Belt conveyor unit and image forming apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US9400456B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Belt conveyor unit and image forming apparatus",
  "abstract": "An inclined flange roller is located outward of an end portion of a tension roller in the belt width direction. The inclined flange roller includes a flange surface capable of being in contact with the edge portion of a belt in a region in which the belt is wound around the tension roller and a roller surface capable of being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the belt between the flange surface and an end portion of the tension roller in the belt width direction.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A belt conveyor unit comprising: a movable endless belt; a stretching roller configured to stretch the belt; and a regulation member configured to regulate lateral shift of the belt in a case the belt is shifted to one side in a belt width direction that is perpendicular to a belt moving direction, wherein the regulation member is disposed outward of an end portion of the stretching roller in the belt width direction, and wherein the regulation member includes a first regulation portion opposing an edge portion of the belt with respect to a width direction of the belt and a second regulation portion capable of being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the belt between the first regulation portion and the end portion of the stretching roller in the belt width direction, wherein the first regulation portion comprises: a contact portion contactable to the edge portion of the belt corresponding to a first region of the belt wound around the stretching roller; and a non-contact portion not in contact with the edge portion of the belt corresponding to a second region of the belt not wound around the stretching roller.",
    "2. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the contact portion and the non-contact portion is a common surface that faces the edge portion of the belt, and wherein the common surface is inclined with respect to the edge portion of the belt so as not to be in contact with the edge portion of the belt in the second region.",
    "3. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a pressing member configured to press the stretching roller, wherein the stretching roller is formed as a tension roller that press the belt in a direction from the inner peripheral surface to an outer peripheral surface of the belt.",
    "4. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 3, further comprising: a bearing configured to support a tension roller shaft of the tension roller; and a support member configured to support the regulation member between the bearing and the tension roller in the belt width direction, wherein the support member includes a shaft portion inclined with respect to the tension roller shaft, and the regulation member is a rotary member rotatable about the shaft portion.",
    "5. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 4, wherein the rotary member includes a first surface serving as the first regulation portion and a second surface serving as the second regulation portion, and the first surface and the second surface are integrally formed so as to be seamlessly connected to each other.",
    "6. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 4, wherein the rotary member rotates at the same angular speed as the tension roller.",
    "7. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 3, wherein the second regulation portion is located inward of a surface of the tension roller that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt in a pressing direction of the pressing member.",
    "8. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 5, wherein an angle formed by the first surface and the second surface is 90 degrees or less.",
    "9. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 1, wherein the belt has reinforcement tapes bonded onto the outer peripheral surfaces of both edge portions in the belt width direction.",
    "10. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a holding portion configured to be in contact with the regulation member and maintain a position of the regulation member in the belt width direction.",
    "11. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 10, wherein the holding portion is located outward of the regulation member in the belt width direction and is in contact with the regulation member outward of a position at which the belt is in contact with the regulation member in a radial direction of the stretching member.",
    "12. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 11, further comprising: a pressing member configured to press the stretching roller, wherein the stretching roller is formed as a tension roller that press the belt in a direction from the inner peripheral surface to an outer peripheral surface of the belt.",
    "13. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 10, further comprising: a bearing configured to support a tension roller shaft of the tension roller; and a support member configured to support the regulation member between the bearing and the tension roller in the belt width direction, wherein the support member includes a shaft portion inclined with respect to the tension roller shaft, and the holding portion serves as the shaft portion.",
    "14. The belt conveyor unit according to claim 13, further comprising: a holding member configured to hold the stretching roller, and the holding member includes the holding portion.",
    "15. An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image bearing members configured to bear toner images of different colors; a movable endless belt configured to transfer the toner images from the image bearing members to a transfer material; a stretching roller configured to stretch the belt; and a regulation member configured to regulate lateral shift of the belt if the belt is shifted to one side in a belt width direction that is perpendicular to a belt moving direction, wherein the regulation member is located outward of an end portion of the stretching roller in the belt width direction, and wherein the regulation member includes a first regulation portion opposing an edge portion of the belt with respect to a width direction of the belt and a second regulation portion capable of being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the belt between the first regulation portion and the end portion of the stretching roller in the belt width direction, wherein the first regulation portion comprises: a contact portion contactable to the edge portion of the belt corresponding to a first region of the belt wound around the stretching roller; and a non-contact portion not in contact with the edge portion of the belt corresponding to a second region of the belt not wound around the stretching roller.",
