JPH10227342A - Endless belt drive - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an endless belt drive device capable of reliably preventing the belt from shifting with a simple and inexpensive configuration. SOLUTION: A rotatable and slidable movable body 5;
A taper member 8 on which the movable body rides when the movable body slides, and a movable body 5 tilted according to the amount of climbing when the movable body rides on (the tapered portion 8a of) the tapered member. A moving body shaft 9 to be supported is provided. When the endless belt 1 approaches, the frictional force between the endless belt and the moving body causes the end of the moving body to ride on the tapered member and tilt the moving body. Due to the inclination of the moving body, the endless belt tends to return to the direction in which the deviation is eliminated. As a result, the endless belt stably circulates at a position where the biasing force of the endless belt in the initial state and the returning force due to the inclination of the moving body are balanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endless belt driving device having an endless belt deviation preventing mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a heat fixing device for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a fixing device in which an endless belt is stretched by a support such as a roller and circulated is known.
However, in the conventional endless belt driving device, deviation of the belt occurs due to an error in roller arrangement position, a variation in the roller shape, a difference in peripheral length between the left and right of the belt, or due to an external force applied to the belt. However, there is a problem that the belt is likely to meander.

An endless belt driving device for preventing the endless belt from shifting is disclosed in JP-A-54-99641.
JP-A-8-217302, JP-A-4-37198
No. 3 has been proposed. The belt driving devices disclosed in the former two devices detect the amount of deviation of the belt and tilt the roller shaft to prevent the deviation of the belt. Further, the belt driving device described in the latter is configured to mechanically receive the deviation of the belt and convert this to a displacement force of a tension member via a link mechanism or the like, thereby preventing the deviation. .

[0004]

However, the former two belt driving devices require a control unit for detecting the deviation of the belt and a mechanism for inclining the roller shaft. Therefore, the device structure is complicated. There is a problem of high cost.

[0005] In the latter belt drive device, the structure of the conversion mechanism such as the link mechanism is similarly complicated and the cost is high. In addition, when a thin belt is run with this device, the belt may wrinkle, undulate, or break when mechanically receiving a biasing force at the belt end (end in the width direction). is there. For this reason, it is difficult to use a thin belt with this apparatus, and there is a problem that a measure such as reinforcing the belt is required to use a thin belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to eliminate the need for a belt shift detecting means or a motor for tilting rollers, and to ensure the shift of the belt with a simple and inexpensive configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endless belt driving device that can prevent the above problem.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endless belt driving apparatus comprising: an endless belt; and a plurality of supports on which the endless belt is stretched. In the endless belt driving device, a rotatable and slidable moving body is provided as the support, and a tapered member on which the moving body rides when the moving body slides in the axial direction; And a moving body shaft that supports the moving body so that the moving body tilts in accordance with the amount of riding.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, a second aspect is provided.
The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein a belt guide member is provided at both ends of the endless belt.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a third aspect is provided.
The endless belt driving device according to the first aspect is characterized in that, in claim 1, a flange member that guides the endless belt is provided at both ends of the rotatable and slidable moving body.

[0010] Further, in order to achieve the above object, a fourth aspect is provided.
The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable and slidable movable body is a rubber roller, and the rubber roller is provided with a plurality of slits.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fifth aspect.
The endless belt driving device according to the first aspect,
(3) or (4), wherein a high-viscosity material is applied to the peripheral surface of the rotatable and slidable moving body.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising:
The endless belt driving device according to the first aspect,
In 3 or 4, a high-viscosity material is applied to a surface of the endless belt that is in contact with a peripheral surface of a rotatable and slidable moving body.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, a seventh aspect of the present invention is provided.
The endless belt driving device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 1, 2, or 3, a pressure roller for pressing a rotatable and slidable moving body is provided via an endless belt.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the entire structure of an endless belt driving device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main structure of the apparatus in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the apparatus in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endless belt 1 is supported and stretched by a driving roller 2, driven rollers 3 and 4, and a roller-shaped moving body 5. The driving roller 2 is
It is connected to a motor 7 via a coupling 6. Therefore, the endless belt 1 can be circulated by the motor 7 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The moving body 5 is disposed between the driving roller 2 and the driven roller 3. Both ends of the moving body 5 are tapered portions 8 formed at both ends of the tapered member 8.
a. The diameter of the tapered portion 8a gradually increases from the inner end to the outer end.

