Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Narumi Sugita

Masahiro Ishida

Naoki Matsuda

Toshiyuki Uchida

Keisuke Sugiyama

Yohei Miura

Shogo Sakamoto

Kouji Amanai

Kazuhiro Kobayashi

Joh Ebara

Kenji Tomita

Kimiharu Yamazaki

A drive transmitter includes a group of gears to which grease is applied, at least one gear of the group of gears being an internally toothed gear, multiple pulleys, and a drive belt wound around the multiple pulleys to drive the group of gears. An image forming apparatus includes the drive transmitter.

Drive transmitter and image forming apparatus incorporating the drive transmitter

Example embodiments include a driving device having: a plurality of vibrating members that may vibrate when the vibrating members are driven; and a holding part that may hold the vibrating members. The holding part may include a first member with which one or more of the vibrating members may be brought into contact, and a second member with which one or more of the vibrating members may be brought into contact. The first member and the second member may be partially coupled to each other. A grounding member for electrically grounding a member held by the holding part may be brought into contact with one of the first member and the second member that is more difficult to vibrate.

Driving device and image forming apparatus

A drive transmitter includes an internally toothed gear, a first support shaft to rotatably support the internally toothed gear without using a bearing, a drive source to apply a driving force to the internally toothed gear, a rotary body to which the driving force is transmitted via the internally toothed gear, and a grease retainer disposed on the first support shaft and to retain grease on at least one of a portion of the first support shaft facing the internally toothed gear and a portion of the internally toothed gear facing the first support shaft. An image forming apparatus includes the drive transmitter.

A driving device includes: a plurality of vibrating members that vibrate when the vibrating members are driven; and a holding part that holds the vibrating members. The holding part includes a first member with which one or more of the vibrating members are brought into contact, and a second member with which one or more of the vibrating members are brought into contact. The first member and the second member are partially coupled to each other. A grounding member for electrically grounding a member held by the holding part is brought into contact with one of the first member and the second member that is more difficult to vibrate.

An image forming apparatus includes: a first image carrier; a first image forming unit that forms an image; an intermediate transfer belt; a primary transfer unit that primarily transfers the image onto the intermediate transfer belt; a secondary transfer unit that secondarily transfers the image transferred further onto a recording medium; a second image carrier that transfers the image onto the recording medium; a second image forming unit that forms an image on the second image carrier; a direct transfer unit that directly transfers the image onto the recording medium; a recording medium carriage belt, and a driving roller that drives the recording medium carriage belt; a speed fluctuation detecting unit; and a drive control unit that controls driving of the driving roller so as to reduce the cyclic speed fluctuation of the carriage belt based on a detection result of the speed fluctuation detecting unit.

Image forming apparatus having a primary transfer unit, a secondary transfer unit, and a direct transfer unit

A drive transmission device includes drive transmission members including a detection target gear, a detection device detecting the rotational position of the target gear and including a position detection member and a detection unit, and a conductive protection member protecting the detection unit. The detection unit and the protection member are assembled to the same member to be installed to an external apparatus. If there is a dimensional error in the protection member causing a portion of the protection member closest to the target gear to shift in position relative to the detection unit beyond a predetermined range, the protection member comes into contact with the detection unit in the assembling process, and is corrected in shape by the detection unit, with the shift in position relative to the detection unit of the portion of the protection member closest to the target gear kept within the predetermined range.

Drive transmission device including a detection device and a protection member made of a conductive material

An image forming apparatus includes a recording medium transport belt which is suspended by a plurality of roller members. An image is secondarily transferred from a first image carrier through an intermediate transfer body to a recording medium. An image is directly transferred from a second image carrier to the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a pattern image sensing unit which senses a pattern image transferred from the first image carrier and the second image carrier finally to the recording medium transport belt. Each of a distance from a secondary transfer position to a sensing position and a distance from a direct transfer position to the sensing position in a recording medium transport belt rotation direction is a natural number times a circumferential length of a roller member causing a speed change in the recording medium transport belt among the plurality of roller members.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a first image carrier facing an intermediate transfer belt, a primary transfer unit primarily transferring images on the first image carrier onto the intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller facing the intermediate transfer belt secondarily transferring images on the intermediate transfer belt onto a recording medium, a second image carrier provided upstream/downstream of a secondary transfer position in a recording medium conveying direction, a direct transfer unit directly transferring images on the second image carrier onto the recording medium, a recording medium carriage belt rotatably stretched across roller members including the secondary transfer roller supporting and conveying the recording medium to pass a direct transfer position and the secondary transfer position, and a displacement unit displacing the secondary transfer roller between a contact position where the recording medium carriage belt contacts the intermediate transfer belt and a separate position where it is separated therefrom.

An image forming apparatus includes a primary transfer device that primarily transfers a first image from a first image bearer onto a first belt unit at a primary transfer position, a secondary transfer device that secondarily transfers the first image from the first belt unit onto a printing medium at a secondary transfer position, and a direct transfer device that directly transfers a second image from a second image bearer onto the printing medium at a direct transfer position. A second belt unit is rotatably suspended by plural second rollers and carries and conveys the printing medium through the direct transfer position and the secondary transfer position. An interval between the direct transfer position and the secondary transfer position is prescribed natural number times of a circumference of one of the plural second rollers, which fluctuates a velocity of the second belt unit.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Narumi Sugita