GEAR ARRANGEMENT

摘要

A plastic gear is rotatably supported on at least one plastic fixed support stud, which is preferably formed of plastic and molded on a metal support plate. The fixed support stud has three equiangularly spaced lobes extending from its outer surface without any nominal clearance with an inner surface of a hub of a plastic gear defining a bore in the gear hub to receive the fixed support stud. The lobes cause deformation of portions of the gear hub between the adjacent lobes. By increasing the clearance between the outer surface of the fixed support stud and the inner surface of the gear hub, spaces are provided between the adjacent lobes to allow portions of the inner surface of the gear hub to extend thereinto due to the deformation of the plastic. This reduces the vibration or jitter of the plastic gear, which is the output gear of a gear train for driving a photoconductive drum of a laser printer to improve its print quality.