the secondary transfer roller and the secondary transfer outer roller, which are responsible for transporting paper, must be easily separated by the user in case of a paper jam, as paper needs to be removed. Therefore, the secondary transfer roller and the secondary transfer outer roller are located near areas that the user might touch. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-113283 This is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is a schematic diagram showing a partial removal of the contact/separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.A schematic diagram of a contact/separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a contact/separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows the relationship between the bearing member and the separation member of the connecting/separating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the bearing member and the separation member of a connecting/separating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. <Configuration of the image forming apparatus> The configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figure 1. The image forming apparatus 100 performs image formation operations in response to input image information from an external host device (not shown), such as a computer or image reader, which is communicatively connected to a control unit (not shown), and forms and outputs a full-color image on the recording material P. Here, the image forming apparatus 100 is exemplified as an intermediate transfer type tandem full-color digital printer or similar image forming apparatus. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 includes image forming sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, a paper discharge roller 5, a discharge tray 6, an intermediate transfer belt unit 9, a switching member 10, and a reversing roller 11. The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a paper feeding section 28, a laser exposure device 32, a registration roller 34, a fixing device 36, a contact/separation device 45, and a transport section 52. The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are located in the central part of the apparatus body 100a. The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are arranged in a line at predetermined intervals along the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8, below the intermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 9. Each of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk is composed of a laser exposure electrophotographic process mechanism. The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk perform image formation operations based on color separation image signals input from an external host device (not shown), under the control of a control unit (not shown). Each of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk is equipped w