    "16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein each of the contact portion and the non-contact portion is a common surface that faces the edge portion of the belt, and wherein the common surface is inclined with respect to the edge portion of the belt so as not to be in contact with the edge portion of the belt in the second region.",
    "17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a pressing member configured to press the stretching roller, wherein the stretching roller is formed as a tension roller that press the belt in a direction from the inner peripheral surface to an outer peripheral surface of the belt.",
    "18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: a bearing configured to support a tension roller shaft of the tension roller; and a support member configured to support the regulation member between the bearing and the tension roller in the belt width direction, wherein the support member includes a shaft portion inclined with respect to the tension roller shaft, and the regulation member is a rotary member rotatable about the shaft portion.",
    "19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the rotary member includes a first surface serving as the first regulation portion and a second surface serving as the second regulation portion, and the first surface and the second surface are integrally formed so as to be seamlessly connected to each other.",
    "20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the rotary member rotates at the same angular speed as the tension roller.",
    "21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second regulation portion is located inward of a surface of the tension roller that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt in a pressing direction of the pressing member.",
    "22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein an angle formed by the first surface and the second surface is 90 degrees or less.",
    "23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the belt has reinforcement tapes bonded onto the outer peripheral surfaces of both edge portions in the belt width direction.",
    "24. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a holding portion configured to be in contact with the regulation member and maintain a position of the regulation member in the belt width direction.",
    "25. The image forming apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the holding portion is located outward of the regulation member in the belt width direction and is in contact with the regulation member outward of a position at which the belt is in contact with the regulation member in a radial direction of the stretching member.",
    "26. The image forming apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising: a pressing member configured to press the stretching roller, wherein the stretching roller is formed as a tension roller that press the belt in a direction from the inner peripheral surface to an outer peripheral surface of the belt.",
    "27. The image forming apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising: a bearing configured to support a tension roller shaft of the tension roller; and a support member configured to support the regulation member between the bearing and the tension roller in the belt width direction, wherein the support member includes a shaft portion inclined with respect to the tension roller shaft, and the holding portion serves as the shaft portion.",
    "28. The image forming apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising: a holding member configured to hold the stretching roller, and the holding member includes the holding portion."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThe present invention relates to a belt conveyor unit having an endless belt that is stretched by a plurality of stretching rollers and is moved around the stretching rollers and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as a printer or a copying machine, including the belt conveyor unit.\n\n2. Description of the Related Art\n\nSome existing electrophotographic printers and copying machines include a belt conveyor unit having an endless belt that is stretched by a plurality of stretching rollers and is moved around the stretching rollers. Such a belt conveyor unit has the following disadvantage. That is, when a belt moves, the belt may be shifted to one side in the width direction (i.e., a direction substantially perpendicular to the belt moving direction).\n\nTo solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-31504 describes a structure in which a belt has an inner peripheral surface having a rib thereon as a protruding portion and each of stretching rollers has a flange at the end. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-31504, if the belt is shifted, the flange is brought into contact with the rib to regulates the position of the rib so that the lateral shift of the belt can be regulated.\n\nThe drawback of the structure described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-31504 is that it requires the rib that prevents the lateral shift of the belt and, if the rib is bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the belt, it requires a rib bonding step when producing the belt.",
  "cpc": [
    "G03G 15/1615",
    "B65G 39/16",
    "B65H 2404/211",
    "B65H 2404/255",
    "B65H 5/021",
    "G03G 15/6529",
    "G03G 2215/00156",
    "G03G 2215/00168"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 39/16",
    "G03G 15/16"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Canon Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Tomoyuki Iwakoshi",
    "Atsushi Ogata",
    "Daisuke Kaneko"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-05-12",
  "publication_date": "2016-07-26",
  "grant_date": "2016-07-26",
  "priority_date": "2013-05-14",
  "application_number": "US-201414274871-A",
  "family_id": "51894908",
  "cited_by_count": 3,
  "citations": [
    "US4286706A",
    "JP2000053270A",
    "US7058345B2",
    "JP2005031504A",
    "US7434680B2",
    "US7111724B2",
    "US7921987B2",
    "JP2010230958A",
    "US20130306441A1",
    "US8657104B2"
  ]
}