Belt support and control system
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorCharles W. Spehrley, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus in which lateral movement of a moving belt is controlled so that the belt moves in a pre-determined path. The apparatus includes at least one moving member having a plurality of spaced, flexible discs extending outwardly from the exterior surface thereof. The portion or segment of the disc contacting the region of the belt passing thereover provides support therefor. Preventing the belt from deviating laterally from the pre-determined path deflects the portion or segments of the discs providing support for the belt. The deflected portion of the disc returns to the undeflected condition when not supporting the belt. In this manner, the maximum force applied to the belt never exceeds the minimum force required to buckle the belt.
Claims16
An apparatus for supporting a belt arranged to move in a pre-determined path and for controlling lateral movement of the belt from the predetermined path, including:
- at least one rotatably mounted roller comprising a plurality of spaced, flexible discs extending outwardly from the exterior surface of said roller, each of said discs having a plurality of slits therein with each slit defining a space between one edge of said disc and the other edge thereof with the slits in adjacent discs being substantially co-linear with one another to define a plurality of spaced, longitudinally extending grooves which de-couples segments of each of said discs from one another so that at least one segment of each of said plurality of discs contacts the region of the belt passing thereover to provide support therefor;
- and
- means for preventing substantial lateral movement of the belt from the pre-determined path with the segment of each of said plurality of discs supporting the belt being deflected and returning to a substantially undeflected condition when not supporting the belt.
An electrophotographic printing machine of the type having an endless photoconductive belt arranged to move in a pre-determined path, wherein the improved apparatus for supporting the photoconductive belt and controlling lateral movement of the photoconductive belt from the pre-determined path includes:
- at least one rotatably mounted roller comprising a plurality of spaced, flexible discs extending outwardly from the exterior surface of said roller, each of said discs having a plurality of slits therein with each slit defining a space between one edge of said disc and the other edge thereof with the slits in adjacent discs being substantially co-linear with one another to define a plurality of spaced, longitudinally extending grooves which de-couple segments of each of said discs from one another so that at least one segment of each of said plurality of discs contacts the region of the photoconductive belt passing thereover to provide support therefor;
- and
- means for preventing substantial lateral movement of the photoconductive belt from the pre-determined path with the segment of each of said plurality of discs supporting the photoconductive belt being deflected and returning to a substantially undeflected condition when not supporting the photoconductive belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.