Belt assembly and image forming apparatus including same

摘要

A belt assembly includes a belt, a plurality of support rollers, and a shaft-end retainer. The belt is formed into an endless loop, entrained about and stretched taut between the plurality of support rollers with a rotary shaft. The plurality of support rollers includes a first support roller and a second support roller. The shaft-end retainer including a first retainer and a second retainer is disposed at each end of the rotary shaft of the plurality of support rollers. The first retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the first support roller. The second retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the second support roller and includes a second-retainer opening from which the end of the rotary shaft of the second roller is detachable from and attachable to the second retainer in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft of the second support roller.

主权项

1. A belt assembly, comprising:
a frame; a tiltable roller with a rotary shaft, wherein the frame has a first space shaped to receive one end of the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller; a support roller with a rotary shaft, wherein the frame has a second space shaped to receive the rotary shaft of the support roller; a belt extending around the tiltable roller and the support roller, the belt being formed into an endless loop, wherein the support roller is able to be received in the second space of the frame by pivotally moving the support roller about the one end of the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller as a rotational axis, while keeping the belt taut; and an axial displacement device disposed at the one end of the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller, and able to contact the belt to move the belt along the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller in a width direction of the belt as the belt receives a force causing the belt to move in the width direction of the belt, wherein the axial displacement device causes the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller to tilt and to change the position of the one end of the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller, wherein the second space of the frame is shaped to receive the one end of the rotary shaft of the support roller while taking into account the changeable position of the one end of the rotary shaft of the tiltable roller.