CN114063408A

CN114063408A - Image fixing apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN114063408A
Application number: CN202010783799.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈岸珠
Original assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Current assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Priority date: 2020-08-06
Filing date: 2020-08-06
Publication date: 2022-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-06
Also published as: CN114063408B

Abstract

An image fixing apparatus comprising: a heating section and a pressure roller, the paper sheet with the toner being attached is adapted to pass through a nip formed between the heating section and the pressure roller to fix the toner on the paper sheet; a driving section adapted to drive the pressure roller; the transmission part is connected with the driving part and the two ends of the pressing roller, and the driving part simultaneously drives the two ends of the pressing roller to rotate through the transmission part. Therefore, the clamping force balance between the two ends of the pressure roller and the heating part is ensured, and the fixing quality is improved.

Description

Image fixing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an image fixing apparatus, and more particularly, to an image fixing apparatus including a transmission portion connected to both ends of a pressure roller.

Background

Copiers often use a combination of heat and pressure to fix toner. Wherein, the high temperature required by the fixation is conducted by the heating part and applied to the paper, and the carbon powder is melted under the action of the high temperature of the heating part. The pressure on the heating part is completed by the pressure roller, and the carbon powder is melted and simultaneously adhered to the paper by the pressure of the pressure roller, thereby realizing fixation.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a structure of an image fixing apparatus. In the conventional image fixing apparatus, referring to fig. 1, a pressure roller 10 is sandwiched between a heating unit 20, a gear 30 is mounted on one end of the pressure roller 10, and a motor 40 drives the gear 30 on the end of the pressure roller 10 to rotate through a driving gear set 50, so as to drive the pressure roller 10 to rotate. With the development of high-speed copying machines and high-speed printers, particularly after a heating pad is introduced into an image fixing device, the rotating load on the fixing device is required to be higher and higher, and the torque is increased remarkably. In the case where the torque is significantly increased, the difference in the nip force between the driving end and the non-driving end of the pressing roller 10 and the heating part 20 is increased. The driving end of the pressing roller 10 is the end provided with the gear 30, and the non-driving end is the end without the gear. The pressing amount between the driving end of the pressing roller 10 and the heating portion 20 is larger than that between the non-driving end of the pressing roller 10. The imbalance of the nip force between both ends of the pressure roller 10 and the heating part 20 affects the sheet conveyance and the quality of the fixed image.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce a difference in nip force between both ends of a pressure roller and a heating section, and to improve a fixing effect.

The present invention provides an image fixing apparatus, including: a heating section and a pressure roller, the paper sheet with the toner being attached is adapted to pass through a nip formed between the heating section and the pressure roller to fix the toner on the paper sheet; a driving section adapted to drive the pressure roller; the transmission part is connected with the driving part and the two ends of the pressing roller, and the driving part simultaneously drives the two ends of the pressing roller to rotate through the transmission part.

The inventors of the present invention have found through intensive studies that, since the transmission portions are connected to both ends of the pressure roller, and the driving portions simultaneously drive both ends of the pressure roller to rotate through the transmission portions, the consistency of the actions of both ends of the pressure roller can be improved, and the balance of the clamping force between both ends of the pressure roller and the heating portion can be ensured.

In the image fixing device, a first gear and a second gear are respectively fixed at two ends of the pressure roller, and the transmission part is suitable for driving the first gear and the second gear to rotate simultaneously.

Therefore, the transmission part simultaneously drives the first gear and the second gear to rotate so as to realize consistent actions of two ends of the pressing roller, and the first gear and the second gear are beneficial to improving the transmission efficiency and ensuring the stability of transmission.

In the image fixing apparatus, the transmission portion includes a through shaft, a third gear and a fourth gear, the third gear and the fourth gear are respectively fixed to both ends of the through shaft, the third gear is engaged with the first gear, and the fourth gear is engaged with the second gear.

The third gear and the fourth gear rotate synchronously at two ends of the through shaft to ensure that the first gear meshed with the third gear and the second gear meshed with the fourth gear rotate synchronously, so that the difference of clamping force between two ends of the pressure roller and the heating part is reduced.

In the above image fixing apparatus, the driving portion includes a motor and a driving gear set, the motor is connected to the driving gear set, the driving gear set is connected to the fourth gear, and the driving gear set includes a plurality of driving gears that are engaged with each other.

The motor is suitable for providing driving force and driving the fourth gear to rotate in a mode of transmission of a plurality of driving gears through the driving gear set. The transmission part is simple in structure and composition, and synchronous rotation of the third gear and the fourth gear is easy to realize.

