Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yusuke Niikawa

Isao Koishi

Takeshi Arimitsu

Shigemi Kamoshida

Shoji Yamamoto

Yusuke Kai

Daisuke Yamamoto

Hiroki Yamaguchi

Wataru Uchida

Takeshi Niimura

Masaaki Takeuchi

Norio Furuya

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum having a rotational axis about which the photosensitive drum is rotatable, a developing roller having a rotational axis about which the developing roller is rotatable, and a casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum and the developing roller. The casing includes a groove open to outside of the casing, with the groove being defined by a first side surface, a second side surface, and a bottom surface between the first side surface and the second side surface. As seen in the direction of the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum, the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum and the groove are positioned along a line in an extended direction, with at least a portion of a first projected part being positioned on one side of the line and at least a portion of a second projected part being positioned on the other side of the line. A first end of the groove and a second end of the groove are open such that the groove forms a channel in the casing along the extended direction.

Cartridge and drum unit for electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum having a rotational axis about which the photosensitive drum is rotatable, a developing roller having a rotational axis about which the developing roller is rotatable, and a casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum and the developing roller. The coupling member is operatively connected to the photosensitive drum, with the coupling member including at least one projection capable of receiving a rotational force to rotate the photosensitive drum. A spring is provided with a movable part that is movable relative to the casing in a direction away from the rotational axis of the developing roller to urge the coupling member so that at least the projection of the coupling member moves away from the rotational axis of the developing roller.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance section, the conveyance section including a roller rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, a guide member configured to move between a first position and a second position, a drive source, a drive switching unit including an input unit, an output unit, and a switching unit, a drive interruption unit configured to transition between a transmission state and a non-transmission state. The roller is configured to rotate by the driving force output from the output unit of the drive switching unit while the guide member moves between the first position and the second position.

Sheet conveyance apparatus and image forming apparatus

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum and the developing roller. The casing includes a groove open to outside of the casing. The casing also includes first and second projected parts that project from the first end portion of the casing in the direction of a rotational axis of the photosensitive drum and away from the photosensitive drum. As seen in the direction of the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum, the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum and the groove are positioned along a line in the extended direction, with the first projected part being positioned on one side of the line and the second projected part being positioned on the other side of the line. A first end of the groove and a second end of the groove are open such that the groove forms a channel in the casing along the extended direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; a charging member, an exposure member, a developing member, a transfer member, a moving member, a motor, a first drive transmitting portion, and a second drive transmitting portion. A rotation amount of the motor when the photosensitive member rotates from an exposure position to a transfer position during image formation is 2&#x3c0;n+&#x3b7; [rad] where n is a natural number, and &#x3b7; is an increased rotation amount [rad] of the motor. The following relationship is satisfied: 0&#x3c;&#x3b7;&#x3c;&#x3c0;&#x2212;&#x3a6; where &#x3a6; is an angle [rad] which is formed by a line connecting rotation centers of a first gear of the motor and a second gear of the first driving transmitting portion and a line connecting rotation centers of the first gear of the motor and a third gear of the second driving transmitting portion.

Image forming apparatus

A driving apparatus includes a drive output member configured to, when driving a member to be driven, receive a first force from the member to be driven in a direction in which the drive output member comes off a rotation shaft of a motor, and when driven by a drive transmission member, receive a second force from the drive transmission member in a direction opposite to that of the first force. The second force is equal to or greater than the first force.

Driving apparatus and image forming apparatus with improved drive output member maintainability

A cartridge mountable to a printer, said printer including a coupling guide contactable to a coupling of the cartridge to guide the coupling member. A case of the cartridge is provided with a hole for exposing a free end portion of the coupling to an outside of the cartridge, and a retracted portion provided in downstream of the hole with respect to the mounting direction of the cartridge. When the cartridge is mounted to a main assembly of the printer, the coupling guide enters the retracted portion from which the coupling member has retracted.

A driving device includes a motor including a rotating shaft, a drive transmission member attached to the rotating shaft and including a contact portion, and a drive output member including a contacted portion with which the contact portion comes into contact, and configured to be rotated around the rotating shaft when the rotating shaft of the motor is driven and the drive transmission member is rotated together with the rotation shaft in a first direction. The drive transmission member further includes an engaging portion. The drive output member includes an engaged portion with which the engaging portion is to be engaged when the drive output member is rotated relative to the drive transmission member in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A driving force is transmittable to the drive output member whether the drive transmission member is rotated in the first direction or the second direction.

Driving device, image forming device, and method of manufacturing driving device

An image forming apparatus includes a drive source, a driving gear provided on an output shaft of the drive source, a first gear engaging with the driving gear, a first drive transmission portion for transmitting a driving force from the first gear to an image bearing member, a second gear engaging with the driving gear, and a second drive transmission portion for transmitting a driving force from the second gear to a feeding portion. The first gear and the second gear are provided coaxially with each other. A positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear with respect to an axial direction is that the first gear is disposed closer to the drive source than the second gear is.

A driving device for driving a driven member includes a driving source; a driving gear fixed to a rotation shaft of the driving source; at least one gear for transmitting rotational motion of the driving gear to the driven member; a rotation detection gear engaged with the at least one gear; a detector for detecting rotation of the rotation detection gear; and a controller for detecting an angular speed and a rotational phase of the rotation detection gear on the basis of information from the detector and for controlling the rotational speed of the driving source such that a rotation period of the rotation detection gear is a non-integer multiple of a rotation period of the driving gear.

Driving device and image forming apparatus

A drive transmission mechanism includes a first gearbox including a driving source, a first gear train, a first frame configured to support one ends of a plurality of shafts of the first gear train, and a first gear cover configured to support the other ends of the shafts of the first gear train, wherein the first gear box is configured to transmit a driving force from the driving source; and a second gearbox including a second gear train, a second frame configured to support one ends of a plurality of shafts of the second gear train, and a second gear cover configured to support the other ends of the shafts of the second gear train, wherein the second gearbox is configured to receive the driving force from the driving source through the first gear train and configured to transmit the driving force. The second gearbox is fixed to the first gearbox.

Drive transmission mechanism and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes a mounting portion to which a cartridge is detachably mounted and a drive transmission member for transmitting a driving force by being engaged with a drive-transmitted member provided on the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted to the mounting portion. In addition, a protecting member is movable between a protecting position where the drive transmission member is prevented from being exposed toward the mounting portion and an open position where the protecting member is retracted from the protecting position to expose the drive transmission member to the mounting portion thereby to permit engagement of the drive transmission member with the drive-transmitted member.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Yusuke Niikawa