As shown in FIG. 2, the moving body 5 is a hollow roller, and is provided with a moving body shaft 9 via a ball bearing 5a.
The movable body 9 is rotatable with respect to the movable body shaft 9 and slidable in the axial direction with respect to the movable body shaft 9. Both ends of the moving body shaft 9 are side plates 10
Are supported via springs 11 and 12 and a bearing 13. Therefore, the moving body shaft 9 is rotatable. In FIG. 2, the moving body axis 9 is horizontal,
When a force is applied to the moving body shaft 9, the force is applied to the springs 11 and 1.
2 can be inclined by expansion and contraction. Further, the tapered member 8 is in contact with both ends of the moving body 5 and is rotatably supported by bearings 14.

The endless belt 1 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the moving body 5 by its tension. The endless belt 1 has arrows A and A in FIG.
Attempt to move in either direction of B.

Therefore, in the endless belt driving device of the present invention, in order to prevent such a deviation of the belt, the rotatable and slidable movable body 5 and the movable body 5 slide in the axial direction as described above. Sometimes, the moving body 5 rides on the tapered member 8 and the moving body 5
A moving body shaft 9 for supporting the moving body 5 so that the moving body 5 tilts in accordance with the amount of climbing up when riding on (the tapered portion 8a thereof).

Next, the operation of the endless belt driving device will be described with reference to FIG. When the endless belt 1 approaches, for example, the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, the moving body 5 tries to move in the A direction together with the endless belt 1 due to the frictional force between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5. At this time, the end of the moving body 5 rides on the tapered member 8 and the moving body 5 tilts. Due to the inclination of this moving body,
The endless belt 1 is about to return in the direction of arrow B.
As a result, the endless belt 1 runs stably where the biasing force of the endless belt in the initial state and the returning force due to the inclination of the moving body 5 are balanced.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a main structure of an endless belt driving device. In this embodiment, a belt guide member 21 is provided at both ends of an endless belt 1. The belt guide member 21 is a rubber plate or a thin resin member fixed to the inner end of the endless belt 1, and the former is fixed by bonding, and the latter is fixed by welding.

The endless belt 1 runs while the belt guide member 21 is guided by the end surface of the moving body 5. In this embodiment, when the endless belt 1 moves in the direction of arrow A or B in FIG. 3, the frictional force between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 and the belt guide member 2
By the action of 1, the moving body 5 moves without climbing in the thrust direction between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 and rides on the tapered member 8 to exert a force for returning the leaning.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a main structure of an endless belt driving device. In this embodiment, a flange member 31 for guiding the endless belt 1 is provided. The endless belt 1 runs while its end is guided by the flange member 31. When the endless belt 1 shifts, the frictional force between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 and the action of the flange member 31 cause the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 to slide without sliding in the thrust direction. 5 moves, which rides on the tapered member 8 and exerts a force to return to the lean.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing the main structure of an endless belt driving device. In this embodiment, the moving body 5 is a rubber roller, and slits 41 are formed at a plurality of positions of the rubber roller.
Is provided. The frictional force increases by using the moving body 5 as a rubber roller. In this embodiment, when the endless belt 1 attempts to shift, the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 do not slip (relatively) in the thrust direction. The power to do so works. Further, when the highly viscous liquid is conveyed by the endless belt 1, even if the liquid goes inside the endless belt 1, the liquid is absorbed by the slit 41, so that the movement of the moving body 5 is stabilized.

Embodiments 5 and 6 The endless belt driving device shown in FIG. 7 is obtained by applying a highly viscous material 51 to the peripheral surface of a moving body 5. The endless belt driving device shown in FIG. The high viscosity material 51 is applied to the surface. As the high-viscosity material, a rubber-based adhesive material, an acrylic or epoxy-based adhesive resin, a urethane-based or silicon-based high friction coefficient resin, or the like can be used.

In these embodiments, the high viscosity material 51 is applied to the peripheral surface of the moving body 5 (FIG. 7) or the inner surface of the endless belt 1 (FIG. 8), so that the space between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 is formed. The coefficient of friction increases. Therefore, when the endless belt 1 approaches, the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 do not slide in the thrust direction, and the moving body 5
Moves and rides on the tapered member 8 to exert a force for returning the lean.

Embodiment 7 FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing the main structure of an endless belt driving device. In this embodiment, a pressure roller 61 for pressing the peripheral surface of the moving body 5 is provided via the endless belt 1. The pressure roller 61 is rotatably supported by a bearing 62, and the bearing 62 is held on the inner plate 65 via springs 63 and 64.