In the above image fixing apparatus, further comprising: one end of the connecting shaft is connected with one of the driving gears; and the connecting gear is fixedly arranged at the other end of the connecting shaft and is meshed with the fourth gear.

Utilize the connecting axle reaches connecting gear connects drive gear group reaches the fourth gear helps nimble regulation drive gear group with the interval of fourth gear does benefit to reasonable layout drive gear group with the relative position of fourth gear.

In the above image fixing apparatus, the fourth gear may be engaged with one of the drive gears.

The driving gear directly drives the fourth gear to rotate, so that the size of the transmission mechanism is reduced, and the energy loss in the transmission process is reduced.

In the above image fixing apparatus, the material of the through shaft is a metal or an alloy.

The through shaft material is metal or alloy, is the high strength material, helps reducing the torsion that receives at the through shaft both ends reduces the damage that torsion caused, improves the both ends pivoted synchronism of through shaft.

In the above image fixing apparatus, the third gear is fixed to the through shaft by a pin, and the fourth gear is fixed to the through shaft by a pin.

The third gear and the fourth gear are fixed on the through shaft in a pin joint mode, so that the fastening degree of the third gear and the fourth gear on the through shaft is improved, and the fourth gear and the third gear are ensured to rotate synchronously.

In the above image fixing apparatus, further comprising: the two ends of the heating part are arranged on the first frame, and the heating part can rotate relative to the first frame; the two ends of the through shaft are arranged on the first frame, and the through shaft can rotate relative to the first frame.

The first frame can function to support the heating portion and the through shaft. The two ends of the heating part and the two ends of the through shaft are both arranged on the first frame, so that the heating part and the transmission part form a module, the heating part and the transmission part can be conveniently installed or detached together in a module mode, and the heating part and the transmission part can be conveniently and uniformly replaced.

In the above image fixing apparatus, further comprising: the two ends of the pressure roller are arranged on the second frame, and the pressure roller can rotate relative to the second frame; wherein the second frame is rotatable relative to the first frame about the through axis.

The second frame can play the effect of supporting the impression roller, and pass through the second frame relative first frame is wound through the axle is rotatory, drives the impression roller is together relative first frame rotates to the adjustment the impression roller with the interaxial distance between the heating portion reaches the regulation the impression roller with the purpose of clamping-force between the heating portion.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a structure of an image fixing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of an image fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic views showing a state in which a pressure roller of the image fixing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is moved to different positions;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a first frame and a second frame of the image fixing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the area A shown in FIG. 5 in different directions;

fig. 8 and 9 are schematic structural views illustrating the second frame in fig. 6 rotated to different positions.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternatives thereof are possible in light of the above disclosure, and that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described herein.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the image fixing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, and the first frame and the second frame of the image fixing apparatus 100 are removed in fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 2, an image fixing apparatus 100 includes: a heating part 200 and a pressing roller 300 which are sandwiched.

The paper sheet with the attached toner is adapted to pass through a nip formed between the heating part 200 and the pressure roller 300 to fix the toner on the paper sheet.

The pressure roller 300 is movable to a first position and a second position, and a nip force with the heating part 200 when moving to the first position is greater than a nip force with the heating part 200 when moving to the second position.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic views illustrating a state in which the pressure roller 300 of the image fixing apparatus 100 shown in fig. 2 is moved to different positions.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: and a driving part 600 adapted to drive the pressure roller 300.

The image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: and a transmission part 500, wherein the transmission part 500 is connected to the driving part 600 and the two ends of the pressing roller 300, and the driving part 600 simultaneously drives the two ends of the pressing roller 300 to rotate through the transmission part 500.

Both ends of the pressing roller 300 are connected with the transmission part 500, and the driving part 600 drives both ends of the pressing roller 300 to rotate through the transmission part 500, so that the action consistency of both ends of the pressing roller 300 can be improved, and the balance of the clamping force between both ends of the pressing roller 300 and the heating part 200 is ensured.

The image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: a first gear 410 and a second gear 420, wherein the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 are respectively fixed at two ends of the pressure roller 300.

The transmission portion 500 simultaneously drives the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 to rotate, so that the actions of the two ends of the pressing roller 300 are consistent, and the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 contribute to improving the transmission efficiency and ensuring the transmission stability.

In this embodiment, the transmission part 500 includes a through shaft 510, a third gear 520 and a fourth gear 530, the third gear 520 and the fourth gear 530 are respectively fixed at two ends of the through shaft 510, the third gear 520 is engaged with the first gear 410, and the fourth gear 530 is engaged with the second gear 420.

