# US 11,169,471 B2 · Drive for belt > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,169,471 B2 - Document ID: US11169471B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/051,331 - Filed: 2019-06-18 - Published: 2021-03-11 - Granted: 2021-11-09 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-18 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: Yuji Aoshima; Kensuke Nakajima; Satoru Hori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11169471B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/1615: {relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning} - G03G 15/6529: {Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence)} - B65H 5/025: {between belts and rotary means, e.g. rollers, drums, cylinders or balls, forming a transport nip} - B65H 2404/252: Details of idler roller - G03G 2215/00156: by controlling drive mechanism - G03G 2215/00168: by friction - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract A belt driving device includes: an endless belt; a stretch roller to engage the endless belt, the stretch roller including a rotary shaft; a steering roller spaced apart from the stretch roller within the endless belt; an adjustment member located along the rotary shaft of the stretch roller, the adjustment member movable along the rotary shaft; and linking mechanism to couple the adjustment member to the steering roller, the linking mechanism to engage a contact surface of the adjustment member. The contact surface includes contact points positioned at different distances from the rotary shaft to raise the linking mechanism during movement of the adjustment member, to cause the steering roller to tilt at an angle, and to maintain an alignment of the endless belt. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A belt driving device comprising: an endless belt; a stretch roller to engage the endless belt, the stretch roller including a rotary shaft; a steering roller spaced apart from the stretch roller and located within the endless belt; an adjustment member located along the rotary shaft of the stretch roller, the adjustment member to move along the rotary shaft; and a linking mechanism to couple the adjustment member to the steering roller, the linking mechanism to engage a contact surface of the adjustment member, wherein the contact surface of the adjustment member includes contact points positioned at different distances from the rotary shaft to raise the linking mechanism during movement of the adjustment member, to cause the steering roller to tilt at an angle, and to maintain an alignment of the endless belt. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment member includes a slit through which at least a portion of the rotary shaft is exposed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The belt driving device according to claim 2, wherein at least a lower portion of the rotary shaft in a vertical direction is exposed through the slit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The belt driving device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment member has a bearing surface that surrounds the rotary shaft, and wherein the bearing surface is provided with a support surface that is in contact with the rotary shaft and a recessed surface that is spaced apart from the rotary shaft. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The belt driving device according to claim 2, further comprising: a collecting portion that is formed below the adjustment member and is opened toward the slit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The belt driving device according to claim 2, wherein a movable length of the adjustment member in a longitudinal direction of the stretch roller is longer than a width of a frame portion that surrounds the slit in the adjustment member. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment member is provided with a discharge port to discharge foreign matter between the rotary shaft and the adjustment member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The belt driving device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment member is spaced apart from the rotary shaft. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The belt driving device according to claim 8, wherein the adjustment member is supported by a frame at a fixed distance from the rotary shaft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The belt driving device according to claim 9, wherein the adjustment member has a contact part that comes into linear contact with the frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The belt driving device according to claim 1, further comprising: a positioning member located adjacent the adjustment member along the rotary shaft, wherein the adjustment member including an engagement portion that overlaps the positioning member. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The belt driving device according to claim 11, wherein the engagement portion of the adjustment member has an annular shape around an axis line of the rotary shaft, wherein the positioning member has an annular portion around the axis line of the rotary shaft, and wherein the annular portion is inserted into an inner side of the engagement portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The belt driving device according to claim 11, wherein the engagement portion of the adjustment member has an annular shape around an axis line of the rotary shaft, wherein the positioning member has an annular portion around the axis line of the rotary shaft, and wherein the engagement portion is inserted into an inner side of the annular portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The belt driving device according to claim 11, wherein the engagement portion of the adjustment member has an annular shape around an axis line of the rotary shaft, wherein the positioning member has a recessed annular portion around the axis line of the rotary shaft, and wherein the engagement portion is inserted into an inner side of the recessed annular portion. ### Claim 15 An image forming apparatus comprising: a belt driving device, wherein the belt driving device includes: an endless belt; a stretch roller to engage with the endless belt, the stretch roller including a rotary shaft; a steering roller that is spaced apart from the stretch roller on an inner side of the endless belt; an adjustment member that is disposed along the rotary shaft of the stretch roller, the adjustment member to move along the rotary shaft; and a linking mechanism that connects the adjustment member and the steering roller, the linking mechanism to engage with a contact surface of the adjustment member, and wherein the contact surface is provided with contact points that are positioned at different distances from the rotary shaft such that, during movement of the adjustment member, the linking mechanism is lifted, and the steering roller tilts so as to maintain a disposition of the endless belt relative to the steering roller.