In this embodiment, the pressure roller 61 is also inclined following the inclination of the moving body 5. By pressing the moving body 5 through the endless belt 1 by the pressing roller 61, the frictional force between the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 when the endless belt 1 approaches is increased, and the endless belt 1 and the moving body 5 are moved. The moving body 5 moves without the 5 sliding in the thrust direction, rides on the tapered member 8 and exerts a force for returning the lean.

[0028]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the following remarkable functions and effects can be obtained. (1)
Claim 1: A rotatable and slidable movable body is provided as a support for the endless belt, and the movable body rides up when the movable body slides in the axial direction, and the movable body is a tapered member. When the vehicle rides on the vehicle, a moving body shaft that supports the moving body is provided in accordance with the amount of climbing. Deviation is prevented, and the belt runs stably without meandering. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus including the endless belt driving device of the present invention, a high-quality image can be stably obtained, and the endless belt can be prevented from being damaged. Moreover, the endless belt driving device of the present invention has a remarkable effect that the structure is simple and inexpensive, and that the maintenance can be easily performed.

(2) Claim 2: Since the belt guide members are provided at both ends of the endless belt, the movable body moves and tilts by the same amount as the amount of deviation of the endless belt, and the returning force acts reliably to stabilize. Prevention of deviation is possible.

(3) Claim 3: Since the flange member for guiding the endless belt is provided at both ends of the rotatable and slidable movable body, the movable body moves by the same amount as the endless belt leans. As a result, the returning force acts reliably, so that it is possible to prevent a stable shift.

(4) Claim 4: Since the rotatable and slidable movable body is a rubber roller, and the rubber roller is provided with a plurality of slits, the movable body moves by the same amount as the deviation of the endless belt, and is inclined and surely moved. The return force acts on, so that stable deviation prevention can be achieved. Further, when a highly viscous liquid or the like is conveyed by an endless belt, even if the liquid wraps around the inside of the belt, the moving body can move stably because it is absorbed by the slit portion.

(5) Claim 5: Since the highly viscous material is coated on the surface of the rotatable and slidable moving body, the moving body moves and tilts by the same amount as the endless belt shifts,
The return force acts reliably, and stable deviation can be prevented.

(6) Claim 6: Since the highly viscous material is applied to the peripheral surface of the endless belt which comes into contact with the rotatable and slidable moving body, the moving body moves and tilts by the same amount as the endless belt leans, The return force acts reliably, and stable deviation can be prevented.

(7) Claim 7: Since the pressure roller for pressing the rotatable and slidable moving body is provided via the endless belt, the moving body is moved by the same amount as the deviation of the endless belt and tilted. The return force acts reliably, and stable deviation can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an entire structure of an endless belt driving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main structure of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the operation of the apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part structure of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part structure of a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part structure of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the entire structure of a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the entire structure of a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part structure of a seventh embodiment.

[Description of Signs] 1 Endless belt 2 Drive roller 3, 4 Follower roller 5 Moving body 5a Ball bearing 6 Coupling 7 Motor 8 Tapered member 8a Tapered portion 9 Moving body shaft 10 Side plate 11,12 Spring 13,14 Bearing 21 Belt guide Member 31 Flange member 41 Slit 51 High-viscosity material 61 Pressure roller 62 Bearing 63, 64 Spring 65 Inner plate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI G03G 15/20 107 G03G 15/20 107

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An endless belt driving device comprising an endless belt and a plurality of supports on which the endless belt is stretched, wherein a rotatable and slidable movable body is provided as the support, and the movable body is A taper member on which the moving body rides up when sliding in the axial direction; and a moving body shaft for supporting the moving body so that the moving body tilts according to the amount of climbing when the moving body rides on the taper member. And an endless belt drive. 2. The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein belt guide members are provided at both ends of the endless belt. 3. The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein flange members are provided at both ends of the rotatable and slidable moving body to guide the endless belt. 4. The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable and slidable movable body is a rubber roller, and the rubber roller is provided with a plurality of slits. 5. A highly viscous material is applied to a peripheral surface of a rotatable and slidable movable body.
5. The endless belt driving device according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. The endless belt according to claim 1, wherein a high-viscosity material is applied to a surface of the endless belt that comes into contact with a peripheral surface of a rotatable and slidable moving body. Belt drive. 7. The endless belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein a pressure roller for pressing a rotatable and slidable moving body is provided via an endless belt.