The third gear 520 and the fourth gear 530 are synchronously rotated at both ends of the through shaft 510 to ensure that the first gear 410 engaged with the third gear 520 and the second gear 420 engaged with the fourth gear 530 are synchronously rotated, thereby reducing a difference in a clamping force between both ends of the pressure roller 300 and the heating part 200. The synchronous rotation of the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 includes the start of rotation at the same time and the same rotation speed, thereby ensuring the balance of the clamping force between both ends of the pressing roller 300 and the heating part 200.

The driving portion 600 is used for driving the transmission portion 500 to rotate, so as to drive the first gear 410, the second gear 420 and the pressure roller 300 to rotate.

In this embodiment, the driving unit 600 includes a motor 610 and a driving gear set 620, the motor 610 is connected to the driving gear set 620, the driving gear set 620 is connected to the fourth gear 530, and the driving gear set 620 includes a plurality of driving gears 621 engaged with each other.

The motor 610 is adapted to provide a driving force and drive the fourth gear 530 to rotate through the driving gear set 620 in a manner of transmission of the plurality of driving gears 621. The transmission part 500 has a simple structure, and the third gear 520 and the fourth gear 530 are easily rotated in synchronization.

In the present embodiment, the image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: a connection part 700, the connection part 700 including: one end of the connecting shaft 710 is connected with one of the driving gears 621; and a connecting gear 720, wherein the connecting gear 720 is fixedly arranged at the other end of the connecting shaft 710, and the connecting gear 720 is meshed with the fourth gear 530.

By connecting the driving gear set 620 and the fourth gear 530 through the connecting part 700, the distance between the driving gear set 620 and the fourth gear 530 can be flexibly adjusted, and the relative positions of the driving gear set 620 and the fourth gear 530 can be reasonably arranged. The length of the connecting shaft 710 can be adjusted to adapt to different distances between the driving gear set 620 and the fourth gear 530, so that the application scene is wider, and the design is more flexible.

The driving gear 621 drives the connecting shaft 710 and the connecting gear 720 to rotate, and the connecting gear 720 further drives the fourth gear 530 and the third gear 520 to rotate synchronously, so that the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 rotate synchronously, thereby reducing a difference in clamping force between both ends of the pressing roller 300 and the heating part 200.

In other embodiments, the fourth gear directly engages one of the drive gears.

The driving gear directly drives the fourth gear to rotate, the size of the transmission mechanism is reduced, and energy loss in the transmission process is reduced.

In this embodiment, the through shaft 510 is made of an alloy. For example, the through shaft 510 is made of steel material, and specifically, the through shaft 510 is made of stainless steel.

In other embodiments, the through shaft 510 material is metal.

The through shaft 510 is made of metal or alloy and is made of high-strength material, so that the torsion borne by the two ends of the through shaft 510 is reduced, the damage caused by the torsion is reduced, and the synchronism of the rotation of the two ends of the through shaft 510 is improved.

In this embodiment, the length of the through shaft 510 is greater than or equal to the length of the pressure roller 300.

In this embodiment, the third gear 520 is fixed to the through shaft 510 by a pin, and the fourth gear 530 is fixed to the through shaft 510 by a pin.

The third gear 520 and the fourth gear 530 are fixed to the through shaft 510 by a pin joint, which is helpful to improve the fastening degree of the third gear 520 and the fourth gear 530 on the through shaft 510, and ensure that the fourth gear 530 and the third gear 520 rotate synchronously, thereby ensuring that the first gear 410 and the second gear 420 rotate synchronously, and improving the pressure difference between both ends of the pressure roller 300 and the heating part 200.

In this embodiment, the heating unit 200 and the pressure roller 300 are arranged in parallel, and the surface of the heating unit 200 is sandwiched between the surfaces of the pressure roller 300.

The paper passes through a clamping part between the pressure roller 300 and the heating part 200 during the paper transportation process, and the heating part 200 is used for melting carbon powder on the paper to facilitate the paper absorption, so that the carbon powder is fixed on the paper to form characters or images on the paper. The pressure roller 300 is used for applying pressure to the paper to ensure that the image is fixed on the paper.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the heating part 200 includes a heating source 230, a heating pad 210 and a heating belt 220, the heating source 230 and the heating pad 210 support the heating belt 220, the heating source 230 is suitable for heating the heating belt 220, and the heating pad 210 is located at a clamping position between the heating part 200 and the pressing roller 300, so that the heating belt 220 and the pressing roller 300 form a clamp.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of the first frame 810 and the second frame 820 of the image fixing apparatus 100 shown in fig. 2. Fig. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the region a shown in fig. 5 in different directions.

