GEAR DRIVE APPARATUS, DRIVING DEVICE INCLUDING GEAR DRIVE APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE INCLUDING GEAR DRIVE APPARATUS

摘要

A gear drive apparatus includes a gear train including a plurality of gears, and a holding unit accommodating the gear train and a lubricant to be supplied to tooth flanks of each of the plurality of gears, the holding unit including an inlet opening from which the lubricant is poured. The lubricant from the inlet opening is supplied to an engagement area where two gears of the plurality of gears are engaged with each other, or to a tooth flank area of one of the two gears at an upstream part from the engagement area along a rotational direction of the one of the two gears.