Xerox Corporation

Norman E LaTour

Bruce Earl Thayer

Dennis G Gerbasi

Nicholas M Soures

Christopher B Miller

Lisbeth Sophia Quesnel

Donato D Evangelista

Ronald E Auty

Anthony C Fornalik

Bobby Kirven

A motion-defect-free assembly and a method of minimizing cleaning apparatus induced motion quality disturbances in a moving belt photoreceptor of a toner image reproduction machine are provided. The assembly for practicing the method includes at least one resilient member located to each side of the moving belt photoreceptor at a desired belt cleaning station along a path of movement of the belt photoreceptor, and a cleaning apparatus that is mounted at the cleaning station and that includes at least one separately moveable cleaning member. The cleaning apparatus also includes a moveable frame having frame locating members, and the at least one separately moveable cleaning member. The motion-defect-free assembly also includes a drive and control system for first moving the moveable frame into contact with each of the locating members and for then separately moving, relative to the moveable frame, the at least one separately moveable cleaning member into contact and cleaning engagement with the moving belt photoreceptor, thereby minimizing cleaning apparatus induced motion quality disturbances in the moving belt photoreceptor.

Electrostatographic reproduction machine having a motion-defect-free cleaning method and assembly

An apparatus, method and printing machine that utilizes a ramped backer and/or a shock absorbing material in a cleaner subsystem to reduce or prevent photoreceptor motion quality disturbances. The shock absorbing material prevents an instantaneous high impact force between the spacer wheel and the photoreceptor backer bar that can cause photoreceptor motion quality disturbance. The ramped backer prevents the instantaneous deceleration of the spacer wheel with the backer that causes motion quality disturbance due to the shaking of the photoreceptor belt from the impact on contact. The combination of the shock absorbing material and the ramped backer create a preferred embodiment to prevent photoreceptor motion quality disturbance by the cleaner system.

Apparatus and method for reduced photoreceptor impact by a retractable

An apparatus in which a six bar linkage cleaner brush retraction/engagement mechanism enables brush retraction (and engagement with the photoreceptor) while providing good control over the brush interference and the capability of changing all of the timing parameters through clutch actuation times in software and clutch shaft speed. The mechanism allows the brushes to retract and engage the photoreceptor independently of one another with relatively soft contacts to the photoreceptor to minimize impacts to photoreceptor motion quality. A four position clutch is used to provide magnetic pole sensor outputs to the system controller to decide when the clutch, which drives the six bar linkage, is engaged and disengaged. The index wheel of the clutch has four equally spaced magnets that are located relative to the retraction crank shaft so that there is a significant amount of time between detecting a pole and the corresponding desired state. An encoder is used to monitor the mechanical drift of each cleaner state.

Dual brush cleaner retraction mechanism and variable inertia drift

An apparatus and method for retracting the cleaner from an imaging surface and preventing toner leakage. An apparatus and method that describes a DESB (i.e. dual electrostatic brush) cleaner in a multi-pass operation that not only has to clean the toner from the photoreceptor, but has to retract from the photoreceptor. The two brushes pivot about two defined pivot points in the cleaner housing during the retraction cycle to disengage from the photoreceptor during multi-pass operations. The first brush is pivoted up and the second brush is pivoted down. A further disclosure is the apparatus and method of using thin sliding and flexible plastic seals for a dual ESB that has moving (e.g. camming in and out) housings. The seals prevent leakage of the toner particles from the cleaner housing.

Retracting cleaner with defined pivot points and/or sliding seals

An apparatus for a central augering system within a cleaning system. This central auger system provides several advantages including: 1) reduction in size of the overall cleaner; 2) prevention of bridging in the cleaner housing due to the close proximity of the auger to the detoning roll the toner falls directly into the auger; and 3) the second detoning roll which sees only a small amount of toner is lubricated by the toner in the auger.

Cleaner system with central augering

An apparatus for feeding sheets has a surface over which a sheet may be fed, a sheet feeder for feeding sheets over the surface which has at least one feed roll rotatably driven in the feeding direction at least one nudger roll upstream of the feed roll for urging a sheet to be fed toward the feed roll, the at least one nudger roll being pivotally supported about the at least one feed roll, a drive to rotate the feed roll in the feeding direction, an endless belt drive means to couple the rotational movement of the feed roll to the nudger roll, means responsive to identified feeding conditions to stop the drive and terminate the rotation of the feed roll in the feeding direction and reverse the direction of rotation of the feed roll whereby the endless belt drive coupling reverses the direction of rotation of the nudger roll and creates a drive torque on the nudger roll which urges it upwardly away from the feed surface.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Norman E LaTour