Referring to fig. 5 to 7, the image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: and a first frame 810, wherein both ends of the heating part 200 are disposed on the first frame 810, and the heating part 200 is rotatable with respect to the first frame 810.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of the region a shown in fig. 6 with a part of the shielding member removed.

Referring to fig. 8, both ends of the through shaft 510 are disposed on the first frame 810, and the through shaft 510 can rotate relative to the first frame 810.

The first frame 810 is fixed in position and does not move. The first frame 810 can support the heating part 200 and the through shaft 510. Both ends of the heating part 200 and both ends of the through shaft 510 are disposed on the first frame 810, so that the heating part 200 and the transmission part 500 constitute a module, which facilitates the installation or removal of the heating part 200 and the transmission part 500 together in a module form, and facilitates the uniform replacement of the heating part 200 and the transmission part 500.

Fig. 8 and 9 are schematic structural views illustrating the second frame 820 of fig. 6 rotated to different positions.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the image fixing apparatus 100 further includes: a second frame 820, wherein both ends of the pressure roller 300 are disposed on the second frame 820, and the pressure roller 300 is rotatable with respect to the second frame 820; wherein the second frame 820 is rotatable about the through-axis 510 relative to the first frame 810.

The second frame 820 can support the pressure roller 300, and the second frame 820 rotates around the through shaft 510 relative to the first frame 810 to drive the pressure roller 300 to rotate relative to the first frame 810 together, so as to adjust the axial distance between the pressure roller 300 and the heating part 200, thereby adjusting the clamping force between the pressure roller 300 and the heating part 200.

When the paper passes through the nip between the pressure roller 300 and the heating unit 200, the second frame 820 remains stationary.

When the pressure applied to the paper needs to be adjusted, the second frame 820 rotates relative to the first frame 810 with the through shaft 510 as the axis, and drives the pressing roller 300 to rotate relative to the first frame 810 together, so as to adjust the distance between the pressing roller 300 and the heating portion 200, thereby adjusting the pressure applied to the paper.

Among them, generally, when an image forming apparatus (e.g., an electrostatic copying machine or a laser printer) is on standby, a paper jam occurs, or the thickness of a conveyed paper changes, the size of the pressed paper needs to be adjusted.

As shown in fig. 5 and 7, in the present embodiment, the driving assembly of the pressing roller 300 further includes: and a spring 830, wherein one end of the spring 830 is disposed on the first frame 810, and the other end is disposed on the second frame 820.

The spring 830 is adapted to limit the relative positions of the first frame 810 and the second frame 820, so as to adjust the pressing amount between the pressing roller 300 and the heating part 200. The pressure roller 300 presses the paper sheet between the heating part 200 and the pressure roller 300 by the pressure of the spring 830.

The number of the springs 830 is one or more.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An image fixing apparatus comprising:

a heating section and a pressure roller, the paper sheet with the toner being attached is adapted to pass through a nip formed between the heating section and the pressure roller to fix the toner on the paper sheet;

a driving section adapted to drive the pressure roller;

it is characterized by also comprising:

the transmission part is connected with the driving part and the two ends of the pressing roller, and the driving part simultaneously drives the two ends of the pressing roller to rotate through the transmission part.

2. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first gear and a second gear are respectively fixed to both ends of the pressure roller, and the transmission portion is adapted to simultaneously rotate the first gear and the second gear.

3. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transmission part includes a through shaft, a third gear and a fourth gear, the third gear and the fourth gear are respectively fixed to both ends of the through shaft, the third gear is engaged with the first gear, and the fourth gear is engaged with the second gear.

4. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the driving part includes a motor and a driving gear set, the motor is connected to the driving gear set, the driving gear set is connected to the fourth gear, and the driving gear set includes a plurality of driving gears which mesh with each other.

5. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

one end of the connecting shaft is connected with one of the driving gears;

and the connecting gear is fixedly arranged at the other end of the connecting shaft and is meshed with the fourth gear.

6. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said fourth gear is engaged with one of said drive gears.

7. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said through shaft material is a metal or an alloy.

8. The image fixing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said third gear is fixed to said through shaft by a pin, and said fourth gear is fixed to said through shaft by a pin.

9. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

the two ends of the heating part are arranged on the first frame, and the heating part can rotate relative to the first frame; the two ends of the through shaft are arranged on the first frame, and the through shaft can rotate relative to the first frame.

10. The image fixing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

the two ends of the pressure roller are arranged on the second frame, and the pressure roller can rotate relative to the second frame;

wherein the second frame is rotatable relative to the first frame about the through axis.