# US 12,007,708 B2 · Belt device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

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- Number: US 12,007,708 B2
- Document ID: US12007708B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/196,446
- Filed: 2023-05-12
- Published: 2023-12-07
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2022-06-07
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Takahiro Konishi
- Inventors: Takahiro Konishi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007708B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/1615: {relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning}
- G03G 15/5054: {by measuring the characteristics of an intermediate image carrying member or the characteristics of an image on an intermediate image carrying member, e.g. intermediate transfer belt or drum, conveyor belt}
- G03G 2215/1623: Transfer belt
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

A belt device includes a belt assembly, a pressing force adjuster, and an optical sensor. The belt assembly includes multiple rollers and a belt stretched by the multiple rollers and is rotatable about a rotation axis of one of the multiple rollers. The pressing force adjuster rotates the belt assembly about the rotation axis and adjusts a contact pressure of the belt pressed against an object. The optical sensor is disposed opposite to the one of the multiple rollers, and a position of the optical sensor relative to the rotation axis is fixed while the belt assembly is rotated by the pressing force adjuster.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A belt device comprising:
a belt assembly including:
multiple rollers; and
a belt stretched by the multiple rollers,
the belt assembly configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis of one of the multiple rollers;
a pressing force adjuster configured to:
rotate the belt assembly about the rotation axis; and
adjust a contact pressure of the belt against an object; and
an optical sensor disposed opposite to the one of the multiple rollers,
wherein a position of the optical sensor relative to the rotation axis is fixed while the belt assembly is rotated by the pressing force adjuster.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The belt device according to claim 1,
wherein the optical sensor has a detection surface orthogonal to a virtual normal line passing through the rotation axis in a cross section orthogonal to the rotation axis of the one of the multiple rollers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The belt device according to claim 1,
wherein a winding range of the belt wound around the one of the multiple rollers is changed by the rotation of the belt assembly, and
the optical sensor is disposed opposite to the one of the multiple rollers within the winding range while the winding range changes according to the rotation of the belt assembly.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The belt device according to claim 3,
wherein the pressing force adjuster is configured to rotate the belt assembly in a predetermined rotation range.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The belt device according to claim 1,
wherein the optical sensor is fixed to the pressing force adjuster.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The belt device according to claim 1, further comprising
multiple optical sensors including the optical sensor, the multiple optical sensors arranged at intervals along the rotation axis of the one of the multiple rollers.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The belt device according to claim 1,
wherein the belt is a secondary transfer belt pressed against a secondary transfer backup roller via an intermediate transfer belt as the object,
the multiple rollers includes a secondary transfer roller different from the one of the multiple rollers, and
the secondary transfer roller is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt via the secondary transfer belt, and
the optical sensor is a reflective optical sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

An image forming apparatus comprising the belt device according to claim 1.