Electrophotography – Image formation – Photoconductive member
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-19
2003-02-18
Tran, Hoan (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Image formation
Photoconductive member
C310S051000, C399S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522849
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rotation stabilizing device that stabilizes rotation by inhibiting fluctuations of rotation, a rotation driving mechanism equipped with the rotation stabilizing device, an image forming apparatus wherein rotation fluctuations of an image carrier such as a photoreceptor drum can be inhibited, and to an image reading apparatus.
In recent years, there is a demand for stabilization of driving technologies in various technical fields. For example, there is known a technology to arrange a damper to stabilize driving of a motor that is used to drive a photoreceptor drum and a transfer belt both serving as an image carrier of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine of an electrophotographic system and a printer. The photoreceptor drum of the image forming apparatus needs to be driven at a constant speed, and therefore, if speed fluctuations occur, image quality is deteriorated. The speed fluctuations are caused by fluctuations of a load applied on the image carrier, and the load fluctuations are not always regular in terms of their size and cycle. It has been impossible, therefore, to change a driving force for the image carrier by predicting load fluctuations.
Without being limited to the image forming apparatus, various technologies have been employed to stabilize driving of a rotating object. For example, it is known that a damper is arranged to achieve stabilization for driving a motor. In TOKKAISHO No. 61-9156, a damper is disclosed for a stepping motor wherein a flange portion fixed on the motor shaft is united with an inertia object through an elastic member.
In this conventional example, however, it is not possible to change a position, the number and a material of the elastic member, nor the dimensions and materials of the flange portion and the inertia object, because the inertia object is fixed to the flange portion and to the inertia object by means of adhesive agents or through a method of baking, resulting in a damper that is not versatile and has a low degree of freedom in use. Accordingly, it is impossible to replace the elastic member and the inertia object even when they have deteriorated, which requires an entire damper to be replaced. In this way, those having the conventional structure are not versatile, and other types need to be prepared in advance, which causes a cost increase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a rotation stabilizing device that has versatility for use and a high degree of freedom and can inhibit rotation fluctuation and stabilize the rotation, and a rotation driving mechanism, an image forming apparatus as well as an image reading apparatus all having therein the rotation stabilizing device.
For attaining the object stated above, the rotation stabilizing device of the invention has therein a rotating member that rotates about a central axis for rotation, an inertia member arranged on at least one of an outer circumferential side and an inner circumferential side of the rotating member, and a combining member that is equipped with a visco-elastic member having viscosity and elasticity and combines the rotating member with the inertia member in a detachable manner through the visco-elastic member, wherein the combining member is mounted in a way that the combining member passes through the rotating member and the inertia member in the radial direction of the central axis for rotation.
In the case of the rotation stabilizing device wherein fluctuations of rotation speed of the rotating member are controlled by vibration of the inertia member and the visco-elastic member having viscosity and elasticity changes its shape in accordance with the vibration of the inertia member, even when vibratory force that causes fluctuations of rotation speed on the rotating member is generated, the fluctuations of rotation speed are controlled and the rotating member can rotate stably. Further, it is easy to replace the visco-elastic member, the rotating member and the inertia member, because the combining member combines the rotating member and the inertia member in a detachable manner, and various members can be combined freely to make adjustment for rotation stability to be easy, thus, the rotation stabilizing device which is versatile and has a high degree of freedom in use can be realized. Further, because of a simple structure, it is possible to realize a rotation stabilizing device that is low in cost and is durable in structure. It is further possible to construct the rotation stabilizing device that is compact in the axial direction, because it is possible to mount inertia members on the rotating member on the equal phase basis in the axial direction of the central axis for rotation.
Further, in the case that the inertia member is provided at an outer periphery side of the rotating member, the inertia member can be approached from a direction perpendicular to the shaft. Accordingly, it may become easy to conduct attaching/detaching or adjusting the inertia member from the direction perpendicular to the shaft. Further, by providing the inertia member at the outside of the rotating member, a relatively large inertia moment can be obtained easily with a relatively light inertia member, whereby it become possible to make the weight lighter and to refrain fluctuation in a rotating speed.
By providing a rotary shaft that is united with the rotating member fixed on the rotating member and rotates together with the rotating member, the rotary shaft can be connected to a rotary shaft of a motor, thus, it is possible to mount the rotation stabilizing device on the motor.
Further, when the combining member is provided with a connecting member that mounts the visco-elastic member on both the rotating member a nd the inertia member, it is easy to mount the visco-elastic member.
A flange portion formed to be solid with the visco-elastic member makes it possible for the connecting member to mount the visco-elastic member on the rotating member and on the inertia member. In this case, it is preferable to construct so that the flange portion of the connecting member may be interposed between the rotating member and the inertia member.
It is further possible for the connecting member to be supported by a supporting portion provided on at least one of the rotating member and the inertia member. In this case, it is preferable that the connecting member is screwed on or fitted with the supporting portion. It is further preferable that the connecting member is inserted into the through hole provided on the visco-elastic member and is supported by the supporting portion.
Further, it is preferable that the rotating member is constructed to be in a disk-like shape or in a cylindrical shape, and the inertia member is constructed to be in a disk-like shape or in a cylindrical shape. In this case, it is possible to construct so that the inertia member and the rotating member are arranged to be concentric each other. Incidentally, the disk-like shape in the present specification means a shape viewed on a plane that is perpendicular to the direction of the central axis for rotation, and it is represented by a flat shape.
It is further preferable that the mounting position for the combining member can be adjusted to the position selected optionally from a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction and a plurality of positions in the axial direction. The foregoing makes it possible for the mounting position of the combining member to be adjusted in accordance with the number of vibrations to be lowered, thus, it is possible to cope with the broader range of frequency and to realize a rotation stabilizing device which further stabilizes rotation.
By providing a plurality of holes through which the visco-elastic member is mounted on either one of the rotating member and the inertia member, the mounting position can simply be adjusted. In this case, it is preferable that holes in the circumferential direction are provided at positions arranged at regular intervals. It
Fukuo Chohiko
Makino Toru
Onishi Jun
Saito Taku
Konica Corporation
Tran Hoan
LandOfFree
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