Image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorFukashi Hatano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable first coupling provided at a side surface of an engaging portion with a taper surface, and a unit detachably mountable in a second direction crossing with the first direction. The unit includes a second coupling, a driven member and a releasing member. The second coupling includes at an end portion thereof a portion-to-be-engaged engageable with the engaging portion to transmit the driving force, and the driven member receives the driving force from the second coupling. When the unit is disengaged from the main assembly, the releasing member is moved in the second direction in contact with the taper surface to move the first coupling away from the second coupling to effect disengagement between the engaging portion and the portion-to-be-engaged.
Claims12
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main assembly;
- a driving source provided in said main assembly;
- a first coupling provided in said main assembly and rotatable by a driving force from said driving source, said first coupling is capable of transmitting the driving force by an engaging portion provided at an end portion thereof in a first direction which is a direction of a rotational axis of said first coupling and being movable in the first direction, said first coupling being provided at a side surface of said engaging portion with a coupling taper surface having a diameter which increases in the first direction from a free end portion toward said driving source;
- and
- a unit detachably mountable to said main assembly in a second direction crossing with the first direction, said unit including a second coupling, a driven member and a releasing member,
- wherein said second coupling is rotatable and is disposed such that when said unit is mounted to said main assembly in a mounted position, a rotational axis of said second coupling and the rotational axis of said first coupling are substantially coaxial with each other, and said second coupling includes, at an end portion thereof with respect to a direction of the rotational axis of said second coupling, a portion-to-be-engaged engageable with said engaging portion to transmit the driving force from said driving source,
- wherein said driven member receives the driving force from said second coupling, and
- wherein said releasing member is movable relative to said second coupling in a direction crossing with the direction of the rotational axis of said second coupling member, and wherein when said unit is in the mounted position, said releasing member in contact with said coupling taper surface moves in the second direction to move said first coupling away from said second coupling to effect disengagement between said engaging portion and said portion-to-be-engaged.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a main assembly;
- a driving source provided in said main assembly;
- a first coupling provided in said main assembly and rotatable by a driving force from said driving source, said first coupling is capable of transmitting the driving force by an engaging portion provided at an end portion thereof in a first direction which is a direction of a rotational axis of said first coupling;
- and
- a unit detachably mountable to said main assembly in a second direction crossing with the first direction, said unit including a second coupling, a driven member and a releasing member,
- wherein said second coupling is rotatable and is movable in a direction of a rotational axis of said second coupling, and said second coupling is disposed such that when said unit is mounted to said main assembly in a mounted position, the rotational axis of said second coupling and the rotational axis of said first coupling are substantially coaxial with each other, said second coupling includes, at an end portion thereof with respect to the direction of the rotational axis of said second coupling, a portion-to-be-engaged engageable with said engaging portion to transmit the driving force from said driving source, wherein said second coupling is provided at a side surface of said portion-to-be-engaged with a coupling taper surface having a diameter increasing toward said unit from a free end portion in the first direction,
- wherein said driven member receives the driving force from said second coupling, and
- wherein said releasing member is movable relative to said second coupling in a direction crossing with the direction of the rotational axis of said second coupling, and wherein when said unit is in the mounted position, said releasing member in contact with said coupling taper surface moves in the second direction to move said second coupling away from said first coupling to effect disengagement between said engaging portion and said portion-to-be-engaged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.